Here you can find bits and pieces of Winamac history.

We will be adding pieces as research is completed and programs written, but for now, please enjoy these programs.

This is “history light.” If you see anything that interests you, please feel free to conduct additional research.

Winamac Town Park

The land now occupied by the Town Park is situated on a natural and beautiful peninsula in the horseshoe bend of the Tippecanoe River. Tradition holds that this area had been a Native American campground.

For purposes of this article, we’ll just say that Pulaski County was formed by the State Legislature in 1835, and the Town of Winamac in 1839. The forced removal by militia of Native Americans from this part of the state – in 1838 – started at Twin Lakes, less than 22 miles from Winamac. It was known as the Trail of Death. The writer hates to leave it at this, but this article focuses on the park.

GO HERE for more information.

Winamac Town Park: Artesian Well

The story of the artesian well begins on a cold February evening in 1887 when residents met at Vurpillat’s Hall. They shared dreams of future wealth in oil and natural gas, as Indiana was in the middle of a natural gas boom. Companies were drilling on the west side of the county, and discoveries of both oil and natural gas had been made.

The Winamac Gas & Oil Company was formed on that February night. In June, they sank a well on Water Street in search of oil. Oil was not found, but water was!

GO HERE for more information.

Winamac Park: Historic Aspects

Some of the more interesting aspects of the park are the historic Pavilion and what remains of the Winamac Conservation Club. There is also an interesting story about an early donor.

GO HERE for more information.

Memorial Swinging Bridge

The Memorial Swinging Bridge was dedicated to “soldiers and sailors” from Pulaski County, from all wars, the Civil War forward, on July 4, 1923. It is approaching its centenary anniversary.

The bridge was proposed as a permanent footbridge to connect the town’s new campground with the newly-refurbished river park. All permanent bridges having been lost to flooding, this bridge was meant to replace the temporary bridges that had been used “in season” for several years. The hope was to create a tourist destination for the town.

READ MORE here.

The Gateway to the Park

Majestic. Historic. Graceful.

READ MORE here.

Sources Used for the Series
  • 150 Years: Pulaski County Sesquicentennial, 1990
  • Community Foundation of Pulaski County
  • Counties of White and Pulaski, FA Batty Company, Chicago, 1883.
  • Fred Zahrt
  • From the Pulaski County Public Library, a synopsis of newspaper articles put together by Fred Zahrt in 1998.
  • From the Pulaski County Public Library, newspaper articles from the time
  • https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC10RV1_winamacs-artesian-well?guid=2a2dca5d-f107-4631-901a-7318f0bb259e
  • Images of America: Pulaski County, by Karen Clem Fritz, Arcadia Publishing, 2009
  • John Kocher
  • National Historic Landmark application for the Memorial Swinging Bridge, authors Kathleen Thompson and Mary Welker, 2021.
  • Pulaski County Public Library
  • Pulaski County: Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory, Indiana Historic Landmarks Foundation, 2009
  • Winamac Cemetery Mothers, date unknown.
  • Winamac Town Minutes, 1933 – 1934.