Kurtz maps provide slice of history for eateries on recent foodie tour

Banner Graphic/ERIC BERNSEE Historic Kurtz map as displayed at Putnam County Public Library (above).

Back in August when the Greencastle High School Class of 1967 celebrated its 50th reunion with the unique "Taste of Greencastle Historical Foodie Walking Tour," each stop was tastefully punctuated with historical data.

Facts about each of the buildings on the tour were shared with the 30 members of the class that visited the Inn at DePauw Fluttering Duck, Tap House 24, Moore's Bar, Wasser Brewing and Almost Home/Swizzle Stick hungry to share more than a fun food item and a signature drink.

And many of the historic references about the properties those businesses now inhabit can be traced to the detailed and historic Kurtz map of downtown Greencastle, a hand-drawn relic created from memory by Wilbur G. Kurtz who grew up here when the 1800s were rolling over into the 1900s.

Banner Graphic/ERIC BERNSEE Receiving copies of the historic Kurtz map, thanks to their participation in the 50th reunion celebration of Greencastle High School Class of 1967, are (seated, from left) Caroline James, of the Inn at DePauw; Gail Smith, Almost Home; Joanna Batchelor, representing the GHS Class of 1967; and Jackie Hopkins, Moore’s Bar. Standing (from left) are Tony Barger, Putnam County Public Library archivist; Perri Jackson, Inn at DePauw; Chris Weeks, Wasser Brewing Co.; Judy Wilson, Wilson’s Photography; Mike Harmless, Class of 1967 reunion organizer; Lester Wilson, Wilson’s Photography; Damita Timmons, Tap 24; and Jay Hopkins, Moore’s Bar.

Born in Atlanta, Wilbur G. Kurtz is so synonymous with that Georgia city that he served as technical adviser on the film "Gone With the Wind" and was cited in the opening credits of the epic movie.

Yet Kurtz -- who moved to Greencastle in 1882 at the age of seven because his father wanted to assure his children of a better education -- is intrinsically tied to Greencastle as well, having graduated from Greencastle High School in 1901 and continued his education at DePauw University and later the Art Institute of Chicago.

The Kurtz family lived at 317 E. Hanna St., and his father passed away in 1903, "around the time that Wilbur first traveled to Atlanta, a place that he would eventually make his permanent home," Putnam County Public Library archivist Tony Barger said, explaining why Kurtz and his map were "so significant in Greencastle history."

While much of Kurtz's adult life was dedicated to researching, writing and painting the history of Atlanta, he apparently couldn't get Greencastle out of his mind. And in 1950 he began corresponding with lifelong Greencastle resident and dentist Dr. O. F. Overstreet, who took great interest in the history of Putnam County.

It is likely that correspondence between Overstreet and Kurtz from which the library has come into possession of the so-called Kurtz map as well as informative letters and smaller maps detailed by Kurtz, Barger told representatives of the five businesses that took part in the Class of 1967 foodie tour.

Organizer and Class of 1967 spokesman Mike Harmless recently presented representatives of those downtown eateries with their own copies of the Kurtz map, as reproduced by Lester and Judy Wilson of Wilson's Photography and Buzz Bomb Graphics, as a thank you for their participation in the inaugural event.

The map was used to research those properties for the reunion gathering, helping to come up with a few classic facts, such as:

-- The building now housing Tap 24 at 24 S. Indiana St. was once the site of Cooper Bros. Livery Stable -- the last active Greencastle livery stable -- in 1890.

-- The Moore's Bar building was a music store from 1877 to 1934, first owned by Immanuel Marquis and then F.C. Newhouse, in what was called "an elegant little building." But in January 1934 it became Hoffman's Bar, then Dutch Carlin's Bar and finally in 1950 Moore's Bar.

-- The Wasser Brewery site at 102 E. Franklin St. was not only once a greenhouse for the local Eitel's florist business but in 1935, Roscoe Scott, father of Jinsie Bingham, opened Scott's Garage on the site, later turning it into a Packard car dealership in 1946. Scott operated the dealership until 1957 or 1958, when Walter Ballard took over through 1960.

-- The Swizzle Stick, 21 W. Franklin St., reportedly stands as the second oldest building in the city. It was built in 1836 by Gen. Thomas Orr, the head of the local militia. Soon thereafter saloons occupied most of the north side of the square, except for the 19 W. Franklin site (the bigger Almost Home dining area), which was Kiefer's Bakery and from all indications remained as such from 1887-1923.

-- The Inn at DePauw, 2 W. Seminary St., and its restaurants there, the Fluttering Duck and 2West Bistro, are on the site of the Interurban station where until recently traces of the tracks showed in Seminary Street and still can be observed in the parking lot across from the front entrance to the inn.