Tragedy at East New York Street and Linwood Avenue--1946

A crowd gathered at the intersection of East New York Street and Linwood Avenue on May 1, 1946. It was a rainy and sadly a tragic day for Mrs. Luella Cummings, who dwelled at 423 North Linwood Avenue. The eighty-year old woman was attempting to walk across New York Street when she was struck and killed by Dexter Maitland of Los Angeles, California. Mr. Maitland was later charged with reckless driving, vagrancy, and failure to maintain his brakes.

The shops visible in the photograph were located at 4417 to 4427 East New York Street. The Tudor-Revival structure still stands in 2018. The accident had been on a Wednesday afternoon so it was likely that all of the businesses were open and perhaps hosting customers. Some of the shops operating that day included:  Ward's Radio Service, Elmo Douglas Photography, Janie Hughes Beauty Shop, G & S Gift Novelties, and Red Seal Cleaners. If you zoom in on the faces of the men, you will note that they have grave expressions. Were they customers in the shops? Business owners? Is one of the men Mr. Maitland? The Buick in the photograph belonged to him. One police officer is identified as Audry Jacobs.  Inspector Jacobs worked in the traffic division for the Indianapolis Police Department for years. At age 15, his father was killed by a drunken driver so he dedicated his life to various causes that could help with traffic safety including one-way streets, synchronized traffic signals, and "walk-wait" signals.

With School #58 located nearby, the police department likely had to work quickly to get the area cleared before the dismissal of the pupils.

4417 E. New York Street accident scene--1946 (image courtesy of Patrick Pearsey) 

Scene of the Tragedy: Luella Cummings of 423 N. Linwood Avenue was struck and killed as she walked across East New York Street on May 1, 1946.

Luella Cummings

The historic image is courtesy of Patrick Pearsey and Indy Long Ago Facebook page. Information for this article came from "Woman Pedestrian, 80, is Year's 25th City Traffic Victim," Indianapolis News, May 2, 1946; Obituary of Audry Jacobs, Indianapolis News, December 28, 1968, 11.

The Final Days of the International Harvester/ Navistar Plant

Irvington has gone through many changes over the years. The neighborhood began as an exclusive enclave, morphed into a college town, and by the mid-twentieth century it had transitioned into an industrial era. While the original founders might have chafed at the notion that factories might be constructed near the community, it would be enterprises like the addition of the International Harvester plant at 5565 Brookville Road in 1938 that would keep the area stable for the remainder of the twentieth century.

Shortly after its construction, factory workers and management began to purchase or lease residences throughout Irvington. It would be an easy walk or a quick drive to work. During World War II, the factory became instrumental into contributing to the "arsenal of democracy."  Sons followed their fathers into the plant as workers brought home decent wages. A similar story unfolded when Navistar moved in.

Today, the factory is silent as are many nearby. In the spring of 2018, demolition crews have been working around the clock to dismantle this once vibrant place. The Irvington Historical Society has been documenting the lives and stories of the workers at the plants. If you are in the Indianapolis area, be sure to stop by the Bona Thompson Center and check out the rooms dedicated to this era of Irvington's history.

The former International Harvester/ Navistar plant in the spring of 2018

Coming Down: The International Harvester/ Navistar factory at 5565 Brookville Road (spring, 2018)

Police Accident Along South Emerson in 1945

William and Orpha Lawson were the first family to call the modest bungalow at 156 South Emerson Avenue "home." They had lived in the residence since 1928 along with their only child, Gerald.  The house located just two lots north of the Pennsylvania Railroad would be an apt place for the family to live as Mr. Lawson served as a conductor for that rail line. On a cool evening on November 30, 1945, the Lawson home became the scene of an accident involving a police car. It must have been a minor accident as there was no write-up in any of the Indianapolis newspapers and the photograph from that evening shows little damage to squad car 33.  Were the Lawsons home at the time?  Their dwelling is barely visible in the darkness that had descended upon the neighborhood.

In researching this accident and trying to uncover morsels about the Lawsons, I found a rather remarkable story. Gerald or Jerry Lawson, the only child of William and Orpha Lawson, graduated from Shortridge High School. The handsome young man lived with his parents on Emerson Avenue and eventually met a stunningly beautiful local Shortridge graduate named Priscilla Shortridge. He quickly discovered that the high school had been named for her grandfather although her father, Elmer Shortridge, was a foreman for a local railroad. The couple married on March 6, 1932, at the Englewood Christian Church. She was 18 and he was 25. Nothing in this story so far is unusual, but everything changed on September 24, 1933, when Jerry died of pneumonia. His nineteen-year-old widow signed his death certificate.

Priscilla Shortridge Lawson packed her bags and with her own mother in tow traveled to Miami Beach, Florida where she entered a beauty contest. It is unknown whether the Miss Miami Beach promoters knew that Priscilla Lawson had been married, but she won the contest. Soon, she and her Mother were off to Hollywood, California. Several Hollywood casting agents noticed her beauty and she received several smaller parts including as Princess Aura in Rocket Ship (1936).  Censors demanded that the directors reshoot some of her scenes in the film due to her skimpy costumes. The entire time she remained in Hollywood she was known Miss Priscilla Lawson even after she married actor, Alan Curtis. None of her Hollywood biographies ever mention how she acquired the name Lawson and poor Jerry seems to have vanished in history.

And while Priscilla Lawson appears to have never mentioned her first husband again, nearly every year after his death, William and Orpha Lawson published tributes to their deceased son in the Indianapolis News.  By the time of the fender bender in the photograph below, Miss Lawson's career was over and her former in-laws prepared for retirement.

A damaged police car parked in front of 156 South Emerson Avenue on a dark night on November 30, 1945 (photo courtesy of Patrick Pearsey and the Indianapolis Long Ago Facebook Page)

156 South Emerson Avenue in 2018: It was built in 1928 for William and Orpha Lawson.

Gerald Lawson, the son of William and Orpha Lawson (156 S. Emerson Avenue) died tragically young leaving a young widow.  (source: Indianapolis News, September 26, 1933)

Priscilla Shortridge married Gerald Lawson in 1932 at age 18. She was a widow by age 19. She eventually won a beauty contest and received several acting roles in Hollywood films in the 1930s and early 1940s. She died in 1958 at the age of 44. (source:  Indianapolis Star, December 19, 1937)

Intersection and Accident Scene in 1945 and 2018

On November 26, 1945, a police officer was involved in an accident at the intersection of East Washington Street and Audubon Road. It was not a terrible crash, but someone from the Indianapolis Police Department documented the scene. While the focus of the photographer is on the damaged vehicle, behind the squad car you can see the Audubon Court Apartments and the two houses that used to stand at 5723 and 5731 East Washington Street. Beyond the two houses, you can view the Indiana Bell Telephone Building.  The historic images are courtesy of Patrick Pearsey and the Indianapolis Long Ago Facebook page.

Damaged Police Car: Parked on the north side of East Washington Street, you can see some of the commercial strip that used to sit on north side of the street in 1945 as well as what is today called the Suites of Irvington Apartments at 5730 East Washington Street.

In this view, you can see the Audubon Court Apartments as well as the homes that used to sit at 5723 and 5731 East Washington Street. The Pinnick and Lawler families dwelled in those homes at the time of the accident in 1945.  

The intersection of East Washington Street and Audubon Road in 2018.  

The Stone House on the Corner

One of the most intriguing and unusual homes in Irvington is located at 380 South Emerson Avenue. Likely built in 1907 for Elmer and Luella Gay, the house appears to face Brookville Road, but has an Emerson Avenue address. Mr. Gay worked for the New York Store and Pettis Dry Goods. He was also involved in Republican party politics.  Mrs. Gay was an active club woman and helped to raise their two daughters, Dorothy and Hazel. The 1910 Federal Census reveals that the Gays also had an African-American servant named Kate Tarant living with them along with Mrs. Gay's mother, Ada Smith.

Little is known about the construction of the residence nor why the Gays chose fieldstone, but they did hail from Maine so perhaps they had been inspired by a house in that state. More investigative work will be needed on this topic.

The "Society" sections of the Indianapolis News and Indianapolis Star reveal that many events and meetings took place in the dwelling. On November 9, 1909, Mrs. Gay hosted the Irvington Tuesday Club and gave a speech on "The Development of the English Novel."  Her daughter, Dorothy, a student at Butler University, hosted a dance at the house on Christmas night, 1913, for the Butler football team and the Pi Beta Phi Sorority. The Indianapolis Star carried a lengthy description of the event. Forty guests attended and found a house decorated for the gala. Mrs. Gay placed clusters of poinsettias and Christmas candles throughout the living room and dining room. Holly dangled from archways and windows.  A small Christmas tree on a large table served as the centerpiece in the dining room. The Gays recruited several adult family members to serve as chaperones.

Perhaps one of the loveliest events to take place in the home occurred on the evening of February 2, 1918, with the wedding of Dorothy Gay to Lt. Clifford R. Wright. Mr. Wright was about to be deployed to Europe during World War One. The Reverend M.L. Haines, a Presbyterian minister, conducted the service.  The couple stood under an archway draped with an American flag as they spoke their vows. A violinist played "The Broken Melody" by August Van Biene and "Ave Maria" by Franz Schubert.  Miss Ruby Winders sang "Out of the Mist," while Miss Vera Sweetman played the piano. Guests sat near the fireplace festooned with palms, ferns, and greenery. Pink and white roses donned nearby tables and window ledges. It must have been a beautiful night.

Mr. Gay had a strong interest in Republican-party politics. He served twice on the Indianapolis Board of Pubic Safety. In 1929, seventeen prominent businessmen in the city endorsed him as a mayoral candidate although he later removed his name in favor of another candidate. In 1930, he was appointed to run the Indiana Masonic Home in Franklin. He had been an active Mason his entire adult life so at the age of 65, he took over the responsibility of running the home. He was a widower at that point in his life as Mrs. Gay had passed away in 1926. His daughter Hazel and her husband Justus Paul took over the responsibility for running the property at 380 South Emerson Avenue. They remained until 1932.  Mr. Gay died in Methodist Hospital in 1954.

Elmer Gay's photo appeared in the Indianapolis Star on November 20, 1909, after he was appointed to the Indianapolis Board of Public Safety by Mayor Lew Shanks

Elmer Gay in 1930

Hazel Gay's wedding announcement appeared in the Indianapolis Star on August 5, 1917. Her sister, Dorothy, married six months later.  

380 South Emerson Avenue in 2018

Sources:  "E.F. Gay Seeks Office of Mayor," Indianapolis Star, September 25, 1929, 1; "E.F. Gay on Board of Public Safety," Indianapolis Star, November 15, 1922, 1; "Elmer F. Gay Withdraws," Indianapolis Star, October 5, 1929, 1; "Gay Named Superintendent of Indiana Masonic Home," Indianapolis Star, July 8, 1930, 1; Elmer Gay Obituary, Indianapolis Star, November 27, 1954, 16; "Society" (Butler Dance) Indianapolis Star, December 26, 1913, 7; "Becomes Officer's Bride," Indianapolis Star. February 3, 1918, 28.

Rushville Couple Move to Irvington

     Carl V. Nipp (1876-1939) grew up in Rushville, Indiana. A talented student, he later graduated from Indiana University and the University of Michigan Law School. He returned to his hometown and opened a law practice eventually serving as the Deputy Prosecutor for the Rush-Shelby County Circuit. He married Ethel Fry (1881-1963), who dwelled on a farm near Raleigh in northern Rush County. The popular couple frequently made the news in Rushville for their travels and gatherings. They lived in a fashionable part of the city and attended the Main Street Christian Church. When a train they were riding on near Muncie was robbed on April 5, 1911, the Rushville Republican carried the story on the front page with quotes from Mr. Nipp, who had to turn over his valuables. Mrs. Nipp gave birth to their two sons, Carroll and Francis, and it appeared as if the couple would spend the rest of their lives in that city, but then Mr. Nipp had another idea.

     In 1922, the Nipps bought a home at 27 South Arlington Avenue in Indianapolis from the Campbell family when Mr. Nipp took a job as an agent for the Continental Insurance Company. Their Rushville friends were likely surprised, but the Nipps never returned. In fact, Mrs. Nipp's mother, Mary Fry Clifton, moved with them to Irvington. In 1926, Mr. Nipp submitted a photograph for a publication called Fellow Citizens of Indianapolis. His business was doing well.  Carroll, their oldest son, eventually married and moved around the corner on Dewey Avenue. He also went into the insurance business. Their second son, Francis, moved to Lansing, Michigan where he became an English professor at Michigan State University.

     The family seems to have weathered the Great Depression and the Nipps continued to dwell in their Arts and Crafts bungalow on Arlington Avenue. The couple could easily visit family in Rushville by either catching a train or merely driving down Highway 52. Tragedy struck the family on May 8, 1939, when Mr. Nipp was involved in a terrible auto accident on Highway 37 near Martinsville. He survived the initial crash, but succumbed at age 63 from his injuries a few weeks later. His hometown had not forgotten him and his death made front-page news in the Rushville Republican. Mrs. Nipp continued to dwell in their Irvington home with her mother.  In July of 1943, Mrs. Fry, the mother of Mrs. Nipp, passed away in the house on Arlington Avenue.  Ethel Nipp was not completely alone however, as she eventually went to live with her son and his family on Dewey Avenue.

Source: Indiana University School Yearbook, 1895

Fellow Citizens of Indianapolis, 1926

Building permits reveal that 27 South Arlington Avenue was constructed in the summer of 1915 for James C. Douglas. The Nipps purchased the home in the early 1920s.  (Photo taken on March 27, 2018)

Sources:  Obituary for Mr. Nipp, Indianapolis Star, May 21, 1939, 14; Rushville Republican, May 20, 1939, 1;  Train Robbery--"Local Man Was There," Rushville Republican. April 6, 1911, 1. Obituary for Mary Fry Clifton, National Road Traveler (Cambridge City, Indiana), July 24, 1943, 7. 

Who Lived Here? The Polen-Rennoe Families (1905-1944)

Luther Polen began life in log cabin near Azalia, Indiana in Bartholomew County. By the time of his death, he had managed to provide a comfortable life for his family in a fashionable house in Irvington. On October 3, 1894, he married Margaret Goble, who came from a family of printers in Greenfield. He worked at Union Station in downtown Indianapolis at the time and eventually became the stationmaster in 1900.

By 1905, the couple moved into the large American Four Square at 34 North Layman Avenue. Mr. Polen officially left his job with the railroad and became a real estate agent in 1908. His earliest sales seem to have not come from Indiana, but rather from Oklahoma. He led groups of potential investors, mainly from Greenfield, down to Oklahoma so that they could purchase farmland. Several Hancock County families moved to that state. The Daily Reporter and the Hancock Democrat noted that Mr. Polen shepherded at least two separate groups of people to Oklahoma in both 1909 and 1910. One has to wonder what became of these folks and their descendants when the Dust Bowl decimated that state in the 1930s.  Soon, the local Indianapolis newspapers carried ads for Luther Polen for land and real estate closer to home. In fact, Polen sold many houses in the Irvington area.

When he wasn't selling real estate, Mr. Polen also sold used cars. He did not have car lot so he would offer one automobile at a time. For instance, in October of 1918, he attempted to sell a used Ford. In 1919, an ad noted that Mr. Polen had a used newly-painted Oakland for sale complete with a new dome light. In subsequent years, he sold an Auburn and a Pathway. He also sold cocker spaniel puppies at the expensive price of $10 to $15 each. He saw a potential investment even in his own large home on Layman Avenue. In 1924, he turned the house into a double.

Margaret Polen was an accomplished business woman.  She served as the bookkeeper for her family's printing business in Greenfield for many years. Eventually, she managed to convince her husband to join the family operation in 1928. She was an active club woman and newspaper articles from the 1910s and 1920s noted her attendance. On July 29, 1924, she hosted a bridge party along with her daughter, Gertrude, for the Delta Delta Delta Sorority. Women played cards at five separate tables set up in the living and dining rooms.

Neighbors along Layman Avenue must have noted the preparations for a big wedding in the home on October 22, 1919, as Gertrude Polen, the only child of the couple, married Lieutenant Henry Elberg. Flowers filled the residence as the young couple stated their vows. It was not a marriage made in paradise, however, as the couple later divorced. Gertrude remarried her forever partner, Edgar Rennoe, in 1926.

Shock and sadness overwhelmed the family on May 2, 1930. Luther Polen was driving along Emerson Avenue towards Brookville Road. Mrs. Polen sat in the passenger seat while Mrs. S.O, Wiggins, a family friend,  who dwelled in the Maplewood Apartments (#5) on Johnson Avenue, sat in the backseat. Unbeknownst to the group, Henry Sayre, who resided in a hotel, was speeding towards them. Unable to stop in time, Mr. Polen slammed into Sayre's car. Everyone in the Polen car was injured. While Mrs. Polen and Mrs. Wiggins survived, Mr. Polen eventually succumbed from his injuries on June 18, 1930.  Henry Sayre was charged with reckless driving, speeding, and assault and battery.

Although it must have been difficult, Mrs. Polen carried on and worked at the printing business. Her daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren also resided with her at 34 North Layman Avenue. The Rennoes, who deserve a separate chapter in this story, dwelled at the home until 1944. Mr. Rennoe worked for Standard Oil.  They eventually moved to 801 North Bolton Avenue. Mrs. Polen passed away in 1946.

Luther Polen submitted this photo in 1926 to Fellow Citizens of Indianapolis.

Gertrude Polen married a World War One veteran, Lieutenant Henry Elberg, in 1919. They later divorced. The Indianapolis Star published this photo of the nineteen-year-old bride.  

Gertrude's second marriage to Edgar Rennoe was covered in the Indianapolis News in 1926. The couple eventually moved into 34 North Layman Avenue and remained there until 1944.  

Gertude Polen Rennoe, the daughter of Luther and Margaret Polen, was very active in numerous clubs. She was President of the School #57 PTA in 1935. Edgar and Gertrude had two children, Edgar, Jr. (Jack) and Margaret Rennoe.  

Mr. Polen frequently sold cars through ads in the Indianapolis newspapers. In 1920, he sold an older Auburn.  (photo credit: Momentcar.com) 

Luther and Margaret Polen moved into 34 North Layman Avenue in 1905. Their daughter, Gertude, and son-in-law, Edgar Rennoe, later resided in the home until 1944. Mr. Polen converted the home into a double in 1924.  

Sources:  "3 Injured in Car Crash," Indianapolis Star, May 3, 1930, 20; Mr Polen's obituary appeared in the Indianapolis Star, June 19, 1930; Oklahoma references: "Bright Side of Oklahoma," Daily Reporter (Greenfield), January 12, 1910, 1; Daily Reporter, October 16, 1909, 2; "Bridge Party for Delta Delta Delta," Indianapolis Star, July 29, 1924, 4.