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73-494: WonderLab began operation as a traveling outreach program run by a group of volunteers. In 1998, WonderLab opened a small, interim museum on the north side of the Bloomington courthouse square. At the same time, a capital campaign was launched to build a permanent museum on a downtown lot donated by the city of Bloomington. The current 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m) museum opened to the public on March 29, 2003. Currently, WonderLab

146-546: A United States fur trade factory was established in Fort Wayne. It was burned by the local Indians at the beginning of the War of 1812 . The first settlement started in 1815. In 1819, the military garrison abandoned the fort and moved to Detroit. In 1822, a federal land office opened to sell land ceded by local Native Americans by the Treaty of St. Mary's in 1818. Platted in 1823 at

219-711: A lacustrine plain formed by Glacial Lake Maumee . The Little River flows southwest of Fort Wayne, a tributary of the Wabash River , and remnant of the Maumee Torrent . Fort Wayne is situated on the Saint Lawrence River Divide , a continental divide separating the Great Lakes Basin from the Gulf of Mexico watershed. The most important geographical feature of the area is the short distance over land between

292-401: A park and boulevard plan conceived by urban planner Charles Mulford Robinson in 1909 and finalized by landscape architect George Kessler in 1912. The master plan proposed a network of parkways and boulevards connecting the city's three rivers and Spy Run Creek to dozens of neighborhoods and parks. Several parks were designed by noted landscape architect Arthur Asahel Shurcliff . Much of

365-508: A male householder with no wife present, and 38.0% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age in the city was 34.5 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.5% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 12% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of

438-438: A number of locations, particularly during heavy rainfall events. However, as of 2023, a several million dollar citywide sewage overflow tunnel project is set to be completed, among additional efforts, such as a $ 135 million investment from the city into rain gardens , to prevent further discharge into the rivers. There has been growing investment and development along the riverfront since at least 2019. Fort Wayne lies in

511-439: A school. The log cabin courthouse was located on what now would be the south side of the square, now 116 South Walnut Street. Bloomington historian Dennis E. Matthews commissioned Jim Woods, owner of Woods and Nordberg Signs, to sketch the first courthouse in 1988. The charcoal sketch was drawn from a description by Bloomington historian Robert Leffler. Later Matthews made a model of the log cabin courthouse, which can be seen at

584-459: A small trading outpost. It was part of a group of forts and trading posts built between Quebec and St. Louis . The first census in 1744 recorded a population of approximately 40 Frenchmen and 1,000 Miamians. Increasing tension between France and Great Britain developed over control of the territory. In 1760, France ceded the area to Britain after its forces in North America surrendered during

657-503: A temporary log courthouse - a double cabin to be completed by the first of August. This log courthouse was probably located somewhere in the immediate area of where the Waldron Arts building is today." The courthouse was built in August 1818 by Samuel Elliot. The cost of the structure was not to exceed $ 400. It was a single-story two-room cabin in the manner of a double log cabin. One room

730-461: A variety of volunteer opportunities for hundreds of teens and adults. 39°9′57″N 86°32′11″W  /  39.16583°N 86.53639°W  / 39.16583; -86.53639 Monroe County Courthouse (Indiana) Monroe County Courthouse in Bloomington, Indiana is a Beaux Arts building built in 1908. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It

803-551: A visit from then president of the United States, Ronald Reagan. In the 1990s, the city began a turnaround. Local leaders focused on crime reduction, economic diversification, and downtown redevelopment. By 1999, Fort Wayne's crime rate decreased to the lowest levels since 1974, and the city's economy recovered, with the unemployment rate hovering at 2.4 percent in 1998. Clearing blighted buildings downtown resulted in new public greenspaces, including Headwaters Park, which has become

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876-571: A weak tornado formed on the city's west central side and moved northeast, striking the downtown area. On May 26, 2001, an EF1 tornado struck a shopping center on the city's northeast side, flipping cars and damaging roofs and windows on nearby residences and businesses. Three people were injured in the storm. The city experienced 91 mph (146 km/h) wind gusts in the June 2012 North American derecho , knocking out power to 78,000, uprooting approximately 500 trees, and costing $ 2.5 million. Fort Wayne

949-407: Is 29 percent, double the state average of 14.5 percent and above the national average of 27.1 percent. The canopy is decreasing, notably from development and the emerald ash borer infestation . Fort Wayne has been designated a Tree City USA since 1990. Historically, Fort Wayne has been divided into four unofficial quadrants: northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest. Calhoun Street divides

1022-508: Is a center for the defense industry which employs 1-2% of the population. Fort Wayne was an All-America City Award recipient in 1983, 1998, 2009, and 2021. The city also received an Outstanding Achievement City Livability Award by the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 1999. This area here on the river confluence was occupied by successive cultures of indigenous peoples for as long as 10,000 years. The Miami tribe would eventually establish its settlement of Kekionga at this confluence of

1095-557: Is home to many of the live animal exhibits at WonderLab, as well as exhibits about southern Indiana’s geologic past as interpreted through fossils. In addition, the floor features exhibits relating to health, the human body and the science of sound. WonderLab’s WonderGarden is a small nature area set between the museum building and the B-Line Trail. The garden includes a selection of outdoor science exhibits and an amphitheater for science programs. Museum visitors may check out nature packs at

1168-641: Is in the heart of the Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District (BEAD) and is a visitor attraction on the B-Line Trail . WonderLab is an accessible facility with two floors of hands-on science exhibits. Several exhibits are permamant, while others are rotated off and on throughout the year. Some of the highlights are listed below: A popular exhibit on the first floor is the Grapevine Climber , which allows visitors to climb up giant leaves to view

1241-483: Is located in the Courthouse Square Historic District and is the seat of government for Monroe County, Indiana . The first Monroe County Courthouse was ordered built in 1818 by the county commissioners, as one of the earliest items of business for the new county. "On Tuesday, April 14, [1818] (the fifth day [of existence of the county]), very specific directions were written for the construction of

1314-445: Is not uncommon to the region, but usually appears in the form of light snow flurries. The National Weather Service reports the highest recorded temperature in the city at 106 °F (41 °C), most recently on June 28, 2012, and the lowest recorded temperature at −24 °F (−31 °C) on January 12, 1918. The wettest month on record was June 2015, with 11.98 in (304 mm) of precipitation. The greatest 24-hour rainfall

1387-512: Is the principal city of the Fort Wayne metropolitan area , consisting of Allen and Whitley counties in Indiana. It had an estimated population of 423,038 as of 2021. In addition to the two core counties, the greater Fort Wayne combined statistical area includes Adams , DeKalb , Huntington , Noble , Steuben , and Wells counties, with an estimated population of 649,105 in 2021. According to

1460-436: The 2010 census , there were 253,691 people and 113,541 households. The racial makeup of the city is 73.62% White , 15.41% Black or African American , 0.37% Native American or Alaska Native , 3.3% Asian (1.4% Burmese , 0.4% Indian , 0.3% Vietnamese , 0.2% Chinese , 0.2% Filipino , 0.1% Korean , 0.1% Laotian , 0.1% Thai ), 0.06% Pacific Islander , 3.72% from other races , and 3.52% from two or more races . 7.96% of

1533-546: The American Revolutionary War . In 1780, French Canadian soldiers coming to assist the U.S. with the revolution were slaughtered in several nearby locations in what is known as La Balme's Defeat . At the end of the Revolutionary War, in the Treaty of Paris in 1783, Britain ceded this area to the new United States, though they continued to maintain an influence on trading activity and the forts of Miami, with

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1606-605: The Appalachian Mountains , and refused to meet for negotiations over a possible treaty to instead cede land for white settlement. The growing violence led to the Northwest Indian War . In 1790, President George Washington ordered the U.S. Army to subdue and pacify the tribes. The first expedition, led by General Josiah Harmar reached Kekionga and exercised scorched earth tactics on the village and crops. Miami war chief Little Turtle , who had been long tracking

1679-500: The Arts United Center (1973) was inspired by a violin and its case. Other notable buildings include Indiana Michigan Power Center (1982), the tallest building in the city and tallest building in Indiana outside of Indianapolis, at 442 feet (135 m). The 1970s characterized an era in Fort Wayne that saw substantial changes to the downtown area in accommodation of increasing suburbanization and urban sprawl that began in

1752-588: The Battle of Fallen Timbers . The fort throughout this period was described as a, "Defiant mixture of Indian warriors and lawless renegades of the frontier, such as the Girties. It was also the home of a heterogeneous population of English and French traders and their families, French 'engages", and Miami, Delaware and Shawnee tribes." In 1772, the British regained influence over the village after Sir William Johnson suggested to

1825-577: The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception , Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church and Trinity Episcopal Church . Fort Wayne's Reform Judaism population is served by Congregation Achduth Vesholom , the oldest Jewish congregation in Indiana, founded in 1848. In 2013, construction began on the first Burmese Muslim mosque to be built worldwide since the mid-1970s. As of December 2012, four national Christian denominations were headquartered in

1898-667: The Ewing Tavern , the village became an important frontier outpost and was incorporated as the Town of Fort Wayne in 1829, with a population of 300. The Wabash and Erie Canal 's opening improved travel conditions to the Great Lakes and Mississippi River , exposing Fort Wayne to expanded economic opportunities. The population topped 2,000 when the town was incorporated as the City of Fort Wayne on February 22, 1840. Pioneer newspaperman George W. Wood

1971-667: The Masonic Temple (1926) and North Side High School (1927). Beaux-Arts , an architectural style closely related to Neoclassical, gained popularity during the City Beautiful movement of the 1890s and early 1900s, which is reflected in the Allen County Courthouse (1902). The Pennsylvania Railroad Station , also known as Baker Street Station (1914), was designed in American Craftsman style. At 312 feet (95 m),

2044-583: The Maumee , St. Joseph , and St. Marys rivers in the late stages of the Beaver Wars in the 1690s. It was the capital of the Miami nation and related Algonquian tribes. In 1696, Comte de Frontenac appointed Jean Baptiste Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes , who began visiting Kekionga in 1702, and would later build the original Fort Miami here in the wilderness and pays d'en Haut of New France around 1706; Initially,

2117-566: The Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 census , making it the second-most populous city in Indiana after Indianapolis , and the 83rd-most populous city in the United States. It is the principal city of the Fort Wayne metropolitan area , consisting of Allen and Whitley counties which had an estimated population of 423,038 as of 2021. Fort Wayne is the cultural and economic center of northeastern Indiana. Fort Wayne

2190-651: The Ohio River into the area, leading to conflict with an alliance of native tribes known as the Western Confederacy . It was headquartered at Kekionga, where the Miami had permitted two refugee tribes dislodged by white homesteaders, the Delaware and the Shawnee, to resettle. The confederacy—which included other Great Lakes and Algonquin tribes as well—began sending war parties to raid settlers, hoping to drive them back across

2263-649: The Seven Years' War , known on the North American front as the French and Indian War . Managing to hold down the fort for only a mere couple of years, the British lost control of it in 1763 when various Native American nations rebelled against British rule and retook the fort as part of Pontiac's Rebellion . From this point forward in 1763, no active fort existed at Kekionga for the next three decades until American General Anthony Wayne established Fort Wayne in 1794, following

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2336-728: The U.S. Army by Native Americans in history. This defeat left the US army crippled and borders open to attacks from the British and allied native tribes. General Anthony Wayne was recalled from civilian life to lead a third expedition, defeating the confederacy's warriors at the Battle of Fallen Timbers , near modern-day Toledo, Ohio on August 20, 1794. Wayne's men then marched up the Maumee River , systematically burning evacuated native towns, crops, and winter food stores, until they reached its headwaters, where Kekionga remained in ruins. Wayne then confronted

2409-513: The humid continental climate zone ( Köppen : Dfa ), experiencing four distinct seasons. The city is located in USDA hardiness zones 5b and 6a. Typically, summers are hot, humid, and wet. Winters are generally cold with moderate snowfall. The average annual precipitation is 38.34 in (974 mm), recorded at Fort Wayne International Airport. During the winter season, snowfall accumulation averages 33.5 in (85 cm) per year. Lake-effect snow

2482-446: The last glacial period . The most distinguishable topographical feature is Cedar Creek Canyon , just north of the city proper near Huntertown . The Fort Wayne Moraine follows two of the city's three rivers: the St. Marys and St. Joseph . The two rivers converge to form the Maumee , which eventually empties into Lake Erie . Land east of the moraine includes the former Great Black Swamp ,

2555-603: The $ 130 million Harrison Square development was launched, creating Parkview Field . Suburban growth continued, with the opening of Fort Wayne's first lifestyle center , Jefferson Pointe , and the half-billion dollar Parkview Regional Medical Center in 2012. Fort Wayne is in the East North Central region of the Midwestern United States , in northeastern Indiana , 18 miles (29 km) west of Ohio and 50 miles (80 km) south of Michigan . According to

2628-751: The 1960s. According to the Fort Wayne Home Builders Association estimates, more than 80 percent of new home construction occurred outside the city proper in the 1970s. Like many cities in the Rust Belt , deindustrialization in the 1980s brought urban blight , increased crime, and a decrease in blue-collar manufacturing jobs. Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods continued declining as residents and businesses sprawled further into rural Allen County. A 1982 flood forced an evacuation of 9,000 residents, damaging 2,000 buildings, and costing $ 56.1 million (1982 USD, $ 137 million 2015 USD), prompting

2701-517: The 2010 census, Fort Wayne has a total area of 110.834 square miles (287.06 km ), of which 110.62 square miles (286.50 km ) (or 99.81%) is land and 0.214 square miles (0.55 km ) (or 0.19%) is water. For a regional summit , the city is situated on flat land characterized by little topographical relief, a result of the Wisconsin glaciation episode . Receding glaciers eroded the land, depositing an evenly distributed layer of sediment during

2774-507: The American pioneer settlers who continued to develop the area as a transportation and communications center. Chief Little Turtle of the Miami Nation expressed its importance eloquently at the treaty of Greenville in 1795 when he called it "that glorious gate...through which all the words of our chiefs had to pass through from north to south and from east to west". Fort Wayne's urban tree canopy

2847-683: The Art Deco-style Lincoln Bank Tower was Fort Wayne's first high-rise and Indiana's tallest building from 1930 to 1962. The E. Ross Adair Federal Building and United States Courthouse (1932) is another example of Art Deco architecture. Williams–Woodland Park Historic District includes examples of Queen Anne and Colonial Revival residential homes, while the Forest Park Boulevard Historic District includes Tudor Revival homes. Modern and Postmodern architecture can be found in buildings constructed during

2920-433: The British at Fort Miami, where the British debated an attack. Later, Wayne selected the site for construction of Fort Wayne , he ordered a fort that could withstand heavy British artillery, especially a 24-pound cannon, along with attacks from their army or native allies. The following year, Wayne negotiated a peace accord, the Treaty of Greenville with tribal leaders, in which they agreed to stop fighting, end support of

2993-456: The British, and ceded most of what is now Ohio along with certain tracts further west, including the area around Fort Wayne encompassing Kekionga and the land portage. Wayne promised the remainder would remain Indian lands, which is why the territory west of Ohio was named Indiana. Wayne would die one year later and a Spanish spy James Wilkinson would assume his role as General. In subsequent years,

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3066-571: The Monroe County History Center. The building was unable to handle all the county's business, and in May 1819 a contract was let for the construction of a brick courthouse with a stone foundation. This replacement was finished in May 1826. It was expanded and remodeled in the 1850s and again in the 1870s. The second courthouse was replaced with a new stone building that was designed by architects Wing and Mahurin of Fort Wayne, Indiana . It

3139-711: The Three Rivers system, which eventually flows to the Atlantic, and the Wabash system, which eventually flows to the Gulf of Mexico. This came to be the "portage" or carrying place, over which travelers could transport their cargoes from one system to the next. This natural crossroads attracted the Native Americans for thousands of years. It later attracted the European explorers and traders and

3212-514: The city during the early 1950s, of which resulted in the demolition of several prominent and historical buildings and homes around the downtown area. This included several hotels, such as the historic thirteen-floor Hotel Anthony. Most of which, were demolished for surface-level parking lots . One example was the Ewing Homestead, built by William Ewing in 1838, it once stood at the northwest corner of Berry Street: This three-story brick mansion

3285-410: The city include Queen Anne , Richardsonian Romanesque , Neoclassical , Colonial Revival , Dutch Colonial Revival , Tudor Revival , Prairie , American Craftsman , American Foursquare , and Art Deco . Richardsonian Romanesque buildings include Fort Wayne City Hall (1893) and John H. Bass Mansion (1902), each designed by Wing & Mahurin . Notable examples of Neoclassical architecture include

3358-493: The city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female. Fort Wayne has one of the largest Burmese American population in the U.S., estimated at 8,000. Burmese refugee settlement and "secondary migrants" doubled the city's Asian population between 2000 and 2010. Fort Wayne is sometimes referred to as the "City of Churches", an unofficial moniker dating to the late-19th century when the city was the regional hub of Catholic , Lutheran , and Episcopal faiths. Today, there are 360 churches in

3431-682: The city's first skyscraper and Indiana's tallest building at the time, the Lincoln Bank Tower . By 1935, the New Deal 's WPA put over 7,000 residents back to work through local infrastructure improvements, including the construction of new parks, bridges, viaducts, and a $ 5.2 million sewage treatment facility. The post-World War II economic boom helped the city prosper once again. Between 1950 and 1955, more than 5,000 homes were built, many in large subdivisions in rural Allen County. In 1950, Fort Wayne's first bypass , Coliseum Boulevard , opened on

3504-501: The city, with one being the Richardville House (1827), a National Historic Landmark . Gothic and Gothic Revival architecture can be found in some of the city's most prominent churches, including Trinity English Lutheran Church (1846), Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (1860), Trinity Episcopal Church (1865), and Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church (1889). Popular early 20th century architectural styles found in

3577-426: The city. 54 percent of Fort Wayne residents identify as religious, where 16 percent are Catholic, 9 percent are Lutheran, 6.5 percent are Baptist , 5 percent are Methodist , and 16.5 percent adhere to other Christian faiths. 0.14 percent of residents are Jewish . Increasing religious minorities are found among the city's immigrant communities, including Buddhism , Hinduism , and Islam . Major churches include

3650-948: The city: the American Association of Lutheran Churches , the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship Association , the Missionary Church and the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches . Fort Wayne is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend , covering 14 counties in Northern Indiana , and the Indiana District of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod , encompassing all of Indiana and north central Kentucky . In 2017,

3723-549: The government that the fort be reoccupied. The mixed population of the Kekionga area had moved past antipathy with the British by this point, and accepted their friendship. In 1776, Officer Jacques LaSalle moved into the village to conduct strict supervision on behalf of the British government, ensuring that the natives remained loyal to the British, and to check passports with travelers coming down from Fort Detroit . The British continued to monitor Kekionga and Fort Miami throughout

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3796-470: The government used Fort Wayne to hand out annual payments under the treaty. But in a recurring cycle, the tribes ran up debts to white traders who came there to sell them alcohol and manufactured goods, and the government pushed tribal leaders—including through bribes—to sell more reservation land to pay off those debts and, when the land was gone, then to agree to have the tribe removed to the Far West. In 1802,

3869-475: The hosts of Rox smoked marijuana on the steps of the courthouse as a way of dramatizing the argument for legalization. Clips of the stunt ultimately landed on MTV . Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana , United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is 18 miles (29 km) west of the Ohio border and 50 miles (80 km) south of

3942-462: The museum from a different perspective. The Bubble-Airium offers multiple exhibits that showcase unexpected ways of forming and using bubbles. The Lego Water Table allows children to dam and divert water flowing down a large lego sheet. The first floor is also home to the Discovery Garden , an enclosed area with age-appropriate science activities for toddlers and preschoolers. The second floor

4015-452: The north side of the city, followed by the city's first arena, War Memorial Coliseum , bringing new opportunities for suburban expansion. The Coliseum was home to the NBA 's Fort Wayne Pistons from 1952 to 1957. The opening of enclosed shopping malls and the construction of Interstate 69 through rural areas north and west of the city proper further drove the exodus of retail from downtown through

4088-496: The opening of the city's first airport, Smith Field . The airport served as Fort Wayne's primary commercial airfield until Baer Field (now Fort Wayne International Airport ) was transferred to the city in 1947 after serving as a military base during World War II. Fort Wayne was hit by the Great Depression beginning in 1929, with most factories cutting their workforce. The stock market crash did not discourage plans to build

4161-482: The original plan was implemented by 1955. In 2010, the Fort Wayne Park and Boulevard System was listed on the National Register of Historic Places , consisting of 11 public parks, four parkways, and ten boulevards, covering 1,883 acres (762 ha). During the 19th century, Fort Wayne was dominated by Greek Revival , Gothic Revival , and Italianate architecture . Examples of Greek Revival architecture remain in

4234-496: The population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among the Hispanic population, 6.1% are Mexican , 0.4% Puerto Rican , and 0.3% Guatemalan . Non-Hispanic Whites were 70.3% of the population in 2010, down from 87.7% in 1970. There were 101,585 households, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had

4307-510: The premier community gathering space and centerpiece in the city's $ 50 million flood control project. Fort Wayne celebrated its bicentennial in 1994. The city continued to concentrate on downtown redevelopment and investment in the 2000s. The decade saw the beginnings of its transformation, with renovations and expansions of the Allen County Public Library , Grand Wayne Convention Center , and Fort Wayne Museum of Art . In 2007,

4380-472: The primary objective being to slow American expansion into the Great Lakes region . The young United States formally organized the region in the Land Ordinance of 1785 and negotiated treaties allowing settlement, but the Western Confederacy of Native American nations were not party to these treaties and did not cede their ownership of those lands. American land speculators and pioneers began flooding down

4453-403: The second half of the 20th century in Fort Wayne. The John D. Haynes House (1952) was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright , while the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary (1953) was designed by Eero Saarinen . Postmodern architect Michael Graves ' first commissions were built in the city, including Hanselmann House (1967) and Snyderman House (1972, now demolished). Louis Kahn 's design for

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4526-408: The southwest and southeast, while the St. Joseph River divides the northwest and northeast quadrants. The Maumee River separates the northeast and southeast, while portions of the St. Marys River and Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad separate the northwest and southwest quadrants. Fort Wayne's early 20th century development was influenced by the City Beautiful movement and centered on

4599-404: The turn of the 20th century, the population of Fort Wayne nearly reached 50,000, attributed to a large influx of German and Irish immigrants . Fort Wayne's "urban working class" thrived in industrial and railroad-related jobs. The city's economy was substantially based on manufacturing, ushering in an era of innovation with several notable inventions and developments coming out of the city over

4672-507: The welcome desk to use for exploring the science of the garden in different seasons. WonderLab presents science programs for all ages, conducts a summer science camp, is a partner in the MCCSC after-school enrichment program, provides outreach services, and offers professional development workshops for teachers. In addition, the museum provides work experiences for Indiana University college students, summer internships for high school students, and

4745-401: The whereabouts of Harmar though the aid of various agents such as Simon Girty , would quickly drive Harmar and the US troops away. The confederacy warriors attacked the second invading force, led in 1791 by General Arthur St. Clair , before it could get that far and wiped it out, in a massacre known as St. Clair's Defeat at modern-day Fort Recovery, Ohio . It's known as the greatest defeat of

4818-459: The years, such as gasoline pumps (1885), the refrigerator (1913), and in 1972, the first home video game console . The Great Flood of 1913 caused seven deaths, left 15,000 homeless, and damaged over 5,500 buildings in the worst natural disaster in the city's history. As the automobile's prevalence grew, Fort Wayne became a fixture on the Lincoln Highway . Aviation arrived in 1919 with

4891-538: Was platted in 1823 following its revitalization after the War of 1812 and its siege . It underwent tremendous growth after completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal and advent of the railroad. Once a booming manufacturing town located in what became known as the Rust Belt , Fort Wayne's economy in the 21st century is based upon distribution, transportation and logistics; healthcare, professional and business services; leisure and hospitality, and financial services. The city

4964-402: Was 20 feet (6.1 m) square, and the other was 20 feet (6.1 m) by 12 feet (3.7 m); the two were separated by a 10-foot (3.0 m) entryway. The building was to be 10 feet (3.0 m) high to the eaves, and each room was to contain one window facing the east in order to take advantage of the sun. Villagers erected a chimney for each room after it was decided to use the structure as

5037-508: Was 4.93 in (125 mm) on August 1, 1926. The snowiest month on record was January 2014, with 30.3 in (77 cm) of snowfall. The greatest calendar-day snowfall was 18.0 in (46 cm) on February 28, 1900. Severe weather is not uncommon in Fort Wayne, particularly in the spring and summer months; the city experiences an average of 39 thunderstorm days and about 10 severe weather days annually. The city has endured several tornadoes throughout its history. On July 19, 1950,

5110-483: Was built in 1794 by the United States Army under the direction of American Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne , the last in a series of forts built near the Miami village of Kekionga . Named in Wayne's honor, the European-American settlement developed at the confluence of the St. Joseph , St. Marys , and Maumee rivers, known originally as Fort Miami , a trading post constructed by Jean Baptiste Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes around 1706. The modern city

5183-404: Was constructed from 1907 to 1908 by contractors Drake and Caldwell , at a cost of $ 188,000. The weather vane from the old building, made of copper and shaped like a fish, was saved and used on the dome of the new courthouse. In 1984, the building received an extensive renovation costing about $ 2.3 million. The courthouse may be seen briefly in the 1979 film, Breaking Away . In April 1994,

5256-457: Was elected the city's first mayor. Fort Wayne's "Summit City" nickname dates from this period, referring to the city's position at the highest elevation along the canal's route. As influential as the canal was to the city's earliest development, it quickly became obsolete after briefly competing with the city's first railroad, the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway , completed in 1854. At

5329-441: Was one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in Fort Wayne until it was destroyed in 1970 to make way for a parking lot. Since at least the early 20th century, Fort Wayne has maintained a combined sewage overflow program, which has resulted in the city routinely discharging untreated human waste, raw sewage from businesses and homes, toxic waste from industrial sites, and agricultural runoff into all three rivers in

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