Dance Through the Decades

For over a century, an old dance hall has stood on the shore of Lake Tippecanoe—through gramophones and big bands, fires and rebuilds, packed floors and quiet decades. The water outside was always part of the magic, just as it is for the dozens of lakes across our watershed today. Now, TWF is bringing that story back to life for one night each summer: dancing under the stars, in support of the local lakes that make this place what it is. Whatever the Dance at Tippy means to you, join us this summer!

Rich History on Lake Tippecanoe

The old building on the corner of EMS T25 and Forest Glen Avenue has been known by many names: Tippy Gardens, Tippy Ballroom, Pottawatomie Gardens, Arcadian Pavilion, and even the original Cripplegate Heights.

In 1904, John and George Smith of Gas City reinvented the residential subdivision of Cripplegate Heights, and the Arcadian Pavilion was born. The dancing began as music cranked from a gramophone filled the halls.

The Prohibition era brought uncertainty. When rumors surfaced that Sunday dancing may be outlawed, the Smiths sold to Walter and Dal Crooke in 1923. Despite this, the dancing continued all summer long, and the new name was “Pottawatomie Gardens.”

Big bands and big crowds carried the venue through the Roaring 20s— until June 30th, 1934, when a carelessly dropped cigarette burned the building to the ground the night before the opening of the summer season.

But Crooke didn’t flinch. He sent his musicians to Elkhart for new instruments. He hired bulldozers, carpenters, and trucks to bring in cement and lumber. By nightfall, a temporary dance floor was built, and opening night was a success.

A new pavilion, the same one that stands today, was built over the winter of 1935. The new build featured an indoor dance floor, an open-air dance floor, and two stages.

Ownership passed through many hands over the decades: Paul Lowman in the 40s, musician Ken Morris in ‘54, then the Paton family in ‘57. Over the years, big names like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, The Byrds, Stan Kenton, Dukes of Dixie Land, Four Freshmen, the Buckinghams, the Ray Charles Orchestra, and even The Kingsmen. Disc jockeys from mainstream radio—Jack Underwood from WOWO radio in Fort Wayne and Dick Biondi and Clark Weber from WLS radio in Chicago—would spin records.

But the dance craze began to fade, and so did business. In a statement for The Mail Journal in 1988, Paton explained, “Everybody just seemed to quit dancing for a while.

The Dance hall was refurbished in 1983, ushering in one more era of dance before the hall fell quiet.

The Dance Hall Today

Today, the dance hall sits empty on the south shore of Lake Tippecanoe. But once each summer, TWF opens its doors— and for one night, it comes alive again.

“It’s a great time”, says Ted Burnworth, long-time TWF supporter. “We enjoy good food and relive the days when the Dance Hall was the place to be.”

Live music, dinner, dancing under the stars. This is your chance to go back! Maybe you were a weekend regular, spinning your partner across the floor. Maybe you weren’t a dancer, but came to listen to the icon headliners play. Maybe you’ve never experienced Tippy— but you’ve heard stories. So here’s your chance to write your own!

This summer, 45 RPM will be playing the hits of the ‘60s, the cash bar will be open, and the lake will be right outside, just as it always has been.

Part of what made a night at Tippy magical was stepping outside between songs to see that glittering water in the moonlight. Preserving the beauty and health of local lakes like Tippecanoe is exactly what this event is all about.

The Watershed Foundation is excited to invite you to the Dance at Tippy. Come experience the Dance Hall with us this July and support a worthwhile cause.