Look Up, and Discover Authentic Downtown Wabash!

Aren’t milestones great for reflecting and reminiscing? I moved to Wabash this time 20 years ago, so when the team at Downtown Wabash, Inc. asked me to write a guest blog for May – which is National Historic Preservation Month – it seemed like the perfect way to celebrate spring, Preservation Month, and especially Wabash. 

I came here a year out of graduate school with my master’s in Historic Preservation. Yes, you can get a degree in that (it’s a question I still get)! Richard Ford funded a new office here in Wabash for the statewide nonprofit organization, Indiana Landmarks, where I worked for 10 years. Landmarks works with people and communities to revitalize places that matter.

I loved Wabash the first time I drove downtown. I loved the Wabash Street hill leading down to Market Street, and how the layout of the downtown is different from the typical “Courthouse Square.” I loved the Eagles Theatre, and Red Apple Inn (now it’s the Charley Creek Inn), and that Modoc’s came downtown not long after me. 

Brené Brown has become mainstream in her research and books on the importance of authentic human connections, but did you know we need authenticity in our places too? It’s true. Authentic places add to the quality of life for residents, and are places that others want to visit. Our historic downtowns are about as authentic as we can get! They reflect the cultures of the people who built them, the building materials that were available locally, and the styles that were in vogue at the time. 

When communities, like Wabash, work to maintain their historic buildings and revitalize their downtowns with new businesses and eating and entertainment options, they are preserving an authentic place. These places become part of our identity as a community. Think about it. Every town has a strip of fast food and shopping centers that all look the same, but no other place has a Wabash Street hill, Eagles Theatre, Charley Creek Inn, or Modoc’s!  

Where’s your favorite place in authentic Downtown Wabash?

Now it’s been 10 years since I left Landmarks to stay home with my son, and it warms my heart to witness all the improvements in downtown over the years. I’m so proud of the City of Wabash, Downtown Wabash, Inc., Grow Wabash County, the Honeywell Foundation, Indiana Landmarks, Visit Wabash County, and countless building and business owners who have invested their time and treasures in revitalizing our downtown.

Did you know that community leaders in other cities are constantly asking, “how does Wabash do it?” Well, part of that answer is preserving our authentic Downtown.

May is National Historic Preservation Month and I have a challenge for you: Look up!

Some time when you’re walking downtown, look up to find names, dates, and little details that, I promise, you have never noticed before. It’s a great way to experience authentic Downtown Wabash.

This PDF will help guide your discovery if you need it, or make a fun family activity. 

Happy National Historic Preservation Month, and enjoy authentic Downtown Wabash!