Waterman Farms History

In the densely populated and rapidly changing environment of modern day Marion County, it is difficult to imagine that the local landscape of sprawling neighborhoods, noisy streets, and bustling commerce was mostly prime Indiana farmland less than a century ago. The history of agriculture in our community is as rich as the soil that lies beneath it. Waterman’s Family Farm has worked tirelessly for generations to preserve that history by providing a reliable supply of healthy, fresh produce as well as making the small farm experience accessible to the larger public.

 

In 1978, Bruce and Carol Waterman opened the doors to Waterman’s Farm Market. Their vision was to provide a place where customers could pick their own produce. By doing so, the customer would be insured of the freshest product at a price that would exclude the cost of the labor for harvest, or the customer could buy the same high-quality fruits and vegetables, fresh-picked by the farm, at a friendly country market. The success of this vision has earned Waterman’s Farm Market a reputation for delivering juicy strawberries, flavorful tomatoes, and incredible sweet corn, as well as other delicious crops, season after season. Each crop is harvested with the utmost care to ensure freshness, flavor, and bountiful nutrition.

 

The desire to build a lasting relationship with the surrounding community inspired the Waterman’s to begin hosting the popular Fall Harvest Festival. From a simple beginning with hayrides to the pumpkin patch and a teepee made of cornstalks, it has grown into a five week celebration and one of the highlights of autumn in Indianapolis complete with games, rides, music, food and all kinds of farm fun.

 

In addition to the Fall Harvest Festival, a Strawberry Festival has begun to emerge as a new tradition for Waterman’s Family Farm. The Strawberry Festival celebrates the arrival of the farm’s lovely strawberries and welcomes the community back for the opening of a new picking season.

 

Waterman’s Family Farm feels blessed to be in the position of sharing its agricultural story with the ever expanding and always evolving surrounding community. The Waterman’s hope is that you, cherished friend, will consider their “farm in the city” as much a part of your family as it is their own.
 

In 2018 Bruce and Carol celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary and 40 Years of the market being open. 
On December 17th Bruce Waterman passed away. Bruce graduated from Purdue in 1965 with a BA in agricultural economics; he earned a Masters Degree in ag econ from Purdue in 1967. Bruce was a member of AGR fraternity while attending Purdue. He married Carol McCammon in 1968 and reported for active duty in the Army in the same year. After two stateside assignments, 2LT Waterman was assigned to a position in Okinawa. Upon completion of that assignment, CPT Waterman resigned from the Army. Bruce worked for Ernst & Ernst as a consultant for two years before accepting employment as data processing manager with Perdue, Inc. in Salisbury MD. One of his proudest achievements was the development of a least-cost feed ration formula utilizing linear programming, a cutting edge application at the time. In 1977 Bruce and Carol and their son, Scott, returned to Indianapolis, where Bruce worked for Hook's as data processing consultant and ultimately accepted the position of Vice President of Management Information Systems. In 1978, Bruce and Carol launched Waterman's Farm Market, offering freshly-grown produce with the option to "pick your own." Shortly thereafter their daughter, Lisa, was born. Bruce maintained his employment at Hook's while working on the farm until he became a full-time farmer in 1991.