Fashion in History

by Nancy McCammon-Hansen

For those of us living in this rainy part of the country, an umbrella is something that at certain times of the year is as much a necessity as your car keys or cell phone. Even growing up on the arid Great Plains, I was encouraged as a college freshman to own an umbrella because all the walking I would have to do, in all kinds of weather, necessitated that I purchase said item. We think of umbrellas as utility items but they were once a part of fashion and even more so when they were designed as “parasols”.

We have been photographing and moving our collection of parasols at the History Center and we thought you would like to see this fashion accessory which, I would venture to say, most women are probably glad has disappeared from view. Parasols were “light and elegant, constantly changing in style and available in a variety of materials and colours”. (A History of the Umbrella by T. S. Crawford, copyright 1970, Taplinger Publishing Co.)

Parasols had their uses as an accessory--shade from the sun and a way to either hide your face from an unwanted admirer or to flirt with someone with whom you were interested in getting to know a little better!

Note the fragility of the fabric due to time and wear.

Much of the time parasols were dangled from the wrist and handles evolved with end rings to accommodate the posture. Parasol designs came and went and “the parasol of the ‘twenties was in much the same category as the Ascot hat, deliberately intended to be outrageous, even ridiculous enough to catch the camera’s eye.” In 1922, parasols for canines became popular and were made for dogs at the Pekingese and French Bulldog Clubs’ exhibitions. Fortunately, this trend did not last long and the demise of the parasol began.

The handles of parasols were often elaborately carved.

The parasol began disappearing in countries where the sun was not excessively strong and where the item had been carried more for appearance than function. Sun tans and sun lotions were in vogue and although parasols made a short comeback in Germany in 1928, the fad was short lived. The English were the slowest to discard parasols and as late as the 1960s they could still be seen in some sections of British society. But for the most part, parasols as a fashion accessory were dead by the early 1930s.

We used to store parasols like this....

...and now they are in special cabinets designed to store delicate items.

Our event coordinator, Steve Toor, and his business partner Mary Ann Dorhman recently presented a program for the guild at my church and so we're including some photos from that presentation in this post because they too show fashion from history and a variety of items.

This particular outfit is "fashioned" from material with an Art Deco design. It is likely from sometime in the 1920s.

This parasol was from the Chicago World's Fair in the 1930s.

 Accessories are always a must have item for any fashion forward woman.

 Steve shows a dress that belonged to his mother that was purchased at Wolf and Dessauer. The dress is c. 1940s.

 This hat also came from W & D.

 Mary Ann models a dress from the 1800s that had mutton sleeves.

This dress weighs 15 pounds, in large part due to the beading on it.

An interesting necklace.

Opera glasses.

Barb Mansfield and Mary Ann stand with Steve before their fashion show. 

A closeup of the cameo Mary Ann is wearing. Note the "sparkles" on her dress....these were very fashion forward for the time.

Dressed for a night on the town in 1920s splendor, Barb models a coat with a rabbit fur collar.

Fort Wayne’s First Park

by Tom Castaldi

In 1863, at the height of the Civil War, Fort Wayne created its first public park on the site occupied by the last two American forts.  This small lot - about one-fifth of an acre - was sold to the city by Harry Seymour for $800. An iron fence and flagpole were quickly donated by Henry M. Williams, a Civil War veteran who, with his wife Mary Hamilton, later donated to the city Williams Park on the south side of Fort Wayne.

The present-day monument of a well and “well-sweep” recall the remnants of the old U.S. military garrisons as they appeared in 1838, giving only a pale reflection of the earlier days of the Indian wars.  In 1838, the Wabash and Erie Canal had cut through the northwest half of Major John Whistler’s 1815 fort, leaving only the well, a broken flagpole and the remnants of the officers’ quarters. The last building of the fort was finally taken down in 1852.

The Old Fort Park continued throughout the nineteenth century to serve as a revered monument to all military veterans.  In 1888, the Maumee Valley Monumental Association held its annual gathering in the park; in 1900 the Spanish-American War cannon, located in Swinney Park since 1956, was dedicated in Old Fort Park.

Originally published in Fort Wayne Magazine, “Along the Heritage Trail with Tom Castaldi” May 2005 No.12, p. 32

Yes, Fort Wayne has a flag!

by Carmen Doyle

One of the comments heard a lot is “I didn’t know Fort Wayne had a flag!” With the distinctive appearance of the flag, it’s surprising that many people have not noticed it.

The flag has a blue background, with three broad white lines that intersect in the middle to form a “Y”. In the middle of the “Y” is a red fort. 

On the left hand side of the flag is a red Indian head, representing the Miami Indians.

On the top right of the flag is a red fleur-de-lis, representing the French forts. 

On the bottom right is a lion, representing the English forts. 

We just got a new Fort Wayne flag for our building so we took the opportunity to shoot a closeup photo.

The flag came about because in 1916 Indiana celebrated its centennial. There were celebrations throughout the area. As part of Fort Wayne’s festivities, the Journal-Gazette held a competition to design a flag that would represent the city. 

The winner was Guy Drewett.  At a centennial pageant, he was among the citizens who were honored for their contribution to Fort Wayne’s celebrations.

His first design was not the same flag seen today. The original design had the white lines, representing the three rivers, but instead of the red icons seen today, the original flag had a star on either side to represent Fort Wayne’s status as Indiana’s second city.

Guy went around Fort Wayne selling the flag to citizens anticipating the centennial, using the slogan that he was the “Guy That Drew It”.

In 1934, the flag was redesigned to better tell Fort Wayne’s history. That flag was officially adopted by the City Council, and is the design we use now.

Guy Drewett was so proud of his accomplishment that his tombstone is engraved “Designed the flag of Fort Wayne-1916”

 
Now that you know that Fort Wayne does have a flag- see how often you observe it around town. Take a photo and post it on Facebook and tag it with The History Center.

We fly the Fort Wayne flag along with the American flag and state flag at the History Center.

Celebrating Historic Preservation Month

by Jill Downs

A flip of the calendar to the month of May tells us it’s the start of Preservation Month.  Started by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1973, Preservation Month seeks to bring awareness to the work being done across the country to preserve those buildings, sites, structures, districts, and objects significant to the history and development of our nation. 

The focus is not just on historic preservation that has  national significance, such as the current rehabilitation of the New York State Pavilion from the 1964-1965 World’s Fair, but also on those at the state and local levels as well.  In Indiana, for example, we can point to the preservation of the West Baden Hotel, the Lanier Mansion, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the Gronauer Lock . 

Fort Wayne can point to examples such as the Embassy Theatre, the Goodrich Silvertown (VanGilder & Trzyznka) building, the Chief Richardville House, and numerous other significant, but less well-known preservation projects throughout the city.  

Although it’s nice to be able to focus on the successes, Preservation Month also reminds us that there is still a lot of work to be done.  Preservation requires the collaboration and coordination of organizations and volunteers.  Preservation requires educating the public about the importance of saving historic places and the need to train people in skills necessary to maintain and preserve older structures.  

There are many ways in which you can celebrate Preservation Month.  Locally, ARCH will be presenting a lecture on the architecture of Allen County and workshops on repairing historic porches and small carpentry repairs, and the History Center will be hosting a lecture on Fort Wayne industrialist John H. Bass.  

The Chief Richardville House, May 3, 2014

The Chief Richardville House became a National Historic Landmark in 2012

A good way to celebrate Preservation Month is just to take a walk outside.  Take note of architectural details of houses and buildings, appreciate designed landscapes such as Lindenwood Cemetery and the Brookview neighborhood along West State Boulevard, or stand on the historic Wells Street Bridge overlooking the St. Mary’s River.  After you’ve celebrated, build on what you’ve learned and continue to support the cause for the rest of the year.

Jill Downs has a graduate degree in Historic Preservation from Ball State University.  She previously worked as the Preservation Specialist for the West Central Neighborhood Association, and is a past member of the ARCH, Inc. Board of Directors and City of Fort Wayne Historic Preservation Commission.  She currently works as a preservation consultant writing nominations to the National Register of Historic Places and researching the histories of old houses.  Her website is www.storyofyourhouse.com

The Battle of Kekionga

by Tom Castaldi

 The Battle of Kekionga in October 1790 was the first battle fought by the United States Army after the War for Independence. The campaign had been ordered by President Washington against the Miami settlement of Kekionga, the center of Indian resistance to U.S. migration across the Ohio River.

     The U.S. campaign against Kekionga began in early October when General Josiah Harmar, a veteran of the Revolutionary Way, led his main force of 1,453 regular and militia soldiers up the Great Miami River valley north of Fort Washington (later, Cincinnati). A diversionary force under Major John Hamtramck had marched on the Vincennes area to draw the main concentration of Miami Indians and their allies, the Delawares and Shawnees, away from Kekionga, but the maneuver failed.

 On October 15, the vanguard of the U.S. forces reached Kekionga and found that the Miami had burned and abandoned their town. On October 17, Harmar’s main force reached the Indian town, but patrols failed to discover the Miami warriors. Two days later, on hearing reports of a gathering of Indian forces, Harmar sent about three hundred men under Colonel John Hardin (of the Kentucky militia) north of Kekionga to the Eel River region to search for the Indian warriors. On October 19, Hardin’s forces suffered a stinging defeat near present-day Heller’s Corners in an ambush led by the Miami war chief Meshekinnoquah (Little Turtle). Nearly all the U.S. Army regular soldiers were killed and the Kentucky militia fled. One regular officer, Captain John Armstrong, managed to survive by hiding all night in a swamp, listening to the Miami victory celebrations nearby. General Harmar completed the destruction of the area villages on October 20 and retreated from Kekionga on the 21st to a camp located nine miles to the south, near present-day Hessen Cassel.

    Learning that the Miami warriors had returned to Kekionga, General Harmar sent an attacking force back to the Indian town on the morning of October 22. Two companies of U.S. forces, under the command of Colonel John Hardin, took position along the west bank of the St. Joseph river. Three companies, under the overall command of regular army major John Wyllys, advanced across the ford of the Maumee River, hoping to entrap the Indians in Kekionga itself. The Miami warriors challenged the crossing, killing several men as they waded the ankle-deep Maumee River. In the corn fields and flood plain outside Kekionga, the main United States forces were destroyed and Major Wyllys and the cavalry commander, Major Fontaine, were killed by Little Turtle’s warriors who held the high ground to the north. By the end of the battle at midday, 183 United States soldiers had been killed, and about the same number of Indians had been slain. The Miami Confederacy had held its town, and General Harmar’s main force retreated to Fort Washington.

Originally published in Fort Wayne Magazine, “Along the Heritage Trail with Tom Castaldi” –September October 2004, No 7, p. 70