Megan Carpenter                                                                                                                                                   Grace College journalism student

SYRACUSE — Settled on the shores of Lake Syracuse and Lake Wawasee, Syracuse is a town of about 2,800 people. Boasting more than 3,500 acres of water, three parks, restaurants and golf courses, it has long been a vacation destination.

Founded in 1837, the town included a general store, mill, church, school and cemetery. Mainly farmers originally inhabited the town, but they were far from the first to call the area home. Native Americans, including the Miami and Potawatomi tribes, had lived in the vicinity for thousands of years, as evidenced by the many artifacts that have been unearthed in the area.

P. M. Henkel, a visitor to Syracuse in 1844, remembered in a 1914 news article that for years after its founding, the town was, “deserving of little more than a name.”

That changed when the B & O Railroad came to town in 1874. According to Ann Garceau, board member of the Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum and long-time town resident, this was a major turning point in the town’s history, since the railroad attracted many new people to town.

One of these new people was Samuel Harkless, a long-time railroad man, skilled in mechanics, who decided to make the town his home in the 1880s. After retiring from the railroad, he and James Lewis opened a tin shop, where they produced and repaired all sorts of metal items. As time passed, this business morphed into a machine shop, where Harkless designed and produced boat motors. He eventually created the prototype of the Mier automobile, which he sold to a car manufacturer in Ligonier. While never a big hit commercially, a few of these classic cars survive, including one in the Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum.

Shortly after the railroad arrived in town, Lake Wawasee’s extensive supply of marl, a major component of cement, drew the Sandusky Cement Company to town, which set up a plant by the lake. Operating from 1900 to 1920, it employed around 100 people.

By the 1920s, Syracuse had become known as a resort town, according to Jamie Clemons, director of the Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum. It drew people to its hotels and restaurants and the many lakes in the area. The Waco Dance Hall, on the south side of Lake Wawasee, was also a draw to the area, hosting performers such as Glenn Miller, Guy Lombardo and Tony Bennett. In addition, in 1920, Syracuse’s library got a facelift, courtesy of the Carnegie Foundation. The building still houses the Turkey Creek Township Public Library on East Main Street.

In the 1930s, W. E. Long, a Chicago man with money, developed what became known as the Pickwick Block in downtown Syracuse. It hosted several businesses and a movie theater. Much of the block burned in a fire in 1946, but the main structure of the theater survived and the block was rebuilt. The block burned again in the ’70s, but once again, the theater survived. Today the block is home to several businesses, restaurants and the seemingly indestructible and still-operational Pickwick Theater, complete with its original marquee and historic atmosphere.

Today the incorporated town is home to around 25 restaurants and 300 businesses, including Poly-Wood, Patrick Industries and Nautic Global Group/Rinker Boat Company. Town government consists of several officials, a town manager and a town council.

Still a vacation destination due to its lakes, golf courses, water recreation, unique restaurants and charming small-town atmosphere, Syracuse continues to better itself. Upcoming projects include construction of a new elementary school and new development in the Riverfront District that is hoped will offer recreational and cultural opportunities to the community.