Children Along Irvington Avenue

On June 5, 1926, Judge Edward Felt was attempting to repair screens on the second story of his tall house at 64 North Irvington Avenue, when he fell from a ladder and on to the driveway below. His neighbor, Dr. John Kingsbury at 72 North Irvington Avenue, rushed to the scene, but tragically the judge passed away from his injuries later at Methodist Hospital.  Tributes and eulogies poured fourth from all over the state as Mr. Felt had served on the Indiana Court of Appeals. He was only 66 years old.

With her children grown and out of the house and with families of their own, Martha Thomas Felt, was now all alone in the large house. One of her children, Elsie Felt Caldwell, lived nearby at 30 North Bosart Avenue with her husband Howard Caldwell, Sr. and two children, Martha Virginia and Howard, Jr.  Mr. Caldwell's mother, Martha Caldwell still owned the Bosart Avenue home so Howard and Elsie made the decision to move in with Mrs. Felt in the larger Irvington Avenue home in 1926. They would remain with her for two years.

Photos from the mid-1920s and later show that the family concentrated on the children and grandchildren.  Snowstorms proved to be perfect opportunities to capture the kids at play. Even after the Caldwells moved out of 64 North Irvington Avenue, they still came back to visit Grandma Felt who remained in the home for many years.

David Browder posed with his cousins Howard and Martha Virginia Caldwell in their Grandmother's backyard at 64 North Irvington Avenue in 1927.  Behind the kids, you can see the Kingsbury home at 72 North Irvington Avenue. (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

Martha Virginia Caldwell pulled David Browder, her cousin, and Howard Caldwell, Jr., her brother, on a sled through some snow in the winter of 1927. The kids were playing in the backyard that belonged to Martha Thomas Felt at 64 North Irvington Avenue. Behind the kids, you can see the rear of 72 North Irvington Avenue. (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

Baby Boom:  Elsie Felt Caldwell, in the middle posed with her baby Martha Virginia Caldwell in 1918 along with two unidentified women and their babies in the front yard of the Felt home at 64 North Irvington Avenue. The second story and roofline of 63 North Irvington Avenue can be seen above the women. (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

We are not certain at this time as to the names of the children in the photo, but behind the kids you can 63 North Irvington Avenue c1925. (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

David Browder and Howard Caldwell, Jr. play in the front yard at 64 North Irvington Avenue c1927. Sadly, we do not know the name of the woman who took care of the boys. We believe her first name might be Lola. Behind the group, you can see the Kingsbury home at 72 North Irvington Avenue (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

Howard Caldwell Jr. on the front walk of 64 North Irvington Avenue in 1928 (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

"Edward" pushes Howard Caldwell, Jr. while a neighborhood girl looked on. The kids were in front of the Stone family home at 60 North Irvington Avenue. (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

64 North Irvington Avenue in 2019

Sources:  "Judge Edward Felt Injured," Hancock Democrat, Jun19, 1926, 2; "Judge Edward Felt Fatally Injured," Hancock Democrat, June 10, 1926, 2;  Indiana Judicial Branch, ind.gov.org;

I am indebted to Ginny Hingst, the great granddaughter of Edward and Martha Felt.

A Beautiful Wedding in a Time of War

Preparing to depart for the Great Lakes Naval Base in 1918, Howard Caldwell came home to see his fiancee, Elsie Felt, at her home at 64 North Irvington Avenue. The couple had first met at Butler University (then called Butler College). Howard graduated from the school in 1915 and Elsie in 1917. For a brief stint, Howard worked in Kokomo, Indiana for the Haynes Auto Company. When the United States entered World War I, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He wanted to be an officer but his eyesight was poor so he memorized the eye chart and managed to get into officer's training school at the Great Lakes Training Station.

Happy Couple: Howard Caldwell and a beaming Elsie Felt posed on her porch at 64 North Irvington Avenue. The couple married on March 23 of that year. 

Elsie Felt was the daughter of Judge Edward and Martha Felt. Her father served as a justice on the Indiana Court of Appeals. The family had previously lived in Greenfield, but moved to Irvington 1910 so that Judge Felt could be nearer to his office in downtown Indianapolis and so that the Felt children could attend Butler University. The Felts lived in a large home on Irvington Avenue and the residence would serve as perfect place for a marriage.

The Felt family lived in Greenfield, Indiana for many years before moving to 64 North Irvington Avenue in 1910. Mr. Felt served as a judge on the Indiana Court of Appeals. Their oldest son, Edward, Jr., died in 1909. 

Elsie Felt dressed for cooler weather in 1918. In this photo, she stood in her backyard at 64 North Avenue. 

Dashing Howard Caldwell smiles for the photographer in 1918 in the front yard of the Felt home at 64 North Irvington Avenue. 

Howard and Elsie selected March 23, 1918, as their wedding date. It was a cool day with a high temperature of only 43 degrees, but at least there was no rain. Headlines in the Indianapolis News likely worried the family as the slaughter of the Great War continued in Europe. Truman Felt, the brother of Elsie, was stationed in France and could not be home for the big event.

Howard Caldwell married Elsie Felt on March 23, 1918 at the Felt home at 64 North Irvington Avenue. In this incredible photograph, the happy couple posed in the front yard of the Felt home. Behind them, you can see several houses along North Irvington Avenue. 

The Felts filled the residence with fragrant flowers. Sweet peas and pink tapers greeted the guests as they walked into the home.  The wedding was held in the early evening so the house was lit by candle light. A harpist strummed as people found their seats in the living and music rooms. Mable Felt, the sister of Elsie served as her maid of honor. Howard, an only child, chose a fraternity brother, Robert Masters, as his best man. The Reverend W.B. Farmer of the Irvington Methodist Church performed the ceremony as the Felts were very active participants in the Methodist church. In fact, Judge Felt led an adult Sunday school course at the church for many years. Several of the guests were Butler University graduates.

The ceremony began when three children walked down the aisle while Mrs. Mansur Oaks sang three songs, including "A Birthday," "At Dawning," and "Adoration." The little maid of honor, Elizabeth Carr, held a french basket filled with roses. The Felts had placed an altar in the music room where the ceremony was to be conducted. They rented an electric fountain and surrounded it with pink and white lilies. The groom and his best man waited while Mable Felt, the maid of honor, walked down the aisle wearing a pale green chiffon dress and holding a bouquet of sweet peas. At the appropriate moment, Elsie Felt appeared and walked down the aisle flanked by a garland of smilax vines. Her beautiful white gown was in the georgette fashion, from France. She wore a tulle over her hair fastened with a silver head band.

Elsie Felt Caldwell on her wedding day on March 23, 1918

After the ceremony, the guests gathered in the dining room for a reception although they likely could not all fit in that room. Judge Felt was a strict believer in temperance so it is unlikely that alcohol of any kind would have been allowed at the reception. Howard and Elsie went off on their honeymoon and then moved to Kokomo although Elsie moved back in with her parents while Howard was away for officer training. Fortunately, the war ended before he could be shipped overseas. Truman Felt survived the war but was injured. Mable Felt, an active member of the YWCA, traveled to Europe in 1919 to assist with the French chapter.

Mable Felt, the daughter of Edward and Martha Felt, traveled to Europe just as World War I ended to assist with YWCA activities. 

64 North Irvington Avenue is still just as beautiful in 2019 as when the Felts dwelled there. 

Howard and Elsie would not live in Kokomo for very long and soon they welcomed their first child, Martha Virginia in 1919. They took up residence with his mother, Martha Caldwell, at 30 North Bosart Avenue.

   To listen to a rendition of the song "At Dawning" performed at the wedding, click on the link below:

"At Dawning"

Sources:  Wedding:  "Caldwell-Felt," Indianapolis News, March 25, 1918, 7; "Marriage of Former Greenfield Girl," Hancock Democrat, March 28, 1918, 1; Truman and Mable Felt: "Boys in France Enjoy Thrills, Indianapolis Star, August 28, 1918, 16; "Truman Felt, Son of Judge, Injured," The Times (Munster, Indiana), December 27, 1918; "Indianapolis Girl Returns After 19 Months Overseas," Indianapolis Star, November 12, 1920, 11.

I am indebted to Ginny Hingst, the granddaughter of Howard and Elsie Felt Caldwell, for her stories and photographs.

The Caldwells Move to Bosart Avenue

Benjamin and Martha Caldwell and their talented son, Howard, moved away from their home in Lewisville, Indiana to a brand new house at 30 North Bosart Avenue in 1911. Mr. Caldwell, a carpenter, built the Bosart Avenue home in the Dutch Colonial style. Howard had just graduated from the Spiceland Academy and enrolled at Butler University where he once again excelled. The east side of Indianapolis was booming in construction so Mr. Caldwell likely found plenty of work. The home remained an important part of the Caldwell family for over twenty five years.

30 North Bosart Avenue in 2019

In December of 1913 tragedy struck the Caldwell family when Benjamin took a job in Lewisville building a barn for A. R. McIlvaine. He developed a deep chest cold but kept on working. Eventually, the cold turned into pneumonia. The 47-year-old carpenter was not able to make it back to his Bosart Avenue home as he died on the family farm near Lewisville. Somehow, Martha Freeman Caldwell, his widow, was able to keep the Indianapolis home. Howard was a sophomore at Butler University at the time.

Benjamin Caldwell's obituary was carried in the National Road Traveler (Cambridge City) shortly after his death on December 17, 1913. His obituary stated that he "was a man of few words and attended strictly to his own business. The family and friends feel that they can truthfully say that no man could be more devoted to his family, could have no more love for the partner of his joys and sorrows, and could have no greater interest in the welfare of his home...His sympathy was always with those in distress and was manifested by acts of kindness and deeds of charity and benevolence." His funeral was described as the one the largest ever held in Lewisville, Indiana.  (obituary courtesy of Ginny Hingst) 

Bosart Avenue was actually not very far from the western edge of Butler University's campus on Emerson Avenue so Howard could easily walk or ride a bike to his classes. He joined the Sigma Chi fraternity and remained active with that organization for much of his life. At college, he was the sports editor for the Butler Collegian. Butler President, Thomas Carr Howe, threatened to expel him after the journalist exposed that the football team's partying the night before an important game contributed to a loss. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and Howard remained on campus. While at Butler University, he met Elsie Felt, who was the daughter of a prominent judge. Their courtship would eventually lead to marriage.

Martha Caldwell as a young widow likely focused her attentions on making sure that Howard graduated from Butler University. After his graduation in 1915, Howard continued to live in the Bosart Avenue home as he worked for a variety of publications including the Marion County Mail which he helped to publish along with his fellow classmate and fraternity brother, Joseph Ostrander.

Howard and Elsie married in 1918 and lived in Kokomo, Indiana where Mr. Caldwell had been working since 1917 for the Haynes Auto Company in the advertising department. His fraternity brother Halsey Keeling also worked there. Martha Caldwell seems to have rented out rooms or perhaps the entire Bosart Avenue home to James Hallet in 1919. By 1920, Howard and Elsie and their new baby, Martha Virginia, moved back to Indianapolis and lived with Mrs. Caldwell on Bosart Avenue.

While living with Mrs. Caldwell, Howard formed the Caldwell-Baker Advertising Agency in the 1920s. They also welcomed a second child in their lives, Howard Caldwell, Jr. in 1925.  Their Bosart Avenue days were numbered for the moment as the family moved to the Felt family residence at 64 North Irvington in 1926. Judge Edward Felt, the father of Elsie Felt Caldwell, died in a tragic accident at the house when he fell from a ladder. The Caldwells moved into the larger large home with Mrs. Felt and remained until 1930.

In 1930, the Caldwells dwelled in the Audubon Court Apartments, but the Great Depression had taken a toll on the country and Mr. Caldwell's advertising agency so they moved back into the Bosart Avenue home with Mrs. Caldwell in 1932. This allowed the family to save money for a down payment on their very own home at 81 N. Hawthorne Lane. Today, 30 North Bosart Avenue looks much like it did in 1911.

Elsie Felt Caldwell posed with her daughter Martha Virginia Caldwell in the backyard of 30 North Bosart Avenue c1919. (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

Little Howard Caldwell, Jr. posed in his backyard at 30 North Bosart Avenue in 1926. Behind him, you can see the rear of 34 North Bosart Avenue. The Binford family lived there at the time and became close friends with the Caldwells.  (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

Howard Caldwell, Jr. in 1926 in the backyard of 30 North Bosart Avenue. (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

The Caldwell family posed for this snapshot in 1932 in the backyard of 30 North Bosart Avenue. Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell had just moved from the Audubon Court Apartments back into his mother's home to help save money during the Great Depression. Behind the family, you can see the home at 26 North Bosart Avenue. Onias and Hattie Alford lived in that house at the time. Pictured:  Howard Caldwell, Sr, Martha Virginia Caldwell, Elsie Felt Caldwell and Howard Caldwell, Jr. (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

Howard Caldwell, Jr. on the left posed with "Edward" in the front yard of 30 North Bosart Avenue in 1934. The fire hydrant behind the boys is still located in the same spot in 2019. (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst) 

Sources:  On Benjamin Caldwell: Obituary, Knightstown Banner, December 19, 1913, 13; "Recalling School 57 and 'Schoolboy Crush,'" Indianapolis Prime Times, September 2003, 5; Early years of Howard Caldwell, Sr.: "Caldwell's Contribution Valuable to Profession," Indianapolis Prime Times, April 2003, 5; "Caldwell with Haynes," Indianapolis Star, August 12, 1917, 18

I am indebted to Ginny Hingst for her kindness in loaning me photos and stories of the Caldwell family.

Sigma Chi Fraternity Images 1913-1915

The Sigma Chi Rho Chapter has been a part of Butler University's three campuses since 1865. When the college moved to Irvington in 1875, the fraternity followed. By 1913, the club had eleven active members and several pledges. They lived in a variety of houses throughout Irvington. Howard Caldwell, Sr, for instance, resided at his family's home at 30 North Bosart Avenue. The club leased  a room at Moore's Hall, formerly located at 130 South Audubon Road, for their chapter meetings. Both the Butler Collegian and Indianapolis News reported in 1913 that the men of Sigma Chi had the highest GPA of any of the fraternities on campus with an average of 73.04%. Of course, the campus average was 75.5% and the Delta Pi Omega Sorority had an average of 82%.

Each year the club sponsored a dance. In 1913, a Sigma Chi alum managed to secure the Columbia Club in downtown Indianapolis for the event. In 1914, they held the dance at the Propylaeum on North Delaware Street. A formal photo from 1913 shows the men in standard pose while other photos reveal the more candid and playful side of the group.

Sigma Chi Rho Chapter Butler University 1913, front row: Joseph Ostrander, Robert Buck, Murray Matthews, Dan Trone, Robert J. Masters; second row: Howard C. Caldwell, Sr., Carlos Bonham, Halsey R. Keeling,  Bruce Robison, Carbs Harrison,  Kenneth Barr (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

Members of the Sigma Chi fraternity at gathered at the north end of Butler's campus in1913 near the Pennsylvania Railroad. Behind the men you, can see the residence at 143 South Butler and the double at 137-39 South Butler Avenue. We only know the names of a few of the young men. Seated in front: ?; Second row: ?, ?; Third Row:  ?,?, Robert J. Masters; Fourth row: ?, Dan Trone, Howard C. Caldwell, Sr,; Top row: ?, Halsey Keeling, ? (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

The members of Sigma Chi gathered for this photo most likely in 1913. The building next to the young men was possibly the Butler Observatory located at the northern end of the campus near the Pennsylvania Railroad. Howard C. Caldwell, Sr. is standing next to the building. Looking up to him is Halsey Keeling. We do not know the names of the other in the men in the photo yet. (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst) 

Howard Caldwell, Sr. lived at 30 North Bosart Avenue with his parents although tragedy struck the family when his father, Benjamin Caldwell, died in 1913 at the 47. (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

Howard Caldwell, Sr. graduated from Butler University in 1915. He was a writer and would later run his own advertising agency. (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

Sources:  "Sigma Chi Plan Luncheon," Indianapolis Star, November 28, 1913, 13; "Ella Weaver Heads Honors List at Butler," Indianapolis News, April 17, 1913, 4

I am indebted to Ginny Hingst, the granddaughter Howard C. Caldwell, Sr., for these images.

Irvington Methodist Church Images--1940s

Methodists have been worshipping in Irvington since the late nineteenth century and in the current edifice since the 1920s. Thousands of people have been members over the years including the Richardson family who resided at 477 North Audubon Road. George Richardson had worked for Allison's Engine Company during World War II but had begun working at the Aluminum Finishing Corporation on 21st near the Monon Railroad after the war was over. His wife's father, Arthur Leslie Chesterfield, owned and operated the plant at the time.

George and Edythe Chesterfield Richardson joined the Challengers, an active adult Sunday School class at the Methodist Church. The Richardson children also participated in Sunday schools and with both the Boys and Girls Scouts in the basement of the church. The family would have had easy walk from their home along "Lover's Lane" to church each Sunday. Dr. Ralph O. Pearson served as the pastor of the church in the late 1940s when these photos were snapped.

Irvington Methodist Church c1947 (photo courtesy of Donn and Carolyn Richardson)

The Challengers Sunday School was for adults at the Irvington Methodist Church. George Richardson of 477 North Audubon Road is located in the top row at the far left. (photo courtesy of Donn and Carolyn Richardson)

Santa visited the children of the Irvington Methodist Church in 1947. Standing under a window in black dress was Edythe Chesterfield Richardson holding her baby, Jenny. Sitting at her feet were her other children at the time, Donn and Elizabeth. (photo courtesy of Donn and Carolyn Richardson)

A special thanks to Donn and Carolyn Richardson for providing these photos and stories.