1940s-Era Photos of Julian Home Emerge

One of the most important landmarks still standing in Irvington is that of the George Washington Julian Home at 115 South Audubon Road.  This graceful Italianate dwelling has been a part of the community since 1873.  Mr. Julian moved to Irvington along with his brother and built one of the earliest homes in the community.  The former Congressman, a Radical Republican, dwelled the remainder of his life in the villa.  His daughter Grace Julian Clarke and her husband Charles, continued to live on in the place until her death in the 1930s.  After her passing, the home served in a variety of capacities including as private residence, a boarding house for railroad workers, and as a nursing home.  By the mid-1980s the vacant home had become an eyesore to some.  A few in the community even wanted the structure demolished.  Thankfully, Indiana Landmarks purchased the building, placed the home on the National Register of Historic Places, and put protective covenants on the exterior of the house.  They also sold it to a family who have not only been restoring it, but they also care deeply about the history of the property.

These two historic photographs, show the home on Easter Sunday in 1941.  In the top photo, William Maher Rubush posed on the sidewalk leading up to 116 South Audubon Road.  Behind him, looms the Julian Home at 115 South Audubon Road.  City directories reveal that a Grace Lancaster and her daughter and grandson lived in the former Julian home at that time.  Remarkably, the weeping mulberry behind Mr. Rubush still lives in 2013--72 years after this photo was taken!  In the second photo, Richard Rubush and another unidentified family member posed next to a stuffed Easter Bunny.  Once again, the Julian Home is visible behind the couple.

William Maher Rubush posed on Easter Sunday in 1941. Behind him, you can see the Julian Home at 115 South Audubon Road.

Members of the Rubush family posed on Easter Sunday in 1941.  The Julian Home at 115 South Audubon Road is behind the couple.  

These images are courtesy of the descendants of the Rubush Family via Ancestry.com