Discover 10 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Huntington (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Forks of the Wabash, Sunken Gardens, and United States Vice Presidential Museum. Also, be sure to include North Jefferson Street Historic District in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Huntington (Indiana).
Table of Contents
Forks of the Wabash
Museum in Huntington County, Indiana. Historic Forks of the Wabash is a historic museum park near Huntington, Indiana, that features site several historic buildings, trails and remnants of the Wabash and Erie Canal. The location was the signing location of the historic Treaty at the Forks of the Wabash in 1838. The park is located along the Wabash River. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 as the Chief Richardville House and Miami Treaty Grounds.
Historic structures include:
- Chief's House - Council house believed to have been used by Miami tribe Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville during treaty negotiations and Miami Council meetings. Other sources indicate that his son-in-law, Francis La Fontaine, actually built the house in the early 1840s for use as his main residence. The house has been restored to appear as in 1846.
- Nuck Log House - 1841 pioneer log house
- School House - Pioneer-era log schoolhouse furnished for the 1880s
Ball State University conducted an archaeological dig at the Chief's House in 1989 which uncovered artifacts including nails, brick, glass, toys, housewares, and personal items. An additional excavation occurred in 1999.
The park offers programs for groups of all ages. Topics include archaeology, canals and transportation, pioneer life, Woodland Indian history, and art.[1]
Address: 3011 W Park Dr, 46750-8956 Huntington
Sunken Gardens
Garden in Huntington, Indiana. Sunken Gardens is a historic public park and garden complex located at Huntington, Huntington County, Indiana. It was designed by the Chicago Landscape Co. in 1923, and complete in 1929. The gardens include outcropped limestone walls on all sides, a horseshoe shaped pool, limestone foot bridges, two levels, and an automobile-related fieldstone bridge.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.[2]
Address: 1125 W Park Dr, 46750 Huntington
United States Vice Presidential Museum
Museum in Huntington, Indiana. The Quayle Vice Presidential Learning Center, commonly referred to as the Dan Quayle Museum, is located at 815 Warren Street in Huntington, Indiana, where former Vice President Dan Quayle attended high school. The Center is downtown in a renovated church, the former First Church of Christ, Scientist, and has two floors. The first floor features the history of all the vice presidents of the United States, while the second floor houses memorabilia and a theater. Regular school programs are held. It is located in the Old Plat Historic District.
The Dan Quayle Center and Museum was opened to the public on June 17, 1993, and officially dedicated on October 16, 1993. In 2002, the board of directors for the DQCF changed the name of the facility from The Dan Quayle Center and Museum to The Dan Quayle Center home of the United States Vice Presidential Museum. In 2008, the board of directors changed the name to The Quayle Vice Presidential Learning Center.
Special attention is paid to the six vice presidents hailing from Indiana—Schuyler Colfax, Thomas Hendricks, Charles Fairbanks, Thomas Marshall, Dan Quayle, and Mike Pence—and the three losing vice presidential candidates: George W. Julian, William H. English, and John W. Kern.
At one time in American history, Indiana was a vital "swing state;" as such, it provided numerous candidates for Vice President.[3]
Address: 815 Warren St, 46750-2151 Huntington
North Jefferson Street Historic District
The North Jefferson Street Historic District is a national historic district located at Huntington, Indiana. It includes works by Elmer Dunlap. The listing includes approximately seven hundred contributing properties including the separately listed David Alonzo and Elizabeth Purviance House and adjacent Taylor-Zent House, which are Chateauesque and Victorian Romanesque in style. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.
North Jefferson Street, north of the downtown commercial area, was the premier residential street in Huntington from the 1860s on; large stylish homes were built on both sides of the street.
Good examples of Italianate architecture on the street include:
- Loughridge/Grayson House (1853), 708 N. Jefferson,
- William McGrew House (1863), 804 N. Jefferson, and
- John Roche House (1871), 939 N. Jefferson.
Jacobethan Revival architecture on the street included:
- Julius Dick House (1882), 1046 N. Jefferson,
- Jacob Dick House (1880), 1068 N. Jefferson, and
- Wesley Hawley House (1895), 1110 N. Jefferson.
Eastlake and Queen Anne architecture appears in:
- Will Ewing House (1890), 850 N. Jefferson and
- Herman H. Arnold House (1883), 1140 N. Jefferson.
Notable also is:
- Saint Mary's Church (1896), Victorian Romanesque, built of brick and stone masonry, Chateauesque and Victorian Romanesque in style.
Samuel Purviance House
Samuel Purviance House, also known as Nazarene Annex, is a historic home located at Huntington, Huntington County, Indiana. It was built in 1859, and is a two-story, five bay, Italianate style brick dwelling with a 1+1⁄2-story rear ell. It sits on a cut stone foundation and has a flat roof. The front facade features an entrance portico with Gothic style columns. The house was purchased by the Church of the Nazarene in 1960.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. It is located in the Drover Town Historic District.[5]
Hotel LaFontaine
Historical place in Huntington, Indiana. Hotel LaFontaine is a historic hotel building located at Huntington, Huntington County, Indiana. It was built in 1925, and consists of a six-story central pavilion with five-story flanking wings. It is of steel frame and hollow-tile construction and sheathed in brick. The building is in the Colonial Revival style. The lobby is designed to resemble a Spanish courtyard and the basement houses an Egyptian inspired swimming pool that opened in 1927. The hotel is named for Francis La Fontaine. It housed a hotel until 1974.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It is located in the Huntington Courthouse Square Historic District.[6]
St. Peter's First Community Church
Church in Huntington, Indiana. St. Peter's First Community Church, also known as the German Reformed Church and St. Peter's United Church of Christ, is a historic church located at Huntington, Huntington County, Indiana. It was built in 1903, and is a red brick and limestone church building with an eclectic plan and Late Victorian design elements. It features a two-tiered central tower with angled buttresses, tall and narrow openings, and topped by a steep pyramidal bell-cast roof. Its stained glass windows include German language texts and an image of Christ's ascension. The building was designed by Will A. Stevens, a Huntington native who graduated from Cornell University in 1890..
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. It is located in the Drover Town Historic District.[7]
Taylor-Zent House
The Taylor-Zent House, also known as Hart Funeral Home, is a historic home located at 715 Jefferson Street in Huntington, Indiana, USA. The house is an excellent example of the Romanesque Revival style of architecture. It was built in 1896-98 for Enos T. Taylor, a self-made businessman and banker.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It is located in the North Jefferson Street Historic District.[8]
Old Plat Historic District
Old Plat Historic District is a national historic district located at Huntington, Huntington County, Indiana. The district includes 177 contributing buildings and 2 contributing structures in a mixed residential section of Huntington. It developed between about 1860 and 1920 and includes notable examples of Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, and Queen Anne style architecture. Notable buildings include the Mathew Luber House, George W. Humbert House, Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, First Church of Christ Scientist, and Masonic Temple.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.[9]
David Alonzo and Elizabeth Purviance House
David Alonzo and Elizabeth Purviance House is a historic home located at Huntington, Huntington County, Indiana. It was built in 1892, and is a 2+1⁄2-story, Romanesque Revival / Châteauesque style brick and stone dwelling. It has a modified rectangular plan and is topped by a slate hipped roof. The house features two corner towers, semicircular arches, varied window shapes and sizes, and pressed metal decoration.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. It is located in the North Jefferson Street Historic District.[10]