Photo: 1880s postcard from Charles A. Stockbridge, Fort Wayne taxidermist, advertising “stuffed birds and animals” with a stoic heron and period-perfect flair. Courtesy of Terri Gorney Lehman.
BY TERRI GORNEY LEHMAN
The Stockbridge Audubon Society has a long history in northeastern Indiana. The society was formed the year after the Indiana Audubon Society was established. Records indicate that the chapter was organized on April 12, 1899, at a 3:00 pm meeting in Room 8 of the City Hall (now the History Center) in Fort Wayne. There were twenty members and five junior members.
The Stockbridge Audubon Society is the oldest continuously active Audubon chapter in the state. The Indianapolis Audubon Society—renamed the Amos Butler Audubon Society in 1937—was formed eight months after Stockbridge.
Originally, the chapter was known as the Allen County Audubon Society. The name was changed to Stockbridge Audubon Society to honor Charles Stockbridge after his death in 1934.
In March 1898, the Indiana Academy of Science initiated efforts to form the Indiana Audubon Society. Fanny Wright Taylor attended the meeting in Indianapolis and was elected one of the vice presidents at the formational meeting on April 26, 1898. She played a key role in establishing the Allen County chapter, along with Nellie Brown Cooper and Alexander Johnson.
At the chapter’s first meeting in April 1899, the following officers were elected: Alexander Johnson, president; Nellie Brown Cooper, vice president; Fanny Wright Taylor, secretary and treasurer, and Rabbi Frederick Cohn, Hannah Hall Ellison, Lucian Powers Stapleford, who served on the executive committee. All were residents of Fort Wayne.
Alexander Johnson was a local businessman, superintendent of the state school for several years, and a member of the board of Indiana Charities. Nellie Brown Cooper, a graduate of the New York Art School, headed the society department of the Fort Wayne Gazette before marrying William P. Cooper in 1887. Fanny Wright Taylor, who married Judge Robert Stewart Taylor in 1858, was a prominent civic leader in the community. Rabbi Frederick Cohn, Ph.D., was the pastor of the Temple, a popular lecturer, and founder of the Jewish Chautauqua literary society. Hannah Hall Ellison was married to Thomas Ellison, a prominent attorney and state senator. In 1906, they co-founded the Ellison Realty Company, where she served as a director on the board. Lucian Stapleford was a respected businessman and auctioneer.
One of the society’s missions was to educate school-aged children about our birds and the need for their protection.
In 2024, the chapter changed its name to Three Rivers Birding, a nod to the confluence of the St. Marys and St. Joseph Rivers, which form the Maumee River in downtown Fort Wayne.
Cheers to the long history of the Indiana Audubon Society in the state and its chapters throughout the state.
This blog post was written by Hoosier historian and naturalist Terri Gorney Lehman as part of her Flight Paths Through History series, exploring the people, places, and moments that have shaped Indiana birding.
Editor’s Note: The chapters mentioned in this article were originally founded as part of the Indiana Audubon Society, which was established independently of the National Audubon Society and remains unaffiliated with it to this day. In 1935, these regional chapters became independent organizations. Many have since aligned with the National Audubon Society (NAS) and now operate as NAS chapters.
Tags: flight paths through history
