Irvington Halloween Festival, 1979

      The Irvington Halloween Festival has been ongoing since 1946. Generations have now participated in many of the events including window painting and pumpkin carving. In 1979, the festival was still relatively small. Vendors set up their booths along the sidewalks while busy Washington Street remained open. The commercial corridor in the neighborhood had been struggling by the 1970s. As Eastgate and Washington Square Malls lured folks away, the business owners in Irvington did their best to stay. Some like Chaille Shoes were beloved. Others were reviled. The Festival Theater (now known by its historic name, the Irving) attempted to open that summer as a pornographic cinema. The city temporarily shut it down, but that battle which involved vice raids and court injunctions was just beginning. Some storefronts were empty. Despite both the economic woes of the nation with severe stagflation, and the problems along East Washington Street, festival organizers pulled together the event for October 27, 1979. If you recognize anyone in these images, drop me an email located on the side of this blog. 

Vendors in front of Mert's Sporting Goods at 5642 East Washington Street, Irvington Halloween Festival, October 27, 1979 (Irvington Historical Society)

Patrons in front of the Indiana Barber College at 5536 East Washington Street (later demolished), Irvington Halloween Festival, October 27, 1979 (Irvington Historical Society)

Vendors set up their booths on October 27, 1979, at the intersection of Johnson Avenue and East Washington Street. The sign for the infamous pornographic Festival Theater (now the Irving) can be seen in the background. (Irvington Historical Society)

Guests browse a booth near Phil's Experienced Furniture at 5519 East Washington Street on October 27, 1979. (Irvington Historical Society)

Wonderful photo showing the many businesses in the 5600 block of East Washington Street on the morning of the Halloween Festival, October 27, 1979. (Irvington Halloween Festival)

A child participates in the window painting competition at the Irvington Cafe, formerly located at 5533 East Washington Street. That building still stands although greatly altered from its look in 1979. (Irvington Historical Society) 

Window Painting, A La Cheri Beauty Shop at 5618 East Washington Street, Irvington Halloween Festival, 1979 (Irvington Historical Society)

Irvington Halloween Festival, Audubon Barber Shop, 5636 East Washington Street, 1979; Jim Hammond who owned the shop for decades can be seen seated on a chair at the far right in the photo.(Irvington Halloween Festival)

Irvington Halloween Festival in front of the Indiana Barber College at 5536 East Washington Street, 1979 (Irvington Historical Society)

Window Painting in front of Dave's Tire and Auto Service at 5606 East Washington Street, October 27, 1979 (Irvington Historical Society)

Ladies near a booth on Johnson Avenue on October 27, 1979. You can see some buildings that have since been torn down in the 5500 block of East Washington Street and Layman Avenue. (Irvington Historical Society)

Irvington Halloween Festival in front of 5534 East Washington Street, October 27, 1979 (Irvington Historical Society)

Two people film the Irvington Halloween Festival, October 27, 1979. Behind them you can see the Salvation Army Thrift Store that formerly sat at 5639 East Washington Street. (Irvington Historical Society)

Irvington Halloween Festival preparation, October 27, 1979 in front of United Hardware Store at 5648 East Washington Street (Irvington Historical Society)

Sources:  Polk's Indianapolis City Directories, 1977-1980; "Court Orders Adult Theater to Close," Indianapolis News, July 19, 1979, p. 45

Mid-Twentieth Century Photos Show Interior of St. Clair Street Home

     In 1955, Wilbur Maurice Liverett and his wife Alice Helser Liverett moved into their home at 5302 East St. Clair Street. Both of them were in their 40s at the time. Mr. Liverett was the son of Reverend Adam Reid Liverett, Sr. and Lola McNeely Liverett. His father had been the secretary of the Board of Church Extension, a division of the Disciples of Christ. That organization had its headquarters in Irvington. He did not follow in his father's footsteps, but he did marry Alice Helser, an administrative assistant who worked in the same building as his father. He was first employed by the Farm Security Administration during the Great Depression. During World War II he joined the Army where he attained the rank of major. 

     After the war, the couple tried their luck in California, but they soon returned to Indianapolis. He found work in the accounting department at the finance department at Fort Benjamin Harrison. She resumed her work with the Disciples of Christ. They moved into a bungalow at 5451 Hibben Avenue and then in 1955, they moved into a relatively newer home at 5302 East St. Clair Street just north of Ellenberger Park.  Sometime in February of 1955, Mrs. Liverett grabbed her camera and documented their new home. She even went outside after the light snow had stopped to photograph the rear and side of the residence. Her interior shots are particularly interesting as they show life in an Irvington home complete with a television set, cabinet radio, and even a baby grand piano. 

     In 1984, after the death of her brother-in-law, Elwyn Liverett, Alice sat down and typed up her memories of the Liveretts. She specifically discussed Christmases at their St. Clair Street home. She documented that they usually hosted a dinner on Christmas evening for the extended Liverett family and friends. She noted that in nearly every room she could see gifts given to the couple from various family members. I am typing this in the dining room and in front of me in the corner cabinet is the bowl they bought in Germany. She also wrote about beautiful tablecloths, a credenza, angel candlesticks, a homemade plant holder, and wind chimes. The couple lived the rest of their lives in the home with the exception of hospital and nursing home stays. Mr. Liverett died in 1987 and Mrs. Liverett passed away in 1998. 

     For now, however, let's venture back in time. Did the Liveretts turn on their television on February 2, 1955? If they did, then they witnessed history as Dwight Eisenhower delivered the first televised press conference. (It was not live.) What kind of programs did the couple listen to on that beautiful radio? Jack Benny gave his last radio performance on May 22, 1955, so that he could move over to television. Were they listening?  Perhaps they were seated in one of those comfortable looking chairs to read a best-selling book like The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale or the latest novel by Daphne du Maurier. Local newspapers at the time had dire headlines referring to Communists as "Reds." Were they worried? The Indianapolis Star documented several accidents on icy roads on the morning of February 6, 1955. This might have been the day that Mrs. Liverett took her photos.

Living room at 5302 East St. Clair Street, February, 1955 (photo courtesy of the Liverett Family Collection, Irvington Historical Society)

Piano and cabinet radio in the living room at 5302 East St. Clair Street, February, 1955 (Photo courtesy of the Liverett Family Collection, Irvington Historical Society)

     

The rear and side view of 5302 East St. Clair Street, February, 1955; The photographer was standing on North Hawthorne Lane looking south towards Ellenberger Park. (Photo courtesy of the Liverett Family Collection, Irvington Historical Society)

Wilbur Maurice Liverett stood near the back door of 5451 Hibben Avenue, Indianapolis, on November 26, 1951. (Photo courtesy of the Liverett Family Collection, Irvington Historical Society)

Alice Helser Liverett posed with one of her many beloved dogs at 5451 Hibben Avenue on November 26, 1951. (Photo courtesy of the Liverett Family Collection, Irvington Historical Society)

Sources: Alice Liverett--"42 Honored for Service," Indianapolis News, November 29, 1957, p. 19; Obituary, Indianapolis Star, May 1, 1998, p. 28  Wilbur Maurice Liverett obituary--Indianapolis Star, August 22, 1987, p. 42: Letter to her Nieces and Nephews by Alice Liverett, March 23, 1984.

The Highs and Lows of an Irvington Family on Lowell Avenue

    Editor's Note: This post contains mention of self harm.  

     In the spring of 1895, Daniel and Edith Lesley along with their two children, Royden and Mary, moved into a two-story frame home located at 5716 Lowell Avenue. Their lovely property with a wrap-around front porch was featured in a publication called The Indiana Woman in 1897. Their biggest legacy to the community is the nearby street named for them. 

A very early photo of the Lesley home at 5716 Lowell Avenue (photo courtesy of Ron Flick and Charlotte Ottinger)

     Daniel Lesley was a relentless entrepreneur. He had his hand in several ventures. He was part owner of a coal mine near Edwardsport, Indiana and he helped to develop an electric rail line from Indianapolis to Martinsville. The state of Indiana employed him as an accountant. He also bought and sold real estate. He became one of the most important people in the community when he agreed to serve on the Irvington School Board in 1895. He was first elected secretary of the board and then treasurer. In the wee hours of December 16, 1898, he was likely awakened with the surprising news that the beautiful Second Empire style school located across the street from the Irving Circle Park had burned to the ground. Mr. Lesley and other members had to deal with finding temporary classrooms for the children and then hiring an architect for a new school. 

Daniel Lesley (upper right) posed with his brothers Amos, Jacob, and Reuben for this photograph in the late nineteenth century. (photo courtesy of the Lesley family descendants via Ancestry.com)

      Edith Lesley was a society woman. She involved herself in numerous clubs. For instance, on March 17, 1899, she invited members of the Shakespeare Coterie to her residence for a buffet luncheon. She decorated the dining room in red and green colors. She also employed a local artist named Florine Williams to paint various watercolor sketches representing the principal characters from The Merchant of Venice. After visiting France in the summer of 1899, she formed a local French club. She sang in the church choir at the Downey Avenue Christian Church. As a Butler alum, she hosted the Catherine Merrill Club. She knew all of the powerful women in the neighborhood. And then something happened that still needs clarification. As Mrs. Lesley was getting ready for another social event at the home on April 9, 1900, she got into some kind of altercation with a servant named Ellen Thaldorf. In a lawsuit that made the Indianapolis newspapers, Ms. Thaldorf alleged that Edith Lesley threw hot coffee on her causing extensive burns on her neck. She demanded $500 from the Lesleys for her injuries. What really happened in the kitchen on that spring morning? So far, I have been unable to find out how the judge ruled on the case. 

Edith Lesley as she appeared in the Indiana Woman, August 7, 1897, Page 10

     Mrs. Lesley put the scandal behind her and kept up her relentless club schedule. Scarcely a month went by in the early twentieth century that she wasn't hosting or attending meetings. Ever the businessman, Daniel Lesley placed an ad in the Indianapolis Journal on October 26, 1902, announcing that he had formed a new company called Pine Mountain Mica and Asbestos Company. He listed himself as the president. Five days later, the couple threw a huge masquerade Halloween Party at their home. Soon, Mr. Lesley turned his business interests to the West. He started investing in gold mining in both Arizona and Oregon. The family kept their Lowell Avenue home, but started to spend more time away from Irvington. While they were gone, the couple leased their pretty house to various people including the Marshall family. 

1908: A Year of Shocking Tragedies for the Lesleys 

     On February 2, 1908, Edith Lesley announced via the Indianapolis Star that she and her daughter Mary would be joining her husband and son who were living in Oregon.  Nearly four months after they arrived in the small village of Jacksonville, Edith and Mary received the shocking news on May 26 that Daniel Lesley had died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 59 near the gold mine forty miles from the nearest town. An employee had to bring his body back to the village via horseback. Edith Lesley buried her husband in a cemetery in the nearby village. Then, she had to figure out her next step. Meanwhile, more horrifying news awaited her back in Irvington. 

     First, she learned that on September 10, 1908, a rubbish fire burned out of control and spread to the Lesley family barn. The Irvington Fire Department was able to save the structure. Then, a more horrifying event took place inside the house on Lowell Avenue on December 3, 1908. Her boarder, Harlan P. Marshall, age 42, waited for his kids to go to school and for his wife to go shopping in downtown Indianapolis. He had been struggling with tuberculosis and likely from depression. He cut down a clothes line and hanged himself inside the house. Carrie Marshall found her husband and enlisted a neighbor to try to save him, but it was too late. 

     Mrs. Marshall and her children moved out of the home. Edith then had to face her next issue. Could she move back into that house? The answer arrived the following year when her daughter Mary Lesley married James Melville Abbett. He took out a building permit and remodeled the Lesley home. The young couple along with Edith moved back into the Lowell Avenue house where they remained for two years. They sold the home to the Parker family for $10,000 on April 4, 1911. The Lesley era in Irvington had come to an end. Edith and the Abbetts moved to California. 

Harlan Marshall sat for this portrait as a young man long before he married and started a family. He worked as a manager for the Remington Typewriter Company in Indianapolis while living at 5716 Lowell Avenue. One can almost see the sadness in his eyes. (Photo courtesy of the Marshall family descendants via Ancestry.com) 

Carrie Marshall outlived her husband by decades. She had to pick up the pieces after his untimely death and raise their two children. (photo courtesy of the Marshall family descendants via Ancestry.com) 

5716 Lowell Avenue, Summer, 2026

Sources:  Daniel Lesley's Business Ventures--Edwardsport Coal--Vincennes Sun-Commercial, June 15, 1899, p. 1;  "The New Electric Road," Indianapolis News, July 19, 1899, p. 7; Asbestos Company--Indianapolis Journal, November 2, 1902, p. 17; Oregon--"Indiana Men Back Oregon Canal Building, Indianapolis News, October 2, 1905, p. 17; Arizona--"Incorporations," Indianapolis Star, November 2, 1907, p. 7; Daniel Lesley on Irvington School Board--Indianapolis News, June 11, 1895, p. 2; Edith Lesley Club Meetings--Indianapolis News, May 30, 1895 p. 10; Indianapolis Journal, September 6, 1896, p. 16; Shakespeare Club--Indianapolis News, March 18, 1899, p. 8; France and French Club--Indianapolis News, July 1, 1899, p. 8 and Indianapolis Journal, August 13, 1899, p. 11; School Issues/Fire--Indianapolis News,  March 25, 1899, p. 3; Lawsuit by Ellen Thaldorf--"Mrs. Lesley Sued," Indianapolis Journal, April 15, 1900, p. 8; Halloween Party--Indianapolis Journal, November 2, 1902; Daniel Lesley death--"D.W. Lesley's Death," Indianapolis News, June 4, 1908, p. 11; Harlan Marshall Suicide--Indianapolis Star, December 10, 1908, p. 5 and The Star Press (Muncie, IN), December 9, 1908, p. 2; Building permit to remodel house--Indianapolis Star, April 6, 1909, p. 4; Sale of the home--"Real Estate Transfers," Indianapolis Star, April 4, 1911, p. 11; Federal Census Records for 1900 and 1910.