Lake Maxinkuckee Its Intrigue History & Genealogy Culver, Marshall, Indiana

 


Cottage History & Index from 1953 to Present - West Shore Town



South Street





These properties for years had the railroad between them and the lake till about late 1970's or early 1980's when it was abandoned and the property owners bought the railroad right-a-way back. This is indicated by a a stip of land decribed as generally: "PRT W1/2 NW1/4:COM W1/4 COR E..." most have since been re-surveyed making them into one lot.

Spoke with Verl the Barber today (12 Sep 2012 ) he told me how the railroad came up with deeds for the property running through Culver located in an office at Marion, Indiana (I assume he said Marion) and how that they wanted $125.00 per lake front footage from each cottage owner - they banded together got a lawyer and got it for much less .

Also trying to stay ahead of the game - so to speak I am also listing the Non-lakefront homes as they are becoming or going to become more lake-oriented if trends are followed.

This area is the last to be developed on the lake shore - it started about 1950 and continued into the early 2000's. per the conversation above the first two homes were to have been the Holliday's and his home was built by Robert Haig, in about 1955-1956 and was occupied by Cary Cummins, also at some point before he purchased the property.

The loading ramp(s) of the old house was to be around or on the Van Tuyl's property. And according to Verl - David Burns told him that there is a full sized locomtive engine buried some where within the lake front area on South Street and each time there is new construction and digging he goes to see if they have found this buried artifact. Thus far it has not been hit by any construction digging in the area.

Of this area it is said that one could possibly picked up a lot for $150, if one had the cash. there were squatters there who used the land. with the elimination of the railroad in the late 1970's this opened up the developement of what one could possible call the 'last frontier' of Lake Maxinkuckee. This was basicially the last large un-inhabited area of lake frontage on Lake Maxinkuckee.

David Burns also refered to this area as "Corn Cob Hill" the name deriving from the material used to fill in the marshy area - just how true the story is one only knows.

Another states that Joe Burns who had the gravel pit south of town (18577 & 18997 20A Road now owned by Alfred 'Al' Nyby (which was also the Transiet-Mix Concrete Co., cement plant for the Culver area in the 1960's and earlier and into the 1970's by mid 1970's most of the trucks were being dispatched from the Plymouth Plant Richard 'Rich' Overmyer was plant manager at Culver and Plymouth) and had a concrete loading platform in this immediate area in the early 1950's late 1940's where he hauled gravel to be loaded onto rail cars and shipped out.

1150 West Shore Drive -

1146 South Street - Razed/Rebuilt

1140 South Street

1128 South Street - Razed/Rebuilt

1132 South Street - Razed/Rebuilt

1128 South Street



1122 South Street

1116 South Street

1112 South Street Razed/Rebuilt

1108 South Street


1107 South Street (west side of Street) - house has been razed; Garage & Basketball court


1102 South Street

1103 South Street - Non-lakefront Razed


1012 South Street

1020 South Street Razed/Rebuilt

1004 South Street - Razed/Rebuilt

Leader St. T's into South at corner of property of 1103 on the west

1001 South Street (west side)

South St. curves into Wabash St.



308 Wabash St. - all buildings have been demolished and its is now a vacant lot (non lakefront)

"The Hole" - South Street

These properties for years had the railroad between them and the lake till about late 1970's or early 1980's when it was abandoned and the property owners bought the railroad right-a-way back. This is indicated by a a stip of land decribed as generally: "PRT W1/2 NW1/4:COM W1/4 COR E..." most have since been re-surveyed making them into one lot.


1906 Sanborn
1908 plat		 1906-1908 - Maxinkuckee Ice Co. - Known as "the Hole"- listed on the 1906 & 1914 Sanborn Map


From the: Pictorial Histories: Terre Haute up_To_Date (1896) Terre Haute: Moore and Langen pg. 29 is found as follows: Maxinkuckee Ice Company - ...formed in 1894 by Sterling B. Holt of Indianapolis, John Pitman, and Sam E. Medbourn. It was incorporated in 1894 with Sterling B. Holt, President; John Pitman, Secretary and Sam E. Medbourn, Treasurer...has plant for both natural and artificial ice in Indianapolis, Evansville, Brazil and South Bend and for natural ice in this city, Logansport and Marmont, Indiana... the ice houses have at Lake Maxinkuckee a storage capacity of 30,000 tons... The business office here is under the management of John Pitman...counted as one of Terre Haute's most enterprising citizens and able businessmen.

Probably about the time the railroad came through they must have purchased all this property from Sterling Holt as a lease has been found leasing the grounds and buildings to the Maxinkuckee Lake Ice Company with W. M. Hollingsworth, President and J. H. Reames, Secretary on 25th day of May, 1904, by the Terre Haute and Logansport Railway Company.

1922 - S. E. Medburn

The late 1970's and early 1980's brought speculation of condo's being built here; but the developement of the area failed until sometime after 1991. The 1991 Lake Directory still did not list any protion of this property.

1000 South Street

910 South Street


908 South Street


Akron Street

This really would not be considered lake property but it does have an over look of the lake and the 'Hole' as it was known for years where one the Ice houses supposedly sat and the area would of possibly been a part of the Assembly Grounds.

301 Akron Street

305 Akron Street

Below is a 1913 picture of the Vandalia railroad tracks along the west side of the lake - exact location is not known.



Peru Street - South

Interesting note is that up till 2006 this street and never been paved - it was dirt only and it was of no more quality than a common alley of Culver ; in 2006/7 it was finally paved.

These properties for years had the railroad between them and the lake till about late 1970's or early 1980's when it was abandoned and the property owners bought the railroad right-a-way back. This is indicated by a a stip of land decribed as generally: "PRT W1/2 NW1/4:COM W1/4 COR E..." most have since been re-surveyed making them into one lot.

1898 - N. Gould?
1908 - Ferrier's Addition
1922 - Ferrier's Addition

From One Township yesterdays:
    The Assembly ground extended south from the present Davis Street. It was bounded on the east by the lake and the west by Main Street, at Davis Street. "Gould had the property," we were informed by U. S. Burkett. "Before him, Foote had it. Foote bought the Hawk place where Duddleson lives." M. G. Gould owned the Assembly ground, and before him, his father-in-law, old Elder Foote, a Baptist preacher. Later, a large portion of the land was platted by J. O. Ferrier. Streets were cut through, and were given Cuban or Spanish names. The Tabernacle or Auditorium was wrecked, torn down, and sold out, the same year that the Assembly hotel burned down, it is said. That was the year Ferrier platted the ground in building lots and lake front sites, forming the "Ferrier Addition." "He was the proprietor of a town addition of 89 lots, known by his name," says McDonald, referring to Ferrier. This addition was quite rapidly settled. It was accepted by the town board. It was nicely laid out, and the lots sold readily.

    Cottages were built on the Assembly grounds. In '04 there was mention of the "Oakridge" cottage, also the "Greenwood" and the Kearn cottage. In the summer of that year, E. W. Butterfield, of Brooklyn, Indiana, built a five-room cottage on the lake front at the Assembly grounds.


Culver - Culver Citizen - J. O. Ferrier's purchase of the old assembly grounds on the west shore less than two years ago has proved the wisdom of the buyer. He has sold enough lots to pay for the land and has 60 lots remaining which he says he can sell outright any day for $6,000. - Rochester Sentinel, Friday, January 15, 1909

11 Feb 1931 Culver Citizen - fire call at C. C. Langgolf cottage in the assembly grounds and resulted in about $100 in damages. The cause is unknown but the fire is believed to have started from sparks from a passing train. Most of the fire was confined to the roof, although a small amount of furniture was damaged. The loss was covered by insurance. The owners lives in Burlington, Indiana.

Also known as Assembly Grounds, Maxinkuckee Park and Maxinkuckee Assembly.


726 Peru Street

722 Peru Street


718 Peru Street

716 Peru Street - Mary Lou Anderson

714 Peru Street
712 Peru Street

708 Peru Street

704 Peru Street

612 Peru Street

610 Peru Street

   


606 Peru Street

604 Peru Street Razed/Rebuilt

602 Peru Street

600 Peru Street -

Daviess Street/Peru Court

These properties for years had the railroad between them and the lake till about late 1970's or early 1980's when it was abandoned and the property owners bought the railroad right-a-way back. This is indicated by a a stip of land decribed as generally: "PRT W1/2 NW1/4:COM W1/4 COR E..." most have since been re-surveyed making them into one lot.

Could this area of been the location of the Ralston??? and part of the Stealy property the hotel??



303 Davis St.

Peru Street - North

600 Peru Ct.

Controversy raged for several years over acces to the gerneral public as indicated by this article: Controversy At Daviess Street

320 Davis Ha-Mac Landing / P. J.'s Pier

Private Lake access

550 Peru Court

520 Peru Street

516 Peru Street>

513 Peru Court

512 Peru Street

510 Peru Street -

Winfield Street

These properties for years had the railroad between them and the lake till about late 1970's or early 1980's when it was abandoned and the property owners bought the railroad right-a-way back. This is indicated by a stripe of land decribed as generally: "PRT W1/2 NW1/4:COM W1/4 COR E..." most have since been re-surveyed making them into one lot.

Some of the homes are built new since the 1980's and are built on the old railroad bed and right-a-way.

Note the numbering system between here and Mill Street changed many times over the years

221 Winfield Street Non-lake-front - Vacant Platted lot - Gives Lake Access 227 Winfield Street - Non Lakefront Vacant Platted lot - Gives Lake Access

1986-6 Sep 1996 - Rick Tamminga


6 Sep 1996-2009 - Arnold H. & Susan M. Kiran


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Original Started as paper version Sept. 1990

web version started 2004



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