Local historian Karen Richards is getting down to business for the final installment of ARCH, Inc.’s annual lecture series with a look at some of Fort Wayne's most notable industrialists.
The event takes place May 16 in the West Studio of the Arts United Center.
The reason for this surge in activity, according to Richards, was all about opportunity.
“We're talking about a time period roughly from the late 1800s, the 1880s maybe through the 1920s,” she notes, “and one of the advantages that Fort Wayne had was transportation.
“We had the railroad here, Fort Wayne was accessible, and there was a good system from which to ship goods; that was really important.”
Here, WBOI’s Julia Meek and Richards discuss how and why empires were built and their impact on the city’s historic architecture landscape.
Event Information:
ARCH Fun and Free Lecture by Karen Richards:
Fort Wayne's Industrial Built History
West Wing, Arts United Center
Saturday, May 16
1:00 p.m.
Find more information at the ARCH, Inc. website.
Liaten to a transcript of our conversation:
Julia Meek: Karen Richards, welcome.
Karen Richards: Thank you. Hello to you.
Julia Meek: So, your upcoming discussions all about early Fort Wayne industrialists and their built heritage, this town came out of the gate running on industrial history so, what made the noticeable surge right then?
Exactly what time period are we talking about, and why?
Karen Richards: We're talking about a time period roughly from the late 1800s, the 1880s maybe through the 1920s and one of the advantages that Fort Wayne had was transportation.
We had the railroad here, Fort Wayne was accessible, and there was a good system from which to ship goods; that was really important.
Julia Meek: It made all the difference in the world from the sound of things.
Karen Richards: It made all the difference in the world.
Julia Meek: Now, in full disclosure, we are keeping your list of industrialists a top secret, that seems so businesslike right now, [both laugh] but let's track the path of development. How did it parallel the early settlement?
Karen Richards: A lot of these folks were the children of immigrants, which I find interesting.
I believe three out of the five that I'm going to talk about, their parents either were from Germany, or one parent was from Germany. So they shared that.
Some of their parents had actually come to Fort Wayne because of the canal so early Fort Wayne transportation, in some way, brought several of these men to Fort Wayne.
And I have to say that we're talking about men. These are not women that we're talking about, because it wasn't until, I think, around 1880 that women in Indiana could even own property. So we're talking about men.
Julia Meek: And the timeline defined by men, for men.
Karen Richards: Yes.
Julia Meek: Meanwhile, we do have those three rivers, which makes us very unique in the whole United States, helped us bring transportation. Helped us bring the canal system here.
What kind of an impact would you gather, do you think from all your studies, which are quite extensive, was that having on the whole development as well?
Karen Richards: That was the reason to come here. I mean, if there was no way to get here and no way to send anything that you grew or made, anything else. There was no reason to stay.
So the rivers made this a very important place to settle, and I think that's one of the reasons that Fort Wayne grew so much.
Fort Wayne grew, oh, just in the 20 years between 1880 and 1900 it grew from 35,000 people to 45,000 people, which still isn't a lot, but back then...
Julia Meek: A nice big push.
Karen Richards: Yeah, that was a nice increase.
Julia Meek: Okay, what exactly, besides ethnicity, did your five candidates have in common?
Karen Richards: They weren't all from Fort Wayne. Some came to Fort Wayne, but I think they all shared a set of characteristics. They came from nothing. None of them started out with anything.
They all were hard workers. The most extensive history, one of these men started out working for a farmer at 12, which now would be unheard of. So they were hard workers.
They were all bright in their own way, even if they were not well educated. They were able to sacrifice and save money and take that money and then grow their money.
And they had ideas that they were willing to take a risk on. And I think all of those things in the climate that they were in helped to make them successful.
Now, I'm sure there were people that had all of that and wanted to try to make something that was a complete failure, but these men were lucky enough that these things were not a failure, they were successful.
Julia Meek: Okay, let's add business opportunities to the equation. Plenty of things being invented and developed during and after the Civil War.
And of course, there is agriculture. What else? What else was here and would make them want to be here and do something and stay here?
Karen Richards: Yeah, the railroad industry was here, which was important. And some of these men actually made money in industries that catered to the railroad.
The other thing that we had here was a good set of people that already had money, so that when they were looking to capitalize their factories, there were partnerships, there were loans from banks.
We had a good established set of banks in Fort Wayne, this was already a somewhat well-to-do town.
So, there was money here that could be, you know, obtained by these folks, and that really helped them start a business. And if you have capital, then you can grow your business as well.
Julia Meek: That's kind of the recipe for these people coming in and making most of it.
Karen Richards: Yes, yes. You know, Fort Wayne at that point, then attracted a lot of people that came here, and what we did not have in skilled workers, some of these people actually imported from Europe.
Julia Meek: It all makes perfect sense and sensibility as well. For Fort Wayne really becoming that above-average town that we all like to think that is our own heritage.
Karen Richards: Yeah. And I think one of the things at least several of these men had in common was when they thought of what they wanted to produce, they were smart enough to pick something that would make people's lives easier.
And I think that became really, really important. So that when they have this product and they're manufacturing it, they can sell it worldwide, because it's something that's going to help everybody out, and they have a good sense to figure that out.
A lot of these men sold worldwide eventually, and that's what made them so much money.
Julia Meek: So as your studies take you, how are all these self made men connected, not by blood or marriage or anything else, but just by the fact that they are all businessmen and investors and risk takers.
Karen Richards: You know, it was interesting. Fort Wayne is somewhat of a large, small town now, it was the same then, and I was really surprised.
A lot of them sat on each other's boards of directors. Some of them loaned money to each other.
There was definitely some collaboration between these men. And two of them were actually related.
So I think the business community ended up being somewhat small and very connected.
Julia Meek: So then, as now, timing was everything, right?
How was Fort Wayne and its self-made individuals at the right place at the right time to be making these connections and having all of these shortcuts?
Karen Richards: You know, I think these men were smart. They really were.
One of the other things that they all were was very hands-on and very personally involved in what they were doing.
They kept a really close eye on things. And I think that was helpful as well.
Julia Meek: It was a trend. It was the way to be a lot of talking about the mode of the day and all the best meanings of that,
Karen Richards: Yes, yes.
Julia Meek: And as for the grand old West Central Neighborhood, what most made it the place to be?
Karen Richards: You know, I think a lot of things contributed to West Central's prosperity. And part of that neighborhood originally started out, obviously, in the country.
But then it was, you know, some general workers, but there were enough empty lots in West Central, and it was close enough to downtown in a time when people still walked to work.
And it became the place for those with money to flaunt it in both the size and the opulence of the homes they would build.
Out of these five, four of them actually lived in West Central at one point or another. And for those who really made a lot of money, they built beautiful, extravagant homes in West Central.
They wanted to flaunt their success, and this was the way to do it. A lot of them would find a corner lot to buy, because that's most visible from the street. And they would hire the most prominent architects.
A lot of them hired either Mahurin on his own or Wing and Mahurin, who were very prominent architects of the time, to design these absolutely breathtaking homes.
Julia Meek: So it was all about sense of place and personal, then as now.
Karen Richards: Yeah, yeah, and so this became the neighborhood for successful entrepreneurs.
Julia Meek: And success begets success.
Karen Richards: Yes, it does.
Julia Meek: Okay, a word on philanthropy. That was an era of family pride and values, maybe the beginning of the end of the peak of all of that, some do say, as a matter of fact.
What did evolve then, through philanthropic means and just the way to be, the right thing to do, that we directly still benefit from, even today?
Karen Richards: Several things. One of these men was a true believer in home ownership, and founded his own bank so that his employees could get home loans.
One of these men was responsible for helping found the Fort Wayne Art Museum and the Art School. They also were very philanthropic with their churches.
Donated land to churches to be built on, parks and streets and all kinds of things were the benefactors of all of this money.
And several of these men traveled to Europe fairly often, and so they wanted to bring the cultural things that they found so important in Europe, back to Fort Wayne.
This was also an era when this new movement of City Beautiful came into being. So, building bridges and parks and green spaces and statues and making things pretty and making roads pretty or rivers pretty all became in vogue.
So money to do those kinds of things came from these men too, because they had disposable income.
Julia Meek: And a big sense of pride.
Karen Richards: And a big sense of pride, yeah.
Julia Meek: So, regarding the built side of the equation, without revealing any of your top dogs, how is their wealth reflected in the business architecture they would choose from, and you are going to be sharing in your lecture?
Karen Richards: First of all, I have to say that I am really blessed to have found some really fabulous photographs.
But Randy Harter, our county historian and Kreager Smith, who is the Historic Preservation Officer for the City, were very good in finding me just some fabulous photos.
I can't say that the factories that they built were beautiful by any stretch of the imagination, but they were large.
Julia Meek: And substantial.
Karen Richards: And substantial. Some of the office buildings were very ornate for the time. At least two of these men were presidents of banks, and the bank buildings were beautiful.
They built very plush, at the time, hotels. They also had lovely homes and summer homes and farms and all kinds of things.
And when they died, several of them are buried in Lindenwood, and their mausoleums are beautiful. I mean, the extravagant spending didn't stop in their lifetime. It continued into their death. [both laugh]
Yeah, built heritage is for several of these people, is all kinds of different things. Many of them are left. Some of them, unfortunately, are not but several of them are still here.
Julia Meek: And a lot of the histories and the connections that way too. Now, meanwhile, what message did our frenzy of activity send to other parts of the United States?
Karen Richards: Yeah, I think Fort Wayne was really unrecognized for a long time, because we are the inventor of so many different products, several of which these men brought to the forefront.
But even after that, you know, Fort Wayne was the first place for manufactured housing and computer games and calculators and all kinds of things.
Julia Meek: Nighttime baseball.
Karen Richards: Nighttime baseball. We have, you know, a great history of invention in this city. And these men were no different.
What I found interesting is you don't have to be well educated to be smart.
And several of these men were not well educated, but they were intuitive, and they could see something that could be done in a better way, and they made it happen.
And I think this was a time probably when that was easier to do as well. It was easier to get people to believe in you.
The money was easier to get. The capitalization from other folks with money was easier back then. Not that it was easy, but it's very difficult, I think, now.
You know, this was a time too, when I'm sure there weren't any taxes on their wealth either, and that made a big difference, and very little government regulation, frankly.
Julia Meek: Put it all together...
Karen Richards: Yeah.
Julia Meek: It was perfect for that timing, yes. And I do wonder then as now, what most set off the Midwest, the heartland from either coast?
Karen Richards: You know, I think there was quite a bit of industry on the east coast as well.
But I think what sets off both the East and the Midwest are that we had the factories that supplied the Civil War.
And one of the reasons that I think people believe the south lost the Civil War is they didn't have any factories.
They had no ability to make munitions or trains or anything. And that all came from the Midwest and the East. So there was some history of manufacturing that smart people built on.
And I think the west coast was just a little young at that point.
Julia Meek: Mmmhmm, and waiting for us to carry it on out there. Again, timing is everything.
And beginning with the American Civil War, can you measure some of the direct results of war technology that have continued to drive peacetime spending and comforts than as now?
Karen Richards: Yeah, I think one of the things that the Civil War gave us was the railroad system.
And everybody then knew that the railroad was the new, up and coming way to get people and things from one place to another.
And we were very lucky that we were part of all of that. So I think that really helped Fort Wayne.
And you know, we lost a lot of men in the Civil War, but we still had a large enough population that we could recover.
Julia Meek: And industry was taking a big climb on our interests and our capabilities.
Karen Richards: Right, right. And the more industry and the more jobs you have, the more immigration that you get from Europe and other places, so that people were coming in with skills, or who were able to be factory employees.
Julia Meek: So if, once again, we fast forward what is alive and well, or at least preserved in our industrial built present, and what does that say about this community we love?
Karen Richards: You know, I think that industry is not the same now as it was then, definitely not. That's why certain parts of the Midwest are now the Rust Belt.
Because the kind of industry that we had then is not the kind of industry that we have now.
But some of these folks were able to sell their businesses to more national interests. So a lot of these things do still exist, but they're now owned by large monopolies.
The thing that I find unfortunate is that very few of these factories still exist. Almost none of them. You can maybe find a building, and that's about it.
The homes, we've fared somewhat better. The homes, the mausoleums, the parks, a lot of these office buildings are gone. The hotel is gone. A lot of things are not with us anymore.
But like I said, I have managed through, you know, friends and because we have a great library system downtown and ARCH has a great library as well, to find some wonderful pictures.
I've got some great photographs of all these early buildings and things that were left so I think it will be a good lecture.
And I think people will get a chance to see pictures of things that they've never seen before.
Julia Meek: Karen Richards is a local historian and guest lecturer, as well as director of development for ARCH, Inc, Karen as always, thanks for your hard work, preservation on!
Karen Richards: Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
