Left in this photo (1910) is the Logansport/Cass County Public Library, 616 E. Broadway, next in the photo is the Roosevelt building, 7th Street intersects, then the Baptist Church (before the church's new structure). At right, notice the "Auto-Inn Buick" signage. This building was the former roller-skating rink building, which was torn down. On the roller rink property, the current Logansport City Government building was built.
Ad from Logansport Reporter April 9, 1910
What follows are modern photos of the area. And if you care to scroll down further, you will find more historical photos and information about the area.
616 E. Broadway Logansport Cass Public Library, Logansport, Indiana.
Photo Google Maps
Library, parking lot where the Roosevelt building once stood, 7th St. intersects, Baptist Church.
Photo Google Maps
A little wider angle of above photos - Google Maps -
Auto Inn would have been at the right in this image, across the
street from the Library.
I want to draw attention to the building that housed Auto Inn in the 1910 photo at the top of the page, mainly because that building was gone by the mid 19-teens - in 1924 ground was broken on that site to build the Logansport City Government Building - and the history is rather interesting.
Before Auto Inn was housed in this building, it was used for gatherings, political meetings, and entertainment events, much like a community center of today is used. It was also the city's roller-skating rink, beginning in the late 1800s when roller skating became very popular.
SKATING RINK
Above: Members of the Logansport Fire Dept. pose in front of the skating rink
building. The fire station was next door to the west of the skating rink.
Source: City Directories and Will Ball "This Changing World" columns.
Notice the Skating Rink roof at left. This photo was taken in 1898.
The city was welcoming home the soldiers from the Spanish-American War.
Looking west on E. Broadway the McCaffrey building at right; 600 E. Broadway
(later Barton's and now Taqueria El Puesto), 6th Street intersects, then the
Keystone building at 530 E. Broadway and on and on.
There was a dirt lot south of the skating rink building. Buggies and wagons were parked there. And as the automobile became more popular such dirt "parking lots" became way less popular, with the dust and flies drawn to the horses and horse droppings.
In 1907 M. A. Cline bought the building.
AUTO INN
In 1909 Orpha Carter and Harry Moore bought the building.
October 31, 1909 Logansport Daily Tribune, page 5
May 11, 1910 Logansport Reporter page 8
As mentioned earlier, the building was eventually removed, the debris cleared away, and the beautiful new Logansport City Building was built. Before then the city government was conducted out of a building at 3rd and E. Broadway - a story for another time.
Photos: courtesy Cass County Historical Society, Info/history sources: Logansport newspapers, articles from "This Changing World" news columns by Will Ball (deceased)
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