South Bend on a Saturday

Yesterday, much to my surprise, I had a wonderful day in South Bend and am going to have to return to see what I missed at one of their local museums. If you’ve read some of my other posts, you know I am an advocate for getting to know the area where you live and its history. South Bend IN is a great place for doing that.

After a leisurely breakfast and some reading, I headed off to Notre Dame. This is a good place to walk and take photos of the statues and architecture. Then, of course, you have to visit the bookstore, which has an extensive religion section of course, but a also a fair amount of fiction for adults and children alike, and HISTORY!

Then it was off to the Center for History and the Studebaker Museum. Unfortunately, I had not planned ahead and found that the Center’s admission price included, if you so choose, a tour of Copshaholm, the mansion that belonged to the Oliver family. The mansion, where I only had time to view the first floor, is stunning. All of the original furnishings are intact and it is as though the family had just stepped out while you toured their home.

The Joseph D. Oliver family moved into the Queen Anne/Romanesque house on New Year’s Day, 1897. The home has 38 rooms, making it smaller than the Studebaker’s home, but its exterior is far more impressive due to the stonework and design. Copshaholm is the name of the town in Scotland where Oliver’s father lived until immigrating to the United States. Oliver made his fortune in farm equipment, developing a process to make plows more sharp and later manufacturing tractors.

If you visit the home, plan to spend at least an hour because the tour is guided and some tourists tend to get a little chatty with the guide. Just a confession—but I was promoting Fort Wayne!

The temporary exhibit at the Center for History is “Gizmos, Corsets and Concoctions”, which, unless you REALLY want to see how a lobotomy is performed and what a too-tight corset does to a woman’s spine, can be skipped. I didn’t have time to walk the “time-line” in the basement nor did I have much interest in the baseball exhibit, but the children’s section looked like a lot of fun if you have a child under six that you’re trying to entice to go to a museum.

There’s also a gallery devoted to Notre Dame and its presidents, which is worth more time than I devoted to it.

If, like me, you love old cars, the Studebaker portion of the building is something to see. My great-aunt Hazel always drove Studebakers. My father, who worked for over 50 years in the car industry, never could understand why she thought those were the cars for her. Granted, some of them were pretty darn ugly. But others were pretty darn cool and you can see why at this museum. The Studebakers also collected carriages belonging to famous persons, such as Lincoln, Grant, McKinley and Benjamin Harrison, whose carriages are on display.

South Bend also is home to the College Football Hall of Fame, two other art museums, the South Bend Chocolate Factory and Museum, the Military Honor Park and Museum, and the Civil Rights Heritage Center. Next trip, the Civil Rights center will be on my list as well as a return to the Oliver Mansion so I can view the second and third floors.

History CAN and IS fun! Day trips, photography and a curiosity on the part of parents can make learning fun for kids and family memories.

(And as an aside, I got lost and wound up at the city's oldest cemetery. I didn't take time to get out and walk around, but if you like studying history via headstones, this would be a good place to do that.)

Jenne Camera Manufacturing

C.R. Jenne moved his company—Jenne Camera Mfg. Co.-- to Fort Wayne in 1892 and manufactured the Solar Rayon. This was a combination sun or lamp sketching camera, “designed for use of both professional and amateur artists of any one doing any kind of drawing, painting or enlarging small pictures to life-size. The Solar Rayon is made in four different sizes, the largest size being capable of use as a magic lantern, as a sketching camera, as a bromide painting camera, and as a photographic camera, and in each of these performances it has no equal on the market.”

Smaller sizes were used for sketching only and were operated only by the sun. A third size combined both a lamp and sun sketching cameras. The company produced an illustrated catalog of their products.

According to “The Industries of Fort Wayne”, published in 1895,

“The products are unquestionably the best of the kind ever invented and their usefulness is daily becoming more universally recognized.”

An illustration from the book.

So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright

I hadn’t thought of the song in years. But the tune and first words of “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright” were there as we walked the streets in the neighborhood around Wright’s home and studio in Oak Park, Ill.

Simon And Garfunkel “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright”

So long, Frank Lloyd Wright.

Bust of Wright

I can't believe your song is gone so soon.

I barely learned the tune

So soon

So soon.

I'll remember Frank Lloyd Wright.

All of the nights we'd harmonize till dawn.

I never laughed so long

So long

So long.

CHORUS

Architects may come and

Architects may go and

Never change your point of view.

When I run dry

I stop awhile and think of you

So long, Frank Lloyd Wright

All of the nights we'd harmonize till dawn.

I never laughed so long

So long

So long.

If you were/are a fan of Simon and Garfunkel, surely you remember the tune. It was the start of a life-long interest for me in Frank Lloyd Wright. His architecture has always had great appeal to me—no two houses are the same, the furniture is phenomenal and there is the sparseness and elegance of clean lines and simple design that are calming.

So I was a little more than pleased when my husband and I – because I had waited too long to garner a hotel room in Chicago – ended up in Oak Park this week, staying at The Writer’s Inn. And although I know I’m supposed to be promoting Allen County in this blog….let’s face it. Sometimes you need to get out of town.

Oak Park is a fairly easy day trip or weekend away—an easy drive except the Interstate through Chicago—but maybe there are fewer trucks on the weekend. I was hard pressed to believe we’re in a recession based upon the number of trucks we encountered.

Oak Park is not only the home of Frank Lloyd Wright but also the birthplace of Ernest Hemingway, an author my freshman English prof was sure I would like because I was a journalism major and Hemingway was, for part of his career, a journalist. The Hemingway Museum is small and run by volunteers but I learned some things about the man that I would never have learned during a 3 p.m. Tues-Thurs class. I’m still working on liking Hemingway after all these years but Wright has been a much easier obsession.

Two novels have been published about Wright and his women in the last several years:

Loving Frank:. See http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/books/02masl.html

The Women: See http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-02-09-lloyd-wright_N.htm

I’ve read both and highly recommend them. “Loving Frank” is somewhat disturbing given the ending of his relationship with fellow Oak Park resident and client Mamah Borthwick Cheney. Their affair scandalized Oak Park society at a time when Victorian morals still had a certain sway over people. When you look at photos of Wright it’s hard to imagine him as a womanizer….but he was. And sometimes this overshadowed his talent.

Front of Wright's Home

When you go to his home/studio, you can tour that OR tour just the various neighborhoods where Wright homes are located OR both. We chose just to walk the neighborhood around his home but know there is a return trip in the offing at some time. The photo ops are far too good to pass up. And the food at the Hemingway Bistro is worth the return trip.

If you’ve read some of my other blog posts, you know I often promote bringing kids to downtown Fort Wayne to take pictures of architectural elements. Fort Wayne is not without great and/or unique architecture (I know a former Fort Wayne mayor who thinks the building the History Center is housed in is phenomenally ugly—I beg to differ but to each his own) and taking kids around to look at buildings and take photos is a wonderful way to explore your city. So there I’ve said it again…get out of your car and walk around. You miss far too much zooming through downtown.

Walking is one of the beauties of Oak Park and many parts of Fort Wayne. You can walk and see wonderful pieces of a city that you simply cannot explore from your vehicle.

A home designed by Wright in the 1920s

So this is how I spent my wedding anniversary vacation…and hopefully will spend a few more mini-breaks in the not so distant future. And kudos to the people of Oak Park. What a welcoming group of people. They well understand hospitality and its importance to visitors.

Another Wright design--the original house burned so he "improved" on his original design

A View of Downtown Fort Wayne

Eric Rogers is a local photographer who likes to take photographs of our city. On September 9—Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown Day—he took a number of photos from primarily the top of the Lincoln Tower but from other sites downtown as well that provide a perspective on our city that you really need to see.

A fun activity for anyone, regardless of age, is to grab your camera and come to downtown and other older parts of the city to take photos of architectural elements. You need to get out of your car and walk to do this…and that’s part of the beauty of the experience. Whizzing through in your vehicle just doesn’t cut it.

Eric has given the History Center his permission to use these photos on our blog so that all may see them.

So enjoy by going to this link: https://www.icloud.com/journal/#1;CAEQARoQX8VKcJ52iCkYPdlqob9INA;E25883CF-8A6F-4A95-B72E-8DF909240ABC

And if you have questions of Eric, please contact him at:

Eric Rogers | FRKNHOG.com

What do sports and pistons have in common?

I’ve been trying for some time to think of a way to WRITE about pistons and make them interesting. But since my mechanical ability fits on the head of a pin—with room left over—and I don’t have a graphic to illustrate how a piston works—you’ll have to come see Allen County Innovation when it opens to find that out. So I’m going to talk in this blog post about sports. Not that I’m an expert on that either but I know more about sports than I do about pistons.

Robert D. Parker wrote a piece in the Old Fort News, Volume 46, Issue 4, 1983, entitled “A Piston Report…Zollner Corporation”. The article relates the history of the Zollner family and its contribution to Allen County industry and the automotive industry in particular. The company created and produced an automotive piston which was superior to those manufactured by the automobile companies themselves. At one time, the company was “highly recognized for the fine quality of its pneumatic tool parts and especially for its automotive pistons….”.

Eventually the company decided to concentrate solely on pistons. “So good were these pistons that most leading engine manufacturers were demanding them regularly.” In 1945, some of those pistons were made in a building at 312 East Main Street. This is now the area where the Auer Center is located.

So what do pistons have to do with sports?

Well, Fred Zollner loved sports and he loved kids. In 1948, Zollner created the Knot Hole Gang, a group of 30,000 boys and girls who had free use of Zollner Stadium for softball games, free swimming and ice skating. Zollner Stadium was on North Anthony Boulevard and now is the home of the Concordia High School teams.

From “The Zollner Piston Story” by Rodger Nelson (courtesy of  http://www.archive.org/stream/zollnerpistonsto00nels/zollnerpistonsto00nels_djvu.txt)

“Sports was a high priority with the Zollners in furthering employee relations at the piston plant. Sponsorship of athletic teams in bowling, Softball and basketball proved good for morale. Little did anyone realize that this sponsorship in two sports would lead to distinction among the founding fathers of the National Basketball Association and the

best Softball team ever put together.

“While Fred was the catalyst for the sports programs, Theodore (note: Fred’s father)

was one hundred percent behind every activity, wanting to play to win

every time. The willingness to work, the ability to think and the courage

to take a chance had brought huge rewards to Zollner Machine Works

through Ted's and Fred's efforts, and the same would prevail in the wide

world of sports.”

Fred Zollner loved softball and basketball and recruited employees who were good at both to work for his company.

“Recruiting athletic talent was fairly easy, once the players knew that the Zollner program was genuine. Softball was almost a depression- built sport and top stars used it to secure employment. Basketball was in the same boat. The seasons were short and the players had a heavy reliance on off-court jobs. Zollner Machine Works, growing rapidly in defense and wartime production, provided the background that would count heavily in its won-lost columns.”

Star players became managers in the company. “This trio — Luken, Kampschmidt and Ramage — were the backbone of the Pistons throughout the next decade and a half,  and were also stalwarts of the Piston plant. Luken became production chief, Kamp-

schmidt personnel director and Ramage supervisor of a stock room. It was the beginning of a softball dynasty.”

But onto basketball.

From http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/ftwayne/fwpistons.html (we’ve shortened the list so if you love sports stats, see the website).

1941/42: Automobile-piston magnate Fred Zollner launched the club in the National Basket ball League and christened it the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons.

1942/43: The Zollner Pistons were even stronger in the second season as they finished the regular season in first place with a record of 17-6.

1943/44: The Zollner Pistons continued to fire on all cylinders winning their second straight regular season title with an 18-4 record. In the playoffs the Pistons captured the NBL Championship.

1944/45: The Zollner Pistons captured their second straight NBL Championship.

1945/46: Seeking their third straight Championship the Zollner Pistons again finished in first place posting a solid record of 26-8. However, in the playoffs the Zollner Pistons Championship reign would come to a sudden end as they are beaten by the Rochester Royals.

1946/47: The NBL begins to lose talent to the newly formed Basketball Association of America, as the Zollner Pistons fail to win the division for the first time in four years.

1947/48: The NBL continues to lose talent to the BAA prompting talk of a merger. Among the people leading the calls for a merger is Pistons Owner Fred Zollner….Following the season the Pistons would be one of four teams, along with the Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals and Indianapolis Jets to join the BAA as the first step of a merger between the two leagues was initiated.    

 

NBA Years:

1948/49: Joining the BAA the Pistons are starting over again as they drop the Zollner from their nickname. However, Fred Zollner remained a virtual part of the development of the league as he helps provide transportation arrangements for the entire league. In their first year in the BAA the Pistons would struggle finishing in fifth place in the Western Division with a record of 22-38. Following the season five more NBL teams would join the league, which would be rechristened the NBA as the merger was completed. 

1949/50: Playing in their second season in the NBA the Pistons would finish third in the Central Division with a record of 40-28.  Following the season six former NBL teams would leave to reform the league. However, it would never get off the ground. 

1950/51: Back in the Western Division the Pistons struggle again finishing in third place with a 32-36 record. Along the way the Pistons made history winning a November 22nd game in Minneapolis over the Lakers by a score of 19-18, setting a record for the lowest scoring game in NBA history.

1951/52: The Pistons continue to struggle finishing in fourth place with a poor record of 29-37.

1952/53: After two straight losing seasons the Pistons post a winning record finishing in third place with a record of 36-33, as Larry Foust leads the team in points and rebounds.

1953/54: The Pistons continue to improve finishing in third place with a solid record of 40-32. However, the Pistons would not win a game in the playoffs.

1954/55: The Pistons capture the Western Division with sharp shooter Larry Foust leading the NBA in shooting percentage. (The team went onto the NBA Finals.)

1955/56: After their trip to the NBA Finals the Pistons again finish in first place despite only finishing two games above .500 with a record of 37-35. In the playoffs the Pistons would overcome a 2-0 deficit to beat the St. Louis Hawks for a return trip to the NBA Finals. However, in the finals the Pistons would be beaten by the Philadelphia Warriors in five games.

1956/57: After a second straight NBA Finals defeat the Pistons would be part of a three way tie in the Western Division to make the playoffs with a mediocre 34-38 record. In the playoffs the Pistons would make a quick exit as they are beaten in two straight games by the Minneapolis Lakers. Following the season Fred Zollner determined his team could no longer compete in the small market of Fort Wayne, Indiana. So he moved his team to Detroit a growing city built around the automobile industry.

Tacumwah: Chief Richardville’s mother

A second article about Tacumwah by Carmen Doyle

Wallace Brice, in his 1868 History of Fort Wayne gives a detailed account of how Jean-Baptiste Richardville became chief of the Miami Indians:

“A white man had been captured and brought in by the warriors. A council had been convened, in which the question of his fate arose in debate and was soon settled. He was to be burned at the stake, and the braves and the villagers generally were soon gathered about the scene of torture, making the very air to resound with their vociferations and triumphant shouts of pleasure and gratification of the prospect of soon enjoying another hour of fiendish merriment at the expense of a poor, miserable victim of torture. Already the man was lashed to the stake, and the torch that was to ignite the combustible material placed about the same and the victim of torture, was in the hands of the brave appointed to create the flame that was soon to consume the victim of their cruelty. But the spirit of rescue was at hand. The man was destined to be saved from the terrible fate that surrounded him!

Young Richardville had for some time been singled out as the future chief of the tribe, and his heroic mother (Tacumwah) saw in this a propitious and glorious moment for the assertion of his chieftainship, by an act of great daring and bravery, in the rescue of the prisoner at the stake. All eyes were now fixed upon the captive. Young Richardville and his mother were some distance from the general scene, but sufficiently near to see the movements of the actors in the tragedy about to be enacted, and could plainly hear the coarse ejaculations and mingled shouts of triumph of the crowd. At that moment, just as the torch was about to be applied to the bark, as if touched by some angelic impulse of love and pity for the poor captive, the mother of young Richardville placed a knife in her son’s hand, and bade him assert his chieftainship by the rescue of the prisoner. The magnetic force of the mother seemed to have convulsed and inspired the young warrior, and he quickly bounded away to the scene, broke through the wild crowd, cut the cords that bound the man, and bid him be free! All was astonishment and surprise; and though by no means pleased at the loss of their prize, yet the young man, their favorite, for his heroic and daring conduct, was at once esteemed a god by the crowd, and then and thereafter became a chief of the first distinction and honor in the tribe!”

While the dramatic account,which seems designed to be told around a campfire, appears to be about Richardville, the real power is with his mother Tacumwah. She is the one who puts the knife in Richardville’s hand and she is the one who tells him to cut the prisoner free. Tacumwah is also the one who takes care of the former prisoner. She gets the rescued man into a boat and sent to some friendly Indians.

Tacumwah was the major influence on her son. She controlled the portage, a miles long strip of land connecting the Maumee and Wabash rivers. The portage was a profitable one, making her, and later Richardville, wealthy. She retained control of the portage despite a disagreement with Chief Richardville’s father. The Bicentennial Heritage Trail tells how Tacumwah was “the most important woman among the Miami people during the time of the wars between the United States and the Native Americans of the region. Tacumwah was an outstanding businesswoman.”

She was also intelligent. Henry Hay, in his journal from 1790, conveys that Richardville was “very bashful” and never spoke in council- “his mother who is very clever is obliged to do it for him.” Hay also mentions she ran a trading post, and he later purchases a horse from her.

Although Tacumwah is usually only mentioned because of her son being Chief, it is obvious from what Hay and Brice said that she was an important person in her own right, not just as the mother of a powerful man.

Sources:

Wallace A. Brice, History of Fort Wayne, 1868

Fort Wayne Bicentennial Heritage Trail Guide Map  (Site 51)

Henry Hay, Journal from Detroit to the Miami River, 1790