Chinworth Bridge has a very long history in the Warsaw area

The Chinworth Bridge across the Tippecanoe River in Kosciusko County near Warsaw was opened in August 1897. It was built by the Bellefontaine Bridge and Iron Company of Bellefontaine, Ohio. It is one of the few surviving Pratt through-truss bridges built by that company. As far back as 1884, a new bridge was requested across the Tippecanoe River to connect Warsaw with Atwood and Etna Green. In those days traveling was risky at best and depended a lot on the weather. The bridge was named after Robert Chinworth and it crossed his property when it was built. For many years the bridge carried vehicular traffic until it was bypassed when U.S. Highway 30 was built in the 1920s. It should also be noted the Yellowstone Trail passed by on the south side of the river. When U.S. 30 was built, the Indiana State Highway Commission created a rest area adjacent to the bridge. It is one of the few surviving rest areas from that era before interstate highways were built. In 1975 an enhanced four-lane U.S. 30 was built and at that time the Chinworth Bridge stopped carrying any automobile traffic. That same year the Kosciusko County Historical Society dedicated the bridge as a historic landmark. It is now used as part of a trail system.

Historic Chinworth Bridge in Kosciusko County

Faint reminder of former Methodist church in Elkhart County

This time of the year when the leaves are filling out trees it is more difficult to see a remnant of the former Bashor Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church. It was located on the southeast corner of county roads 15 and 30 in Harrison Township, Elkhart County. According to a Goshen newspaper article I found, construction began on the church in the spring of 1892. The cornerstone was laid May 26 and the church was dedicated Nov. 6, 1892, and the first Thanksgiving services were held in late November. The article further stated the church was formed as the result of a harvest meeting in August 1891 at Stutzman’s Grove, west of Goshen. Those attending the meeting decided to start a subscription fund for a new church. John and Emaline Bashor, who owned the farm on that corner, donated the land for the church to be built on and also donated a considerable sum of money. Worship services were held at the church for about 42 years, or until sometime in 1934 when it was torn down. All that remains is essentially a large divot or hole in the ground where the foundation was located and also a small portion of something that was concrete. It may be hard to see either of those in the photo.

Site of former Methodist church in Elkhart County

Local credit union was started in this Goshen building

I am continuing with finding out what businesses or companies were in older buildings throughout Goshen. This week the building is on the northwest corner of Second Street and Lincoln Avenue. It was the original home of what was originally known as the Farm Bureau Credit Union, but is now known as Interra Credit Union. I believe the name was changed in about 2008, so the original name was still in place when I first moved to Goshen in 2002. The building was also home to a chick hatchery operated by the Farm Bureau Co-Op. Interra’s website says the credit union was founded during the Great Depression in 1932. The charter name was the Elkhart County Cooperative Farm Bureau Credit Union. It was started by members of the township Farm Bureau and employees of the Co-Op. They pooled their resources during a very hard time in our nation’s history when money was very tight and people stood in long lines to try to find jobs or get food. Note you can see the current main office of Interra in the background of the photo. I also note that on one of the corners of this intersection was a fueling operation of some type ran by the Co-Op.

Former home of credit union in Goshen

Local bakery has a long history in the city of Goshen

This week’s photo shows the original location of Dutch Maid Bakery in downtown Goshen. Focus on the building painted blue across the top. On the lower level there are two businesses now and the one on the right was the original home of Dutch Maid Bakery. Sometime in the 1940s the bakery started and it stayed there apparently for more than 50 years. I noticed a listing of downtown businesses on the Facebook page “I Remember Growing Up in Goshen, Indiana.” The bakery was one of those listed and I recall it stated they moved to West Lincoln Avenue in Linway Plaza, their current location, in 2004. It is remarkable a locally owned business has remained open for that many years. We all know the harsh reality that many local businesses simply can’t compete in today’s marketplace and have to close. But apparently Dutch Maid Bakery has done something right to keep going. I believe people still like freshly baked breakfast foods and there is still a healthy market for that. I have personally visited the bakery a few times and enjoyed it each time.

Site of original Dutch Maid Bakery in downtown Goshen

Building in Goshen served as a monument business many years

I continue with exploring the history of some of the older commercial buildings in or near downtown Goshen. This week the focus is on a building in the 200 block of East Lincoln Avenue. More specifically, the white colored building in the photo. According to information provided by the Goshen Historical Museum and taken directly from old city directories, the building was originally used by an optician named W.B. Kreider from 1894 to 1908. Then for many, many years it served as a marble works business including Goshen Marble Shop and Goshen Marble Works. But apparently many people remember it as Logan Monuments and Fuel Co. It had the Logan name in different forms from 1946 to 2000. Prior to that it was known as Yoder Fuel and Monument. I found a newspaper ad from the 1960s saying Logan Monuments and Fuel Co. was a distributor of Sinclair oil and super flame heating oils. The building was also used as a grocery store for about 14 years and a dress shop, among other uses. The upstairs portion has been used for apartments at various times. I am not sure what the building is currently used for.

Historic building on Lincoln Avenue in Goshen

Well known lumberman had this house built in Goshen

On East Lincoln Avenue on Goshen’s east side sits an old house that has its roots in the late 1870s. It was originally built for John H. Lesh, a well known lumberman of Elkhart County. Although the county GIS says the house was built in 1870, newspaper accounts show it was built in the summer of 1879 and was moved into by late January 1880. Lesh was born in Ohio and grew up on a farm. At some point he decided to invest in lumber and in a few years was very successful. He owned and operated multiple sawmills and opened an office in Chicago though he still lived in Goshen. At the time the house was built the street was known as Market Street, but was later renamed Lincoln Avenue. Many parties and weddings were held at the house including a visit from James Blaine, a presidential candidate in 1884 who came to Goshen for a political speech. That is according to the book “Historic Homes of Goshen, Indiana,” by Major Leroy Miller. Lesh was elected mayor of Goshen in 1890. He was president of the company Lesh, Sanders & Egbert Co. Lesh died Feb. 15, 1898, and his passing was noted on the front page of the newspaper of Goshen.

Historic house on Lincoln Avenue in Goshen

Corner building in downtown Goshen is full of history

I happen to think it is very interesting to discover what businesses were once located inside of the older buildings in Goshen. Here’s another example. The building to the far right is on the northwest corner of Fifth Street and Lincoln Avenue in downtown Goshen. More recently, it was Tony’s Bar & Grill before it closed down. Prior to that, many will remember it was a bicycle shop for several years. I’m told Schwinn bicycles were sold there. It began as a bicycle shop in about 1947. The family who now owns Lincoln Avenue Cycling several blocks to the west on Lincoln Avenue owned the shop when it was still located at Fifth and Lincoln. Their current store was opened in 1970. I went to the Goshen Historical Museum recently and looked through old city directories. I found the building at Fifth and Lincoln was known as Freese & Sons Creamery in 1937 and in 1939 was Ken’s Produce & Creamery. Prior to that it was apparently a private residence. There are gaps in the years directories are available so it is hard to get complete information. The county GIS says the building was built in 1890 and it may have originally been a house before it was converted to a business. I’m also not sure what was located there after the bike shop moved in 1970 and before it became Tony’s. A man at the museum told me the Coffee Cup, which had been located in the back of the building, did expand into the rest of the building for a while.

Building at Fifth and Lincoln in Goshen

Barn and land have long history in Kosciusko County

There just aren’t many family farms that have remained in the family all the way back to the early 1800s. Only a few remain and apparently one of those is the Rosbrugh family in Kosciusko County. The photo shows a barn along County Road 150 West in Plain Township, west of Warsaw. According to the county GIS, the barn was built in 1894. So was the house which can’t be seen in the photo. There are also at least two other buildings, one a milk house, dating to 1894. Honestly, I wasn’t able to find out much about the history of this family. One of the old Kosciusko County history books, available online in Google Books, says Jacob Rosbrugh came to Plain Township in the spring of 1834 from Michigan and settled in the woods. Eventually the land was cleared for farming and Jacob and his wife had 11 children, one of which was Andrew Rosbrugh who later served in the Civil War. Based on what I could find out, I don’t believe this particular farm in my photo was the original Rosbrugh settlement. I believe the original settlement was further south in Plain Township. I found the family in multiple locations on the 1914 county atlas. I also don’t know if anyone lives on this particular parcel of land, but the GIS says a Rosbrugh still owns the land. I’ve also noticed there are not very many barns still standing that were built prior to 1900. Note the name of Hosea Rosbrugh on the barn. He lived from 1902 to 1973 and is buried in the Leesburg Cemetery.

Rosbrugh family farm in Kosciusko County

Red barn stands out on rural property in Jackson Township

When I was still working in Milford, for a while I had to take an alternate route part of the way when County Road 19 was being upgraded a few years ago. That meant driving on County Road 21. I noticed a beautiful red barn that looks like it has been taken care of. It is located north of County Road 142 on CR 21 near a meandering creek in Jackson Township of Elkhart County. This was once known as the Steffen farm and before they purchased it the property belonged to Alice and Milton Weaver for several years. In her book “Party Lines, Prayers and Privies,” Judy Steffen Lambert recalls her family moving to the farm sometime in the early 1950s. In the book it was noted the barn and the house were both at least 75 years old, meaning they were likely built sometime in the 1870s. It was also noted the road was still dirt, which was common for the county roads at that time. A few of them are actually still dirt roads. The barn had hand hewn timbers and a hay mow up top and also a grain bin. The lower level had a milking stable and loafing shed. It was quite common for barns to be multiple purpose in a time when cows were milked, chickens were raised, there were beef cows and more. Farming equipment could also be stored inside barns. I’m not sure if this property is still part of a farming operation. I just know the red barn caught my eye.

Old barn on CR 21 in Elkhart County

Building will help tell the story of the Beardsley family

One of my last interviews when I worked for The Papers in Milford was in Elkhart where a former carriage house of the Beardsley family at Main and Beardsley was being renovated by the Ruthmere Museum. It is believed it was originally built in 1874 and first used as a carriage house. It was an agricultural outbuilding with stables. In about 1912 it was separated from the farmstead and sold as a separate property. After that, it was an automotive repair shop and then likely in the 1920s or 1930s was converted into a house. When converted, the house was built inside the original shell of the building. Ironically, a fire in the building led to the Ruthmere Museum purchasing it. After receiving public input, it was decided the building would become the Beardsley Discovery Center, which will be used a visitor center for the museum. This is an interesting place to visit and a lot of the history of the city of Elkhart can be discovered at Ruthmere. There is more to see than just the mansion once owned by the Beardsley family.

Beardsley carriage house in Elkhart