My Take
Bill Lites
Day 12 (5/27/2022)
This morning, after breakfast, I headed northeast 25 miles on US-24 to visit the Science Central located in Fort Wayne, IN. This science center is housed in the old original 1809 City Light & Power plant. A 30,000 sq. ft. section of this 75,000 sq. ft. building has been renovated for use by the Science Central and is filled with interpretive exhibits and will keep children of all ages busy all day.
Photo Credit: https://preparmy.com/fort-wayne/science-central/
It was just a few blocks from the Science Central to where I stopped to check out the Old Fort Park there in Fort Wayne. This park is a living history fort replica of the original fort, built on this site in 1816 by Major John Whistler, at the confluence of the St. Mary, St. Joseph, and Maumee Rivers. The fort has several log homes and buildings with 1700s furnishings, and hosts the annul Colonial America, and other 1700s era re-enactments for visitors from far and wide.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
Next, it wasn’t far from the Old Fort Park to where I visited the Indiana National Guard Base and the 122nd Fight Wing Heritage Park located adjacent to the Fort Wayne International Airport (Baer Field). This outdoor aviation park displays seven restored static aircraft utilized by the Indiana Air National Guard since 1947.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
Now I headed downtown to visit the Firefighters Museum there in Fort Wayne. This museum is located in the old renovated 1893 firehouse No. 3 and served Fort Wayne until 1972, when a new firehouse was built. The museum is set up to represent an 1800’s firehouse, with living quarters on the second floor and a fine collection of antique fire engines downstairs in the engine bay, that date from 1860s. The museum’s fire engine centerpiece is the 1893 Amoskeag horse-drawn steam fire engine that was first used in Detroit, Michigan.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
From the Firefighter’s Museum, it wasn’t far to where I visited the Fort Wayne Railroad Museum. This museum is situated in the old 1914 Baker Street Station and displays antique Railroad artifacts and memorabilia that date from the early 1900s. The museum also has one of the last 1944 Nickle Plate Railroad steam locomotives (No.765) which they use, along with other pieces of rolling stock, to give visitors local excursion rides and other event train rides, during the year, from New Haven to Angola.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
On my way to Decatur, IN to visit the Peace Monument, I had to detour thru Monroeville, and was impressed with a city mural I passed. So, I stopped to take a photo of this mural before continuing on my way thru more back roads. From that mural, it’s not hard to guess what most people who live in the Monroeville area do for a living.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
Greta (My Garmin) finally got me to Decatur, IN and found the Peace Monument there on the grounds of the Adams County Courthouse (in the background). This beautiful cenotaph memorial was designed by Charles Mulligan in 1912 and is in honor of peace and the sacrifice of all soldiers in war.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
Now, I headed southeast 35 miles on US-33, across the border, to visit the Gasoline Alley Museum located in St. Marys, OH. I was a fan of the Gasoline Alley gang comics when I was a kid and was eager to visit this museum. However, it was nowhere to be found. I talked to some locals at a gas station near the ‘address’ for the museum, but they said they had never heard of the museum. It’s hard for me to believe the museum was not known by locals of a small town like St. Marys when I see the photos of the museum on the internet. Bummer!
Photo Credit: https://aldrichpears.com/gasoline-alley-museum
—–To Be Continued—–
Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing. He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville. Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.
One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is: John 10:10
Old Things R New 
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