Wakarusa, Indiana

A friend who lives in California was recently traveling thru Indiana and sent me this recent photo of Wakarusa main street. My grandfather Joseph started Freed's Shoe Store in the early 1900's. My father, Edgar Faye Freed ran the store until brother James took it over in the 1960's. Jana's middle name was given in remembrance of my dad, Edgar. The store was sold in the 1980's. The new owner employed my niece, Tammy Freed Maust, Jim's daughter, to operate the store. This owner closed the store in the 1990's. It has had other businesses occupy that space and as you can see, it has been maintained well. If you look close, you can see the store windows that for many years housed women's shoes to the left and men's to the right. I remember turning out those lights many evenings and cranking up the old canvas awnings, locking up and going home. You will remember, Jim would give us the keys to the store and we would spend the evening in the store, all by ourselves trying on shoes and usually buying a pair for each of the family! Thought you would enjoy this memory.