Whittier Place in the Early 20th Century

      After the city of Indianapolis extended Whittier Place from Lowell Avenue to the corporation line (later Pleasant Run Parkway) in 1902, many couples and families moved into brand new homes along the street. Early twentieth-century photos from the Hackleman family, who resided at 5438 Lowell Avenue documented some of the families and homes in the area. 

321 North Whittier Place

     In December of 1909, a local attorney named Samuel W. Huls purchased a lot on Whittier Place to build a house, most likely on speculation. In January of 1910, he took out a building permit and constructed a new home at 321 North Whittier Place for $2,500. Another local attorney named Louis A. Robertson purchased the new residence from Huls. Perhaps Mr. Robertson was preparing for his future as he married Mary Josephine Delker on October 11, 1911. Soon the couple welcomed several sons into the world and remained in the two-story home for many years. Shortly after the completion of the house the Hackleman girls, who lived at 5438 Lowell Avenue, posed for photographs in their backyard. Behind the girls, you can see the Robertson home and other dwellings in the 300 block of North Whittier Place. 

Grace Hackleman posed with her doll c1911 near her home at 5438 Lowell Avenue. Behind her you can see the Robertson house at 321 North Whittier Place. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

Florence Hackleman (on left) and her sister Grace Hackleman (middle) posed with a neighbor girl c1911. Behind the kids you can see the carriage house that used to sit behind 5438 Lowell Avenue and the Robertson home at 321 North Whittier Place. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

Little Gladys Hackleman posed with her doll c1910. Behind her you can see several houses on the east side of the 300 block of North Whittier Place. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

Grace Hackleman posed with her doll c1910. Behind her you can see several houses on the east side of the 300 block of Whittier Place. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

321 North Whittier Place on January 26, 2022

325 North Whittier Place

     In the summer of 1908, Clyde E. Springer, a contractor, took out a building permit on behalf of Sarah I. Bonar, a widow, to build 325 North Whittier Place. The unusual residence, built at a cost of $2000 was a blend of the shingle and Arts and Crafts styles. Mrs. Bonar and her widowed sister, Luthera Parr, along with other family members moved into the place in late 1908. The sisters only stayed in the home for three years before selling it to the Lawson family in 1911. 

A young girl posed with a boy who is holding a tennis racket c1912. Behind the kids, you can see 325 North Whittier Place. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

325 North Whittier Place on January 26, 2022

333 North Whittier Place

    Edward and Madeline Hind moved into 333 N. Whittier Place in 1905. The couple had five children. Mr. Hind was involved in the fruit business. The house has one of the most unusual front porches in the city of Indianapolis. Photos from the descendants of the Hinds reveal that the field-stone porch was not original to the residence but was added by Mr. Hind in the autumn of 1914. Images from two separate collections reveal the changes to the residence. 

     

Edward O. Hind, Sr. posed with his two youngest children, Edward, Jr. and Theodore in front of their home at 333 North Whittier Place on February 21, 1909. Mr. Hind had not yet added his fanciful stone porch. (photo courtesy of Linda Goff via Ancestry.com) 

Edward O. Hind, Sr. posed with his children, Edward, Jr., Theodore, and Madeline on February 21, 1909 in front of their home at 333 North Whittier Place. (photo courtesy of Linda Goff via Ancestry.com) 

An unknown young woman, possibly Florence Hackleman, posed with her bike in front of the Hind family home at 333 North Whittier Place c1914. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

Florence Hackleman (middle) stands next to two friends at 333 North Whittier Place c1914. The other girls might be Edna and Madeline Hind who lived at the house. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

A young girl in a costume posed on the front porch at 333 North Whittier Place c1914. The Hind family lived at that address for many years. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) 

A young girl posed in front of the Hind family home at 333 North Whittier Place c1914. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

333 North Whittier Place on January 26, 2022

     I wish to thank Anne Gribble Spurgeon for the use of her incredible family photo collection. I also want to thank Lisa Abner for her research on 325 North Whittier Place. Paula Schmidt and Steve Barnett at the Irvington Historical Society helped me understand the early years of these three homes and Paul Diebold assisted me with understanding the architectural elements of 325 North Whittier Place. 

Irvington Historical Society

Sources: 321 North Whittier Place--Lou A. Robertson obituary--Indianapolis News, July 30, 1962; Mary Josephine Delker Robertson obituary, Indianapolis News, September 7, 1989; Lot sale--Indianapolis Star, December 25, 1909, 10; Building permit--Indianapolis Commercial, January 10, 1919, 3:5; 325 North Whittier Place--Building permit--Indianapolis Commercial, June 4, 1908, 4:6;   333 North Whittier Place--"For Rent," Indianapolis News. February 25, 1905, 22; Building permit to remodel--"Building Permits," Indianapolis Star, October 28, 1914, 12; I also used the 1910 Federal Census for all three homes along with Polk City Directories. 

Cottage Built in 1905 Along Whittier Place

      Many changes greeted the citizens of Irvington in 1902. The community had been independent with its own town board and marshall for thirty-two years, but all of that changed in February when the city of Indianapolis annexed the suburb. The neighborhood would now receive city fire and police protection along with other benefits like sewers and sidewalks. In the summer of 1902, the city announced the extension of Whittier Place from Lowell Avenue to the corporation line. (later Pleasant Run Parkway) Within a few years, several families started building their dream homes along that small section of the street.    

334 North Whittier Place Connected to an Indiana Historian

        In the winter of 1905, members of the Cottman family obtained a building permit to construct a frame house at 334 North Whittier Place for Julia Cottman, the widowed mother of historian George S. Cottman. City directories indicate that she lived there until1907, but she later moved in with her son's family at 336 North Ritter Avenue. George S. Cottman was a writer and historian. In fact, he founded the Indiana Magazine of History in 1905. He later wrote books, pageants and essays while continuing to serve as the editor for his journal. He married Vida Tibbott, a former teacher whose family had deep roots in Irvington. Mrs. Cottman, who was much younger than her husband, was very involved in local women's clubs. She frequently hosted meetings in her home.

     After the elderly Julia Cottman moved in with her son, they rented her Whittier Place home to the Jenney family and then the Cottmans moved to the Seattle, Washington area in September of 1908, likely surprising many of their Hoosier friends. They did not remain gone for long as an Indianapolis News blurb announced that Vida Cottman returned one year later and moved into Julia Cottman's Whittier Place home in September of 1909. Mr. Cottman followed soon thereafter. The 1910 Federal Census indicates that George and Vida resided at the Whittier Place home along with their two-year old son, Evans and with 84-year-old Julia Cottman. Presumably, they didn't return to their Ritter Avenue address immediately because they had also rented that home out in their absence. By 1911, the Cottmans were back at 336 North Ritter Avenue. Their son, Evans, later wrote a short memoir about growing up in Irvington although he does not mention his brief tenure along Whittier Place. 

    

Members of the Hackleman family, who lived at 5438 Lowell Avenue, lined up with other neighborhood children for a parade c1910 in front of the Cottman home at 334 North Whittier Place. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

Grace Hackleman and Florence Hackleman rode their bikes while their sister, Gladys, posed in a nearby tree c1910. The Hacklemans resided at 5438 Lowell Avenue. Behind the girls, you can see the Cottman home located at 334 N. Whittier Place. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) 

George S. Cottman was a prominent Indiana historian of the early twentieth century. He authored numerous books and pageants. The Cottmans briefly lived at 334 N. Whittier Place although they spent most of their Irvington years at 336 North Ritter Avenue. (photo courtesy of RayBoomhower.blogspot) 

George S. Cottman authored an early history of the state of Indiana in 1925. 

The Cottman home as photographed by Google in July of 2019

     I wish to thank Anne Gribble Spurgeon for the use of her incredible Conner/Hackleman photo collection. I also wish to thank Paula Schmidt and Steve Barnett at the Irvington Historical Society.

Irvington Historical Society

Sources: Opening of Whittier Place north of Lowell Avenue: Indianapolis Journal, August 19, 1902; Building permit and construction of Cottman home: Indianapolis Commercial, February 1905; Cottman Seattle move: Indianapolis Star, September 27, 1908, 18; Indianapolis News, September 25, 1909, 22;  

Dennison-Davidson Home in the Early 20th Century

      The Hackleman children, who lived at 5438 Lowell Avenue, had plenty of playmates in the neighborhood. They must have been particularly excited when the Davidson family moved into 5428 Lowell Avenue because the children in that house were of similar ages. Photos from the Hackleman family collection reveal that the children frequently played next door.  

     We are still learning about the earliest history of the two-story Dutch Colonial Revival home, but we do know that Arthur E. Dennison purchased the lot for his future home at 5428 Lowell Avenue in September of 1903. By 1904, Dennison had moved into the house. City directories indicate that he was a landscape architect and the president of the Kant-Swag Gate Company. An ad in the Indianapolis Star in 1906 boasted that Mr. Dennison's farm gates were "bull strong" and would "last a lifetime and never sag." We do not know much about Mr. Dennison or his family yet, but he moved out in 1908 paving the way for Robert and Mary Galvin Davidson to buy the property in either 1908 or 1909. They remained for the next two decades. 

      Mr. Davidson was an attorney with an office in downtown Indianapolis. Mrs. Davidson stayed home and raised their children, Margaret, Katherine, Mary, and little Robert, who died at age two . The three older girls played with the three Hackleman girls. Photos revealed that they staged elaborate costume parties or perhaps plays. To learn more about the Davidson family, click on the link below the post. 

Neighborhood children enjoyed swinging in the front yard at 5438 Lowell Avenue c1911. Behind the girls, you can see the Dennison-Davidson home at 5428 Lowell Avenue. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) 

Neighborhood children observed a calf at 5438 Lowell Avenue. Behind the girls, you can see the Dennison-Davidson home at 5428 Lowell Avenue. The photo is remarkable because if you look closely you can see the side of the large house at 5408 Lowell Avenue. That home has been gone for decades. (photo c1910 courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) 

Neighborhood children posed with a pet calf and dog c1910 in the backyard at 5438 Lowell Avenue. Behind the girls, you can see the Dennison-Davidson home at 5428 Lowell Avenue. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) 

Mary Galvin Davidson posed with her three daughters, Margaret, Katherine, and Mary c1910. The Davidsons lived at 5428 Lowell Avenue for many years. (photo courtesy of the descendants of the Davidson family via Ancestry.com) 

Members of the Davidson and Hackleman families and perhaps other neighborhood children gathered on the lawn for a costume party at 5428 Lowell Avenue c1914. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

Children in costumes posed on the lawn of 5428 Lowell Avenue c1914. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

A girl in a costume posed on the porch of the Dennison-Davidson home at 5428 Lowell Avenue c1914. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) 

Children acted out a scene from "Princess Winsome" at the Dennison-Davidson home at 5428 Lowell Avenue on July 26, 1911. The Indianapolis News on page seven of that date identified the girl on the porch as Eunice Bickel.  (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) 

     I would like to thank Anne Gribble Spurgeon for the generous use of her family archival collection. I would also like to thank Paula Schmidt and Steve Barnett at the Irvington Historical Society. 

Irvington Historical Society

Sources: Dennison era--Ad, Indianapolis Star, June 15, 1906, 2; Polk's Indianapolis City Directories, 1904-1908. 5408 Lowell Avenue--Larry Muncie, Irvington Album, Indianapolis, 1994, 50. Mr. Muncie published a 1912 photo of the house in his book. For information on the Davidson family, click on the link below.