Wabash, Indiana has always been a pass-thru town for me. Whether traveling to Muncie for a bowling tournament, Marion for a Soccer game, or just taking to scenic route to Indy getting away from 31, going through Wabash has always intrigued me. The old downtown and river clearing makes it an attractive spot for some exploring… and, of course, seeking out one of Indiana’s finest tenderloin sandwiches. So I grabbed my son, rented an Airbnb a couple blocks away from the courthouse, and headed down to the first electrically lighted city in the world
The Tenderloin
There are a couple of iconic places in Wabash to get a tenderloin. I know I’m going to receive some e-mails and comments about the choice for the tenderloin in this blog as The Hungry Heathen is a relative newcomer, but let me state my case on why you are reading about the eatery south of the hotel on Miami Street. First of all, I was with my 13-year-old son and other tenderloin suggestions have been places are 21+ or even 16+. The Hungry Heathen allows family dining downtown. Secondly, and most importantly, they have one heck of a good tenderloin there. It is pounded fresh and has that nice buttery, crispy breading that I really like. The bun was toasted and we were able to get some buffalo sauce to top it with. The size and the thickness wasn’t anything too large, but it was enough to keep you full after one sitting. The Hungry Heathen, itself, is pretty new and a work in progress. There is no permanent sign outside, just a canvas hanging from the awning. The Nordic/old German décor is in the process of getting displayed and the bar in back sits empty waiting on that liquor license to come in. But besides the aesthetics, you couldn’t tell that the place is just getting started as the service and quality of food we got that day was reflective of a place that has been open for many, many years. It’s fun to go to a place that is just getting started and finding the iconic Indiana tenderloin served up as it should be. I’m sure more will discover the Hungry Heathen and put it on their top lists in years to come.
The Town
There are many sources to get a more in-depth story of Modoc the elephant in Wabash, but I’ll try to sum it up pretty quick here. In 1942 the circus was at the high school and an elephant, Modoc, got loose. He wandered downtown as he smelled peanuts from the drug store and rampaged through it. Modoc wandered along the river and they finally captured it a few days later. Today the drug store where Modoc rampaged through is a coffee shop called Modoc’s Market. You can get coffee and fresh baked breakfast items as well as lunch in the afternoon. The place is plastered with memories of the elephant as well as other Wabash history. In the front there is the counter and gift shop, the room on the side is your more traditional coffee shop sitting area where you can gather with a group or just sit by yourself and enjoy a book. I picked up an oatmeal cookie coffee and a maple pecan scone. If you read these blogs, I usually pick up a cinnamon roll at the coffee shop, but this scone was so good, I’ll be rethinking my breakfast selections on future coffee shop visits.
One of the stores downtown is called “Thriftalicious.” I couldn’t resist wondering into it with a name like that. It is like a modern vintage antique store. There are video games, movies, sport jerseys and shoes, and toys. Check out the wall of VHS tapes, it is a cool piece of “art.” It’s like one of those shops where you don’t what you are shopping for until you see it.
The Honeywell Center anchors the Wabash entertainment district. Built in the 1950’s by Mark Honeywell and funded through his philanthropy it was originally a gym and roller rink with office space and meeting venues. The Ford Theater was constructed in the 90’s to provide a large auditorium for music and art gatherings. Although I did not attend any live performances during my visit, Jessica from The Honeywell Foundation was gracious enough to take me on a tour and show me the different aspects of the center. On the east side is the giant Ford Theater. I was able to go backstage and see where all of the artists throughout the years have left their signatures and pictures on the walls. The west side contains the original auditorium, which looks like the basketball gym from the movie “Hoosiers.” With a few rows of stadium seating surrounding the court and a stage at the end, it has hosted events and sporting events throughout the life of the structure. The floor underneath the court sits a roller rink that is still used today. The center also housed and apartment for Mark Honeywell, his offices, and various meeting rooms he would use. One of the more interesting aspects on taking the tour was seeing some of the unique and oddities built into the structure. The tower that housed the apartment wasn’t accessible but we were able to go up to the meeting room that overlooks the plaza. There were hidden doors and spaces in the room that were cool to see. One of the other meeting rooms was a replica of Honeywell’s yacht. It has not been changed and would be a relaxing place to hold a conference or meeting of some sort. Most people come to the facility to see a performance, but it can be just as entertaining to see the structure and hear about its history and uses.
About a block away from the Honeywell Center is the Eagles Theater. This was the original vaudeville type house built around the turn of the 20th century. Retrofitted to show movies for the last hundred years, the most recent renovation in 2020 has brought the theater all up to date and has given locals a clean modern movie house to see the latest blockbusters. Again, we did not attend a movie, but we got a tour from Jessica at the Honeywell Foundation. The balconies have tables and stadium seats kind of like a skybox at a sporting event. They can cater to your party as you watch from your own private box. There is also a smaller theater in the basement that can hold around 50 people; good for renting out or just watch an old or lower attended show. The main theater is huge. I don’t believe I’ve seen one this large (outside of IMAX) that is used to primarily show movies.
The final spots on the tour given by Jessica were the Dr Ford Historic Home downtown and the Honeywell House out by the Charlie Creek Gardens. The Dr Ford home was the residence of the premier surgeon in Wabash’s early days. You can walk through how life was like back in the times. Unlike most of the old restored houses I’ve visited, this one is a bit more hands on. It caters to children and has many displays and items for people to check out. There is also a human skeleton behind a glass case in the living room. It’s not a fake plastic replica, but a real donated skeleton. The house that doesn’t claim to be haunted is probably one of the most ghoulish of them all. Plus there is a mannequin laying down recovering after getting his leg surgically removed… so… you got that too. The second house, Honeywell House, was home to the wife of Mark Honeywell, Eugenia, who then perished in the house when it caught fire. (I know, these aren’t haunted houses, but this is more macabre then when I went to the actual haunted house that used to be a funeral home in Fort Wayne.). There were no skeletons or amputations waiting for us when we opened the doors and walked into this one; just the smell of your grandparent’s old house. Unlike the teaching tool of the Ford House, this one is available to rent for weddings and parties. There are rooms upstairs for guests to stay and a nice yard out back to invite guests to gather. They open up the back for “Tastes on the Terrace” where you can get reservations and order a meal at the property.
Although I like to visit the county museums contained in the seat, I don’t write about them unless they are located somewhere unique or have some sort of crazy displays. The Wabash County Museum, at first, looks like your typical run-of-the-mill local history depository. There is a train car outside with the flashing gate does tend lure you in, but until you take those first steps inside to see the 2-story extravaganza, you can feel like something is different and extra special here. Multiple reactive displays around the place can actually make learning fun. Numerous cabinets with artifacts and colorful info posters keep the visitor engaged as they walk around the open layout with the history of the county. From a jukebox with tunes from local artists and titles with Wabash in them, to a full movie theater there is something for everyone in here. There is also a play area for the kids upstairs to burn of some of that energy. You have the hair art here too… yes… one of the hobbies of the upper class ladies is to make art pieces out of their discarded hair. This is one of the largest displays of it I’ve seen yet. So, keep in mind that the county museum in Wabash County may, at first, seem like your run of the mill closet museum that would only interest the locals, but it is set up to be fun for everyone whether born and raised in Wabash, or visiting from around the world.
Our hike was on the Wabash River Trail which runs along the north side of the river. It is a fully paved path that you can travel the whole 5 miles to the town over, Largo. There is a shop that you can rent bikes or even “e-bikes” to travel smoothly down the trail. Our plan was to start at Paradise Spring and walk about a mile and a half to the Grossman Overlook before turning back and return to the car. Along the way we were treated with views of the river cascading over rocks. Little juts off the path take you to the bank. The Grossman Overlook wasn’t much than a pile of rocks at a clearing in the trees, but the Elits’ Hidaway (about halfway on our trip) took us into a shaded area where we could relax and take a nice water break. It’s not your state park “lost in the woods” trail or anything, but it is well maintained and gives you a nice getaway into some nature. Another spot to check out in Wabash related to the outdoors is the Charley Creek Falls in Charley Creek Park (not to be confused with The Charley Creek Gardens). It had fiercely rained in the morning, so these falls were raging (just like that Modoc did downtown back in the day). I’m not sure how these falls are like on a normal day, but it is one of the best one’s I’ve seen in Indiana apart from Cataract falls down Southwest of Indy.
There was a lot to do in Wabash. Not everything we did made it into the blog. That’s OK, it leaves room for a trip back and writing a sequel. There are a couple places to feature another tenderloin next time… I’ll just make sure to leave the kids at home
by Michael Tomko
find The Indiana Tenderloin Chronicles on Facebook at
Comentários