Milan Township, Allen County, Indiana

Overview

For locals, Milan township is generally demarcated by Schwartz Road to the west, Notestine Road to the north, Sampson Road to the east, and Gar Creek Road to the south.

The principal town in Milan Township is Milan Center, at 41°8'39"N 84°56'46"W. Milan Center lies at the intersection of Milan Center Road and Doty Road, and at an earlier time consisted of Brueggemann's (previously Van Camp's, a combination lumberyard, hardware and grocery store), a small wood-frame church, Milan Center School, a feed mill, and four houses.

Brueggemann's Do-It-Best Center subsequently left to build a new store several miles removed to take advantage of traffic on State Highway 37 (at Ricker Road). The original Milan Center structure subsequently was lost to fire, and the relocated Brueggemann's closed April 12, 2014 after 100 years of business.

Five Points is a settlement located at the junction of Old US Highway 24, Webster Road, and Woodburn Road, along the old Wabash-Erie Canal route. At one time it consisted of a small diner for truckers, a gas station (later a bicycle shop), a tile mill, and a few homes. A newer water tower labeled "Woodlan" near the Woodlan Schools may result in the community being known as "Woodlan" in the coming years.

Gar Creek was once a shipping point on the Wabash and Toledo Railroad. A small community of 500 people eventually settled around the station. In 1883, lumber and grain were the primary exports of the station. Gar Creek enterprises at that time included a shingle manufacturer, two carpenters, a Justice of the Peace, a saw mill, a general store with a railway agent and a Postmaster (Jesse Rothgeb), a blacksmith, a hoop manufacturer, and United Brethren and Lutheran churches. The population at that time was listed as 130.

Thurman was a settlement located on the Detroit branch of the old Wabash Railroad. A few homes and businesses remain to this day.

Woodlan Schools

The Milan Township and Maumee Township (city of Woodburn) school districts cooperatively built and dedicated Woodlan High School for the 1959-1960 school year. Located in Milan Township, the school lies just east of Five Points on the Woodburn Road. Harlan High students began attending in the autumn of 1965, as the schools had been consolidated into the East Allen County School district a year earlier. Junior high and elementary schools are also now located on the campus.

Economy

The major industries in the county are agriculture, building trades, and rubber manufacturing. The largest employer in the township is BF Goodrich. The plant manufactures BF Goodrich and generic-branded tires for passenger cars and light trucks. BF Goodrich is a division of Michelin North America. As of 2016, 1,650 workers were employed at the facility located on Old U.S. Highway 24. Shortly after opening in 1961, the mile-long plant was featured in the national media as the "longest" manufacturing facility in the country at the time. It has been upgraded and expanded subsequently several times. The facility, which lies just east of Woodlan School, comprises the highest-assessed real estate and business personal property value in the East Allen County Schools’ territory. Many plant employees are represented by United Steelworkers Local 715.

Laventure’s Reserve

The indigenous inhabitants of Milan Township were the Algonquian-speaking Miami People. In the “Treaty with the Miami” executed on October 23, 1826, one section, 640 acres, of Milan Township land was reserved for “Laventure’s daughter”, whose father was a French trader and whose mother may have been a Miami. The reserved section occupied land bordered now by the Rohman and Platter roads. At the time of Indian Removal in 1846, those Miami who held separate allotments of land were allowed to stay as citizens in Indiana. Around 1872 the reserve was partially sold to non-native settlers, and by 1879, plat books were showing the “first family” Milan Township surnames of Lampe, Vondereau, Shafer, Bruick, Landin, and Yerks on that land. Although the Indiana Miami were recognized by the US in an 1854 treaty, that recognition was stripped in 1897. While an Indiana Miami Nation still exists to this day, the officially US-recognized relocated Miami Nation resides in Oklahoma. In 1980, the Indiana legislature recognized the Indiana Miami and voted to support federal recognition.

Early Settlement Prior to 1880

Milan Township was first organized by the County Commissioners in March, 1838, being petitioned for, and named by, resident Stephen Heath, in honor of Milan Township, Huron County, Ohio: his former home (the township now resides in neighboring Erie County). The origin of the “Milan” name in Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio remains obscure.

Charles Shriner erected the first frame house in 1838. It was attached to a log building.

Alvin Hall erected the second frame house in 1841.

William R. Herrick erected the first frame barn in the spring of 1850.

The first road was surveyed in 1840 by Horace Taylor. It was called the Ridge Road, and extended from Fort Wayne to Hicksville, Ohio.

The first stores in the township were operated by Stephen Heath and Lorenzo D. George.

The first township election was held in April, 1842; Andrew Wakefield was elected Justice of the Peace, and John Nettle, Constable. The positions were voluntary, as there were no salaries.

Amish settlement began in 1852-1853, when eleven wagons carrying fifty-two people arrived from Starke County, Ohio. Peter Graber was the first bishop. Three distinct divisions subsequently evolved in the community: the most-conservative Old Order Amish, the more progressive Amish-Mennonites, and the most liberal, the "Defenseless" (Egli) Mennonites.

The Village of Fairport

The settlement of Fairport, the first village in the township, was created by Eastern venture capitalists attempting to capitalize on the newly-created Wabash and Erie Canal. The first post office was established at Fairport in 1843, with John Irvin being appointed Postmaster. Fairport straddled portions of Township Sections 13 and 24, in the far eastern part of the township, just south of the Maumee River.

The heyday of the canal was 1847 to 1866, but the canal ultimately closed in 1878 as both shippers and passengers demonstrated a preference for utilizing the Wabash railroad instead, which had been built parallel to the canal. Fairport ultimately foundered as the canal foundered; the settlement became defunct and the site quickly reverted to farmland.

George Foxtater and John Irvin were the first tavern-keepers in the township, in Fairport.

Chamberlain Settlement

The village of Chamberlain arose when one of the first township settlers, Alvin Hall, requested that a post office be placed in the “western part of the township.” The request was granted, and Lorenzo D. George became the appointed postmaster. Chamberlain, located just southwest of Barnett Chapel on the Old Ridge Road in Section 4 of the township, began its own decline around 1870, and the post office was relocated to St. Joseph Township at that time.

One-Room District Schoolhouses

Support for rural public schools originated with the Federal Land Ordinance of 1785, which began the land surveys that laid out townships and sections across the growing nation. Every township was to consist of thirty-six sections containing 640 acres each. Section 16 and later, in 1848, section 36, were set aside to support schools. That ordinance largely failed in Indiana, but a few townships actually did use their surveyed “section 16’s” for educational purposes, as prescribed in the ordinance. Following statehood, the Indiana General Assembly then passed an act in 1824 to encourage the development of public schools. The act provided for school districts, the right to establish schools, and the election of school district representatives to the township trustees. To reinforce this, the General Assembly further passed an 1849 law that mandated a state and local tax-supported educational system for Indiana, on a county by county basis. Finally, the General Assembly passed the “school law” in 1852 which further promoted the township school system and provided some limited funding.

A number of schoolhouses were then built soon following 1852, but the majority were ultimately constructed following the Civil War. By 1900, over 8,000 one-room schools stood statewide. Later, with changes in demographics and the onset of school consolidations, the General Assembly gave the State Superintendent the means to close districts where attendance was under 12 pupils. Today there are over 700 surviving one-room schoolhouse structures in Indiana; the majority of these date from 1865 - 1900.

Milan Township had 13 “District” schools. The defined locations of a few remain a mystery.

What was to become “District School No. 1” was actually the first school constructed in the township. It opened in a log building in 1845; the first teacher was Catherine Shell. The structure was replaced by a frame building in 1857 when it officially became a District School. That building was erected by Alvin Hall, who was the first carpenter in the township.

There are newspaper references to the Platter and Busse schoolhouses. Reports also indicate there was a District school at Ricker Rd. and Doty Rd; which of the thirteen district schools these were, remains to be verified. Brush College (a one-room schoolhouse in the "brushy" woods) trained teachers and also served as a district school. It's "number" also remains to be identified.

Local legend suggests that a schoolmaster hanged himself in one of the district schools, but that is yet to be corroborated via an archived newspaper article.

Cholera, Malaria, and Smallpox

While all of these diseases are unheard of in the township today, each of these potentially life-ending scourges touched Milan Township at an earlier time. Groundbreaking on the Wabash – Erie canal was 1832, and the canal was ultimately finished in 1856. Along the way to completion, it was said that a construction worker passed away from either cholera or malaria for every 6 feet of the canal being built. The length of the canal was 452 miles, from Toledo, OH to Evansville, IN.

In November 1899 an epidemic of smallpox was “prevailing in Milan Township,” according to a Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette article from the time. A cluster of cases six miles southeast of Maysville “in a heavily populated area” was described, apparently stretching to the Ohio Line. Homes of infected individuals were placed under total police-supervised quarantine and all individuals exposed to those cases were placed under quarantine. Milan Center School was ordered by the health department to be closed until the threat of contagion had passed. Of interesting note was a particular smallpox-associated odor which could be detected outside each of the infected households.

Iron Span Bridges

There are only two bridges spanning the Maumee River in Milan Township. The following original iron bridges have both been replaced with reinforced concrete structures.

Platter’s Ford Bridge

On July 1, 1876, the County Commissioners announced they were letting bids for the first township bridge to be built, at “Platter’s Ford”. On August 15, the bid for the foundation was awarded to Chas. Bosseker & Co. Nine additional bids for the iron supra-structure were also unsealed at the time. In 1896 (and at several times following), a driftwood dam almost destroyed the completed structure, which was described as having two 100-ft long iron spans suspended on a huge center pier.

Schlink Farm Bridge

It took residents multiple attempts over a four-period, petitioning County Commissioners, in order for the Schlink Bridge to be built. Finally in 1906, the Commissioners met with residents on the site at the Schlink Farm to review the proposal, and it was thereafter finally agreed that the County would spend $15,000 to construct the iron bridge. The bridge on the Bruick Road is now a vital link connecting US Hwy 24 to northern township areas across the river.

Cutting-Edge Mid-Century Technology

In the mid-20th century, telephone communication across relatively short distances could be prohibitively expensive. Northern Milan township had traditionally been served by the Harlan telephone exchange, and southern Milan township by the New Haven telephone exchange. To make a call between differing exchanges, one could incur so-called "long distance" surcharges. Brueggemann's store at Milan Center served as a progressive business and community center by having telephones from both exchanges. The New Haven telephone exchange was purchased by the Home Telephone company in Fort Wayne, which was itself subsequently acquired by General Telephone of Indiana. The Harlan telephone company was also eventually acquired by General Telephone of Indiana. General Telephone is now a part of Verizon.

Geology

May Sand and Gravel once operated a stone quarry located along Old US 24, across from the BF Goodrich tire plant. Core samples were collected by researchers Doheny, Droste, and Shaver from the Indiana Geological Survey and Indiana University in 1975. The researchers catalogued a stratum of fossil sediment containing dolomite (calcium magnesium carbonate) and subsequently described its distribution from an origin in Northwestern Indiana, through veins to northeastern Indiana with varying thickness, erosion, and displacement by other strata along the way. Termed the “Milan Center Dolomite Member”, the name was taken from “Milan Center Township”, in which the Woodburn Quarry was located. This Milan Center Member was classified to be “Eifelian” in age.

In later prehistory and into the frontier days, Milan Township laid nearly entirely within the far western area of a glacial valley described today as the Great Black Swamp. Then in the 19th century, its wetlands were drained for travel, settlement, and agriculture. Stands of old-growth forests were felled and used for timber interests upon settlement. The Great Black Swamp extended eastward and downward from the old "Ridge Road," which is now Maysville Road.

The Maumee River flows through the township in a northeast course, and Twelve Mile and Ten Mile Creeks flow through the central part, joining the Maumee. Six Mile Creek drains the southwestern part of the township.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Milan Township covers an area of 37.49 square miles (97.09 km²); of this, 37.18 square miles (96.29 km²) is land and 0.31 square miles (0.80 km²), or 0.83%, is water.

Unincorporated towns

(This list is based on USGS data and may include former settlements.)

Adjacent townships

Cemeteries

From the Allen County INGenWeb Project

Historically significant churches

The first township religious meeting was held at Catherine Shell’s Ridge Road log schoolhouse,in 1845. Services were conducted by the Rev. True Pattee, affiliated with the M. E. Church. The district schools were the first meeting places of various religious denominations, as no township church buildings were erected prior to 1880.

From the Allen County INGenWeb Project

Other historically significant structures and sites

Table originally from Rootsweb and the Allen County INGenWeb Project

Major highways

Airports and landing strips

Historical and Notable Personalities with Ties to Milan Township

Laventure Toucher, French fur trader convicted of treason by the British in Fort Detroit in 1779 during the Revolutionary War. The colonists had recruited neutral French inhabitants of the Detroit region to be spies and sympathizers for the American cause.

John Chapman, “Johnny Appleseed” (1774-1845) Itinerant Swedenborgian missionary, nurseryman. At the time of his death, operated a 15,000-apple-tree nursery in Milan township. Buried in Archer Park, Fort Wayne.

Rev.True Pattee (1777-1867) Held the first (M.E.) church services in Milan township. “Truman” is a family name. Buried in Old Maysville Cemetery, Harlan.

Horace Taylor (1798-1864) Surveyed the Ridge Road. Buried in Lindenwood Cemetery, Fort Wayne.

Charles Shriner (1795-1881) Early Milan Township settler. Erected the first frame house in the township. Buried in Notestine Cemetery.

Alvin Hall (1810-1891) Early Milan Township settler. Served as Justice of the Peace, Assessor, Treasurer, and Land Appraiser. Buried in Bowers Cemetery on the old Ridge Road.

Peter Graber (1811-1896) First Old-Order Amish Bishop in the township.

Hezekiah Rothgeb (1816-1892) Early Mennonite Gar Creek settler. Buried in Gar Creek Union Cemetery.

William Herrick (1820-1889) Early Milan Township settler. Erected the township’s first frame barn. Father of Rev. H.N. Herrick, president of the M.E. college. Buried in Bowers Cemetery on the old Ridge Road.

Catherine Shell Alderman (1828-1849) First school teacher in Milan Township. Died giving birth at age 21. Buried in Shell-Sowers Cemetery in Scipio Township.

Jesse Rothgeb (1853-1927) Gar Creek Postmaster. Buried in Gar Creek Union Cemetery.

Perry Spencer (1894 – 1979) WWI Veteran, Gentleman Farmer, Philanthropist

Mary Spencer (1895 –1987) Educator and Principal-Milan Center School, Political Delegate, Philanthropist

(The Spencers’ legacies continue through the land preservation activities of the Mary C & Perry F Spencer Foundation, administered by PNC bank.)

Walter Brueggemann (1904-1994) Proprietor, Brueggemann Lumber and Hardware

Ernest Yerks (1909-1990) Farmer, Educator and Principal, Milan Center School. Administered the popular annual community festival, "Family Night," to benefit the school.

Garnet Gerig (1914-1997) Proprietor, Milan Center Store

Wayne P. Rothgeb (1920-1993) US Army Air Corps 1941 - 1945; received the Air Medal with Four Clusters and a Unit Citation. Assistant County Agricultural Agent for Jay County 1948-1950. Farm Director for WKJG-TV Ft. Wayne 1951 - 1985. Named National Farm Broadcaster of the Year in 1984.

Rollie Graves (Jr.) (1925-1992) Proprietor, Graves Jewelery

Marvin Stieglitz (1929-2002) Proprietor, Milan Center Feed and Grain

Phyllis Pond (1930 -2013) Educator, Indiana House of Representatives Dist 85 1978-2013. At the time of death, was the longest-serving female legislator in state history.

Gloria Goeglein (1931-2001) Allen Co Council 1974-1978; Allen Co Auditor 1978-1986; Ft. Wayne City Council 1988-1990; Indiana State Rep. Dist 84 1990-2001

Kent Hormann (1954- ) Television and radio celebrity currently co-anchors NBC33 News at 11, and co-hosts Sound Off & The Score on 21Alive. Inducted into Indiana Sportswriters & Sportscasters Hall of Fame.

Ellen Bledsoe Persyn (1960’s- ) Recording Artist - Radio Iodine; Producer, Vocal Coach

School districts

Political districts