NORTHERN HOSPITAL FOR THE MENTALLY INSANE

There has been a very popular myth floating around Logansport for generations. It involves the origins of the Northern Indiana Hospital for the Insane, better known to Logansport residents as Longcliff, and Purdue University.

 During the 1870’s and 1880’s there was a movement in Indiana to care for the emotionally disturbed. The state decided to build five hospitals for this purpose. The central hospital would be located in Indianapolis with corresponding hospitals in four sections of the state. Logansport was selected as one of the sites. Construction began in 1884 and was completed in 1888.  

Sometime early in the twentieth century, the fine residents of Logansport began to circulate a story. This story soon took on a life its own, being told with great flare by fathers to their sons. It was the story of how Logansport had the choice between Purdue University and Longcliff. The ground, which with the hospital looks very much like a campus, was supposedly set aside for a university. As the story was told, Mr. Purdue favored Logansport over West Lafayette, but the people of Logansport turned their backs on the university in favor of the hospital.

Obviously we will never know what went through John Purdue’s head. Perhaps he did contemplate Logansport at one time. Who knows? We do know that nothing was written about it, not even once. That seems a little odd. If a man was seriously thinking of establishing a university at a location, you think he would have written something about it.  

Aside from that is the one critical piece of evidence. Purdue University was founded in 1868, twenty years before the hospital. There was no choice to be had. The plans for the hospital were several years away when the question of Purdue was at stake.

FELIX THE MASCOT

Did you know? Logansport High School’s mascot, Felix, is the oldest recognized mascot in the state of Indiana. Born in 1926, Felix has endured many changes. The original was a doll approximately twelve inches tall. Since then homemade dolls, a student in makeup and two costumes have been used to inspire the fans of Logansport athletics. But how did Felix become the mascot of Berry sports? The answer is somewhat elusive.

The part of the story we know for certain is that Hall of Fame basketball coach Cliff Wells bought the doll late in the 1925-1926 season for star player Raymond “Curly” Hupp. If it was meant strictly as a gift or inspiration for the team, we will never know.

At least three versions of the Felix story have survived to this day. The first version was written about in the 1941 Tattler. “In 1926, Coach Wells presented a little red and black cat to Curly Hupp…Immediately, this stuffed feline was christened, Felix.”

“For several weeks, Felix was held captive in a gym locker. But one evening, while an important game was going badly, Felix was taken from the locker and placed in the middle of the floor.” The game turned at that moment into the favor of the Berries and they eventually won. Felix had solidified its place in Logansport High School history.

This version may be somewhat credible. Coach Wells was still at Logansport High School, 1922-1945. If he had a problem with which the story was told, he apparently did not tell anyone about it.

A second version comes from former Logansport High School athletic director Jim Jones. In a 1986 interview he stated the feline became the mascot during a road trip to Martinsville. The game was going badly and the stuffed cat was brought onto the court for good luck. It did the trick as Logansport rallied to victory.

Here is the problem with this version. Jones was right in that Logansport played Martinsville in 1926. It occurred at the State Tournament on March 20^th. The part of the story that does not fit, however, is that the Berries lost that game 24-20. Coincidentally, Logansport played Martinsville again in 1927 at the State Tournament. They lost that match-up as well, 27-14.  

Ralph “Red” Tucker holds the third version. On the seventieth anniversary in 1996 he was interviewed by the Pharos-Tribune. After the basketball season of 1926 a banquet was held for all the players in the Rose Room of the Barnes Hotel. He contended that while walking to the hotel the players passed a store window that contained a Felix doll. Upon seeing the doll, Coach Wells entered the store and bought it for the team, Curly in particular.

The only problem with Tucker’s story is that Felix, by his memory, was bought after the 1926 season. The Berries had been eliminated by Martinsville on March 20^th in the State Finals, eleven days prior. If Felix made an appearance in a game, by Tucker’s recollection it had to have been during the 1926-1927, contradicting the other versions.

Outside the undisputed facts that Wells and Hupp were involved, we are left to speculate. Assuming the doll was first used in a game the Berries won, the Martinsville story holds little credibility. As for the other two versions, it is up to you to decide.  

WILLOW TREE

There was a tree in Logansport that came from a most unusual place. The tree in question was brought to Logansport by the half-brother of one of our most important citizens. This story is taken from The History of Cass County, Indiana, 1913 by Dr. Jehu Powell.

"Leroy Fitch, half-brother of Dr. G. N. Fitch, was in the United States Navy for many years. In 1840 he was an officer aboard the United States war ship that was appointed to escort the remains of Napolean Bonaparte from the Island of St. Helena back to Paris for permanent sepulture. When at St. Helena he secured a sprout of a willow tree that stood at the head of Napolean's grave on that island and brought it home with him and planted it on the Fitch lot, corner of Seventh and Market Streets where it grew into a large tree and may now be seen in front of George Seybold's residence, No. 709 Market Street, who purchased the property. The tree is now nearly two feet in diameter and stands in front of the house on the lot line and in building the present iron fence they were considerate enough to make a curve in the fence around this historic tree in order to preserve it."

Unfortunately, an interesting artifact in our history has been lost. The tree has been gone for quite some time, no one knows for sure how long. As a reference to the story, Graham N. Fitch was one of three United States Senators from Cass County. Aside from his home in town he also lived about three miles west of town along the Wabash & Erie Canal. A series of waterfalls running through the property, the most beautiful place in the county, has been called Fitch's Glen since the mid 1800's. His residence at the corner of 7th and Market still stands today and is the current home of Kroeger Funeral Home. A portion of the bricks used to finish his home were brought by the Wabash & Erie Canal. The large turn basin at the present corner of Berkley and Erie was less than two blocks from the back door. It is not coincidence that both houses were within site of the old canal. It was the best mode of travel in Cass County during the 1840's

MONEY AT OLDE TOWN

There is a story in Cass County of buried treasure. Treasure, that's pirate stuff. Well, maybe. Even though Indiana is several hundred miles away from the nearest ocean there is a tale known by a few people about the hidden money in question tucked away near the Olde Town battle site, near Adamsboro.

Indiana as well as the entire Midwest was controlled by the French prior to 1763. The French never settled the land like their English counterparts. Instead they built forts, ran trade routes and set up missionaries. Whereas the English and Americans would never be on good terms with Native Americans, the French normally had a much better relationship, but not always.

The Native allies had become restless near present day St. Louis. The French answer was a pay off. A runner was sent form Kaskaskia to Marquis du Quene at Montreal. Think of travel in the 1700's. No roads whatsoever, just paths through the dense forest. This runner had to cover more than 1300 miles. As you can imagine there was a substantial passage of time before they received the message in Montreal. Father Cardon was dispatched with four soldiers and four Indian guides to make the return trip. The sum of money being carried was $10,000, a whole lot in the 1700's. You can imagine what came next. Money has been a motivating factor in many devilish schemes hatched throughout time. The four soldiers wanted part of that money. Their plan was to kill the Father and split it. It seemed easy enough. With the lack of settlement, a murder and the eventual escape appeared feasible. Who was going to catch them? Father Cardon, however, uncovered the plot near Olde Town. He frustrated them by burying the money in a pot near the mouth of Twelve Mile Creek, on the north bank of Eel River. Now the soldiers needed him alive, at least until he provided them with the location of the money. He kept an accurate description of the place, intending to retrieve the money at a later date. Unfortunately the Father took sick. He returned to Montreal and eventually Europe, never to return to the Olde Town site again.

THE MONSTER AT MANITOU

The most important pioneer artist in Indiana's early history arrived in 1837. His name was George Winter. Winter, a native of England, immigrated to the United States when he was a very young adult. With brief stops in New York and Ohio his travels soon took him to a tiny village in the far west, Logansport. The original plan was a short stay. George came here for the sole purpose of painting Native Americans. Logansport was the center of Native American affairs primarily due to its Indian Agency. Members of the Miami and Pottawatomie tribes frequented Logansport routinely, trading at various shops. it was a perfect place to capture a subject on canvas, but not for long. Under a treaty signed in 1826 all native tribes living in the area would leave in 1838. It was Winter's intention to paint the natives and leave the following year. This plan changed. Winter would spend fourteen years in Logansport and much of the rest of his life in Lafayette, Indiana until his death in 1876.

As a painter in a pioneer town income was a severe problem. The subjects he wanted to paint for art, Native Americans, were not paying customers, and there was not a large supply of people needing their portrait painted. Basically he needed a second job. Winter was hired to write a column for the Logansport Telegraph, a weekly paper. What does a pioneer artist write about? Apparently fiction.

In the early years of settlement the woods of Indiana were infested with several species of wild animals, bobcats, bear and wolves, etc. Many early settlers also believed  that many of the small lakes in Indiana also had dangerous creatures, among them was Lake Manitou near present day Rochester. A story had been passed to George by a fisherman about a supposed serpent lurking within the waters of Manitou. George, being a good reporter and desperately needing money, went to "investigate". The article written for the Telegraph caused quite a stir throughout Cass County. George described the serpent as follows. "This beast was sixty feet in length, had a frontal bone three feet across, eyes as big as saucers and a forked tongue as red as blood". Winter even used his artistic talent providing a sketch of the creature alongside the article. Sounds terrifying, doesn't it? The people of Cass County thought so. Parties were sent to the lake to capture the serpent, all ending in failure. BACK TO TOP.

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