Lindenwood Crematory, circa 1898 & 2018
Fort Wayne Through Time, co-authored with Randy Harter, will be released October 29! The book of 86 sets of “then and now” photographs of Fort Wayne may be preordered through Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. The book will eventually be available at the History Center and other stores, as well. We have book signings scheduled at Barnes & Noble on November 10 (1-3PM) and December 15 during the Authors Fair at the downtown Allen County Library (12-4PM).
In the spirit of the Halloween season, we share today's comparison that didn’t make it into the book….
The Lindenwood Crematory, Circa 1898 and 2018:
The modern cremation movement had a slow start in America in the 1870s. It took several Fort Wayne businessmen five years to persuade the Lindenwood Cemetery association that a crematory was not only beneficial, but would put the city in the prestigious company of larger metropolises like Chicago and Boston. In 1895, architectural firm Wing & Mahurin was tasked with designing the limestone Romanesque building. The contract was signed in August and Indiana’s first crematory was completed three months later. On July 1, 1897, John Powers became the first person in Indiana to be cremated.
Despite the success, cremation would not be widely accepted until the late 20th Century. In 1974, the crematory was renamed the Chapel of the Woods after an extensive remodeling. Over the following years, cremations were transitioned to more modern facilities offsite and, today, the old crematory serves only as a chapel.
Lindenwood Crematory, circa 1898 & 2018
Fort Wayne Through Time, co-authored with Randy Harter, will be released October 29! The book of 86 sets of “then and now” photographs of Fort Wayne may be preordered through Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. The book will eventually be available at the History Center and other stores, as well. We have book signings scheduled at Barnes & Noble on November 10 (1-3PM) and December 15 during the Authors Fair at the downtown Allen County Library (12-4PM).
In the spirit of the Halloween season, we share today's comparison that didn’t make it into the book….
The Lindenwood Crematory, Circa 1898 and 2018:
The modern cremation movement had a slow start in America in the 1870s. It took several Fort Wayne businessmen five years to persuade the Lindenwood Cemetery association that a crematory was not only beneficial, but would put the city in the prestigious company of larger metropolises like Chicago and Boston. In 1895, architectural firm Wing & Mahurin was tasked with designing the limestone Romanesque building. The contract was signed in August and Indiana’s first crematory was completed three months later. On July 1, 1897, John Powers became the first person in Indiana to be cremated.
Despite the success, cremation would not be widely accepted until the late 20th Century. In 1974, the crematory was renamed the Chapel of the Woods after an extensive remodeling. Over the following years, cremations were transitioned to more modern facilities offsite and, today, the old crematory serves only as a chapel.