A Town Platted Along the Route of a Canal
New Haven's history is inseparable from moving water: the Wabash and Erie Canal, made possible by Indiana's 1827 federal land grant, ran directly through the acreage that Henry Burgess platted as New Haven in 1839, on land his father had bought from the canal's own commissioner four years earlier. The town incorporated in 1865 and became a city in 1963, growing up the whole time along ground shaped by that original water route.
Storm and River Exposure Near the Maumee
New Haven sits close enough to the Maumee River's watershed to share in the rapid rises Fort Wayne sees after heavy rain or spring snowmelt upstream at the St. Marys-St. Joseph-Maumee confluence. The city's flat, clay-heavy ground holds runoff near the surface rather than draining it quickly, which is part of why the March 1982 flood was severe enough to prompt Fort Wayne to relocate some of its most vulnerable properties.
Water Damage Restoration Services for New Haven Homes
What to Do First in New Haven
Document the source and extent of the water, shut off the source if it's safe to do so, and note how long the area has been wet. We'll help connect you with a matched local provider -- this site does not promise emergency response times.