Walters Drugs

Jacob Walters came to Nappanee in 1881 and he brought not only his business with him from Locke but also his building. He started to move the building in June of that year and it is thought that his building may have gotten caught in the mud on the way to Nappanee. He started his drug business in Locke in 1876. Mr. Walters look upon Nappanee as a town with a future; a town where business could be carried on with greater profit than at Locke.

Mr. Walters carried a large stock of goods and there was no lost space within his building. He also had a warehouse on the corner of Lincoln and Elm streets and handled lumber, shingles, lath, lime, plaster, and cement. He was active in the business until he retired in 1913.

In 1907, the First National Bank was started with the offices in the drug store as they were building the bank that sits by the present-day Hunter's Hideaway. When the bank was finished, the bank business was taken to the new quarters.

He also owned a lot of farmland. Mr. Walters was the owner of Florence Park. NorthWood High School sits where this farm/park was located. It was home to deer, elk and a buffalo. Many Nappanee citizens would go there to have picnics and to see the animals. The former Old Buffalo Inn is thought to be the original homestead of the farm/park.