New plans for International Harvester museum in northeast Indiana
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For 60 years, International Harvester was the largest employer in Fort Wayne, manufacturing more than 1.5 million trucks before closing in 1983.
Last month, the company’s former engineering building was named to Indiana Landmarks’ 10 Most Endangered list for the second consecutive year.
A not-for-profit dedicated to preserving the legacy of International Harvester’s presence in Fort Wayne had hoped to acquire the building, but a new plan calls for Harvester Homecoming to open a museum honoring the company in nearby New Haven.
Harvester Homecoming was founded by Ryan DuVall, a columnist for the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette and an enthusiast of the Scout—considered to be the first SUV created by International Harvester.
DuVall held a gathering of Harvester enthusiasts in 2019 that he said changed his life forever, and the organization has since hosted numerous festivals and had created a makeshift museum at the former engineering building.
The museum featured featured more than 70 original International Harvester trucks, Scouts and other memorabilia, but was recently evicted from the engineering building, which is owned by the county.
While the museum is temporarily set up in another building on the Harvester campus, the not-for-profit is now partnering with the town of New Haven to build a new museum building near Interstate 469 near the site of the proposed Fields of Grace Sports Complex.
Our partners at WPTA-TV reported in July that the $12 million, 30,000-square-foot facility will also feature a cafe, gift shop, meeting space and offices.
“We have a rich heritage of manufacturing in New Haven in Fort Wayne and all over Northeast Indiana one of the most manufactured intense regions in the country,” New Haven Mayor Steve McMichael said. “So this museum will bring all of that together for local people to celebrate the heritage and across the country.”
Construction on the new museum building is slated to begin next year.