Many Families Have Resided in Arlington Avenue Home

Dozens of Irvington families have dwelled in the American Four Square at 268 South Arlington Avenue since its construction in 1916.  Because it was a rental, families moved in and out of the dwelling.  The Dressendorfer family appeared to be the first to have lived in the house although they only stayed one year. The Barrs and Swifts briefly called the house “home ” as well.  In 1920, Orville and Estella Crawford rented the home. Mr. Crawford was a lumber salesman and had to provide for his growing family.  The Crawfords had four children including a set of twins.  Several other families moved into the house throughout the 1930s. In 1935, Rollie and Myrtle Corey rented the property for $30 a month.  They certainly needed the space because they had ten children! Mr. Corey worked as a milk inspector for the city of Indianapolis. Several of his adult children had jobs by 1940.  The Coreys lived in the house for ten years.  Stability finally arrived when the Jetts moved into the abode in the late 1940s. James H. Jett was a press operator. His wife stayed home and took care of the couple’s five children.  By the 1960s, Mr. Jett worked as a grinder for Chrysler.  The Jetts lived in the house for nearly thirty years.  Homer and Virginia Patterson purchased the place in the early 1970s and remained well into the 1980s.  Some alterations have occurred over the years including the removal of the front door opening and covering the clapboard siding with vinyl siding.  

Katherine, Mary, and Jeannette Corey posed on the family car behind their home at 268 South Arlington Avenue c1940

Rollie and Myrtle Corey had ten children and dwelled at 268 South Arlington Avenue in the 1930s and 40s.

268 South Arlington Avenue in 2014

The historic photos are courtesy of the Corey Family via Ancestry.com.