The History Center

Mather Lectures Series | Festival of Gingerbread | Tours and Special Events | Barr Street Market

George R. Mather Sunday Lecture Series

In 1993, while serving on the board of directors at The History Center, the Rev. George R. Mather proposed a series of free Sunday afternoon lectures on topics that influenced Fort Wayne and Allen County history. This season, the series has been renamed in his memory and is made possible with support from The Dunsire Family Foundation. All lectures in this series are free to the public.

"Growing Up in Indiana During the Great Depression Years" - September 14, 2:00-3:00 PM
Presented by Russell A. Working.

"The Political History of Allen County" - October 5, 2:00-3:00 PM
Presented by Stan Hood.

"Why Presidents Succeed" - November 2, 2:00-3:00 PM
Presented by Al Zacher.

"Fort Wayne Women Who Broke the Mold" - January 4, 2009, 2:00-3:00 PM
Presented by Patty Martone.

"They, Too, Came As Pioneers" - February 1, 2009, 2:00-3:00 PM
Presented by Dr. Curtis J. Jones.

"The Lincoln Highway Across Indiana" - March 1, 2009, 2:00-3:00 PM
Presented by Jan Shupert-Arick.

"Mapping Fort Wayne: A History of the City in Maps" - April 5, 2009, 2:00-3:00 PM
Presented by John Beatty.

"From the Emboyd to the Embassy: A History of Fort Wayne's Opulent Showcase" - May 3, 2009, 2:00-3:00 PM
Presented by Dyne Pfeffenberger.

"World War I Repression of Fort Wayne's Germans" - June 7, 2009, 2:00-3:00 PM
Presented by Jim Sack.

Festival of Gingerbread

Last year's Festival was another highly successful event for the History Center. Even a bad winter storm on the final day couldn't keep visitors away from this annual holiday event. To the thousands of visitors (families, teachers, and school groups), the dozens of volunteers who gave so freely of their time and energy in this busy season, and to the sponsors who gave so generously again this year, all of us here at the History Center extend a very heartfelt thank you.

Continue to watch this space for information about the 2008 Festival of Gingerbread, opening to the public on November 28.


Visitors are amused by the imagination of a gingerbread design.	A colorful toybox made from gingerbread.

Tours and Special Events

The History Center provides a number of special events including historical tours. Future trips will be posted here as they become scheduled. Below are scenes from recent outings.


History Center members ride a canal boat during a recent day trip.	A recent tour of Fort Meigs.

Barr Street Market Opens July 12th
Each summer for ten weeks, the History Center, in partnership with Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana, presents a Saturday Farmers Market, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at the historic marketplace on the corner of Wayne and Barr Streets. In addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, the market offers music, crafts and other items for sale. The market will be open on Saturdays, July 12 through September 27. Free to public.


Barr Street Market , c. 1893	Barr Street Market, today

Buffalo Tro - Friday, September 26, 6:00-9:00 PM

Since 2004 the History Center has thrilled audiences with its one-of-a-kind Buffalo Tro historical interpretation at the Chief Richardville House. In a unique combination of education, entertainment, and food, the Buffalo Tro program involves an introduction to Great Lakes Region Indian cooking, followed by the cooking of hearty buffalo steaks directly on a large bed of smoldering coals. The result is a tasty meal of traditional and contemporary Native American fares that guests and participants are not soon to forget. Coupled with music, Miami Indian cultural presentaitons, tours of the House, a silent auction, and interactive programming, the History Center has made its annual Buffalo Tro the most memorable fundraiser in Fort Wayne for the past two years. All proceeds from the Buffalo Tro benefit the History Center's Heritage Education Fund, providing free museum visitation to all K-12 public, private, parochial, and home school groups in Allen, DeKalb, LaGrange, Noble, and Steuben counties since 2004. Cost $50.00 per person, contact Kelly McCague at (260) 426-2882, x 308 to RSVP.

Reading and book signing by Michael Martone - Sunday, October 5, at 5:00 p.m.
Michael Martone has two new books out which touch significantly on Fort Wayne, entitled Double-Wide: Collected Fiction of Michael Martone (2007); and Racing In Place (2008). Presented at the History Center in the Freimann Room. Free to the public.