Blizzard of 1961

      Hundreds of high school basketball fans gathered in gymnasiums across the state of Indiana for sectional tournaments on Saturday night, February 25, 1961. As they started to cheer for their teams, a winter storm raged outside complete with howling wind, heavy snow, ice, and even thunder. Many of those teens and some adults had to spend the night in the gym as all highways in the state were closed. Many Hoosiers also lost power that evening. In nearby Cumberland,  passengers from New York City had to sit for over four hours in their train cars along the Pennsylvania Railroad because of downed power poles. The Indiana State Police spent hours rescuing stranded motorists. The sun came out on Sunday, but most schools, including the city schools, closed on the following Monday much to the chagrin of some parents. 

     In Irvington, several inches of snow and ice fell upon the neighborhood that night. Leona Thomas Harton, who resided at 5318 Lowell Avenue with her husband, Russell Harton, grabbed her camera and documented the morning after the blizzard. Her beautiful snapshots show ice on tree limbs and several inches of snow on the ground and on rooftops. 

Russell Harton of 5318 Lowell Avenue shoveled his sidewalk after a blizzard which struck on Saturday, February 25, 1961. He also had to clear his driveway because he still had to go to work at International Harvester on the following Monday. (photo courtesy of Tom Harton)

Leona Thomas Harton of 5318 Lowell Avenue snapped this image on Sunday, February 26, 1961. A blizzard had struck the state the night before. The most visible homes in the photo are the rear of the residences located at 99, 95, and 85 North Hawthorne Lane. (photo courtesy of Tom Harton)

     I wish to thank Tom Harton for the use of his family's wonderful Irvington snapshots. I also wish to thank Anne Hardwick. 

Sources:  Paul M. Doherty, "Blizzard Paralyzes State," Indianapolis Star, February 26, 1961, 1, 20; John Akelmire, "Was it Necessary to Shut All of Those Schools on Monday?" Indianapolis News, February 28, 1961, 8.