By Loren Shaum
Guest Columnist
HUNTINGTON COUNTY — Huntington County has much to offer those that want to explore and enjoy a bit of history. With Huntington being the county seat, it is the center of county activities. But there is more!
Andrews, Warren, Bippus (Home of Chris Schenkel), Roanoke, Mt. Etna, and Markle are all towns worth visiting. Some have interesting diners, drive-ins, and/or dives. Over the years, we have frequented many of these joints to hung-out with the locals.
Historic Attractions
Rene-Robert Cavelier sieur de LaSalle is recorded as the first white man to go through what is now Huntington by following an ancient trace that led from present day Fort Wayne to Lafayette. Once into Huntington County, the trace generally follows the Wabash River. In his journal, de LaSalle noted that the river formed a fork and was surrounded by rich land and dense forests.
In the 1700’s the Miami Indians occupied much of Northern Indiana. Led by Michikinikwa (Little Turtle), the Miami’s main village was called Kekionga and located at the point where the present-day St. Joseph and St. Mary’s merge to form the Maumee River (now Headwaters Park in downtown Ft. Wayne).
When Little Turtle died, his nephew, Jean Baptiste de Richardville became chief. He was the son of Little Turtle’s sister and a French fur trader. In 1831, he moved tribal headquarters to the Forks of the Wabash and built a trading post and “treaty” house. The Forks is now on National Register of Historic Places.
Downtown Huntington
In the early 1900’s, Nick Freienstein set-up a hamburger stand. Eventually, he sold enough burgers to start a restaurant, but he wanted to serve more than burgers. After several experiments, he settled on breading a pounded-thin pork tenderloin that was deep-fried. It became an instant hit and the so-called “Hoosier Sandwich” was born!
Today, Nick’s Kitchen is a Huntington landmark and is still serving those legendary breaded tenderloins. The décor takes you back to those early 1900 times, complete with diner-style bar stools.
Around the corner from Nick’s is another gem: The Brick House Grill. Located in an 1890’s building, owner Andrew Sprinkle fulfilled a dream of owning his own restaurant. This quaint spot on Washington Street has exposed walls of the original bricks and what appears to be the original wood floors. The bar top is also a throw-back with antique coins laminated into the bar top.
Once you settle-in, the menu offers many cleverly named items, like “Lime City” sirloin, the “Englishman’s Feast” (their take on fish and chips), the “Goober Burger” (think peanut butter”, the “Foghorn Loghorn” (a take on a grilled chicken sandwich), the “Hometowner” (think grilled pork tenderloin), and others. On our visit, I locked-on the “Drunken Englishman,” which is a beer-battered slab of grouper that is so big you can’t get your mouth around it.
Their salads are also colossal! One, the “Black and Bleu” features a 4-ounce beef tenderloin done to your liking on a bed of fresh greens and mushrooms. A half-salad is enough to fill you up!
Their onion rings are also spot-on!
State Parks
Just south of downtown, is the J. Edward Roush Lake, Fish & Wildlife Area. Named after the former U.S. Representative from the 4th District, the over 7,000-acre park includes quality outdoor recreational opportunities with 900 acres of lake, and 350 acres of marsh land. The property is approximately 15 miles along the Wabash River and was formed when a dam was constructed in 1967. Also known as Huntington Lake, it’s one of three reservoirs created for flood control in the upper Wabash River Basin.
Another is in southern Huntington County. Salamonie Lake is over 2,600 acres of water created by the Salamonie Dam in 1965. The area operated by the Indiana DNR includes over 12,000 acres with the lake, around 40 ponds, marshes, and wetlands
According to the Salamonie Interpretive Center, Salamonie is derived from the Miami Indian word “osahmonee,” which means “yellow paint.” Bloodroot plants grew along the river, and the Miami made yellow paint from them.
The Interpretive Center also provides Eagle sightings. Many eagles migrate to this area during the winter and hunt along the river.
There’s also an underwater ghost town in the lake. Monument City was a small town along the river that was built in the flood plain. The roughly 30 residents were forced to abandon the town when the river was dammed. However, the town’s cemetery was relocated north of the reservoir. The cemetery includes the original monument that the town was named after and remains open to the public.
Monument City remained unnoticed for more than 50-years until the drought of 2012. The reservoir water level dropped so dramatically that the town ruins were exposed for the first time since it was abandoned.
It will take more than one trip to Huntington County to explore all that awaits you there. Take a trip in the fall when the colors are in prime time. It’s a gorgeous sight to behold and is a little over an hour from Lake Country.
