M.C. Goe Groceries and Notions--1905

      Hezekiah and Margaretta Cornelia Farnsworth Goe moved to Irvington in 1884 to open one of the earliest groceries in the new town.  Mr. Goe ran the business, but named the store after his wife, M.C. Goe. Her name appeared on other transactions as well including the construction of rental property in 1891. The Goes prospered with their new enterprise and moved into a second store located in the Moore's Block at 130 South Audubon Road on January 1, 1892. (We do not know the exact location of their first store in Irvington. It likely sat on South Audubon Road as well.) The three-story brick structure housed other businesses as well including a barbershop, a drug store, the post office, and the headquarters for the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal lodge. The building was conveniently located across the street from the Irvington Depot and on the northwest corner of Bonna Avenue (then Railroad Street) and Audubon Road. 

     Other grocers soon moved into the neighborhood including Daniel D. Pike. To stay competitive, Mr. Goe kept a fully-stocked store. Most of his dry goods came from the Wholesale District just south of downtown. How do we know this? On December 3, 1895, he was shopping for items in the basement of Schnull & Co. on South Meridian Street when he heard a commotion above him. Mr. Goe along with two Schnull employees got into an elevator, but then they realized that the building was on fire. A portion of an upper floor crashed upon the elevator and trapped the three men. They could hear the crackling of the flames above them. The two younger men managed to escape through a small hatch in the roof of the elevator, but Mr. Goe was "too robust." He took off his jacket and his vest, but could still not squeeze through the hole. The two young men retrieved an axe and helped to liberate him "with a prayer upon his lips." 

     Mr. Goe remained in business for several more years. He divested himself of the store in 1908 to the Kemper brothers. Zeb Kenady took over the operation in 1909 and remained for several years. The Moore block is no longer standing and was bulldozed in the late 1930s. 

In July of 1905, Hezekiah Goe (in the dark suit) along with some of his employees gathered in front of M.C. Goe Groceries and Notions for this photograph. We do not know the names of the children or of the
 other adult male in the image at this time. (Photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

Hezekiah Noble Goe (1837-1919) opened his first grocery store just as the Civil War ended on Illinois Street north of downtown Indianapolis. He moved his store to Irvington in 1884. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

Margaretta Cornelia Farnsworth Goe (1848-1940), known as Cornelia, served as one of the first female school board members in the state of Indiana. Her husband, Hezekiah Goe, named the grocery store in Irvington after her. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

 Up Next: The Goes Build a Home on South Ritter Avenue

I wish to thank Kathy and Dick Meyer for the image and the stories of the Goe family. 

Sources: Ad for Mckenzie's Family Syrup in M.C. Grocery, Indianapolis Journal, November 13, 1885, p. 8; Fire-" A Half Million Loss," Indianapolis Journal, December 4, 1895, p. 1; Polk's Indianapolis City Directories, 1884-1909; New store--"Irvington Town Topics," Indianapolis News,  December 26, 1892; Commemorative Biographical Record of Prominent and Representative Men of Indianapolis and Vicinity, (Chicago, 1908), pp. 643-644