Lake Maxinkuckee Its Intrigue
History & Genealogy

Culver, Marshall, Indiana

Palmer House

1850 - I. N. Morris

Mc Donald states: In 1850, Isaac N. Morris, father of Capt. Ed Morris, moved to the lake, locating on the north shore, on the farm now owned by A. N. Bogardus, His land ran down to the lake, taking in all the lake front from the Lake View Hotel grounds to and including the Palmer house.

1875-June 1928 - Palmer House
June 1928-1931 - Palmer House
1931-1932 - Palmer House - Culver Hotel Operating Company
1932 -March 1954 - Maxinkuckee Inn - Culver Reality and Investment Company
March 1954-1989/90 - Culver Inn

The Palmer house was built in 1875 by J. W. Palmer of Plymouth. In May of 1896 it was re-painted and the interior was remodeled. In May 1897 he sold it to Frank Lampson.

Location of the hotel in 1898:

In 1898 & 1908 it was listed as the same with F. D. Lampson prop.

Location of the hotel in 1908:

In the 1905 Directory for Culver (title etc. unknown) - is listed:

Palmer House N. side near Academy Rate $2, $2.50 Both Phones
F. D. Lamson, Prop.

There is no description of the Palmer Hotel area on the 1906 Sanbron Fire Maps for Culver.

Lamson sold it in May of 1909 to John Walter of Indianapolis for $15,000 the land alone was said to be vauled at $10,000..

1914 - December 10 – The Palmer House has put a five-passenger limousine car into the bus service of the hotel…

There is no description of the Palmer Hotel area on the 1914 Sanbron Fire Maps for Culver.

Here is an ad from the "King's Official Route Guide - Section Five Automobile Routes of Indiana and Southern Indiana" published in 1915.

By 1922 it had an annex building to the back of it, by the 1922 plat map. In 1922 it was listed as the same but with J. P. Walter Prop. & in the 1922 Marshall County Plat book also and Jno. P. Walter, prop. And its location for 1922 and shows the annex:

It had twenty-two rooms and only two baths on the second floor. The main floor had a card room, dining room and kitchen.

It also had and area called the "Shak". Mention of the Shak is as early as 15 Oct 1924. In an ad in the Culver Citizen wanting help.

On the 1924 Sanborn Fire Maps is found the surrounding area of the Palmer Hotel and the buildings that it consisted of:

In relation to its location the to Jungle and Lakeview Hotel can be found here.

In 1927 while still under the name Palmer House David Braden [who was manager of the Academy tailor shop] was allowed to open a private business within this was - The Toggery Shop, and was located on the first floor.

Braden, a member of the Class of 1896; being a master merchandiser he specialized high-end clothing and accessories.

After the Culvers attained the Palmer House, Braden remained in the building when it became the Maxinkuckee Inn re-naming the shop - "The Tavern Shop" and remained in business till the early 1930's. His policy of liberal credit to the cadets and sending the bills home to dad began to cause trouble for the Palmer House. and the Culvers ended his operation and the Shack moved into this area.

At some point during the late 1920's the management boasted of 22 steam-heated sleeping rooms, all with hot and cold running water. There were two ladies bathrooms that had three tubs, one shower, and four toilets. Gentlemen were served by two bathrooms which had three toilets and two tubs. The price was right: Doubles were $ 8 per day, $49 for the week, meals included.

In June 1928 [another has the year as 1929 and yet another as late as 1932] it was sold to E. R. and B. B. Culver; this included the garage, the help quarters, 252 feet of lake front and boat houses. This article has been found to confirm the date:

LAKE MAXINKUCKEE WILL HAVE NEW SUMMER HOTEL

A transaction was completed last Saturday whereby E. R. Culver and B. B. Culver purchased the buildings and property known as the Palmer House of J. P. Walter. The Culvers then announced that they would erect a new and modern hotel that would equal any resort hotel in Indiana. It is estimated unofficially that this will require an expenditure of between a quarter to half a million dollars.

The transaction is not that of the Culver Military academy but is a private investment of E. R. and B. B. Culver. These men feel that Lake Maxinkuckee should have hotel accommodations that are in keeping with the beauty of the lake and would attract the desirable class for which this lake is noted. While no definite plans have been announced for the new structure, it is safe to assume that no expense will be spared to make it known thru out the United States and make Lake Maxinkuckee a mecca for resorters and vacationists.

Start Next Spring No improvement will be started until next spring as C. A. Shorb and Son have a lease that will not expire until the end of the year. Then it will be necessary to wait for suitable weather. It is probable that it will take a year to eighteen months to complete the structure. The deal Saturday night included 252 feet of lake front, and land where the garage help quarters, and boat houses are located.

This announcement is regarded as the most important and significant to the Culver community since the school was founded. It makes a host of other meetings, which officers desire to hold them out of noise and confusion of a large city. The possibilities thus opened are unlimited.

The building of this structure will aid the smaller and less expensive hotels at Culver also as more people will be attracted to the lake and will seek places with lower rates than the new hotel will charge.

It will probably be some time before plans for the new building are completed as Messrs Culver intend to visit the leading hostelries and vacation centers of the nation and profit by their examples. And in the meantime it can be assured that the building and grounds will be constructed in the typical complete and thoro manner of the Culver family, which markes [marks] all their undertakings. - The News-Sentinel, Saturday, June 20, 1928

PALMER HOUSE SOLD
The Palmer Hotel, one of the landmarks of Lake Maxinkuckee, after January 1, 1931, when the present lease expires will be taken over by the Culver Hotel Operating Company. There will be no structural changes but the rooms will be made more comfortable.- The News-Sentinel, Monday, December 1, 1930

30 Dec. 1930 - Culver Citizen - Palmer House Will Change Management First of New Year -

After January 1, when the present lease runs out, the control of the Palmer House will be taken over by the Culver Hotel Operating Company. The rooms will be outfitted with new beds, the toilet facilities will be increased, and the building will be put in as good condition as possible in spite of its age. There will be no structural changes in either the hotel or the "Shack". The improvements will be of a type that will make the temporary hotel more comfortable and enjoyable to its guests. The P. H. "Shack" will specialize in home cooking and consequently will furnish a more varied menu.

31 January 1931 Culver Citizen - Palmer house Undergoes Redecorating Refurnishing -
The Palmer House "Shack" which has been remodeled during the holidays, will be reopened in the early part of the coming week. The floor space has been enlarged by extensions on the side and rear and the entire room has been redecorated. The old equipment has been replaced by new tables and chairs, a new fountain and new kitchen appliances.

The dining room in the hotel is equipped with new tables and chairs and presents a much neater appearance.

The bedrooms have all been redecorated and new beds and springs have been installed.

The Palmer House contrary to popular opinion is not owned by the academy, but is leased to and operated by a separate company under the direction of Mr. John Fogler.

John R. Fogler will be manager of the Palmer House. Mr. Fogler was assistant manager of the Palmer House in Chicago before coming to Culver.

It is said that "Mont" Monton H. Foss built boats for Mr. Shorb who operated the Palmer House and rented the boats to the patrons.

C. A. Shorb & Sons, present managers of the Palmer House, have not announced their plans for the future.

1932 - The March 16^th issue of the Culver Citizen announces that the Plamer Boat House was destroyed by fire and that damages are estaimated to be or exceed $2,700.

In 1932 it was sold to the Culver Reality and Investment Company. At this time it consisted of: dinning and card rooms, a kitchen, twenty-two bedrooms and two baths.

PALMER HOUSE, CULVER, NOW MAXINKUCKEE INN

Culver, Ind., Dec. 1. - After being known as the Palmer House for 57 years, the well known hotel near the Academy is having its name changed to "Maxinkuckee Inn" in conformity with a change of management and policy. The change was effective today.

Miss Anne Ellsworth, who has been associated with the Tavern Shop for some time, will have personal supervision of the hotel, superceding F. S. Murphy, who has been manager of the Palmer House for about a year.

Not only has the hotel's name and management been changed, but so have its furnishings and policy in keeping with the plan to instill the atmosphere of a hospitable old inn instead of a formal hotel.

Comfortable new furniture in maple, a fine large window overlooking the lake and a grand fire place in the lounge, a new card room, redecorating and comfortably furnishing all the rooms, equipping of several rooms with bath and the placing of other bathrooms about the building are the main changes at the inn. It is expected that new rates will be announced in the near future.

Home cooking will be featured by the kitchen under the direction of Miss Opal Barkes of Lafayette, and the home atmosphere will be carried out by women waitresses in the dining room and The Shack.

The Tavern Shop, which has been operated in connection with the Palmer House, will be discontinued December 31, it has been announced, and the stock of clothing and gists [gifts] is being closed out. - The News-Sentinel, Thursday, December 1, 1932

The name was changed from the Palmer House as of 1 January 1933 to The Maxinkuckee Inn and was incorporated and the that name and remained under that name until March of 1954

In 1933 The Inn began to expanded as need for private baths was being required two more bathrooms were added to the second floor and also more five hotel rooms with baths were added to the ground floor. The "Shack" was re-opened as it had been closed for several years and the space had been leased out - as a men's clothing store called the "Toggery Shop" and "Tavern Shop". Remodeling again took place in 1935 to give each of the upstairs rooms their own private bath.

It expanded first with another building known as "The Club" which was acquired 1933, the Club House and Jungle Hotel, two summer establishments west of the Maxinkuckee Inn both were purchased by the Culver Reality and Investment Company. The Club House Hotel was moved next door to the Inn [75 feet southwest] being re-named: The Club and also known as the Macinkuckee Inn Annex. With 16 rooms, all with private baths and an attractive lobby overlooking Lake Maxinkuckee , it proved an immediate success. The Jungle Hotel being ran down, having no direct access to the lake and only being accessible from Academy Road was razed, as it was deemed expendable.

Later 1933, a two-story building formerly used as an accommodation for inn employees, was remodeled and named The Lodge. Later came "The Lodge" with twenty-eight rooms with baths and in 1938 further expansion of it occurred with expansion to the west and they Became known as the "East Lodge" and "West Lodge"; with 28 bedrooms and private baths. The Club was razed in 1959 and the East Lodge was demolished in 1960 and the West Lodge remained being used first for the band and then was remodeled in the 1970's and became "Linden Hall" which was razed in 2000

Below is a view of the inside of the West Lodge from a postcard dated 1956.

During this time - 1932 - Frank S. Murphy was manager of the Palmer House.

Also in 1932/33 The Jungle Hotel was under the management of the Palmer House. Here is an ad that appeared during this time period.

Here is a view from the lake

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Former owner of the Palmer House dies:

Thursday, March 18, 1937 - Rochester Sentinel

Culver, Ind., Mar. 18. -- Funeral services for John P. WALTER, who died Tuesday night in an Indianapolis hospital, will be held Friday morning at St. Ann's Catholic church in Monterey with burial in Culver Masonic cemetery.

Mr. Walter who came to Culver from Chicago thirty years ago, was well known in business circles in northern Indiana as a hotel man and banker. For many years he owned and operated the Palmer House at Lake Maxinkuckee and more recently was interested in the Hotel Jefferson in South Bend. He was one of the original directors of the State Exchange Bank of Culver and was vice-president from 1918 to 1933. Failing health forced him to retire from business four years ago. Surviving are the widow and one daughter.

This is the area as protaryed on the 1937 fire map :

here are the matches advertising the Maxinkukee Inn:

The Maxinkuckee Inn changed its name to the Culver Inn and remained under that name until it was razed in 1991:

The main dining area was known as the Payson Room. This is the cover of the last menu used at the Culver Inn, the entire menu can be seen here.

here are the matches advertising the Maxincukee Inn:

This is a winter scene of the Culver Inn area from the south looking north.

And below is the scenic walkway - past the Culver Inn on the lakefront.

here is the front of a promotional brochure (can be seen here) and the the inside of a menu the dessert menu page:

During the late 1970's and early 1980's two very local artistic women done their own rendition of the Culver Inn. Below are snapshots of them.

The first was Barbara Meeker's and she was a summer resident for years on East Shore Dr.

The second was done by Esther Powers now Miller. She has been a member of the Culver Community since the 1950's moving away to the Plymouth area briefly for a few years - but returning to Culver. I am the proud owner of one of these limited prints - as well as many others that Esther has done of the academy, Lake and Culver - some of them are even her original watercolors - that I purchased before 1992.

During the late 1970's. and the 1980's it was let go into a into a state of dis-repair. If you look hard you an see the paint peeling on the outside of the building in the picture below.

Even tho in much need of repair - many felt that it was torn down needlessly and could of been re-modeled and brought up to date and still have been a useful building but instead it was torn down some sources say 1989 & 1990 for the Huffington Library.

1991 - January 23 – It was revealed that the Culver Inn to be demolished sometime in the spring…

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