Kip Lytle, board member with the Historic Old Fort Wayne will be the speaker at the fall meeting of the Wells County Historical Society, on Monday, November 9, 6:30pm at the Museum Annex, located behind the museum at 420 W. Market Street in Bluffton, Indiana. A short business meeting will be held along with the... Continue Reading →
The Wells County Genealogy Society and the Wells County Historical Society presented the annual Cemetery Walk & My Town featuring St. John's Cemetery and Vera Cruz on Sunday, October 4, 2026. Several cemetery citizen histories were presented by Anna Lehman Mertz (told by her great granddaughter Harriet Redman), Edward Heche (Nate Bryan), Otto Gilgen (by... Continue Reading →
Thank you to Todd Zieger of Indiana Landmarks who presented "Hidden Gems of Indiana" at the Spring Annual Meeting of the Wells County Historical Society held at the Wells County Public Library in Bluffton. Our speaker shared some interesting stories of buildings, bridges and structures that were saved from the wrecking ball and restored for... Continue Reading →
Here is William Henry Harrison's Grouseland which was built in 1803-1804. It served as the home for the Governor of the Indiana Territory from 1800 - 1812 and is located on the banks of the Wabash River in Vincennes, Indiana. It is a Presidential Home and a National Historic Landmark. The home is preserved and... Continue Reading →
The Wells County Genealogy Society and the Wells County Historical Society recently presented a program about the Old Bluffton Cemetery at the Wells County Historical Museum Annex. The program featured local citizens taking the roles of former Bluffton residents buried in the cemetery. Pictured left to right, Lynn Elliott (hostess), Jim Sturgeon (Jacob Borne), Jen... Continue Reading →
Our float committee worked to come up with a design and decorations for this year's opening night parade. Some of the decorations are ready to be put in place. This photo from the upstairs of the annex building shows the progress being made. The fair theme is "Let's Have a Ball" and the float committee... Continue Reading →
The "Sip, Savor and Explore" event held recently by the Bluffton NOW organization was a great success. Participants were able to tour 5 amazing buildings, uncovered some of Bluffton’s hidden gems, shared stories, and learned a little history along the way. Plus each of the stops had a food item for people to enjoy. Thank... Continue Reading →
Our Spring Senior Snippets series is off and running beginning with Wednesday, April 16, 10:00am and continuing each Wednesday until May 14. On April 16th the local history series begins with "Adventures in Wells County History" presented by Jim Sturgeon, County Historian and President of the Wells County Historical Society. "Stories of Courthouse Creatures" will... Continue Reading →
Here is the farmstead of Edgar Lewis Lowry and Floe Ethel (Carnes) Lowry. The Chester Township farm was located a mile south of Southern Wells High School and then a half mile east. The house and buildings were located on the north side of the road. The house and all the building were destroyed on... Continue Reading →
It was 60 years ago on Palm Sunday, April 11, 1965 that a devastating a tornado outbreak occurred with 55 tornadoes tearing through six Midwestern states (Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio) causing widespread destruction and 271 deaths and 3,662 injuries. The tornadoes at that time were rated on the Fujita Scale, F0 -... Continue Reading →
