Welcome to Wanamaker, IN.
The town was named for John
Wanamaker. He was a businessman, religious leader, civic and
political figure, and considered the father of modern
advertising. He also served as Postmaster General from 1889
to 1893, and was involved in many charitable organizations.
He created the first department store in 1876. This was a new
idea of combining many specialty stores into one large store.
Another innovation was a restaurant inside the store. In
addition, Wanamaker pioneered the use of price tags, money-back
guarantees, newspaper ads, and white sales. Wanamaker was
also a leader in giving his employees modern "fringe benefits",
like vacations, health care, pension, life insurance, and payments
for further education. He also was innovative in such things
as a telephone ordering system and refunds on merchandise.
When Wanamaker died in 1922, it was a huge
public event. Philadelphia lowered its flags, the newspapers called
him the city's most eminent citizen, and the public schools closed
the day of his funeral. His pallbearers included the Governor of
Pennsylvania, the Mayors of Philadelphia and New York, the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court, and the inventor Thomas Edison.
Why was a rural community in Indiana named after a businessman and
postmaster from Philadelphia? We don't know. Do
you?
Please respect others while seeking this cache. If there are
mourners present, come back later. No night caching.