Southwood Park in Fort Wayne in Allen County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Rudisill
1801-1858
Henry Wolff Rudisill did more than any other person to create the culture of Fort Wayne. On Christmas Eve 1830 he arrived by sleigh in the tiny, muddy village as the hired land agent for developers Barr & McCorkle. Fort Wayne’s first Lutheran, the bi-lingual Rudisill called upon his fellow Germans to emigrate to Fort Wayne to develop the village. Eventually he operated an office in Hamburg to direct Germans to the city and they came in droves so much so that in 1880 the local German newspaper boasted that fully 2/3s of the inhabitants were first or second generation Germans. Rudisill served as postmaster, founder of St. Paul’s and Trinity English Lutheran Churches, operated the town’s first saw mill, grist mill and tannery.
Artwork – Raul Perez
Concept and Text – Jim Sack
Production – The Baldus Company
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1830.
Location. 41° 2.997′ N, 85° 8.956′ W. Marker is in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in Allen County. It is in Southwood Park. Marker is at the intersection of West Rudisill Boulevard and Indiana Avenue, on the right when traveling east on West Rudisill Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 827 W Rudisill Blvd, Fort Wayne IN 46807, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Foster (here, next to this marker); Charles Mulford Robinson (approx. ¼ mile away); Georg Kessler (approx. ¼ mile away); Adolf Janicke (approx. ¼ mile away); Illsley / Illsley Place (approx. ¼ mile away); The Lincoln Log Cabin (approx. half a mile away); Simpson United Methodist Church (approx. one mile away); "Johnny Appleseed" (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Wayne.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . . Henry Rudisill - Founder of Fort Wayne Lutheranism. (Submitted on June 11, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 11, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 37 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 11, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.