(Radio) How observant are these in way the last time you were driving somewhere?

Did you really pay attention to what you were passing besides the other cars?

Did you realize that you're passing by valuable history.

History about the city you live in your family and to look into this history.

All you have to do is simply pull over.

What appears to be silent and overlooked is actually a beautiful city, home to a variety of people longing to share their stories with you.

They came from all ranks of society, from farm and factory, from village and city, from the workbench and the school run.

There is no question of class, no bar of national origin or race.

They live together in peace.

A burial ground should not only be the cemetery for the dead, but also an academy of learning for the living.

Each memorial represents a story waiting to be told.

Lives waiting to be relived.

Lindenwood Cemetery commemorates its birthday on May 30th, 1860.

Thanks to the foresight of several Fort Wayne businessmen like Lindenwood board member Pliny Hoagland He, along with several other Fort Wayne pioneers, contributed to the city by building the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad, which ran from Crestline, Ohio, to Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Mr. Hoagland also served as vice president of the old Fort Wayne National Bank and was senior member of the Hoagland and Trust Salt milling firm.

Mr. Hugh McCulloch came to Fort Wayne on horseback in 1833 as a young lawyer with an obvious talent in financial matters.

Among his many other business ventures, Mr. McCulloch was noted as the first U.S. Comptroller of the Currency and Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Lincoln, Johnson and Arthur.

Upon his death in 1895, he was not laid to rest in Lindenwood.

However, he was recognized as a major contributor to the development of the Fort Wayne Community and Lindenwood Cemetery.

This is quite evident in a tribute to him made by the Lindenwood trustees, where it stated that we have been called to part with the last of that noble band of men who organized this corporation and established our beautiful city of the dead.

Lindenwoods first president was Isaac Nelson.

He dedicated himself to this office for 31 years.

Appropriately, the Lindenwood Board of Trustees provided a prominent monument in honor of him upon his death.

He came to Fort Wayne from Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1836 when he acquired the Fort Wayne Sentinel and soon became an essential community leader.

In 1851, he was elected as representative and authored the famous Nelson Railroad Act.

He was a Purdue University trustee, state House commissioner, and aided in organizing the Wabash Railroad.

Allen Hamilton was one of the first to generously contribute his own money to Lindenwood Cemetery.

He was Allen County's first sheriff, and he aided in negotiating a treaty with the Miami Indians.

Mr. Hamilton, in 1835, was named president of the Indiana Branch Bank here, and in 1853 he, along with Hugh McCulloch and Jesse L. Williams, formed the Allan and Hamilton Company, forerunner of a number of Fort Wayne banking institutions.

Another of the original Lindenwood board members was Jesse Williams.

By the mid 1800s, he became one of the nation's foremost engineers in building railroads in the Midwest and the Far West.

He came to Fort Wayne as a construction engineer for the Wabash Erie Canal in 1836.

He was appointed the state's chief engineer of all Canal routes in Indiana.

He served as governor, director of the Union Pacific Railway under Presidents Lincoln, Johnson and Grant.

It was Williams who established the best location and lowest grade through the Rockies for this railroad.

Also, Lindenwood investor and board member D.F.

Comparet.

He was a Fort Wayne native who started out working for his father in the milling business.

Eventually, he became a canal boat engineer.

Also, in 1847, he built a successful warehouse at Columbia and Lafayette Streets and later operated a brokerage firm.

Buying and selling stocks and securities on a commission basis.

It was these men and other civic minded individuals that made up the original Group of 12 who generously contributed their own resources to purchase the original 152 acres of woodland to serve as the new cemetery.

This wild and marshy land purchased in 1859, was that of the great fur trader George W Ewing.

Originally, this land had been Pottawatomi Land surrendered to the U.S. government in 1826.

The Ewings were among the city's first pioneers.

Colonel George W Ewing and his brother William became fur traders in 1826.

Fort Wayne being the fur trading center for much of the Northwest Territory, was a logical place for them to establish their home.

Their father, Colonel Alexander Ewing, was the first Ewing buried on this land before it became a cemetery.

George, along with ten other Ewings, rest in the historic Ewing Monument.

This memorial is regarded by some as an engineering marvel because of its elaborate underground design.

If you were to walk 24 feet east of the monument, then dig down 12 feet, you would find a ten foot by 12 foot stone slab that you could slide open on its roller and track system.

This is where you would find the 38 crypts, of which only ten are occupied.

The remaining crypts will forever remain empty.

Above this is a 35 foot shaft of the finest scotch granite at a cost of $25,000.

Quite an investment.

During that time, this fine granite was transported from Scotland to Fort Wayne, partially by canal boat.

Isaac Nelson, recorded in an early history of Lindenwood that when this Ewing property was purchased, it was in exceedingly wild condition.

The first board of trustees decided to commission John Chislett Sr. landscape Architect to tackle this wild land in 1859.

Mr. Chislett came to Fort Wayne from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he designed the Alleghany Cemetery and many of Pittsburgh's finest buildings.

Prior to that, he was trained in Bath, England.

Building a reputation of being a distinguished architect In designing Lindenwood, it was obvious that Chislett used landscape ideas prevalent in his native country.

In December of 1859, John H. Doswell was made superintendent and supervising landscape architect for Lindenwood.

Like Mr. Chislett, Mr. Doswell gained his experience and knowledge as a landscape gardener and architect in England.

Mr. Doswell dedicated himself to Lindenwood as its supervisor from 1859 to 1900.

He was then succeeded by his son, Harry J. Doswell, until 1939, after Henry resigned.

William Adams.

John Doswells grandson took over.

Thus the supervision of Lindenwood Cemetery was generously carried on by the Doswell family for 95 years.

Lindenwood is well aware of how much it owes to the Doswells for its original landscaping building of rustic bridges gardens, historic pagodas and grottoes.

The community obviously respected John Doswell's work while serving Lindenwood.

He was commissioned by the city of Fort Wayne to design the McCulloch, Lawton and Hayden city parks.

Among the designers, grottoes, gazebos and small bridges of Unwrapped Stone.

The old office building was built of native Indiana limestone in 1884.

This office was replaced with the current office building in 1972.

The old lodge office building, along with the old Chapel and Crematory, was designed by Wing & Mahurin and built by William of the Geek brothers stone firm.

The chapel was restored in 1974 and is still in use today under the name The Chapel of the Woods.

Another building of note would be the Frank E. Bohn Memorial Chapel.

Mr. Bohn held the office of President of Lindenwood for 25 years.

This chapel was named in honor of Mr. Bohn following his death in 1968.

So by the time the cemetery was dedicated on May 30th, 1860, this land of exceedingly wild condition had been transformed into a superbly landscaped oasis of peace and beauty.

The name for this lush cemetery came from an abundance of linden trees.

Although many of the original linden trees have died, the cemetery policy at that time was to plant ten linden trees for every one felled.

As monuments and plantings were added to the cemetery.

It was not uncommon for families to spend a Sunday afternoon in this park like setting.

In this Victorian era, from about 1840 to 1900, people had a different attitude about death and dying.

Victorians made a day of it when they went to the cemetery to pay respects to their resting loved ones.

This was considered a recreational activity.

They packed a lunch, brought the kids along to play in the grass, while the adults might sit quietly, graveside, or they might take a long walk throughout the beautiful grounds.

Victorians held funeral services in their homes during this time, primarily because most people died at home.

As a matter of fact, one wing of the Swinney homestead was built specifically for the laying out of their loved ones.

Among several rituals observed during this time was jewelry woven from the deceased person's hair, such as bracelets, necklaces, brooches and rings.

Victorians even have their own language for death.

Phrases such as “entered into immortality” or “departed this veil of tears” were some of their euphemisms.

They popularized the word cemetery to replace burial ground or graveyard.

Cemetery, translated from the Greek means large dormitory where many people are sleeping.

The word undertaker is believed to derive from one person in the community, often a cabinet maker, to supply all the needs relative to the burial.

The coffin, hearse and headstone.

The first interment into Lindenwood Cemetery was Caroline Bushman.

On July 6th, 1860.

Many of the interments into Lindenwood came from other cemeteries.

Numerous remains were transferred from the old Broadway cemetery, which is next to the main office building of what is now General Electric.

The reason?

Well, this old cemetery was not consistently maintained over the years and gradually became a public eyesore.

In 1886, Hugh McCulloch, who owned the four acres of land, was contacted in Washington, D.C.

He was informed of this problem.

And his decision was that he and his wife, Susan, would donate this property to the city of Fort Wayne.

Under one condition the land must be used as a park.

As a result, Fort Wayne now enjoys McCulloch Park of the remains in the old Broadway cemetery.

The first to be transferred was the infant Henry Leonard.

On July 20th, 1860, others who now rest in their new home of Lindenwood are Reverend James Chute, founder and first pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Wayne.

Reverend Jesse Hoover, aged 28 years, was the organizer of the first German Evangelical Lutheran Congregations in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Charles W Ewing, the eldest son of Colonel Lay, and Mrs. C Ewing, aged 45 years, the legible part of his memorial, said one of the best lawyers of northern Indiana.

Records indicate that he took his own life with a pistol shot.

Most of the Broadway cemetery bodies were taken to Lindenwood.

However, one could not be moved, that of Indiana's seventh Governor Samuel Bigger, despite lengthy court contests because there were no relatives to approve his removal.

Bigger still lives in McCulloch Park in a grave set off by an iron fence.

As you stroll through Lindenwood Cemetery today, you can't help but see the family names of Fort Wayne's pioneers proudly etched in the hundreds of memorials and rolling parkland.

As you walk by, you can almost hear them tell their own stories.

Hanna, pioneer, merchant, judge, legislator, canal builder, railroad builder, banker and builder of most plank roads between Fort Wayne and anyplace.

Rudisill - helped to lay the foundation of the thriving village of Fort Wayne by building a gristmill, a sawmill, a tannery and a woolen mill.

Bass - of Bass Foundry and Machine.

Rockhill - he built the historic Rockhill house at Broadway and Main, which later became a part of Saint Joseph's Hospital and was one of the pioneers in the establishment of the city's public school system.

Among these great well-known names are hundreds of lesser known names longing to remind us of their pioneering efforts in the industrial and medical communities.

Sylvanus Freelove Bowser was a simple farm boy who grew up in Allen County early in his life.

While he was home working the farm one cold morning, he became frustrated while lifting a bucket of water by rope from a 70 foot deep well.

Later that same day, Bowser came up with the idea for a pump, which eventually revolutionized the oil and gasoline pump industry, Making himself a leading industrialist, Sylvanus, his brother Alexander and his sons began operation in a cow barn in 1885.

They began by making oil tanks and pumps used in measuring out kerosene in grocery stores.

By 1888, the S.F.

Bowser Company was formed and a factory built with the advent of the automobile.

Sales grew and operations became worldwide, making S.F.

Bowser a pioneer in gasoline handling and garages and later in filling stations.

Erastus B Kunkle, machinist and inventor.

He was founder of the Kunkle Valve Company in 1875.

He held a number of patents on safety valves designed for steam engines.

The valves were first used on the main railways in the U.S. and Canada, along with a number of other foreign countries.

The line then expanded into valves for boilers, air and gas compressors and pipelines in the post-World War Two era.

Kunkle Valves supplied safety valves for the submarine Nautilus and other atomic Age naval craft.

Fort Wayne's Jenney Electric Light Company was organized by Ranald T. McDonald before the turn of the century.

He was one of Fort Wayne's most successful pioneers in the electric light industry.

The firm basically supplied cities with street lighting.

In 1883, the town of Kankakee, Illinois, contracted General Electric of Terre Haute.

The contract stated, We agreed to erect lamp posts, said light to be furnished from twilight to midnight on all nights when the moon does not give sufficient light.

Some say this was the beginning of the end of the Gaslight Era.

Mr. McDonald's management of the Fort Wayne Jenney Light Company eventually led to the establishment of the local General Electric works.

Remember the Toidey Company?

The woman responsible was Miss Gertrude A. Muller.

She became one of Fort Wayne's most successful business women.

In 1924, she founded the Toidey Company.

Ms.. Muller saw a need for a good folding nursery seat, a potty chair.

She definitely found her niche.

Around the country, moms, dads and, of course, babies became very familiar with her seats.

Did you know that Fort Wayne has a connection to the Statue of Liberty?

James J.

Wood is the man who made that connection.

Mr. Wood is best remembered as the inventor of the Wood electrical system, an ARC lighting system which played an important role in early development of General Electric in Fort Wayne.

He held 240 patents and was credited with designing the dynamo for floodlights, which were first used on the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.

His portrait hangs with Thomas Edison's in New York City's Hall of Fame for 22 years.

Dr. Herman A. Duemling was chief of the Lutheran Hospital Surgical staff and was the founder and director of the Duemling Clinic.

This was one of the first medical clinics established in the Midwest.

Dr. Duemling was recognized as one of the leading surgeons of his time.

In 1916, Dr. Duemling generously made a gift of the Healing Christ statue found at the Old Lutheran Hospital campus on Fairfield Avenue.

A lifelong resident of Fort Wayne, Dr. Victor H. Hilgemann was the city's first oral surgeon, and he was one of the original members of the Duemling Clinic.

He was influential in having fluorine added to Fort Wayne's water supply, the first Hoosier city to make that addition.

Our first drugstore was started by Dr.

Merchant W Huxford.

He settled here in 1834 and later became a successful physician with a large practice.

He was elected mayor of Fort Wayne in 1845.

The doctor then served three additional one year terms as mayor.

Fort Wayne was lucky enough to have a doctor in residence who's credited with performing the first appendectomy in the history of surgery.

Dr. Myles F Porter Senior.

He practiced here for 54 years and became a nationally known surgeon pioneering in the advancement of modern surgery.

As chief of the Old Hope Hospital medical staff, Dr. Porter built the first operating room on the hospital grounds, which is now the site of the downtown YMCA.

He's also known to have performed the first gallbladder operation in the Midwest.

In keeping with the ever changing landscape of the medical profession.

Lindenwood, among others, became a target of an unusual problem, body snatchings.

The Fort Wayne College of Medicine, founded in 1876, became a highly respected institution among the medical community.

Almost from the start, however, the presence of the medical college and the need of cadavers for the students created an uneasy attitude in the general community.

Were the dead resting in peace?

The situation was looked into by an Allen County grand jury.

They exposed 30 incidences of grave robbing that happened over a short period of time in the community.

The most notorious of the thefts from Lindenwood was that of the body of a young girl from the Ewing family.

Her corpse was stolen in 1877.

This led to the offer of a $1,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the culprits.

The body was never recovered.

Speaking of criminals, Lindenwood eventually became the last holding cell for one of the city's most clever and notorious villains.

Fort Wayne native Homer Van Meter.

He was a good buddy of John Dillinger's.

You know, that famous bank robber.

But Homer had a lot of practice before meeting Dillinger.

His first arrest was for larceny in 1923.

In 1925, he was caught liberating several hundred dollars from passengers on a train.

He served ten years in the Indiana State pen for that one.

This is where he met John Dillinger, who was serving time for one year.

You guessed it, robbery.

After they were paroled in 1933, their crime spree together began.

It lasted only five months.

But during that time, Homer van Meter climbed to 18th on the FBI as public enemy list.

Homer was clever.

He used many aliases and posed as a movie producer and a writer to get into some of the banks.

When Dillinger's gang became a hot item in the country, both Van Meter and Dillinger underwent plastic surgery on their faces, on the tips of their fingers to avoid identification.

Dillinger was shot to death in 1934 by Chicago federal agents.

After his death, Van Meter moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Saint Paul was known to be a gangster haven in the 1930s.

A criminal could pay the police a fee and they'd leave him alone.

Dillinger's death was so popular that the underworld in Saint Paul was uncomfortable with Homer being in the same vicinity.

So they ended up working against him by calling the police and saying, Let's work together.

On Sunday, August 23rd, 1934, Homer was cornered and gunned down by police in an alley.

Secret services were held on the second floor of the Klaehn & Sons Funeral home back in Fort Wayne.

It was said that an empty casket was taken to Lindenwood Cemetery, both as a dodge to public curiosity and any attempts by fellow gangsters to take the body.

Three days later, the small family made its way to Lindenwood for the actual burial.

Homer didn't rest in peace right away.

Apparently, his tombstone had been stolen 12 times since his interment.

If you're a Fort Wayne native, you can easily see that Lindenwood is a place that echoes memories of some of Fort Wayne's most popular and enterprising places of business.

Some names might make you remember the sound of the wood floor creaking under your feet at the old grocery store.

Or you might remember that bank smell when your dad took you along to make a deposit.

Maybe you have a flash memory of the well-dressed sales ladies at the department store when you were with your mom on a shopping day.

It's as if you could close your eyes as you stand amongst these memorials and hear the old days as plainly as if you were there.

An outdoor theater that went by the name of the News-Sentinel outdoor theater was erected in 1950 at Franke Park.

This wouldn't have been possible without the Foellinger Family.

The theater was dedicated to Oscar Foellinger, who became the publisher of the News-Sentinel.

The amphitheater had a seating capacity of 2500 and a stage 66 feet wide and 45 feet deep.

The theater was made possible by a $100,000 gift of the News Publishing Company through Helene L. Foellinger.

One of the oldest commercial enterprises in Fort Wayne was made possible by Lewis for Fortriede Sr.

He was the founder of the old Fortriede Shoe store, remember?

You'd hear the little building as you opened the door, only to be hit with that smell of leather.

Back in those days, there was one shoe shop every six or eight blocks in every direction, usually manned by a single cobbler.

Fortriede Shoes opened in 1863 and thrived until the close of business On August 15th, 1967, when the store at 615 Calhoun was razed to make way for the new City-County Building.

One of the oldest ongoing African-American businesses was founded by Ellis Micheaux in 1925.

Micheaux Funeral Home has been in operation for over 76 years.

He wasn't the first black to become an undertaker, but he was the first one to prevail.

His wife still provides quality service to the community.

Now imagine getting off the streetcar at the transfer corner on Calhoun Street.

This is where you'd find the Frank Dry goods company nestled in with the drugstore.

The cigar store.

When Woolworths Marx Frank was founder and president of the former Frank Dry Goods Company, which was in operation for more than 90 years.

During that time, the firm grew along with the city of Fort Wayne, under the guidance of many Frank generations.

The city's beautiful Thieme drive was named in honor of the man who generously paid for its beautification.

The enterprising Theodore esteemed Mr. Thieme contributed to Fort Wayne in many ways.

He was the founder of the old Wayne Knitting Mills, and because of Mr. Thieme's appreciation of art, the Fort Wayne Art School was presented with a generous gift.

His former residence at 1026 West Mary, was presented to the art school, which began a long history of art education in the city.

Cloth manufacturing was expanding with the founding of the Wayne Knitting mills.

Part of the interest of the Foster brothers was the Foster Shirtwaist Factory, to which Sam Foster devoted much of his time.

The shirtwaist is actually a woman's blouse.

Foster has been credited with inventing the first mass produced women's blouses in the country.

Samuel William Foster was truly a driving force in the development of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

From New York.

He came here in 1879 where he embraced an interest in law, journalism, manufacturing and merchandizing.

He was one of the organizers of Lincoln National Bank and Trust Company and the Lincoln National Life Insurance Company.

A lyricist, composer and newspaper publisher William E Warfield was the first black to live on Douglass Street in Fort Wayne.

He wrote and published the first black newspaper in the city called the Fort Wayne Weekly Vindicator.

He was known as a leading black citizen of the community for many years, especially in the early 1900s.

He kept daily journals from 1907 till 1936, and he wrote many songs.

One being “I Love Old Fort Wayne.” Christmas shopping in downtown Fort Wayne would not be complete without spending time at Wolf and Dessauers.

Samuel Wolf was co-founder with Myron E. Dessauer in 1896 of the old Wolf and Dessauer store, predecessor of the downtown L.S.

Ayres store.

He led the way in new merchandizing methods.

And Wolf and Dessauer became the city's most prominent retail establishment in downtown Fort Wayne.

It became such an attraction at Christmas time that getting around in the store was rather difficult.

Wolf and Dessauer attracted people from everywhere.

It was a delight to spend the day shopping there.

Of course, the kids just had to bring their Christmas list to Santa.

Others might just stroll around looking at the elaborate Christmas decorations.

Eventually, W&D expanded to fill the entire block from Calhoun to Clinton and along Washington Street.

Wolf and Dessauer a pleasant place to shop and dine as a kid.

If you weren't hanging out in the dime store, you were in the corner grocery store.

Fort Wayne's John G. Maier opened the Maier Grocery on Columbia Street for a number of years.

Among Maier's many contributions to Fort Wayne, he raised and distributed the first strawberries in Allen County and introduced here the first musical instruments and toys.

He was the first to sell ice cream in Fort Wayne and the first to press grape wine for commercial purposes.

Meyer's wine was used for some years in the sacrament of communion at Trinity English Lutheran Church.

The first African-American realty company in Fort Wayne was called Bobs Realty, and it was established by Robert E Wilkerson.

He also brought many positive changes in our community by serving 21 years with the Fort Wayne Urban League, where he was the first executive director.

Joseph D. Nuttmann in 1861 sold his mercantile business to start a private bank here.

Following enactment of the national banking laws, Mr. Nuttman and Samuel Hanna founded the First National Bank of Fort Wayne in 1863.

It was the First National Bank chartered in Indiana.

There's still a certain time of the day in downtown Fort Wayne when you can smell bread baking.

Thanks go to John B. Franke, who founded the Perfection Biscuit Company in 1901.

Mr. Franke is considered to be one of Fort Wayne's outstanding business and civic leaders of his time.

His love of music inspired him to arrange and finance many concerts here, and he also is the one that donated the first 80 acres to the city in 1921, which became Franke Park by 1974.

The park had grown to 282 acres for.

Sometimes a cemetery is most remembered and visited during Memorial Day.

It was not until after the end of the Civil War that Memorial Day was declared a holiday.

Even though it was several years earlier, on May 30th, 1860, Lindenwood was dedicated by the 12 founders.

By coincidence, they selected what was to become Memorial Day for the dedication date.

However, it was no accident that their foresight provided Fort Wayne with a private but publicly held cemetery.

For many years, civil War veterans on Memorial Day rode horse drawn wagons and caissons from the courthouse to Lindenwood for formal observance of the day.

With the addition of veterans of the Spanish-American War, First and Second World Wars and the Korean War, the Memorial Day procession became progressively larger.

In recent years, the official Memorial Day ceremonies have been held in the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

However, the graves of all the war veterans are still decorated with American flags, and thousands of persons still go to the cemetery on Memorial Day to pay silent tribute to the departed war heroes.

One of Lindenwood cemeteries, most noted, is the Civil War heroine, Mrs. Eliza E George.

The former Fort Wayne housewife moved with the Indiana Sanitary Commission from April 1863 until May 9th, 1865.

Nursing the sick and wounded her bedside manner was such that she became affectionately known as Mother George.

Mrs. Eliza E. George died of typhoid fever in an Army camp at Wilmington, North Carolina, a month after Lee's surrender at Appomattox.

She was interred in Lindenwood Cemetery with full military honors in the best family plot.

Mrs. George joined the Sanitary Commission after her son in law, Colonel Sion S Bass, died from wounds received at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862.

Sion Bass was a brother of John H. Bass, founder of the old Bass Foundry and Machine Works of Fort Wayne Science at the outbreak of the Civil War left his business to aid in the formation of the famous 30th Indiana Regiment.

He was commissioned a colonel September 12th, 1861, and he was wounded.

April 7th, 1862, at the Battle of Shiloh.

He died seven days later at Paducah.

One family's efforts were intimately tied to the Civil War, but from a different perspective.

The Quakers, Lindley and Beulah Ninde came to Fort Wayne in 1850 and soon organized underground railroad operations to assist self-defense depleted slaves in and around Fort Wayne.

Both Beulah and her husband were organizers of the Indiana Women's Rights Association in the 1850s, and both held state offices.

During the 1870s, they were instrumental in organizing a home for wayward women in Fort Wayne.

Another abolitionist buried in Lindenwood is George Washington.

Fisher.

Fisher, a free black, came to Fort Wayne in 1846, not long after his arrival.

He started a plastering company with help from Samuel Hanna.

Fisher was well-educated and coauthored a nationally published plea for emancipation in 1849, at the request of Fort Wayne's African-American community.

In 1850, George Washington Fisher was one of the three organizers of the first African Methodist Episcopal Church in Fort Wayne and was instrumental in the acquisition of a church structure for the Turner Chapel congregation.

There's a section in Lindenwood Cemetery named Glen Circle, this private little island is home to the memorial of John Townsend Young.

He was the last surviving member of the Grand Army of the Republic in Allen County.

He was twice commander of Bass Lawton Post and a resident of Fort Wayne for 65 years.

He enlisted in the Union Army in March 1862 with Company three, the 118th Infantry in Angola, and served with the Army of Tennessee at Cumberland, Gap, Greenville, Williamsport and Strawberry Plains.

Lindenwood has the honor of providing a place of rest for the first American ace of World War One, Paul Frank Baer.

He served with the French Air Service and later with the United States 103rd Air Squadron.

During 45 days of combat flying, he shot down 16 German planes and was decorated by the French government.

He was the first aviator to receive the U.S. distinguished Service Cross.

Paul Baer lost his life at Shanghai December 9th, 1931.

A mail plane he was flying crashed during takeoff.

His body was transported back to Fort Wayne by ship.

And the funeral in January 1931 was the largest military funeral in the history of the city.

The city's first remote control radio broadcast was set up to cover the funeral of Paul Frank Baer for on the spot descriptions for the radio listeners.

WOWO was set up to overlook the procession route to Lindenwood Cemetery.

When Fort Wayne built its municipal airport.

The field was formally dedicated in honor of Paul Baer, another aviation great who proudly rests in Lindenwoods.

Memorial City is Arthur Art Smith.

Fort Wayne's Bird Boy entertained spectators as the originator of Skywriting.

King of the Loop, The Loop, and one of the nation's early aviation daredevils.

In 1910, at the age of 21, Art Smith began building his own airplane made of wooden frames covered with linen.

A year later, he had it in the air, and it didn't take long for him to become widely known as an aviator.

He flew for the Panama Pacific Exposition in 1915 at San Francisco and in Japan during 1916 and 1917.

Also, he was one of the first pilots employed by the U.S. Post Office for delivering airmail.

And it was on one of those airmail runs that his career came to a tragic end on the night of February 12th, 1926.

He died when his US air mail plane fell to the ground in Ohio, not far from Fort Wayne Smith Field the airport north of the city was named in his honor.

Among our cities, war veterans resting in Lindenwood Cemetery.

You'll find a variety of memorials telling stories about our connection to professional sports and the early development of our park system.

For the summer, Pistons Fastpitch softball team was organized in 1937 by Fred Zollner, the president of the Zollner Machine Works, which was founded by his father, Theodore Zollner.

Freds enthusiastic sports interests led to the sponsoring of team sports, as well as the building of Zollner Stadium in 1947.

The Fastpitch softball team was the best in the nation in their 15 year history.

The Pistons built a record of 1253 wins and only 189 defeats.

They proudly won a record setting three consecutive world championship titles.

However, this record was the undoing of both the team and the Amateur Softball Association for no other club could match the Pistons.

The fans actually lost interest in the predictable outcome of the games, and the Pistons were disbanded after the 1954 season, which of course they won.

Fort Wayne also probably supported basketball teams from as early as 1919, with teams like the Knights of Columbus, the Fort Wayne Hoosiers, which was organized in 1925.

They were all part of the American Professional Basketball League.

Then Fred Zollner got involved.

It wasn't until Mr. Zollner organized a basketball team in 1939 moving into national competition the following year, that the city became a moving factor in making basketball a big time pro sport.

Fans packed into North Side Gym to see the Zollner Pistons stars perform and win the Pistons knew they were world pro champions and they proved it.

They were league champions in 1943, 1944 and 1945 and 1946, the Pistons took the world title at the Chicago Pro Invitational.

All said the Pistons provided some of the finest softball and basketball entertainment anywhere and helped to put Fort Wayne on the map as a sports center in the mid 20th century.

Another contributor to the ball club was Louis Heilbroner or Little Louis, because he was a mere four foot eight inches tall.

He was a unique figure in the world of organized baseball.

He started his career with the St Louis Cardinals in 1898 when he landed a job in the business office.

Two years later, he became the club's manager.

In 1901, he joined the Robison Park Management in Fort Wayne, where he directed the semi-pro operation of Robison Park's baseball league.

After serving as president of the Central League and scouting for the Cincinnati Reds, he developed in 1909 the Heilbroner's Baseball Bureau Service.

And he published the annual Baseball Blue book here in Fort Wayne.

He recognized by the late Judge Kenesaw M Landis, one of baseball's legendary commissioners, as the greatest authority in the world on major and minor league baseball players and their records.

He supplied records and statistics on all professional semiprofessional and college players.

The bureau kept an accurate daily record and history of every player and gave clubs reports on sales, trades and lists of eligible players.

Although Little Louis died in 1933, the baseball blue Book continues to be published today in Wisconsin.

Many of the world's greatest sports figures most likely started out their careers by catching a friendly game in the local park.

Fort Wayne has many to choose from.

The growth of our city's park system wouldn't have been possible without the gifts of valuable land as park sites.

Lindenwood is fortunate to provide permanent reminders of many of those people.

The history of the Fort Wayne Park system dates back to 1863, when for $800, the city purchased what we now know as Old Fort Park.

The money purchased a half acre of ground, which was a part of the original fort built in 1794 and named Fort Wayne in honor of its builder, General Anthony Wayne.

Colonel D.N.

Foster was known as the father of Fort Wayne's Parks.

Foster and his brother, the late Samuel William Foster, donated the land in 1912 for the establishment of Foster Park.

This park extends along the St Mary's River for over two miles.

The original wooded section contains 67 acres.

Currently, the park is over 218 acres containing a golf course, playgrounds, tennis courts and running trails.

A place of such beauty will provide an appropriate backdrop for weddings and other celebrations for years to come.

The late David N. Foster said that West Swinney Park is, the most popular of all our parks because of the amusement concessions put in by George Trier.

George Trier was a prominent dancing instructor.

He operated the Mulqueen Dancing Academy and later headed the Dancing Academy in the old Minuet building in Fort Wayne.

He also leased and operated a dancing pavilion in 1905 at Robison Park.

He was the operator of the old Triers Park and amusement center in West Swinney Park, until 1940.

During the twenties and thirties, the park became known as Triers Park.

It was the city's only full scale amusement park besides the privately operated Robison Park of the previous generation.

As a matter of fact, the concessions at Triers Park, including the wooden roller coaster, came from Robison Park.

As you'd walk through, you couldn't escape the sounds of the girls screaming as they rode the shaky old wooden roller coaster, or hear the laughter of the kids enjoying the endless rows of games, pony rides and the Ferris wheel.

More often than not, you'd hear a big band echoing in the distance, playing in the dance hall.

The amusement park faded in the years after World War Two coming to an end on June 22nd, 1953.

As life whizzes by, it's pretty easy to take for granted those who generously tended to Fort Waynes social, cultural and educational needs.

Thankfully, Lindenwood is always here to remind us of those who pioneered and excelled in helping others.

Miss Minette Baum left her mark in Fort Wayne after serving for many years as one of Fort Wayne's leading social workers.

She was one of the founders and first secretary of the Fort Wayne Jewish Federation and one of the organizers of the Fort Wayne Women's Club.

As a social worker, she assisted in organizing the League for the Blind and the Interracial Commission.

During her life, she made two trips to Palestine, engaging and sharing her knowledge and welfare work there.

She now lays at rest in Section Y of Lindenwood Cemetery.

This section of land was purchased by the Achduth Vesholom Congregation in 1884.

The agreement of this sale at that time stipulated that the temple shall have sole management and sale of lots within its section.

Also, women like Elma Alsup, who spent her entire life working with the local youth.

She served as the girls work secretary at the Phillis Wheatley Center and contributed to the Fort Wayne Urban League and Marjorie Dickerson Wickliffe.

She was known to make life better for all, and she's the only African-American female honored with a sculpture in a public building.

Mrs. Isabel McClure Peltier was a leader in Fort Wayne's community Concert Association from 1937 until 1955 and served on the boards of the Civic Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestra.

She was a gifted artist and dynamic leader who helped to bring some of the finest concert artists to Fort Wayne.

Apparently, the city council didn't rush to the support of a public library initially.

Efforts began in 1878 and continued until 1898.

It was in that year that Miss Margaret M Colerick served with great distinction as the librarian of the Fort Wayne Allen County Library.

During the 36 years of her leadership, the institution grew from a 3600 book collection to a major library.

And today this library has national distinction and having one of the top genealogy research departments in the country.

The Fine Arts Center would not have gotten off the ground without Miss Margaret Ann Keegan.

She was long active in the civic, cultural, religious and social life of Fort Wayne.

One of her most successful ventures was while she was chairman of the Christmas Bureau for ten years, starting in 1944.

Bundles of food and toys were furnished at holiday time to many needy families.

She also devoted much of her life to the Fine Arts Festival, and she helped to direct the Fine Arts Foundation's bringing together the city's cultural groups into one organiz Much of our city's history would be lost without the insight of people like Mrs. Bessie Keeran Roberts.

She authored many books on our Fair city, such as Fort Wayne's Album, The Glorious Gate, and a Wayne Scrapbook.

She was a prominent Fort Wayne historian, journalist and schoolteacher.

Enlisting as a private and becoming a lieutenant.

Samuel Wagenhals all served with the Union Army throughout the Civil War.

After the war, he completed his seminary education and became pastor of Trinity English Lutheran Church and was one of the founders of the Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary.

The Reverend Samuel Wagenhals served as pastor of Trinity English from June 10th, 1868, lasting until 1920.

His long pastorate was one of continued progress and congregational growth, which is still strong today.

Kaboo, the prince of the Kru tribe, was born in Liberia in 1873.

He was the son of an African tribal chief.

This prince's life in the Western African forest was nothing but danger and chaos from a very early age.

During a tribal war, he was captured many times.

However, he finally managed to escape to a mission station.

This is where he was given the name Samuel Morris.

And through the words of a spirit filled missionary, he was introduced to Christianity.

His interest in this faith became an intense passion, and Samuel wanted to learn more.

However, the missionary couldn't him enough.

He was then put in touch with a man who could in New York, the Reverend Stephen Merritt.

It was this man who brought Samuel to Taylor University when it was located on Wayne Street in Fort Wayne.

Morris was accepted as a student during the 1891 92 school year.

His numerous activities and the harsh winters of 1892 and 93 contributed to the pneumonia, which eventually took his life at the tender age of 19.

His residency in the area was brief but profound.

His prayer, life and spirituality made a difference to anyone who was around him.

Many students and teachers were encouraged by his Christian loyalty and motivation.

In many ways, Samuel's death was the beginning of his influence on people around the world.

His story spread throughout the Midwest and months.

What had been a small university was bustling with students and spiritual awakening.

By 1894, the college erected a dormitory in Morris's honor.

One of the first buildings constructed on the upland, Indiana campus.

And in 1928, the university's senior class erected the memorial of the Angel in Ebony, which remains a shrine and inspiration in Lindenwood Cemetery.

After many years, even for strangers who visit the city, the Fort Wayne campus dedicated a statue in 1996, and many students benefit from the Samuel Morris Scholars program.

As you study some of these memorials, you can't help to feel some pride in the fact that some nationally and internationally recognized people chose Lindenwood as their final home.

Frank Bursley Taylor was an internationally known geologist, a graduate of Fort Wayne High School.

He attended Harvard.

While there, he studied geology, mineralogy, chemistry and meteorology.

He became a noted geologist and author of many articles on the glacial period, mainly in the region of the Great Lakes, the Niagara River, southwestern Ontario, and western New England.

He was recognized worldwide for his history of the Niagara, the Falls and the Gorge.

Lindenwood also preserves the memory of a distinguished lawyer and statesman, Samuel D. Jackson.

He was considered to be a distinguished lawyer, brilliant orator, and the first to serve in the U.S. Senate from Fort Wayne.

He reached the peak of his political career when he served as a permanent chairman of the 1944 Chicago Democratic National Convention that nominated Franklin Roosevelt for his fourth presidential term and Harry Truman as vice president.

Jackson said to the national delegates on July 20th, 1944, America cannot afford to take a chance with destiny and urged the election of Franklin D Roosevelt to an unmatched fourth term in the White House.

We must not allow the American ballot box to be made Hitler's secret weapon.

And he said the election of Republican Thomas Dewey would mean a delay of victory.

Among those recognized worldwide, many local political dignitaries rest in Lindenwood Cemetery.

Their memorials are forever telling us about their influence in our community.

William Briggs Senior was the first African American to serve as a justice of the peace.

He led the fight to remove barriers facing blacks and acquiring decent, safe and sanitary housing within the city limits.

Also, James Blanks Senior was the first African American to serve as a county councilman.

He was the first black to run for mayor and was very active in civil rights and community affairs.

Lindenwood Cemetery, the second largest cemetery in the state, proudly contains and protects literally hundreds of memorials related to local, state and national history.

It is because these memorials, along with the entire Lindenwood property, two cemetery chapels and the ad building that the cemetery was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, an honor that will always be cherished by the city of Fort Wayne.

Memorial City is most eloquently described in the words of an anonymous Lindenwood historian under the shade of these stately monarchs of the forest.

We can look out upon nature's wild wood, the grassy lawn dotted here and there, with groups of evergreens interspersed with roses and flowers to soften the heart and charm the soul.

A secluded, cultivated scene, awaking, no thoughts of pretension and display, but rather of simplicity, quiet security, affectionate remembrance, cheerful hope.

Since 1860, Lindenwood Cemetery has always will be a valuable storyteller, a city of memorials to Fort Wayne's rich heritage.

So keep that in mind as you drive by and pay attention.

Someone may be trying to tell you a story.