Saturday, April 30, 2016

Time for Play and Time for School in the 1920s

Dick Palmer grew up at 333 North Audubon Road as the nation and the neighborhood "roared."  His parents, Walter and Mary Fee Palmer, built a house in the decade as did hundreds of others especially north of Pleasant Run Parkway. Many Irvingtonians purchased cars during the 1920s so toy automobiles became popular gifts for children. Dick Palmer received his special present in 1925. He remained a car enthusiast for the rest of his life. In an image below, you can see him "driving" around in the backyard.  Two years later he received a toy airplane. Behind him in that photo, you can see the double at 338-40 and the dwelling at 344 North Audubon Road. His family had no way of knowing it in 1927, but  later during World War II, Dick flew B-25 Mitchell aircraft and even taught other pilots how to fly.

The 1920s were also important for Dick as he started school in 1927. Children along North Audubon Road attended School #57. Visiting the family in September of 1927 was his Aunt Nell Fee.  The Fees hailed from a prominent farming family near Clarksburg, Indiana in northeastern Decatur County. Nell and Mary Fee's grandfather, John G. Fee, was one of the founders of Berea College in Kentucky. Aunt Nell's timing for her visit could not have been more perfect as Dick was afraid to go to school. She told him that she would escort him to the building and she gave him a dime to put in his pocket. As young Dick walked up the stairs of School #57, he turned back to give his Aunt the dime, but she told him to keep it and he was to show it to her upon his exit later that day. Dick Palmer thrived at school. He later graduated from Arsenal Tech High School and Miami University in Ohio.

Dick Palmer received his toy car gift in 1925. He "drove" it around in the backyard of his home at 333 North Audubon Road. 

Dick Palmer and a friend posed for this photograph in 1927 after receiving his new airplane as a gift. Behind the boys, you can see the double at 338-40 North Audubon Road and the residence at 344 North Audubon Road. The Karns family dwelled on one side of the double and the Johnson family lived at 344.  The 1927 city directory noted that one side of the double was vacant.  

Dick Palmer posed for this photograph in 1927 in his front yard at 333 North Audubon Road on his first day of school.

Dick Palmer posed for his family in 1927 in the backyard of 333 North Audubon Road in 1927. His  supportive Aunt Nell Fee walked  with him to school that day. 

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Growing Up Along Audubon Road

Thomas Richard or Dick Palmer was born in 1921 to Dr. Walter and Mary Fee Palmer. He spent his entire childhood at 333 North Audubon Road.  Dick was raised as an only child because his older brother died before his birth. He had no trouble finding playmates as there were several households in the area with children under ten years of age. Next door at 323 North Audubon Road dwelled little Nancy Ostrander and Eva Ham. Two doors down at 347 North Audubon Road resided Thomas Harrison, the youngest son of John and Elizabeth Harrison. Ruth Adams, the daughter of Henry and Pearl Adams lived across the street at 344 North Audubon Road. Other kids near his age like Bob Glass, Roger Schuck, and the Korbly brothers dwelled in the vicinity on Michigan Street, and along Lowell, Lesley, Graham, and Bolton Avenues. The Palmers, clearly very proud of their son, documented several key moments of his early life. You will see snapshots from his youth and scenes from the neighborhood in the following images.

Dick Palmer played with his toys on his front porch at 333 North Audubon Road in 1923.

Backyard fun:  Dick Palmer played in the backyard of his home at 333 North Audubon Road in 1922. 

Dick Palmer enjoyed the outdoors in the spring of 1922. Behind him, you can see the large Italianate home at 343 North Audubon Road. 

Dick Palmer on the front porch of his home at 333 North Audubon Road in 1923.

Mary Fee Palmer assisted her son Dick on her porch at 333 North Audubon Road in 1922.

333 North Audubon Road in 1922

333 North Audubon Road in 1923
The historic images are courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer. 

Thursday, April 21, 2016

The Palmers Build a Bungalow on Audubon Road

Shortly after suffering the loss of their only child in 1920, Dr. Walter and Mrs. Mary Fee Palmer decided to start anew. First, they moved into a brand new home and then they welcomed a new baby boy into their lives in 1921.  For the first four years of their marriage, the couple rented various homes throughout the neighborhood. Thanks to Dr. Palmer's steady income working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the couple was now able to build a beautiful bungalow at 333 North Audubon Road.

The unique two-story home sits on a beautiful lot in a wooded area of the neighborhood. Clad in stucco, the dwelling possesses an entryway complete with sidelights and flanked by beautiful casement doors facing Audubon Road. Thomas Richard Palmer, who grew up in the home, noted that his parents built what they could afford. The couple planted some beautiful trees and lush flower gardens. They also built a rock wall at the back of the property. Besides a garage, the couple erected a chicken coup at the back of the property.

Thomas Richard or Dick Palmer grew up in the house. He is now 94 years-old and still recalls his early life along Audubon Road. He remembers many of his neighbors and his childhood friends. In the next post we shall examine Mr. Palmer's early years in the neighborhood.

The historic image and stories are courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer.  

A beautiful snow blanketed Irvington c1938. Walter and Mary Palmer built the home in 1920 or 1921. A similar home exists along the 300 block of North Bolton Avenue. 

Walter and Mary Palmer dwelled at 333 North Audubon Road for decades. In 1943, they posed next to their fireplace for this image.  

Mary Fee Palmer proudly posed with her son, Dick, in 1921 on the front porch of 333 North Audubon Road.

Newborn, Thomas Richard or Dick Palmer, smiles from his baby carriage on the front porch of 333 North Audubon Road in 1921. He spent the remainder of his childhood in the home.  

Friday, April 15, 2016

The Palmers Move to Irvington

Dr. Walter Palmer (1884-1974) grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio under modest circumstances, but managed to put himself through veterinarian school. In 1916, he married Mary Fee (1889-1976) of Clarksburg, Indiana. They had two sons although their first son, John, died in 1920 at the age of three. Their second son, Thomas Richard, was born in 1921.

Dr. Palmer worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Federal Building in downtown Indianapolis although he spent most of his time at the Kingan & Company Meat Packing Plant. The couple made the decision to move to Irvington and they first rented houses at 210 South Ritter Avenue (1916-1918),  527 North Emerson Avenue (1918-1919), and then at 5712 East Michigan Street (1919-1921) before building a bungalow at 333 North Audubon Road in 1921.

In the photos below, you can see Mary Fee Palmer standing in front of her Emerson Avenue home after a major snowstorm in 1918. The homes most visible in the image were those of her neighbors at 549 and 601 North Emerson Avenue. The McKibben and Lazenby families dwelled in those homes.

Stay tuned for more stunning photographs and stories of Irvington from this interesting family.

Mary Fee Palmer stood along the sidewalk in front of her home at 527 North Emerson Avenue after a snowstorm in 1918.

On wintery day in 1918, Mary Fee Palmer posed for her husband, Dr. Walter Palmer, on the sidewalk leading up to their home at 527 North Emerson Avenue. The home most visible in the image belonged to the McKibben family at 549 North Emerson Avenue. This home was later altered and the front door was moved to face North Street. 

527, 549, and 601 North Emerson Avenue in 2016
The historic images and stories are courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer.  

Friday, April 8, 2016

Color Polaroid Shows Ritter Avenue Home

Hess and Josephine Jones first moved into 273 South Ritter Avenue in 1937. They would stay for another forty years and raise their children here.  Sometime in 1970, a member of the family grabbed a Polaroid camera and took an exterior photograph of the Queen Anne styled cottage. It had been painted bluish gray for decades.  Later residents would encase the dwelling with blue vinyl siding.

The Jones family dwelled at 273 South Ritter Avenue when this Polaroid image was snapped.


273 South Ritter Avenue in 2014
The historic image is courtesy of the Jones Family Collection.  

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Irving Circle Park in 1941

Over the decades, the small Irving Circle Park has served as a lovely spot for taking photos of friends and family. As a nearby resident, I can assure you that in 2016 it happens weekly. In the spring of 1941, Donna Garland and Barbara Jones brought their camera and a beloved pet to document their friendship. In the photos, you will see that the girls are mainly in the western part of the park with their camera pointing east. Behind the young ladies, you can see the doubles at 237-39 and 245-47 South Audubon Road as well as 251 South Audubon Road.  Dr. Walter Kelly owned the large double at 237-39. In 1941, he rented the other half of his residence to the DeHaven family.  Next door the Bowmans and Myers resided in the large American Four Square double. The Johnston family lived in the beautiful arts and crafts home located at 251 South Audubon Road. You will also note that there was not much of a fountain in the park during those years. You can see a small concrete base that contained a pipe that shot out water during the warmer months.

Donna Garland posed for Barbara Jones in the spring of 1941 in the Irving Circle Park. Behind her, you can see the double at 245-47 South Audubon Road and the house at 251 South Audubon Road. 

Barbara Jones posed with a beloved pet in the Irving Circle Park in the spring of 1941. Behind her you can see Dr. Walter Kelly's darkly stained double at 237-39 South Audubon Road and the large green American Four Square double at 245-47 South Audubon Road.

Donna Garland posed in the Irving Circle Park in the spring of 1941. Behind her, you can see the small concrete base that housed a water spout. Barbara Jones, the photographer, aimed her camera east towards University Avenue.