The Young of Young Avenue

      They gathered under a beautiful shade tree at the intersection of South Drexel and Young Avenues each race-day weekend for the unofficial Christian Park Heights bicycle race. Any kid who had a bike could participate. You might be aware that Johnnie Parsons won the Indianapolis 500 in 1950, but did you know who crossed the finish line on South Drexel in that year? The boys awaited the official start from Wayne Bruness. Then, they sped south on Drexel to Brookville Road.  They hoped that no oncoming car would slow them down. They raced east on Brookville Road and north on Bosart Avenue. In their imaginations they could hear the crowds cheering.  They skidded around the corner onto Young Avenue, a gently sloping down-hill street. And then, the moment of truth arrived. Ron Huggler, of 4613 Young Avenue, passed under the shade tree before the others. Another race was in the history books.

Bike race in May, 1950: Wayne Bruness held the flag. The racers left to right: Johnnie Robeson, Dale May, Bob Butler, and Ron Huggler. Their starting and ending line was on South Drexel Avenue under a shade tree in the yard at 4601 Young Avenue. Behind the kids you can see the houses located at 4572 and 4602 Young Avenue. (photo courtesy of Ron Huggler) 

On race day, many boys would gather at the Huggler house at 4613 Young Avenue and play a board game called "Huggin' the Rail." It was a simple game of chance whereby kids rolled the dice to move their race car along an oval track. (image courtesy of boardgeek.com) 

     If you walked down Young Avenue in the 1940s and 1950s on a beautiful day, you would hear the sounds of children. Nearly every other home along the block had a child in it. For young Ron Huggler, it was a "paradise." The newer neighborhood with its affordable housing attracted many young couples just starting out in life. Some remained in the area for years while others moved into larger homes in other neighborhoods. After World War II ended, another influx of newer families moved in as the veterans took advantage of the GI Bill to buy a home. 

     Ron Huggler recalled that on Saturday mornings he and his family shopped in Irvington. He fondly remembered patronizing the F. W. Woolworth Co. and Danner Brothers. He loved stopping by Taylor's Ice Cream and Candy Store.  Sometimes, he would join his friends for a double matinee at the Irving Theater. They also patronized the Tuxedo, Arlington, Sheridan, and Emerson Theaters as well. During his teenage years, he loved to lunch at Wolman's Drugs on the corner of East Washington Street and Ritter Avenue where he dined on the delicious chili, a sandwich, and a flavored drink. He also enjoyed riding his bike to Bob Steele's Hobby Shop as they had numerous board games, models, train sets, and all kinds of toys. 

     During the summer months, the kids played baseball in a field near Pleasant Run. They also enjoyed hanging around the nearby railroad tracks to flatten pennies or other objects. On one occasion, Ron found a rail-line lantern along the tracks. Several decades later he donated that artifact to the Irvington Historical Society. Another fun adventure for the kids was a bike ride or walk to Bob's Market on Orion Avenue just west of Emerson Avenue. Here, the kids could purchase an array of candy including bubblegum, licorice whips, Red Hots, Jaw Breakers, and even candy cigarettes. (Yikes!) The store had a huge collection of large chocolate bars, most of which cost five cents. 

     There were so many kids living in the area that years later as adults they gathered for reunions in places like Christian Park and the Huggler home. Most of the kids in the photos below are in their 80s now if they are still with us. Enjoy this trip down Memory Lane also known as Young Avenue. 

Several kids in the neighborhood gathered at the Huggler home at 4613 Young Avenue c1945. Behind the kids you can see the homes at 4609 and 4605 Young Avenue. Top Row: Unknown child holding flag, Unknown blond-haired boy, Ron Huggler: Middle Row: Unknown girl, Linda Teeguarden, Bethany Teeguarden, possibly Bonnie Dove; Cathy Dudley with flag. 

Many kids posed on the front yard of 4613 Young Avenue c1946. Top row: Ron Huggler, Sandra Clift; Middle Row: Dale Male, possibly  Wally or Johnny Paul, Alan Miller, Cathy Dudley; Front row:  Johnnie Robeson, Ronnie Riebe, Randy Toler, Linda Riebe, and Bob Butler. 

Bob Butler and Cathy Dudley posed in their western gear in the front yard of 4613 Young Avenue. Behind the kids you can see the north side of the 4600 block of Young Avenue c1947. 

Barbara Reed and her pet chihuahua visited the Hugglers at 4613 Young Avenue c1946. 

Billy, Connie, and Patty Harrell posed in their front yard at 4571 Young Avenue c1950. Behind the kids you can see 4568 and 4572 Young Avenue. 

Cowgirls, Cathy Dudley and Barbara Reed c1945 in front of the Reed home at 4572 Brookville Road.

Wayne Bruness and Ron Huggler posed in the Huggler living room at 4613 Young Avenue on Christmas Day c1947. 

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Ron Huggler and Patrick c 1952 at the Huggler home at 4613 Young Avenue.

Ron Huggler stood at his patrol post in the winter of 1951, Behind him you can see 4658 Brookville Road.

Meanwhile on nearby Farrington Avenue in 1949!! (Hoosier Chronicles)

Sources:  Ron Huggler, "The Best of Times: Random Thoughts on My Journey to Now," Unpublished memories of life on Young Avenue, 2006; Interview with Ron Huggler, January 23, 26, February 1, 2023. I also wish to thank Mike Widner. 

Lost Irvington: Downey Avenue Homes

Like many folks after a beautiful snowfall, Dick and Mildred Palmer grabbed their camera in the winter of 1947 to document the lovely moment. The couple resided in a small apartment at 55 South Downey Avenue along with their first child, Janet. Either Mr. or Mrs. Palmer snapped this photo most likely from a second story window. While they knew they were documenting a wintry scene, they had no idea at the time of course, that they were also capturing images of two Irvington homes that have been gone for many years.

The most visible home in the photo is that of 52  South Downey Avenue.  The unusual dwelling hosted some important Indianapolis residents over the years. City directories indicate that the home was built in 1901 for Amos and Mary Reynolds Butler and their five children. Mr. Butler was the Secretary to the Indiana Board of Charities. He was an avid birder and the local chapter of the Audubon Society would be named for him. He was also caught up, like many in his generation, in the eugenics movement. A trained scientist, Butler embraced the view at the time that some people were defective or "degenerate." His position with the Charity Board gave him great power. He believed that people labeled as "feebleminded" must not be allowed to marry or procreate.  Butler was a proponent of Indiana laws that called for the sterilization of women who might have mental illnesses, epilepsy, or mental deficiencies. Hundreds of Hoosier women in the twentieth century were forcibly sterilized. Butler played a strong role in that movement.  

As Mr. and Mrs. Butler began to age and their children started to move away, they started to lease part of their home. Throughout the 1920s, Merritt and Ann Harrison along with their daughter resided in part of the dwelling. Mr. Harrison was a skilled architect and actually designed the "new" Irvington Presbyterian Church in 1927 while living at 52 South Downey Avenue.  Others who dwelled in the home included the Linton, Parsons, and Blaase families. The house was torn down in 1958 to make room for a playground for the Our Lady of Lourdes School.  

The other home visible in the photo was of 28 South Downey Avenue. It was built in 1893 for David K. and Mary Carver. The couple moved to Irvington from Anderson. Mr. Carver, a veteran of the Civil War, had the distinction of being the first Republican ever elected in Madison County, Indiana. He served as sheriff in Anderson for a couple of terms. Mrs. Carver, while dwelling in Irvington, was an active club woman. Both spent the remainder of their lives in the home. They frequently leased rooms to various boarders. In the 1920s, the Marsh family resided in the home. Robert I. Marsh was an attorney for D. C. Stephenson, the Grand Dragon of Ku Klux Klan in Indiana. To learn more about his role in that episode of history, click on the Marsh family link below.  For most of its tenure, the large old home served as the convent for the Sisters of St. Francis, who taught at the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. The house was torn down in 2001 to make room for an addition to the Our Lady of Lourdes School. 

Today, on the former site of the Butler and Carver homes, children play kickball and attend classes at the nearby Catholic school. Most neighbors have forgotten the Butler home and soon the Carver residence/Convent shall also fade from memory. 

52 and 28 South Downey Avenue in 1947 (photo courtesy of Dick Palmer and Janet Chapman)

Amos Butler moved into 52 South Downey Avenue in 1901.(image courtesy of Butler family via Ancestry.com)

David Carver moved into 28 South Downey Avenue in 1893.  (image courtesy of Carver family via Ancestry.com)

To learn more about the role of Amos Butler in the eugenics movement read Robert Osgood's article in the Indiana Magazine of History titled, "The Menace of the Feebleminded: George Bliss, Amos Butler, and the Indiana Committee on Mental Defectives." (vol. 97, Issue 4, 253-77)  Information for the Carvers came from "David Carver Funeral to be at Home," Indianapolis News, May 20, 1915, 5; "Mrs. Mary Carver Dead," Indianapolis News, March 30, 1918, 13.  Dick Palmer and Janet Chapman provided the original historic photo for this story.  

Gustav Stickley Comes to Irvington

Renown architect and furniture designer, Gustav Stickley is highly admired today. His furniture is worth hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars in 2011. Only one known Stickley-designed home exists in the state of Indiana and it happens to sit at 59 North Hawthorne Lane in Irvington.

Furniture salesman Carlos Recker (1873-1951) and his wife Elizabeth Anne Butler Recker (1877-1973) likely purchased Stickley's No. 28 plan in 1905. They built their dream home three years later in 1908. It is very possible that Recker sold Stickley furniture in his downtown furniture shop called Sander and Recker Furniture. The furniture company operated in Indianapolis from 1901 to 1935. Mr. Recker also moonlighted as an interior decorator and was sought after by numerous wealthy clients. In addition to decorating homes in the Indianapolis area, he was also commissioned to design the interiors of the Columbia Club, the Indiana and Circle Theaters, and the Indiana Ballroom on Indiana University's campus. In his later years, he was highly sought after to appraise antiques.

His wife, Elizabeth Anne Butler Recker, certainly made her mark on the city of Indianapolis as well. The great granddaughter of Butler University's founder, Ovid Butler, Mrs. Recker served on several committees regarding child labor and poor relief. At the height of the Great Influenza Epidemic of 1918, Mrs. Recker helped to provide quarts of milk to families afflicted by the plague.

The early years of this home's history are filled with stories from the Recker family. They would live in the house for over a decade along with their son Carlos Jr. The couple enjoyed playing bridge and the society pages of the Indianapolis Star document several tournaments in the home. On April 29, 1911, five tables of guests competed in a bridge tournament.

Although Mr. Recker was born in Indiana, his parents hailed from the Baden region in Germany. His father Gottfried was one of the organizers of the Indianapolis Maennerchor Society, a German social group. Carlos and Anne frequently attended masked balls held by the German organization. On February 25, 1911, Mr. Recker donned the costume of "Romeo" while Mrs. Recker dressed up like a Russian peasant girl. Over 200 people showed up in costumes for the ball at the Maennerchor Hall.

The Reckers attended numerous other social events during these years including an opera at the Murat Theater on October 13, 1912. The Indianapolis Star paid close attention to Mrs. Recker's outfit as she wore a "charming toilette of two-toned chiffon in deep rose shades." She also donned a "picture hat of rose velvet with a plume of white ostrich." Her sister, Cordelia Butler, could be seen in a "beige gown of old rose crepe de chine combined with maline lace with pearls and diamonds."

Sadness descended upon the home when Mrs. Lina Kunz Recker, the 73-year-old mother of Carlos, died in the house in early February of 1913. The Reckers held the funeral for Mrs. Recker in the bungalow on February 5, 1913.

Numerous people came to live with the Reckers during their tenure including Mrs. W.H. Tefft and her daughter Julia Anne. Mrs. Tefft was the sister of Mrs. Recker and her husband departed the United States for Europe on May 5, 1918 to fight in World War One. Mr. Recker donated $120 to the War Chest, a campaign to raise money for the war.

By the early 1920s, the Reckers moved out of their fashionable Stickley home for a Tudor Revival house at 3916 North Pennsylvania and finally to 116 E. 36th Street. More research is needed on this talented Irvington family. Carlos Jr. eventually married Elizabeth Royce and moved to Virginia where he died in 1989.

The historic photo was likely taken around 1940 while the Hartsock Family lived in the house. They will be featured in future posts. The current photo was taken on October 8, 2011. The historic image is courtesy of Brian and Emily Mack.