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.