Frank L. Myers was born in May 1872 in Columbia City, the son of Daniel and Elizabeth Myers. His father, a Civil War veteran, built a family business that began as a restaurant and boarding house and later expanded into a bakery, confectionery, and ice cream production. Growing up in this environment, Frank learned the trade and gradually took on more responsibility. He married Eloise Harter Tyree in 1896, and together they had two sons, George and Walter. By 1900, Frank was fully involved in making ice cream with his father, helping guide the business during a time when ice cream was becoming more popular and widely available.
As ice cream surged in popularity in the early 1900s, the Myers family embraced the trend and began focusing more on production and wholesale distribution. In 1908, Frank made the major decision to sell the familyโs long-running restaurant and boarding house to concentrate entirely on ice cream and dairy products. However, in 1910, disaster struck when a devastating fire destroyed their ice cream parlor and other businesses in the Washburn Block. A few months later, they had a fire at their creamery plant. Despite these setbacks, Frank rebuilt and expanded, launching Myers Creamery in 1911 and adding products like butter, cream, and later condensed milk, turning the business into a growing regional operation.
Through the 1910s, Myers Creamery thrived, earning recognition for its products and employing a growing workforce. Frank also became active in public life, serving as mayor of Columbia City and a local political leader. Over time, he narrowed the business focus solely to dairy production and brought in his son George as a partner in 1921, preparing the next generation to take over. Although Frankโs health declined in his later years, his efforts had firmly established the creamery as a local staple. After his tragic death in 1930, the business continued serving the community with ice cream and dairy products in the Washburn Block until 1939.
Thank you to Jennifer Romano, Whitley County Historian – Indiana, for her outstanding research and writing of the article and the Whitley County Historical Museum for sharing photos from its collection.
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While much of Smith Brothers Towing building at 521 South Chauncey Street is now covered with metal siding, this window is on part of the historic split face concrete block faรงade. The building was originally built as the Myers Creameryโmaker of โthe ice cream that made Columbia City famousโโand concrete block masonry was a prime choice as a building material, both to maintain a cooler interior and for its clean appearance.
Thank you to Nathan Bilger for providing the recent photos and valuable insights into Columbia Cityโs architectural history.
