Window Painting Dates Back to First Halloween Festival in 1946

     What a social revolution when the kids are invited  to wield a soap bar on a business front." ("We Like This Halloween," Indianapolis Times, November 2, 1946, p. 8)

      

     Thousands of spectators lined East Washington Street between Whittier Place and Audubon Road to watch a parade of 500 children dressed up in Halloween costumes on the evening of October 31, 1946. Although World War II had ended a year earlier, there were still shortages of various products including some soaps, but local business leaders were ready to start a new tradition that would be forever known as the Irvington Halloween Festival. It had been a rainy and cool Thursday, but the weather cleared long enough for the festivities to commence. 

     For years, Halloween night vandalism had plagued most American cities and towns. While most of the pranks were merely mischievous, there were always a few kids who took things too far. The most common act of vandalism involved bars of soap. Children--mainly teens--spent the evening soaping the windows of cars, businesses, and even homes prompting people to spend hours of time cleaning up the messes. Cities around the state looked for solutions and some like Irvington came up with an option. They invited children of all ages to "soap" windows along East Washington Street. Led by the Irvington Business Association, the organizers provided $500 in prize money. They also organized a big parade and invited city dignitaries to serve as judges.

     In the window painting contest, Wayne Craven, an Arsenal Technical High School student, wowed the judges for two years in a row with his talented artistic renderings. Little David Peters, who lived at 312 North Layman Avenue, won first place for the younger kids. His brother Donald also produced some impressive art renderings. Their family proudly photographed their art throughout the late 1940s. Irvington was not the only community to host such an event as kids in Lebanon, Columbus, Franklin, and Rushville also painted windows and dressed up for a parade; however, Irvington has been the only community in the state to sustain the tradition year after year. 

Eight-year-old David Peters of 312 North Layman Avenue painted Pinocchio and Figaro in 1947. He won a ribbon for his for his age division. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

David and Donald Peters of 312 North Layman Avenue participated in the window painting contest associated with the Irvington Halloween Festival throughout the second half of the 1940s. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Children who painted the windows during the Irvington Halloween Festival frequently created images from cartoons popular at the time. Visible inside this business is a sign that says "Accessories." David Peters remembers painting this piece of art at the Chevrolet dealership located on the northwestern corner of East Washington Street and Ritter Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Donald Peters of 312 North Layman Avenue painted Thumper the Rabbit c1947 (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Bugs Bunny appeared in an Irvington window c1948. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

David Peters of 312 North Layman painted this scene for the Halloween window decorating competition as part of the Irvington Halloween Festival, c1948. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

     I wish to thank the Peters family for their photos and stories. 

Sources: Interviews with Douglas Peters, 2024; First Irvington Halloween Festival--Jack Shackleford, "500 Irvington Kids Dress up, Parade in Halloween Festival," Indianapolis Star, November 1, 1945, p. 1; "Prizes to Best Glass Soapers," Indianapolis News, October 17, 1946, p. 21; "$500 in Prizes for Best Soap Jobs," Indianapolis News, October 30, 1946, p. 1

Life along Layman and Lowell Avenues in the 1940s

     Orville and Marjorie Peters raised their four children at 312 North Layman Avenue. Family scrapbooks reveal the busy childhoods of each of the kids. Most of the photos for this post were taken in the 1940s and show life along North Layman Avenue. While children were clearly the focus of the images, many Layman Avenue residences can be seen behind the family members. 

Layman Avenue 

In 1945, a group of scouts gathered in the front yard of the Peters home at 312 North Layman Avenue. Behind the group you can see the homes located at 315 and 321 North Layman Avenue. Marjorie Peters served as the den mother. Orville Peters, her husband, taught the boys how to build and fly a kite. He can be seen standing in the back clad in a black hat. We do not know the names of every boy so if you recognize someone, let me know. Pictured:  Dick Parish in the plaid jacket and next to him, David Peters in the dark jacket; Max Woodbury in the striped shirt; and Steve Lane kneeling in the front. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Billy Cline posed with his friend Susan Peters c 1948 along Layman Avenue. Behind the kids, you can see the homes located at 327, 331, and beyond. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

308 North Layman Avenue

     When Marjorie and Orville Peters moved into 312 North Layman Avenue, likely one of the first neighbors to say"hello" might have been the Weavers at 308. Marjorie had grown up at 312 and would have known this family her entire life. Harry and Mable (Myrle) Weaver had lived at 308 North Layman Avenue since the 1910s. Their children would have grown up next to Marjorie.  

Donald and David Peters (left) posed with their friend, Price Garland, who lived at 328 North Layman Avenue c1943. Behind the boys, you can see the Weaver home at 308 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Mable and Harry Weaver posed for this photograph in July of 1917. They lived at 308 North Layman Avenue for decades. (photo courtesy of the Weaver family descendants via Ancestry.com) 

316 North Layman Avenue

     In 1940, when the Peters family moved into 312 North Layman Avenue, Orley and Mellie May resided next door at 316 North Layman Avenue. Various photographers frequently posed family members facing north so the May home appeared quite frequently in their photos. Mr. May died at the age of 56 after a tragic accident in 1942. Mrs. May passed away in 1950. The home sat empty through most of 1951 until the Victor family moved in. 

Marjorie and Orville posed for this photograph c1944. Behind the couple, you can see both 316 and 320 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

David and Donald Peters posed c1944 in their front yard at 312 North Layman Avenue. Behind the boys, you can see the May home at 316 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Donald Peters prepared to pass the football c1945. Behind him, you can see the May home at 316 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Donald Peters was ready for his Little League game c1948. Behind him, you can see the May home at 316 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Left to right: David Peters, Marjorie Fox, and Susan Peters, c1948; Behind the kids you can see up Layman Avenue including the May home at 316 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Susan Peters looked on as her father, Orville Peters, displayed his great catch of fish, c1948. Behind them, you can see the south side of 316 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Susan and David Peters rode their bikes near their home at 312 North Layman Avenue c1947. Behind the kids, you can see 316 and 320 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family) 

315 North Layman Avenue

     While we do not know the exact month, Mrs. Frances E. Ensworth, a retired bank clerk, moved into 315 North Layman Avenue during the same year as the Peters family across the street in 1940. Impressively, Mrs. Ensworth, a career woman, spent most of her time at American Fletcher National Bank. By the time she moved into her Layman Avenue home at the age of 68, she had already been a widow for twelve years. Her time in the home ended with her death in 1955. Later the Downey and Hill families moved in. 

 Susan Peters, the third child of Orville and Marjorie Peters, smiled for the camera in this shot from 1944. Across the street, you can see the home belonging to Mrs. Frances Ensworth at 315 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family) 

Susan and Marjorie Peters posed along the front yard at 312 North Layman Avenue c1944. Behind them, you can see both 315 and 321 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

5514 Lowell Avenue

     The Huggins and later Alexander families lived in the two-story Arts and Crafts bungalow at 5514 Lowell Avenue in the 1940s and 1950s. The backyard of the Peters family at 312 North Layman abutted the side yard of 5514 Lowell Avenue so the eastern side of that home frequently showed up in family photos. 

Orville Peters posed with his sons, Donald and David, in the backyard of 312 North Layman Avenue c1943. Behind them, you can see the side of 5514 Lowell Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

David and Donald Peters displayed their catch, c1948, in the backyard of 312 North Layman Avenue. Behind the boys, you can see 5514 Lowell Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

5602 Lowell Avenue

     Several families lived in the two-story American foursquare located at 5602 Lowell Avenue during the Peters' era at 312 North Layman Avenue. The Johnson, Kenner, and Moore families lived across the street from the Peters family and that home frequently appeared in family photos. 

Marjorie Peters joyfully held up her new baby daughter, Susan, in 1943. Behind them, you can see the west side of 5602 Lowell Avenue. Richard and Marguerette Johnson resided in the home at the time. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Donald Peters tried out his new bike along the brick street in front of his house at 312 North Layman Avenue in December of 1946. Behind him, you can see the home located at 5602 Lowell Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family) 

David Peters, c1948, in his front of house at 312 North Layman Avenue. Behind him, you can see 5602 Lowell Avenue. A post office box can also be seen at the corner. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Susan Peters posed for this photograph along the front walk of her home at 312 North Layman Avenue. Behind her, you can see a milk delivery truck parked near the intersection of Layman and Lowell Avenues. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

I wish to thank Doug, Donald, David, and Susan Peters for their photos and stories. 

Sources:  Interview with Douglas Peters, 2024; US Federal Census records, 1930, 1940, and 1950; Polk's City Directories for Indianapolis 1939-1956; Information for the Weaver family came from Ancestry.com; Orley and Mellie May--Obituaries, Indianapolis News, January 31, 1947, p. 7; Indianapolis News, October 24, 1950, p. 24; Frances Ensworth obituary--Indianapolis News, October 6, 1955, p. 12.

Family Moved Into Layman Avenue Home

      In the late summer of 1940, neighbors in the 300 block of North Layman Avenue likely noticed a new family moving into 312. Of course, if they looked closely, they would have seen someone who looked familiar. Marjorie Jones Peters had grown up in 312 North Layman Avenue. Her parents, Morris and Lillian Jones, had purchased the house in 1923. Mr. Jones worked as an insurance agent and received a job opportunity in Chicago so the older couple sold the house to Orville and Marjorie Peters. A member of the Jones-Peters family would reside in the home for nearly 70 years. 

     Orville and Marjorie Peters had been renting a small double nearby at 740 North Bancroft Street. Their new home on Layman Avenue had two stories and three bedrooms. Their sons, Donald and David, soon welcomed a sister, Susan, in 1943. Images from scrapbooks from the family show that the three children had the entire area as their playground. Like many neighborhood kids, they attended School #57 and Howe High School. 

     Shortly after moving into their Layman Avenue home, Mr. Peters left his position as an auditor for Standard Oil Company and transferred into a similar position for the Barbasol Shaving Cream Company. He would also later work for Jones and Laughlin Steel Company. When he wasn't working, he could generally be found on a golf course so it was likely no surprise to his family that after he retired, he helped to take care of the Pleasant Run Golf Course. 

     One by one, Mr. and Mrs. Peters watched as their children graduated from high school, attended college, and got married. Then, they received a shock with the arrival of a fourth child, Douglas Peters, in 1958. Doug recalled in an interview that he lived a happy and adventurous childhood with good friends from the neighborhood. Like his siblings, he attended School #57 and Howe High School. 

Next Up: Layman Avenue Scenes

Orville and Marjorie Peters posed with their third child, Susan Peters, in the summer of 1944 along the front sidewalk leading up to 312 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Marjorie Jones Peters had grown up in 312 North Layman Avenue. She moved back into her childhood home in 1940 and remained for the rest of her life. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Family reunion: Marjorie Jones Peters hosted her sister's family at 312 North Layman Avenue c1950. Like Marjorie, Betty Jones Fox had grown up in the house. Top: David Peters (in cap), Walter Fox (brother-in-law to Marjorie Jones Peters), Orville Peters in white t-shirt; Betty Fox, sister of Marjorie Fox; smaller children--Marjorie Fox, Tom Fox, and Susan Peters. Donald Peters stood in the front. You can also see 316 North Layman Avenue behind the group. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Donald, David, and Susan Peters posed for this photograph at 312 Layman Avenue in 1946. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Marjorie Peters held her niece, Marjorie Fox c1948 in front of 312 North Layman Avenue. Her son Donald helped little Marjorie look at the camera by pointing at the photographer. David Peters is at the right and Susan Peters is in the front. (photo courtesy of the Peters Family)

Susan and David Peters in the side yard of 312 North Layman Avenue in the summer of 1944; (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Susan Peters played with a cat in the backyard of 312 North Layman Avenue in the summer of 1944. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Susan and David Peters in the backyard of 312 North Layman Avenue in the summer of 1944 (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Susan Peters rode her bike and posed for this photograph in front of her home at 312 North Layman Avenue, c1950. (photo courtesy of Doug Peters)

Grandmothers, Lillian Jones and Carolyn Peters, gathered on the front porch at 312 North Layman Avenue with Donald Peters and Bob Jones in 1951. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Doug Peters (right) was the fourth and final child of Orville and Marjorie Peters. In this photo, he posed with nephew, Mark Peters, in the front yard of 312 North Layman Avenue in 1961. Behind the kids, you can see the home located at 315 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Lillian and Morris Jones sold their home at 312 North Layman Avenue to their daughter, Marjorie Jones Peters and their son-in-law, Orville Peters, in 1940. They were pictured in front of their home in 1935. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

     I wish to thank Doug Peters for the use of the family photos and stories.

Sources:  Interviews with Douglas Peters, 2024; US Federal Census, 1950; Polk's City Directory: Indianapolis, 1940, 1941.