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Liberty Fund, Inc
Distance: 73.0 Mi8335 Allison Pointe Trail 300
46250 Indianapolis -
Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal, Inc
Distance: 63.3 Mi1030 N Washington St
46923 Delphi -
U.S. Synchronized Swimming
Distance: 83.8 Mi201 S Capitol Ave Ste 901
46225 Indianapolis -
Ben-Hur
Distance: 92.1 Mi200 Wallace Ave
47933 Crawfordsville -
Mars Telecom
Distance: 100.5 Mi9179 N County Road 250 E
46172-9494 Roachdale
Description
Historic Forks of the Wabash has been a star on the tour maps of Huntington and northeast Indiana for only twenty-five years, but the site has long been a significant one. The most prized artifact at Historic Forks is the Chiefs' House. The last Miami Chief, Francis Lafontaine, made it his home and headquarters until his death in 1847. His widow, Catherine, lived there until her death two years later, when ownership of the house passed to her heirs. Lafontaine descendants moved out of the house in 1932, and the house was rented until 1943 when provisions in the will of Catherine's daughter, Archangel Lafontaine Engleman, allowed it to be sold. Luke Sheer, a local businessman and historian, knew the importance of the house and purchased it, hoping that an historic park could be established with the house as its centerpiece. He rented out the house until construction of the US 24 bypass in 1965 cut off its water supply. The house suffered from vandalism and deterioration for a decade. In 1975, two teachers at Huntington North High School, Jean Gernand and Mary Margaret Kelsay, set out to restore the Chiefs' House. They reactivated the school's Junior Historical Society and, with funding from the Scheers, began renovation in the summer of 1977. By 1978, work was far enough along to open the house for Sunday afternoon tours and to initiate the annual school tours. The goal was to tell the story of the local Miami Indians in the authentic setting of the Chiefs' House. In the...