Fort Wayne Before NKP Elevation

[cjberndt]

This photo isn't dated but was taken when work began on the NKP elevation in 1953, looking north on Fulton St. at the Pearl St. intersection, at the NW corner of what is now Henry's.

Craig

[rrnut282]

Is that a crossing-guard shack?

[hibbard]

Sure looks like one.

hibbard

[cjberndt]

It appears that NKP had guard shacks at all downtown crossings in Ft. Wayne. This photo shows one south of Superior & Clinton, and they were at Clay, Calhoun and Harrison as well.

Craig

[Goalieman]

Great pictures!! Thanks for posting!!

[rrnut282]

Everybody remember Seat Cover Charlie?

[Bob Durnell]

Oh, yeah. My grandfather used them for years, and my employer used them to re-do truck seat cushions until Neil Fine closed up when the city bought the property. In 1989, they put a new convertible top on my Chevelle. That top is STILL like brand new, except for the tear in it that was the fault of my own stupidity. Neil had a place in Indy, but apparently that one is gone now too. Being that they have been out of Fort Wayne a good 25 years, he is probably retired now too.

[Hotbox]

Everybody remember Seat Cover Charlie?

I went to school with Neil, and had a business relationship with his father. Good people.

[Bob Durnell]

I was just a kid (18) when I started dealing with Neil, but he was always very nice and pleasant to deal with.

[Hotbox]

We went to South Side HS together I think he was dating a daughter from the Maier Mens Wear clan at the time. I don't think I've seen Neil since like 1974 or so. I didn't meet his father until a few years after that. Never saw both of them in the same room tegether .

Charlie was cool because of the way he sported that Florida tan all year round

[Hotbox]

Did they move their shop over to South Calhoun for a while after they closed the store at Superior and Clinton? I was living on the west coast from 1983 till 2003, and when I came back I noticed a small lot on South Calhoun (north of Creighton a few blocks) that had a sign featuring that little cartoon characature of the girl with the bare bottom.....which I recalled seeing in Seat Cover Charlie's newspaper ads back in the day.

I actually knew quite a few people among that 'Old Mill Road' bunch back when I was growing up, I was always the poor kid in the crowd.

[Hotbox]

Little bit of trivia that at least I found interesting. "Old Mill Road" got it's name from Adams county farmers who used to bring their wares up to the Mill that was on the St Mary's river across from where Rudisill ends.
Part of the directions on how to get there were to "turn on to the old mill road..." at some point along what is now Tillman/Fairfield.

[Bob Durnell]

Did they move their shop over to South Calhoun for a while after they closed the store at Superior and Clinton? I was living on the west coast from 1983 till 2003, and when I came back I noticed a small lot on South Calhoun (north of Creighton a few blocks) that had a sign featuring that little cartoon characature of the girl with the bare bottom.....which I recalled seeing in Seat Cover Charlie's newspaper ads back in the day.

I actually knew quite a few people among that 'Old Mill Road' bunch back when I was growing up, I was always the poor kid in the crowd.

The place on Calhoun is Seat Cover Center, and as far as I know, there was no connection, but perhaps after Neil closed the Fort Wayne location, they got the '"rights" to use the caricature. Some of Charlie's employees may have ended up over there. Woody, the older black gentleman that worked for Charlie's had his own little shop off of East Washington for several years until he retired. He did a bunch of truck cushions for us too.