Johnson and Julian Avenue Scenes Mid-1950s

Shortly after starting his new job with the Selective Service Administration in 1952, George H. Warner purchased the beautiful home at 66 Johnson Avenue. Mr. Warner, a veteran of World War II, had been employed with the Illinois Central Railroad from 1935 until 1952. One of his earliest tasks in his new position with the Selective Service System was to find jobs for conscientious objectors. Around 800 young men in Indiana needed placement and it was Captain Warner's job to find them positions in various hospitals or churches throughout the state. While he was at work, Louise Warner stayed at home and raised the couple's two children, Stephen and Anne. The Warners could easily get to church as the Irvington Presbyterian Church was just across the street. They remained in the home for about eleven years. Mr. Warner passed away in 1962 and the family continued to dwell in the house for another year before Mrs. Warner listed it with Charles B. Campbell, a local realtor.

Images from the Warner family collection show snowy and summer scenes in the 1950s at the intersection of Johnson and Julian Avenues.

An unusual fall snowstorm hit Irvington on November 1, 1954. A member of the Warner family at 66 Johnson Avenue documented the moment. 

Christmas 1955 at 66 Johnson Avenue--Pictured:  (Back row left to right) George H. Warner, Harlan Haworth; (Middle Row left to right) Louise Warner, Ethel Haworth, Ellen Sommerville; (front row) Anne Warner 

Anne Warner posed in her front yard at 66 Johnson Avenue in 1954. Other homes visible in the photo include both 58 and 54 Johnson Avenue.

Anne Warner stood in her front yard at 66 Johnson Avenue during a snowstorm in 1954. Behind her, you can see the intersection of Johnson and Julian Avenues. 5603 Julian Avenue is the most visible home in the image. 

George H. Warner built a snowman with his children, Anne and Stephen, in the side yard of their home at 66 Johnson Avenue in 1955. Behind the family, you can see some of the homes in the 5500 block of Julian Avenue. 

Little Anne Warner posed with a neighborhood cat in the summer of 1955 next to her home at 66 Johnson Avenue. 

On a hot summer day in 1955, Steve Warner, Anne Warner, Dorothy Reasoner, and Larry Reasoner jumped into a kiddie pool in the side yard at 66 Johnson Avenue 

Steve Warner (front and lower left) posed with his many buddies at his home at 66 Johnson Avenue in 1958. If you recognize any of these children, drop me a note at the e-mail listed on the side of the page and I will add their names!

Anne and Steve Warner posed next to their home at 66 Johnson Avenue in the summer of 1955. 

Wintry Scene 1954: A member of the Warner family snapped this snowy scene from the family home at 66 Johnson Avenue. In the photo, you can see the Irvington Presbyterian Church and the residences located in the 5600 block of Julian Avenue. 

66 Johnson Avenue in the waning days of 2019. 

I wish to thank Steve Warner for his generosity for the use of the photos. I also wish to thank Paul Diebold.

Sources: "Job Assignment for Objectors Begins," Indianapolis News, August 21, 1952, 29; Sale of home: "Sold the House," Indianapolis Star, October 20, 1963, 37.

Rushville Couple Move to Irvington

     Carl V. Nipp (1876-1939) grew up in Rushville, Indiana. A talented student, he later graduated from Indiana University and the University of Michigan Law School. He returned to his hometown and opened a law practice eventually serving as the Deputy Prosecutor for the Rush-Shelby County Circuit. He married Ethel Fry (1881-1963), who dwelled on a farm near Raleigh in northern Rush County. The popular couple frequently made the news in Rushville for their travels and gatherings. They lived in a fashionable part of the city and attended the Main Street Christian Church. When a train they were riding on near Muncie was robbed on April 5, 1911, the Rushville Republican carried the story on the front page with quotes from Mr. Nipp, who had to turn over his valuables. Mrs. Nipp gave birth to their two sons, Carroll and Francis, and it appeared as if the couple would spend the rest of their lives in that city, but then Mr. Nipp had another idea.

     In 1922, the Nipps bought a home at 27 South Arlington Avenue in Indianapolis from the Campbell family when Mr. Nipp took a job as an agent for the Continental Insurance Company. Their Rushville friends were likely surprised, but the Nipps never returned. In fact, Mrs. Nipp's mother, Mary Fry Clifton, moved with them to Irvington. In 1926, Mr. Nipp submitted a photograph for a publication called Fellow Citizens of Indianapolis. His business was doing well.  Carroll, their oldest son, eventually married and moved around the corner on Dewey Avenue. He also went into the insurance business. Their second son, Francis, moved to Lansing, Michigan where he became an English professor at Michigan State University.

     The family seems to have weathered the Great Depression and the Nipps continued to dwell in their Arts and Crafts bungalow on Arlington Avenue. The couple could easily visit family in Rushville by either catching a train or merely driving down Highway 52. Tragedy struck the family on May 8, 1939, when Mr. Nipp was involved in a terrible auto accident on Highway 37 near Martinsville. He survived the initial crash, but succumbed at age 63 from his injuries a few weeks later. His hometown had not forgotten him and his death made front-page news in the Rushville Republican. Mrs. Nipp continued to dwell in their Irvington home with her mother.  In July of 1943, Mrs. Fry, the mother of Mrs. Nipp, passed away in the house on Arlington Avenue.  Ethel Nipp was not completely alone however, as she eventually went to live with her son and his family on Dewey Avenue.

Source: Indiana University School Yearbook, 1895

Fellow Citizens of Indianapolis, 1926

Building permits reveal that 27 South Arlington Avenue was constructed in the summer of 1915 for James C. Douglas. The Nipps purchased the home in the early 1920s.  (Photo taken on March 27, 2018)

Sources:  Obituary for Mr. Nipp, Indianapolis Star, May 21, 1939, 14; Rushville Republican, May 20, 1939, 1;  Train Robbery--"Local Man Was There," Rushville Republican. April 6, 1911, 1. Obituary for Mary Fry Clifton, National Road Traveler (Cambridge City, Indiana), July 24, 1943, 7. 

An Early Snowstorm--1938

Temperatures began to drop in Indiana on Tuesday, November 22, 1938. By nightfall the wind picked up and the snow arrived in Indianapolis.  By the morning of November 23, city residents awoke to four inches of snow. The Indianapolis Star reported that the snow had caught the state off guard. Dozens of residents flocked to service stations to place anti-freeze in their vehicles.  Slick roads made last minute preparations for Thanksgiving that week very difficult.  A giant car show at the Fair Grounds still went on and plenty of folks attended the event. Most travelers still made it to their Thanksgiving destinations. One Irvington family did suffer a tragedy that week. Vigil McDermid of 5376 Burgess Avenue died after sliding off a road in northern Marion County. The fifty-four-year-old man, was a father of three and worked as a salesman for the Pearson Piano Company.

On Julian Avenue, Edward and Georgia May Lollis welcomed Malcolm Benjamin Campbell and his wife Bessie Fields Campbell from Yakima, Washington. Georgia May Lollis was the niece to the elderly couple who were in town to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Lollises'. Mr. Campbell was 81 and Mrs. Campbell was 69. Excited by the new morning snowfall, the families left the warmth of 5919 Julian Avenue to document the early snow.

Photos from the snowy day, show not only the Lollis and Campbell families, but also some of the nearby properties.

Georgia May Campbell Lollis beamed as she held up her baby, Ted, and stood next to her aunt and uncle, Malcolm and Bessie Campbell on November 23, 1938.  The car belonged to the Campbells, who were most likely either in route or coming back from Nova Scotia to visit relatives. The most visible home in the photo (behind the Campbells) was that of 5884 Julian Avenue. Emil and Esther Bjorklund dwelled in that house in 1938.

Edward Lollis had to shovel the sidewalks before going to work on November 23, 1938. Mr. Lollis took the streetcar to his office. He generally left his car in the garage. Behind him, you can see the bungalow at at 5922 Julian Avenue. George and Jessie Thompson lived at that address. Mr. Thompson ran a grocery store at 3116 East Michigan Street.  

Georgia May Lollis and Ted Lollis stood outside on a cold and snowy morning on November 23, 1938.  Behind them you can see Bernard home at 5925 Julian (soon-to-be-Seaton home) and a temporarily vacant house at 5929 Julian Avenue.  

The historic images are courtesy of Ted Lollis.  To see more images from this block click on the Lawton or Readle family links below.  

Sources: "Skidding Mercury Brings Snowfall," Indianapolis Star, November 23, 1938, 1; "City to Keep Snow Coating Over Holiday," Indianapolis Star, November 24, 1938; "Virgil McDermid Salesman, Dies," Indianapolis Star, November 25, 1938.

They Gathered at Winona Lake

Members of a youth group from the Irvington Presbyterian Church made the long drive up to Winona Lake, Indiana in the summer of 1925.  The camp site had long been home to various Christian groups including the Presbyterians, who operated a site along the lake beginning in 1913.  Although not every name is known in this photo, we do have some of them.  They read like a "whose who" of Irvington families.  Most of the youth in the photo range in age from 16 to 20.  S.B. McQuown has been identified as the photographer.

The Young Women (left to right)

Janet Carr--Miss Carr dwelled at 76 North Whittier Place. Her was father was a prominent dentist and her uncle was a well-known architect.  She would later marry Egbert Smith Hildreth and live her entire life in Irvington.  An active club woman, Mrs. Hildreth helped to save the Benton House in the 1960s.

We do not know the names of the next two young women.

The fourth girl in the photo was Mary Dove.  Little is known of her at this time although she might have been part of the Dove family who dwelled near East 10th Street and Arlington Avenue.

Next was Ethel Loomis, who dwelled at 341 North Bolton Avenue.  Mrs. Loomis helped to organize the trip and also served as a chaperone.

Mary Alice Epler, of 133 North Drexel Avenue is the sixth girl.  Her sister sat nearby.

We do not know the name of the next young woman.

Jeanette Epler, also of 133 North Drexel Avenue sat near her sister and just below the love her life, John McPheeters.  The two of them would eventually marry.  Tragically, Mr. McPheeters perished during World War II leaving a young widow back in their apartment at 46 South Ritter Avenue.  The famous photographer, Alfred  Eisenstaedt for Life magazine visited her in the fall of 1944 and photographed her for a story on the victims left behind from the war.  Her face in that photo, filled with anguish and sadness, looked far different than the gay young woman on an Indiana summer day in 1925.

We do not know the name of the next young woman.

Helen Brown (later Weigman) of 333 North Irvington was the eighth girl from the left.

Next to her sat, Elizabeth Mullin, who lived in a cottage at 203 South Ritter Avenue. Her father, Elmer Mullin, ran a business along Bonna Avenue.

At the end of the row, rested Mildred Campbell, who would later become a teacher at Shortridge High School.  She inspired thousands of city residents and her reputation as an outstanding educator still lives on in 2013.  A thorough person, she once helped to document the species of every tree in Ellenberger Park.  As a girl, she dwelled at 29 North Hawthorne Lane.

The Young Men (left to right)

Paul Lambert, at the far left, dwelled at 46 North Sheridan Avenue.

Next to him, stood Howard Dirks of 24 North Ritter Avenue.  The Dirks family ran one of the most popular grocery stores in the neighborhood.

Unfortunately, we do not know the names of the next two young men.

John McPheeters, an Eagle Scout and future war hero, stood above his future wife, Jeanette Epler.  After his untimely death in battle, the military named some barracks for him at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He was beloved by his troops.  As a youth, he lived at 52 North Audubon Road.

Dr. George William Allison, of 254 South Ritter Avenue, served as the minister for the Irvington Presbyterian Church from 1919 to 1930.  He would be responsible for overseeing the construction of the grand edifice that today sits at 55 Johnson Avenue.

The last young man at the far right was that of George Newton, who dwelled at 323 North Audubon Road.

This photograph is courtesy of Bill Ferling and the Irvington Presbyterian Church.

Candid Photos Show Neighboring Houses

For those of you researching your own home, do not forget about the neighbors.  Your house will often turn up in the collections of the people who formerly dwelled next to your home.  The McCleery family dwelled at 317 South Arlington Avenue from 1944 to 1957. During their tenure, they took dozens of family photos outdoors.  The subject of the pictures are of the children and other family members, but behind them you can see images of 315 and 319 South Arlington Avenue.

In the mid-twentieth century, Harold and Audrey Skomp dwelled in the bungalow at 315 South Arlington.  Mr. Skomp worked for the International Harvester Corporation on Brookville Road while Mrs. Skomp worked at the Board of Missions at 222 Downey Avenue.  They raised two children in the home.  In the top photo, taken in 1950,  Wilda Lee McCleery posed in the front yard at 317 South Arlington Avenue with William Dummit, a family friend.  Behind the pair, you can see the Skomp home.  A contemporary image shows that same bungalow on a summer day in 2013.

Wilda Lee McCleery and William Dummit next to 315 South Arlington Avenue in 1950

315 South Arlington Avenue in 2013

The next two historic images show the rear of 319 South Arlington Avenue.  The Campbell family dwelled in that modest bungalow in the mid-twentieth century.  Chuck McCleery, who grew up next door, reports that every kid wanted to trick-or-treat at that house because Mr. Campbell gave out nickels instead of candy!  Mrs. Campbell was known for her beautiful flower garden. In the top photo, Lee and Jane McCleery posed with their daughter Joyce in 1955.  Behind the family, you can see the family swing set and a nice view of the Campbell dwelling.  In the second historic image, likely taken in 1955, Wilda Lee McCleery posed with a date next to Mrs. Campbell's flowers.  The Campbell home is clearly visible behind the attractive couple.

Jane, Joyce, and Lee McCleery posed in the backyard of 317 South Arlington Avenue.  319 South Arlington is also visible in this snapshot taken in 1955.

Wilda Lee McCleery and a date posed next to the Campbell home at 319 South Arlington Avenue c1955

These historic images are courtesy of Chuck McCleery.

The McCleery Children of 317 South Arlington Avenue

Wilda Lee, Chuck, and Joyce McCleery spent many years at 317 South Arlington Avenue before moving into a larger home along Beechwood Avenue.  In these candid photographs, all taken in the 1950s, the McCleery kids posed in the backyard of the family home.  These wonderful images capture a slice of life in the neighborhood.

Chuck McCleery proudly posed for this photograph showing off his new Schwinn Corvette bike in 1954.  He loved that bike and even rode it to Howe High School although sadly it was stolen when he loaned it to a friend.  Beyond the picket fence, you can see some of the newer brick homes built in the 300 block of South Webster Avenue.  

How many fathers allow their sons to build a playhouse?  Lee McCleery, the patriarch of the McCleery family of 317 South Arlington Avenue, supervised as his young son, Chuck, added on to the garage. A beautiful grape arbor can be seen below the budding carpenter. This photo was likely taken in 1953.  

Wilda Lee McCleery spent most of her childhood at the home located at 317 South Arlington Avenue.  She is shown here (c1955) with a date in the backyard. Behind her, you can see the beautiful flowers of both the McCleerys and next door at the Campbells. (319 South Arlington)

This sweet photograph shows a very young Joyce McCleery waving to the photographer in 1957.  She was standing in the backyard of 317 South Arlington Avenue.  Within a very short time, the McCleerys would move to 5949 Beechwood Avenue.  

These wonderful images are courtesy of Chuck McCleery.

Irving Circle--1915

Irma Vollrath and a friend stopped briefly from playing to pose for this photo taken in the Irving Circle Park around 1915.  Behind the girls, you can see the following homes along South Audubon Road:  237-39, 245-47, 251, and in the distance the double that sits on the southeast corner of University and Audubon Road.

Dr. Walter Kelly built 237-39 in 1915.  His home is barely visible in the photo, but you can see the porch and dark stained cedar shingles.  Next to it, you can see the American Four Square double at 245-47 South Audubon Road.  The Kaylor family lived on one side and the Campbells on the other.  The beautiful Arts and Crafts era home at 251 housed the Betram Day family from 1908 till about 1915.  Demarchus Brown, the State Librarian, and his wife Jesse Christian Brown lived in the home from 1915 and into the 1920s.  Mr. Brown was the brother of Hilton U. Brown, while Mrs. Brown came from the Christian family, for whom Christian Park is named.  She became renown around the state for her travels.  Mrs. Brown loved to visit exotic locations and then come back and give a report of her findings to clubs and women's groups around the state.  When she died, small town newspapers across the state carried her obituary.

The historic image is courtesy of Dr. Victor Vollrath while the newer photo shows 245-47 and 251 South Audubon Road on May 18, 2012.

76 North Ritter Avenue--Then and Now

This small carpenter-built Queen Anne cottage has stood at 76 North Ritter since the late nineteenth century. A modest home with six rooms, the structure has served as a dwelling for dozens of Irvington families over the years. In 1910, telephone inspector Alfred S. Barnett and his family lived in the small home. Other families who resided here included the Williams, Schafers, Davenports, Wengers, Cases, Porters, Marquettes, and Rodenbecks. The Howell family, who lived in the cottage throughout the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s stayed the longest.

The older photo is a scanned copy of a letter sent from Peter Wenger to Martha Scott in 1985. In the letter Mr. Wenger, who lived in the house as a boy from 1920 to 1925, jokingly wrote, "And you thought Abe Lincoln came from a humble abode. At least he got a monument, which I am still waiting for." His correspondence is filled with references to his friends along Ritter Avenue including the Campbell (72 North Ritter Avenue) and Elrod children.

The Wengers attended a morning kindergarten located at 18 North Ritter Avenue (demolished) run by Gail Baker. Harry and his best friend "Boy" Campbell used to camp out in the shed in the backyard with the Campbell collie for protection. Harry's mother, in a moment of compassion, occasionally asked her two sons to spend the night across the street as the elderly widow who lived there was afraid at night. He wrote about this years later, "We would get in our PJs and cross the street to go to bed. Neither of us liked doing this." In 1925, the Wengers moved to Oakland, California.

The historic image was taken on July 19, 1920. The children pictured are Genevieve Campbell, Jack Sewatz, Harry Wenger, Jr., Jim Wenger, and Max Taylor. The barn is no longer standing. The Victorian porch has also been removed.

The contemporary photo was taken in the early spring of 2011.

270 South Audubon Road--Then and Now

Many families have called 270 South Audubon Road home. The Gawne Family were the first to occupy the home in 1910. Orville Gawne was a traveling salesman. Other members of that family to live here included his wife Catherine and his children Catherine, Jenette, and their teacher-son Paul H. Other families who dwelled in this house included the McClains, the Headricks, the Dunhams, the Furgasons, the Lentzes, the Gingers, and the Campbells. By the 1940s the Graves family lived at 270. The Craigs called the house home for many years in the 1960s and 70s.

In the top photo, Mrs. Graves and her daughter stand on the front porch in 1949. In the bottom photo the current residents stand in the identical location on January 25, 2011. Note the beautiful glass window remains part of the house. The historic image is courtesy of the Stewart Family.