Irvington Intersection Then and Now

       A winter storm arrived in Indianapolis on January 30, 1914. It began as sleet and then as folks slumbered several inches fell upon the rooftops and blanketed the city. An Indianapolis News reporter noted the next day that "...when the city awoke in the morning it was confronted with a winter scene that no pen or camera could worthily portray." 

     Meanwhile in Irvington photographer Albert B. Francis set up his tripod and camera on Sunday morning, February 1, 1914, at the intersection of South Audubon Road and Julian Avenue.  He did not live in the neighborhood so we are unclear if he was there to document a snowy scene or if he was commissioned. He stood across the street from the "Y" turn around for the streetcar on Julian Avenue and aimed his lens at a group of people next to car #907. 

     Streetcars provided neighborhood residents the opportunity to ride into downtown Indianapolis for work or to shop. One of the lines came down the middle of East Washington Street and turned south down Audubon Road to the commercial area in the 100 block. Then, the car had to back up two blocks to Julian Avenue so that it could turn around and head north to the National Road. The spot where it had to turn around was called the "Y" due to its shape. 

     On that snowy morning two streetcar employees whose names might be David or Fred or Wesley (see below) stood next to the car. A regal-looking woman appeared to be walking down towards them in front of the beautiful brick bungalow at 69 South Audubon Road. An elegantly dressed couple posed across the street. Behind them many branches laid on the grounds of the Julian home at 115 South Audubon Road. Perhaps there had been ice as well? Marion County Historian Steve Barnett researched the streetcar and found out that it had been built in 1908 in Cincinnati and retired in 1935. 

A little over 112 years after that beautiful snowstorm covered Irvington, I grabbed my camera on a beautiful early spring day and snapped the same view. The streetcar is gone and of course all of the folks in that photo departed long ago, but the house remains as do the curb cuts for the "Y." Will someone stop by and snap the same image 112 years from today? I hope so! 

A streetcar parked on Julian Avenue next to 69 South Audubon Road on February 1, 1914 (Irvington Historical Society)

The intersection of Julian Avenue and South Audubon Road on March 24, 2026

On the back of the photo there is writing but it is difficult to decipher. I see Mabel Johns or is it Mabel Johnson? "Bernie's uncle...Wesley or Fred" and then there is David Werner or is it Weiner or Weaver or Wesner or...Drop me a note on the email listed on this page if you figure it out! 

Sources:  Indiana Album list of photographers including A.B. Francis; Polk's Indianapolis City Directories, 1913-1915; Unpublished research by Steve Barnett, Marion County Historian; Snowstorm--"And It Was Only On Thursday Somebody Thought He Saw a Robin," Indianapolis News, January 31, 1914, p. 16.

Photos Show East Tenth Street Before Linwood Square

      On May 12, 1950, patrolman Millard Swain guided his motorcycle westbound on East Tenth Street near Linwood Avenue. It was a beautiful morning and he was just conducting his rounds when he slammed into a 1946 Dodge sedan driven by 74-year-old George Grist of Greenfield, Indiana just as the elderly man exited Linwood Avenue. The impact threw the police officer from his bike and he broke his wrist. A crowd gathered as a few police officers and an ambulance arrived. One of those officers was a police photographer named Wehman Hiner who documented the scene. While Mr. Hiner was there to record the accident of one his fellow officers, he inadvertently captured a vanished world. No one was charged that day, but Mr. Hiner's photographs show us what the Linwood Square area looked like before the shopping center arrived in 1963. 

     For decades the Madinger and Neuerburg families owned 23 acres of land south of Tenth Street, north of St. Clair Street, west of Linwood Avenue, and east of Gladstone Avenue. It remained undeveloped through much of the 20th century. Leonard Neuerburg built a two-story brick home on Tenth Street in the nineteenth century. Another family member built a grocery store visible in the photos below. That store was located on the southwest corner of Tenth Street and Linwood Avenue. In 1950, Mrs. Delia Spillman ran an antique shop out of the former store at 4425 East 10th Street. She might be the lady leaning up against a light pole in the second photo. If you look closely, you can see the Rosario Romano Fruit Stand just beyond the antique shop and the rooftop of the Neuerburg home. Over the years, Albert Neuerburg had allowed various Little League teams to play on multiple diamonds on his land just south of Tenth Street. As president of the Sherman-Emerson League he also permitted a Mardi Gras celebration each year on the property as a fundraiser for that civic organization. Across the street, you can see the tidy bungalows, many of which still exist in the 4400 block of East Tenth Street. 

   After Albert Neuerburg died, his estate sold the entire property including the structures to the Kimco Corporation in the spring of 1963. The developers immediately knocked down Mrs. Spillman's antique shop, the fruit stand, and the historic Neuerburg home. A new day had arrived, but on May 12, 1950, as officer Swain went to the hospital to reset his wrist, residents along East Tenth Street returned to their lives on that busy Friday morning. 

Police photographer Wehman Hiner aimed his camera west on East Tenth Street at the Linwood Avenue intersection on May 12, 1950. The larger building on the left started as a general store operated by the Neuerburg family at 4425 East Tenth Street. By 1950, Delia Spillman sold antiques out of the building. On the north side of the street beyond the crowd, you can see bungalows in the 4400 block of East Tenth Street. (Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Collection, Digital Indy)

Officer Millard Swain crashed into a sedan at East Tenth Street and Linwood Avenue on May 12, 1950. Behind the cars you can see a woman leaning next to a light pole by the antique shop. Might this be Mrs. Spillman? (Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Collection, Digital Indy)

Police photographer Wehman Hiner documented the crash from several angles. In this view, he snapped the rear of the motorcycle while looking east. The group of onlookers stood in the parking lot of a filling station run by James E. McDowell at 4502 East Tenth Street. (Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Collection, Digital Indy)

Baist map, 1941; Tenth Street is at the top of the map. The Neuerburgs owned most of what would later be known as Linwood Square. The Madinger (misspelled as Maddinger) family married into the Neuerburg (misspelled as Neuerberg) family. 

     To see more of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police photos, click on the link below:

Police Photos (Digital Indy)

     I wish to thank Patrick Pearsey, the historian for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department for his assistance particularly on identifying Wehman Hiner, and for all of the work he is doing preserving what might be the largest photo collection of the city of Indianapolis.  

Sources:  Accident scene:  "Cycle Patrolman Hurt," Indianapolis Star, May 13, p. 3; "Cycle Patrolman Breaks Wrist in Crash," Indianapolis News, May 13, 1950, p. 9; Linwood Square--"Shopping Center Gets Final Ok," Indianapolis News, April 9, 1963, p. 25; Little League--"Dedication of Neuerburg Field to Climax East Side Drive to 'Get Kids Off Street'," Indianapolis Star, June 19, 1954, p. 2; East side Mardi Gras--"Leslie to Speak at Mardi Gras," Indianapolis Star, July 21, 1929, p. 21. 

Brookville Village Opened in 1949

      Four years after the end of World War II, the city of Indianapolis faced a housing shortage. Prices for existing homes remained out of reach for many residents. War-time shortages in certain sectors had hindered development, but that soon would change as developers purchased vacant land on the outskirts of the city. By the late 1940s, most of the land around Irvington had been developed, but there were still opportunities. Many acres east of South Audubon Road, west of Arlington Avenue, north of Brookville Road, and south of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad sat vacant on what was formerly the Shimer and Hartman family farms. 

     Developers Louis and Mildred Markun purchased the land and came up with a novel idea. They saw an opportunity that could benefit the city and would-be home buyers. The Markuns planned to build dozens of prefabricated homes and sell the properties for modest prices. For $400 dollars as a downpayment and $40 a month, local residents could own a piece of the American dream.  The houses ranged in cost from $6000 to $6400. An Indianapolis News article praised the couple for helping to ease the housing shortage in the city. Mildred Markun took the lead on the project. She had already made a name for herself as leader. Mayor John Kern had appointed her as only the third woman on the Park Board in 1935. Governor Henry Schricker appointed her to several other boards.  When a reporter questioned her about leading such an endeavor she responded that she "would rather be in business than just keeping house." 

     The Markuns hired Detroit architect Richard Pollman to design the homes. They employed Emanuel Farley & Son to construct the modest two and three bedroom dwellings.  The first house open to the public was at 515 South Audubon Road. The residence, painted white with green shutters, served as the model for the neighborhood. An Indianapolis Star article featured the house on March 20, 1949. The two-bedroom home, erected on a slab, had hardwood floors throughout and asphalt tile in the kitchen and bathroom. Mr. Pollman designed a large picture window in the living room along with a dinette and a utility room. Contractor Farley insulated the home. The house came with a forced-air Silent Sioux oil heating system and a waterheater. The kitchen was described as "streamlined" with an American 64" sink and steel kitchen cabinets. Mrs. Markun worked with Wm. H. Block Department Store to furnish the spec house. 

     Hundreds of people toured the house and the development during the open house. Many of those who walked through the residence worked across the street at the International Harvester plant. To say that the venture was a success might be an understatement.  In one week, the Markuns sold 153 houses to families and individuals. Their million-dollar investment proved to be a sound one. They later built other subdivisions north of Irvington. The small homes have served the community for nearly 80 years. Most of them have been altered or enlarged over time. 

Aerial shot of the intersection of Shimer and South Graham Avenues, 1949 (courtesy of Bass Co. Photo Collection, Indiana Historical Society)

Aerial photograph of Brookville Village located north of the International Harvester factory, 1949; The wide street is Brookville Road. In the distance, you can see the homes along South Arlington Avenue and those located north of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. (courtesy of Bass Photo Co. Photo Collection, Indiana Historical Society)

Two historical homes are visible in this aerial shot of Brookville Village in 1949. In the foreground you can see the home belonging to the Sutter family at 5718 Brookville Road. It is no longer standing. In the distance you can see the former Hartman farmhouse at 5802 Brookville Road. It is still standing in 2026. The Meyer family lived there in 1949. New homes along Shimer Avenue, South Graham Avenue, and Greenfield Avenue awaited their new homeowners. (courtesy of the Bass Co. Photo Collection, Indiana Historical Society)

Aerial photograph of new homes along Shimer, Greenfield, and Arlington Avenues in 1949; (courtesy of Bass Photo Co., Indiana Historical Society)

Aerial photograph of Brookville Village located in southern Irvington, 1949 (photo courtesy of Bass Photo Co., Indiana Historical Society)

Ad for Brookville Village spec home at 515 South Audubon Road (Indianapolis Star, March 20, 1949, p. 72)

515 South Audubon Road served as the model home for the Brookville Village subdivision. (Google Streetview, August, 2022)

Mildred Markun served as the lead developer on the Brookville Village subdivision. (Indianapolis Star, October 31, 1943, p. 59)

Sources:  Brookville Village--Roger Budrow, "Million-Dollar Subdivision Due With 170 Homes," Indianapolis News, January 7, 1949, p. 1; "Brookville Village," Indianapolis News, January 10, 1949, p. 10; "Brookville Village Housing Project To Be Open Sunday," Indianapolis Star, March 18, 1949, p. 43; "154 Homes Sold in Housing Project," Indianapolis Star, March 27, 1949, p. 27; "$6,400 Homes Are 'Sold Out'," Indianapolis News, March 22, 1949, p. 1; Mildred Markun--Lotys Benning Stewart, "They Achieve," Indianapolis Star, October 31, 1943, p. 54; Louis Markun--"Louis Markun Dies; Apartment Builder," Indianapolis Star, November 1, 1973, p. 61. 

The Marchal Family Purchased an Irvington Double in 1942

      In 1942, Clarence and Edna Marchal purchased a nearly-twenty-year-old double on the northwest corner of South Audubon Road and Julian Avenue. The property sat on the former Sylvester Johnson estate. Built in the American Foursquare style c1924, the double had addresses for both streets. The Marchals moved into 5654 Julian Avenue and leased out 72 South Audubon Road. Eventually, the couple along with their two children, Roger and Sharon, moved into the Audubon Road side as Mrs. Marchal preferred that address. 

     Besides earning an income from their double, Mr. Marchal worked at both Diamond Chain Company and later at Allison Engine Company. Mrs. Marchal stayed home to raise the children although later she worked for both H. P. Wasson Company at Eastgate Mall and at J.C. Penny's Department Store in downtown Indianapolis. Roger Marchal, who loaned us the photos, grew up in the double and graduated from Howe High School in 1960. He had many fond memories of the property including the fact that they had one of the first television sets in the area. He noted that many friends enjoyed coming to his home to view the new invention. Mrs. Marchal loved flowers and every year she filled her pots and beds with many beautiful varieties. The Marchals owned the property until 2004! 

Family reunion: Roger Marchal, Jim Tool, Sharon Marchal, John Ruby, and Polly Edwards gathered in the front yard at 72 South Audubon in 1952. Raymond Lichti, an uncle to Roger and Sharon, parked his Chevrolet along Julian Avenue. (photo courtesy of Roger Marchal)

Theodore Rodenbeck leased 5654 Julian Avenue from the Marchals in the mid-1960s. (photo courtesy of Roger Marchal)

The Marchals planted this beautiful spruce tree in their front yard at 72 South Audubon Road. It came down during a strong windstorm recently. (photo courtesy of Roger Marchal)

Clarence and Edna Marchal spent 62 years of their lives in the double at 72 South Audubon Road. In this photo, snapped in 1998, Mr. Marchal was 93 and Mrs. Marchal was 89. (photo courtesy of Roger Marchal)

     I wish to thank Roger and Mary Marchal for their stories and photos about this property. Mr. Marchal is very involved with the Howe Alumni Association. 

Renowned Black Baritone Graduated from Butler University's Irvington Campus

    

     On June 15, 1925, Butler University seniors gathered outside under a grove of trees on Irvington's campus to receive their diplomas. Sitting among those hopeful students was Robert Todd Duncan.  He was born in Danville, Kentucky to John and Lettie (Cooper) Duncan on February 12, 1903. Later newspaper accounts noted that his mother named him Robert Todd after Abraham Lincoln's son since he was born on Lincoln's birthday. The family moved to Indianapolis when he was four and he remained in the city until his graduation from Butler University.  His mother was his first music teacher. She taught him how to play the piano beginning at age five. He also happened to be blessed with the most wonderful baritone voice as an adult. His mother, who raised him on Martindale Avenue (later Dr. Andrew J. Brown Avenue), worked multiple jobs and saved every penny to send him to Butler. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.

      His career after Butler is fabled. He earned a Master's degree from Columbia University and started teaching at Howard University. Everything changed when he auditioned for the role of "Porgy" in "Porgy and Bess" in 1935. George Gershwin, the composer of the opera, had auditioned many other singers before hearing Robert Todd Duncan. Gershwin knew immediately that he had found his Porgy. Mr. Duncan went on to sing in many other operas around the world. He sang on television stations at the BBC in the UK and NBC in the US. He never forgot his hometown and he returned frequently, often giving lectures. Sadly, his mother passed away just as his career was taking off. He lamented in newspaper articles that he wished she could have seen his success. 

     While much is known about his career, little is known about his time at Butler University. I have been contacted by a researcher who is looking into these early years. If you know of any sources or experts, please send me an email linked on this page. If you would like to hear his beautiful voice, click on the link below. 

In 1924, Robert Todd Duncan sat for his photograph for the Butler Drift his junior year. The editors

 of the yearbook placed the three Black students who posed for their shot separate and away from the white students. Robert Todd Duncan was placed as the last student when in reality, he would become the first. No one in that class would achieve such fame. 

In 1924, Robert Todd Duncan sat for his photograph for the Butler Drift his junior year. The editors

Sources:  "Butler Graduates Will Get Degrees Monday Morning," Indianapolis Star, June 13, 1925, p. 2; John K. Shephard, "Ladder to the Stars," Indianapolis Star, February 19, 1950, p. 96; Obituary for Lettia Cambron, Indianapolis Star, April 21, 1935, p. 41. 

  

Robert Todd Duncan singing songs from Porgy and Bess

Important Indianapolis Black-Owned Landmark Discovered in Sumner Images

      For the past several years, a group of local researchers have been busy trying to identify hundreds of images in the Osbert Sumner photo collection. Mr. Sumner, who lived in Irvington, documented many scenes throughout Marion County in between 1898 and 1903. Some of the photos have stymied our faithful researchers as Mr. Sumner was originally from Canada. As you would expect, he also snapped images there. We wondered about a tall three-story structure located on a body of water. Was this in Oakville, Ontario? The answer was no. Last week, historian Deedee Davis, solved the mystery. The Park House sometimes known as the Franklin House stood at 126 North Missouri Street along the Central Canal in what is today, downtown Indianapolis. 

      While the story of this building is still unfolding, here is what we know. The Indianapolis Sentinel recorded that Thomas Nelson took out a building permit for the large house in 1865. An Indianapolis News article indicates that it was Black-owned by at least 1870. Over the next several decades, dozens of black families and individuals moved in and out of the boarding house. Its position along the stagnant and defunct canal and across the street from a large brewery did not make it an ideal location. Numerous additions to the sprawling structure also provided rooms for folks who might not be staying long in the city. If you zoom in on the Sumner image, you will see the word "Hotel" on the sign. We also know that black members of the Grand Army of the Republic (Civil War veterans) held a reunion in the house in 1890. 

     By the late 1890s, a dispute over the ownership and the deterioration of the building led many city officials to call for closing the boarding house.  In 1900, the city condemned the building and ordered that it be demolished. Dozens of people lost their home. Before its removal, a census taker named Frank D. Hester arrived on June 1, 1900, and recorded the last residents. His documentation revealed that 22 people still lived on the property. Many had been enslaved in their younger years. While most could read or write, some of the older residents could not.  Most were from the South and had moved north during the beginning of the Great Migration. George W. Harris managed the house and lived there with his wife, Alice, and several of their children, including Effie Jane, Ida May, Geneva, Susana, Charlotte, Edna, and Jeanette. Mary and Joseph Dobbins leased rooms from Mr. Harris. She was a cook and he worked as a day laborer. Other people to live in the house that year included: Clarabel Huston, 39; Spencer Brown, 60; Abram and Augusta McCallister; Samuel Haddox, 59; William Turner, 28; William Shiflett, 40; John Scott, 56; Perry Fishback, 57; Martha and Florence Neal; and Berry Crabtree 18. 

     Now we have to get to the question as to why Osbert Sumner photographed this landmark. Believe it or not, his maternal grandfather's name was Thomas Nelson! We believe that he was likely documenting a structure built by his grandfather before it was torn down sometime in 1900 or 1901.  How did Deedee Davis solve this mystery? While researching another topic she came upon the Indianapolis News article and photo seen below. Stay tuned as we continue to identify more images from the Osbert Sumner collection. 

Irvington resident, Osbert Sumner, photographed the boarding house at 126 North Missouri Avenue one block from the Indiana State Capitol building c1900 (Irvington Historical Society)

If you look closely, you can see "Park House" printed on the side of the boarding house formerly located at 126 North Missouri Street. You can also see the footbridge that used to cross the canal. (Indianapolis News, December 1, 1900, p. 3)

The 1898 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows the exact location of 126 South Missouri Street along the bend in the canal in between Market and Ohio Streets. Across the canal workers toiled in the American Brewery Company, a large brick industrial building. (Library of Congress)

Google satellite imagery reveals that nothing remains of the former neighborhood except the canal where the Park/Franklin House once stood. (Google Earth)

     To See Sumner's images of the Benton House in Irvington, click on the link below:

Benton House by Osbert Sumner

    

I wish to thank Deedee Davis for her tenacious research on the Sumner Collection.

Sources:  Building Permit--Indianapolis Sentinel, March 16, 1865, p. 3; Black owned hotel--Indianapolis News, May 27, 1870, p. 4; Indianapolis News, July 23, 1870, p. 1; Ads for boarding house--Indianapolis News, April 12, 1872, p. 1 and Indianapolis News, November 29, 1872, p. 29; Refurbished A.T. Ramsey--Indianapolis News, June 2, 1874, p. 1 and Indianapolis News, June 12, 1874, p. 1; Reunion for GAR--"Reunion of Colored Soldiers," Indianapolis Journal, September 27, 1890, p. 5; Legal issues--"A Complicated Mortgage Case," Indianapolis Journal, September 11, 1896, p. 8; Condemnation--"Franklin House Condemned," Indianapolis News, November 26, 1900, p. 8 and "Board of Works Routine," Indianapolis Journal, November 29, 1900, p. 8.

Family Posed on Emerson Heights Porch, c1920

     Alonzo and Ada Gordon Shepherd moved into their new home at 729 North Riley Avenue in 1919. The lovely two-story Arts and Crafts house had been built by George J. Adrian throughout the summer of that year. Hundreds of families had already moved into Emerson Heights by the time the Shepherds arrived. A nearby streetcar made it convenient for residents like the Shepherds to get to downtown Indianapolis for work or for shopping.

     Mr. Shepherd worked as a foreman for the Furnas Ice Cream Company formerly located at 133 North Alabama Street. The L. Strauss & Co. Department Store, also located downtown, employed Mrs. Shepherd as a saleswoman. Census records reveal that a variety of extended family members lived with the Shepherds in their Riley Avenue home. In 1920, a census taker recorded that Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd were both 36 years old. Also living with them was Bessie Gordon, age 14. She was related to Mrs. Shepherd. Ten years later, another census taker arrived and recorded that Bessie Gordon, age 25, still lived with the Shepherds. She served as a cashier at an ice cream shop. A nephew, Floyd McDaniel, age 20, worked as an auto mechanic and also resided there. By 1930, the Shepherds had also added a son, Robert Shepherd, who was 9 years old at the time of the census.

     On June 12, 1930, Bessie Gordon married Orville Price at 8:30PM at the Shepherd home. The Indianapolis Star recorded that the family "improvised" an altar of ferns, palms, and garden flowers. Miss Gordon was escorted by Mr. Shepherd down an "aisle" of white ribbon." Mary E. Lawler, a pianist, Mildred Lawler, a violinist, and Robert Shultz, a cornetist, performed "O Promise Me," "To a Wild Rose," and "The World is Waiting for Sunrise." Ruby Fuehrer sang "I Love You Truly," and "At Dawning." Reverend Oscar R. McKay, a baptist minister, conducted the ceremony. The newly-married couple settled nearby on Bancroft Avenue.

     For the next several decades Alonzo and Ada Shepherd continued to reside at their Riley Avenue home. Their son, Robert Shepherd served during World War II. In June of 1943, he received a furlough to visit his parents and it was a good thing because Mr. Shepherd died a little over a year later in 1944. Mrs. Shepherd lived in the house until her death in 1970. Recently, a photograph of the Shepherds appeared on EBAY. That image was donated to the Irvington Historical Society. You can see that image below. 

Ada Gordon Shepherd (upper right), Alonzo Shepherd (lower right) posed with Bessie Gordon (in white) and Doras Gordon Morrow (later Thompson) at 729 North Riley Avenue c1920. 

     I wish to thank Wayne Sharp and Kathleen Price Crawford for their assistance in researching the people in the photo.

Sources:  The 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950 Federal Census Records; Polk's Indianapolis City Directories, 1919-1971; Construction of house--"Building Permits," Indianapolis Star, February 20, 1919, p. 13; Bessie Gordon wedding--"Local Couple Wed in Home Ceremony," Indianapolis Star, June 13, 1930, p. 7; Robert Shepherd furlough during WWII--Indianapolis Star. June 20, 1943, p. 36; Obituaries--"Alonzo D. Shepherd Funeral Saturday," Indianapolis News, September 14, 1944, p. 12; "Ada Shepherd," Indianapolis News, December 26, 1970, p. 14; "Bessie Gordon Price," Indianapolis Star, September 19, 1993, p. 79; "Robert E. Shepherd," Indianapolis Star, March 13, 2001, p. 17.