Her First Big Walk--1904

In these sweet images, Charles Hackleman takes his daughter for a walk along Ritter Avenue sometime in 1904.  The photos are remarkable for what they reveal behind the couple.  Notice that the street is dirt.  Soon after these photos were taken, the city began to install brick pavers.  Only one house in the photo still stands in 2012 and that is 19 North Ritter Avenue. (foreground) Both 15 and 11 North Ritter are long gone.  In the first photo, you can see the rear of 5502 East Washington Street if you look closely.

Charles and Helen Hackleman go for a walk in 1904 along Ritter Avenue

Helen Hackleman looks toward her Mom, Grace Hackleman, as she walks with her father, Charles, in 1904.

In the second photo, a man walks across the street towards the Hacklemans.  Of course, he is unidentified, but it could have been Daniel Pike, a bookkeeper and grocer who dwelled at 19; it could have been Arthur E. or Harold C. Larsh, a bookkeeper and clerk, who dwelled at 15; or it might have been Geroge C. Harper, a tinner, who rented 11 North Ritter Avenue.  We will likely never know.

Notice that Ritter used to have some green space in between the sidewalk and the street.  That was removed by the WPA in the 1930s to widen the busy avenue.  Trees used to provide a nice canopy over the route.

19 North Ritter on October 1, 2012 

The historic images are courtesy of Karen Bastian Clark.  The contemporary image reveals a very different view in 2012.  The Pike Home still stands, but asphalt now makes up the majority of the area. Homes closest to Washington Street have always been the most endangered structures as parking became a premium throughout the decades.