Wabash
Thursday, May 10, 2007

By Robert H. Everitt

On Thursday, May 10, 45 Pioneers and their guests were treated to a most enlightening and entertaining day in Wabash, Indiana. Board member Nelson Price, noted author and lecturer, engaged us with tales of the area and some of its native sons and daughters. Notable among them were former Vice President Thomas Marshall, Mark Honeywell, Gene Stratton Porter, and Crystal Gayle.

Our gracious host, Richard Ford, a member of the Society, proudly welcomed us to his hometown, where we received private tours of the Honeywell Center and Ford Theater, the splendid new Wabash County Historical Museum, and the beautifully restored 1841 home of Civil War surgeon Dr. James Ford.

A sumptuous luncheon was served under a tent on the lawn of our host’s home after which we were invited to tour his personal residence, the meticulously maintained 1901 neighboring home of his grandparents – featured in 99 Historic Homes of Indiana – and the extensive hillside gardens highlighted by a waterfall above Charley Creek. We returned with new respect and awe for the “Wonders of Wabash.”