Irvington at 150: Street Names A-D

 Anyone researching their historic home in Irvington must understand that some of the street names in the neighborhood have been changed two and three times. To complicate matters even further, addresses have also been changed. Local historian, Larry Muncie, has done much of the groundwork on the history of street names. In one of his books, Irvington: Three Windows on Irvington History (1989), Mr. Muncie even provides maps to help understand the changes. 

Irvington was a separate town from 1870 until it was annexed by the city of Indianapolis in 1902. There appears to have been two major corrections on street names in the area. The first came in 1898 when the town board tried to clear up the confusion for some of the names. The next major correction occurred in 1903 when an engineer working for the city of Indianapolis recommended that several street names be changed due to similar or exact names within the city of Indianapolis. There were other years when names changed, but those two were the most important. 

After Butler University moved into the neighborhood, developers made an effort to name some of the streets after prominent writers or scholars. They also named several of the avenues after early families. In some cases, we do not know the origin of the name but we can speculate. In the following series, we will attempt to clarify the origin of the neighborhood's street names. If you have additional information on street names, please let us know! 

Arlington Avenue: Formerly called Line Street, the earliest known use of "Arlington Avenue" appears in an April 8, 1896 Indianapolis News article, (9) about a rail line in Irvington. Two years later, the Irvington Town Board formerly adopted the name. The presumption is that the street is named after Arlington Cemetery in Virginia; however, there is no evidence for this fact yet. Arlington Avenue (Line) is one of the original streets of Irvington. 

Atherton Drive: When investors redeveloped Butler University's Irvington campus into a housing addition in the mid-1940s, they added Atherton Drive. They named the circular street after John H. Atherton, the long-time Secretary-Treasure for Butler University. Mr. Atherton raised millions of dollars for the school over the years and was instrumental in securing the Fairview site for the campus; thus spelling the doom for the Irvington location. 

John J. Atherton (courtesy of Indianapolis News, March 22, 1944)

Audubon Road: When the founders of Irvington placed covenants upon the residents, they decreed that no birds could be shot within the town limits. So, in 1903, when the neighborhood had to change the name of Central Avenue, they chose to rename it after John James Audubon, the famous naturalist and birder.  To complicate the matter even further, Audubon Road north of Lowell Avenue used to be called Maxwell Street. That small section was also renamed in 1903 after the birder. Audubon Road (Central) is one of the original streets of Irvington. 

Portrait of the naturalist, John James Audubon in 1826 (public domain)

Auvergne Avenue: James Downey and Charles Brouse had grand ideas when they platted their addition to Irvington in the far southwestern part of the neighborhood in the mid-1870s. They envisioned beautiful villas on large lots. While at least a handful of imposing homes were constructed, their vision was compromised by the economic depression that lingered through the 1870s. They named one of their winding streets, Auvergne Avenue, after the region in France. Most of the residences along the small street were largely constructed after World War II but at least one nineteenth-century home still remains at 740 Auvergne Avenue. 

James Downey and Charles Brouse named one of their platted streets after the Auvergne region in France. (public domain)

Bancroft Street: While this street is often associated with the Emerson Heights neighborhood, it actually has its origins in Irvington. The street has had three separate names. The link north of the Pennsylvania Railroad and south of Howe High School used to be called Brook Street. Another link between University Avenue and Brookville Road was formerly known as Parker Street. The Irvington Town Board changed those two names in 1898 to Bancroft. Later in 1903, the city of Indianapolis changed Pleasant Street just north of Washington Street to Bancroft as well. Although unconfirmed, the street was likely named after the American historian George Bancroft. (1800-1891)

Bankers Lane:  The small street that connects East Washington Street to Pleasant Run Parkway South Drive first appeared in the Indianapolis City Directory in 1941. Named for Frances and Anna Banker, who resided at 4711 East Washington Street next to the lane, the street became well known because of the streamlined Art-Deco apartments built along it in 1943. Mr. Banker earned a comfortable living as the president of the Brooklyn Brick Company. He also owned an extensive property in South Dakota. 

A photo from his obituary published in the Indianapolis News, November 26, 1945

Photo published in her obituary in the Indianapolis Star, October 1, 1944.

Beechwood Avenue: One of Irvington's original streets, the southern avenue was likely named for the large numbers of beech trees that still existed when Julian and Johnson platted the town. East of Arlington Avenue, the street used to be known as Center Street.

Berry Avenue: One of Irvington's shortest streets, Berry Avenue, was formerly called Perry Street until 1903. The old name had to be changed after the city of Indianapolis annexed the town. The origin of the name is unknown at this time.

Bolton Avenue: Formerly called Maple Avenue, the city of Indianapolis changed the name to Bolton Avenue after the poet Sarah T. Bolton in 1903. Although largely forgotten today, Mrs. Bolton was a popular poet in Indiana in the nineteenth century. Her most famous poem was "Paddle Your Own Canoe." A nearby park in Beech Grove is also named for her as she owned land there. 

City officials wanted to change the name from Maple to Tarkington Avenue, but local residents objected due to the length of the writer's name so they compromised on renaming the street after the Indiana poet, Sarah T. Bolton. (public domain)

Bonna Avenue: The tragic story of Bona Thompson is now quite frequently told in Irvington. The young Butler graduate went on a European tour with her mother, but became ill and died of typhoid fever. Her grief-stricken parents donated the money and the land for the Bona Thompson Library at Butler's Irvington campus in 1902.  When city officials needed to change the name of Railroad Street in 1906 they blundered and misspelled the new street name as Bonna instead of Bona. For more than a century, no one has bothered to change the incorrect spelling of Miss Thompson's name. 

Bosart Avenue: The Bosart family, who resided in the large brick home formerly belonging to the Wallace family at 4704 East Washington Street, owned the land on what would become Bosart Avenue. As both the city of Indianapolis and Irvington started to expand, the Bosart land became highly valuable in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. 

Ruth Bosart (1858-1943)

Timothy Bosart (1844-1900) (photos courtesy of the Bosart family via Ancestry.com) 

Brookville Road: The old highway known as Brookville Road predates Irvington by many years and is named for the city in southeastern Indiana. Later federal highway officials gave it the number U.S. 52. 

Burgess Avenue: Due to the fact that it meanders, town founders seemed to confused as to where Burgess Avenue terminated. Josephus Collet named the original Burgess Avenue in his addition after the Reverend Otis A. Burgess, the president of Butler University in the 1870s. His street started east of Emerson Avenue (then National) and then snaked south of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad all the way to Ritter Avenue. Then, in 1898, local officials decided to rename Grand Avenue in between University and Ritter as Burgess as well. That section of Burgess Avenue (then Grand) was part of the original plat. 

The Reverend Otis Burgess was responsible for moving Butler University (then North Western Christian University) to Irvington in 1875. Developer Joseph Collet named a street after him. 

Butler Avenue: North Western Christian University moved to Irvington in 1875. They changed their name to Butler University in 1877. The nearby street just east of campus was also named Butler Avenue. In 1898, town officials changed a small section of Lake Street from Washington Street to the Pennsylvania Railroad as Butler Avenue as well. 

Campbell Avenue: John W. Chambers platted four additions near Lowell Avenue in the early 1870s. By the end of the decade, he faced legal trouble like many land speculators after the Panic of 1873. It was Chambers who named a small street north of Lowell Avenue (then Walnut Street) and south of Michigan Street (then Chambers Street) as Campbell. It is unknown at this time why Campbell was chosen as the name although Mr. Chambers did name other streets in his subdivisions after fellow investors. 

Addendum: Steve Barnett, the director of the Irvington Historical Society, notes that the street might have been named for Dr. John Campbell (1831-1917), who operated an early drug store in the neighborhood. The Campbells moved to Colorado in 1881. 

Catherwood Avenue: Formerly known as Warren Street from Washington to the Pennsylvania Railroad and then as Parkman and Jennison Streets south of the rail line, the city of Indianapolis consolidated all of the names into Catherwood Avenue in 1903. The street was named for the writer Mary C. Catherwood, a writer who briefly lived in Indianapolis in late nineteenth century.  Although her work is forgotten today, her books were widely read in Indianapolis. 

The nineteenth-century regional writer, Mary C. Catherwood (1847-1902), briefly lived in Indianapolis. She was known for her attempt to capture Midwestern regional dialects in her work. (public domain) 

Clyde Avenue: James Downey and Charles Brouse, local developers, envisioned a beautiful community south and west of Irvington. Two of the streets in that development were called Louise (no longer exists) and Clyde. Louise Street was most likely named after the daughter of Charles Brouse. It is not known at this time who Clyde might have been related to as neither Downey nor Brouse seem to have anyone by that name in their families. The addition later became part of Irvington. 

DeQuincy Street: While DeQuincy Street is most commonly associated with the Emerson Heights neighborhood just west of Irvington, the street has its origins in Irvington just north of Washington Street. Originally called Quincy Street, the town board added the "De" in 1898. 

Dewey Avenue: On April 30, 1898, Admiral George Dewey at the Manilla Bay in the Philippines told his subordinate, "You may fire when ready..." Six hours later, the United States Navy defeated the Spanish Navy in that now famous battle as part of the Spanish-American War. Thousands of miles away in the town of Irvington, Indiana leaders in that community sought new names for some of the streets. One of the avenues they wanted to rename was East Street, a very undeveloped meandering path between University and Arlington Avenues. It is believed that when they learned of the victory, local officials renamed the street as Dewey Avenue in 1898. Second Street east of Arlington Avenue in Elizabeth Cain's addition was also renamed for the Admiral. 

Very few streets in Irvington are named for military leaders, but after Admiral George Dewey led the victory against the Spanish in the Philippines, the neighborhood honored him with a street name in 1898. Numerous other municipalities across the country did as well including New York City. (public domain)

Downey Avenue:  Jacob Julian, one of the founders of Irvington, asked his son-in-law, James Downey to join him in the investment. Mr. Downey became one of the chief promoters for the new town. He and his wife Mary also built two of the earliest homes in the neighborhood. Their second residence, a large brick Second-Empire villa was located on the southeastern corner of University (then called Spratt) and Downey Avenue. The Downeys did not remain in Irvington for very long as they moved to the western United States. Despite at least one attempt to rename it, the street name has never been changed. 

An ad placed by James E. Downey for Irvington in the January 19, 1871 edition of the Indianapolis News

Sources: Larry Muncie, Three Windows on Irvington History, 1989; "Changes in Street Names," Indianapolis Journal, January 18, 1903, 3; "Irvington's New Names," Indianapolis News, November 3, 1898, 7; Interview with Steve Barnett, Director of the Irvington Historical Society, November 15, 2020. "Would Change Names of 149 Streets in City," Indianapolis News, December 18, 1916, 8. 

I would like to thank both Larry Muncie and Steve Barnett for their assistance with the research for this post. 

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. 

Life Along Dewey Avenue

The Schweiters family dwelled in the bungalow at 6076 Dewey Avenue for decades. They raised their two daughters, Barbara and Dorothy, in the dwelling and the family watched as the city line near their home moved to the east as a result of the Marbar development. Photographs from the Deedee Davis collection reveal snapshots of life along the quiet street in the early 1940s.

Dorothy Schweiters looked on as her daughters, Barbara and Dorothy, posed along their front walk at 6076 Dewey Avenue in 1943.

Little Barbara Schweiters posed for this snapshot near an unidentified neighbor sometime during the winter of 1940. Behind the young girl, you can see the houses on the north side of Dewey Avenue looking towards Arlington Avenue. The Ricketts, Brennen, Spitzer, and Ashcroft families might have been home when this photo was taken of their front yards and porches. 

Little Barbara Schweiters of 6076 Dewey Avenue ran towards the photographer on a winter's day in 1940. Behind her, you can see the city line of Indianapolis and the open farmland beyond Sheridan Avenue. The Turk, Maloy, Harrison, and McVey families dwelled along the north side of Dewey Avenue and might have noticed the photography session. 

Irene Spitzer (6064 Dewey Avenue), Mary Jo Harding, Barbara Schweiters, and Dorothy Schweiters gathered for this photograph on September 19, 1944, in front of the Schweiters family home at 6076 Dewey Avenue.

Hugh Maloy--on the top step (6104 Dewey Avenue), Ann Shumaker, Dorothy Schweiters, and Barbara Schweiters gathered at 6076 Dewey Avenue in the winter of 1945.  

Barbara Schweiters stood in front of the family home at 6076 Dewey Avenue on February 7, 1943.

The Schweiters family home c1950 on a lovely summer's day....

The historic photographs and stories are courtesy of Deedee Davis. 

A Playhouse and Fun Times Along Dewey Avenue

Frank Roehm, a local general contractor, was the grandfather to Barbara and Dorothy Schweiters of 6076 Dewey Avenue. In 1944, he built a beautiful playhouse for his beloved granddaughters complete with a high-pitched gabled roof, a chimney, and shutters for the windows. The small structure resembled something out of a fairy tale. The girls could invite their friends over for any number of fun scenarios. Mr Roehm custom-built a table and two benches for the interior and a picnic table for the backyard. Inside their small cottage, the girls could sit on the window box or open it and take out a toy! Dorothy's good friend Irene Spitzer, who lived nearby at 6064 Dewey Avenue, also had a playhouse although it had been previously used as a chicken coup. The girls would travel from one small "dwelling" to another.  Amazingly, Mr. Roehm's whimsy still stands on the property 72 years after he first built it.

Dorothy and Barbara Schweiters swing next to their playhouse in the summer of 1945

Dorothy Schweiters stood next to her sister, Barbara, who was dressed up for her first day of school in 1945. Behind the girls, you can see the playhouse built for them by their grandfather, Frank Roehm.  

Barbara Schweiters stood in front of the playhouse in September of 1945. The Schweiters dwelled at 6076 Dewey Avenue.

Neighborhood girls gathered in the sandbox in front of the Schweiters family playhouse in the backyard of 6076 Dewey Avenue in 1945. Pictured:  (left to right) Irene Spitzer, Lynda Ashcroft, Dorothy Schweiters, Mary Jo Harding, Barbara Schweiters

Laura, Leslie, and Debbie Davis, the great granddaughters of Frank Roehm, gathered in the playhouse in the backyard of the Schweiters home at 6076 Dewey Avenue in 1970. 

The historic images and stories are courtesy of Deedee Davis. 

The Schweiters Move to Dewey Avenue

Norbert and Dorothy Schweiters did something unusual in the middle of the Great Depression. They bought a house in Irvington. It probably helped that they both had good jobs and a double income. Mr. Schweiters met his bride at the Kiefer-Stewart Company, a wholesale drug business, where they were both employed. He worked in the tobacco division and supplied drug stores and hotel lobbies with tobacco products. Some of his clients even included the resort at French Lick, Indiana. Mrs. Schweiters worked as a stenographer and secretary for the company although she resigned once she began having children. In 1937, the couple took the big leap and purchased the modest two-bedroom bungalow at 6076 Dewey Avenue. Built in 1929, the Hannah, Williams, and Elliott families had already moved in and out of the dwelling by 1937. Longevity arrived to the house when the Schweiters set up housekeeping. For over fifty years, a member of their family dwelled in this Dewey Avenue abode. The couple raised their two daughters, Barbara and Dorothy, in the residence and everyday and into the night the family could hear the nearby passing trains behind their home along the Pennsylvania Rail Line.

6076 Dewey Avenue after a winter snowstorm in 1939. Norbert and Dorothy Schweiters had already lived here for two years when this photo was snapped. 

An apparent spring snowstorm struck the city of Indianapolis in April of 1940. Buds can be seen on some of the trees now laden with snow. The Schweiters family dwelled at 6076 Dewey Avenue at the time. 

The backyard of 6076 Dewey Avenue in January of 1939. Behind the home, you can see the roofline of the double at 145-47 South Catherwood Avenue. The home at the left of the photo remains a mystery at this time. 

The Schweiters of 6076 Dewey Avenue documented a January snowstorm in 1939. 

Norbert and Dorothy Schweiters proudly posed with their daughter Barbara on a bench in the backyard of their home at 6076 Dewey Avenue. Behind the family, you can see the home at 6072 Dewey Avenue. The Ricketts family dwelled there when this photo was snapped. 

Frank and Leota Roehm, the maternal grandparents of Barbara and Dorothy Schweiters posed with Barbara Schweiters in the backyard of 6076 Dewey Avenue. Mr. Roehm would later construct a playhouse for his granddaughters which still stands in the backyard in 2016. 

Dorothy and Barbara Schweiters paused for a photograph along the back sidewalk at 6076 Dewey Avenue in 1943. It was a warm summer day and the perfect opportunity to play with the family dog. 

The historic images are courtesy of Deedee Davis.  

Our Lady of Lourdes First Communion--1944

The young ladies gathered in front of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on East Washington Street for their first communion in the spring of 1944. They all wore white dresses and veils. Somewhere in that line of girls stood Barbara Schweiters,  the daughter of Norbert and Dorothy Schweiters, of 6076 Dewey Avenue. Behind the girls, traffic was parked along East Washington Street and a bus had just passed along the intersection with North Hawthorne Lane. Across the street, you can see the sign for the Gulf Filling Station run by Don W. Miller at 5302 East Washington Street. (demolished) The most visible home in the photo was that of Joseph and Josephine Kernel, who dwelled at 5370 East Washington Street in 1944. Dr. Kernel was an optometrist as was one of his daughters. Next door at 5360 East Washington Street, you can see residence of Karl and Agness Kernel. Mr. Kernel was the brother to Joseph. Another brother, Paul, lived just around the corner at 5040 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. Beyond the Kernel homes, loomed the Butler apartment building at 5230 East Washington Street. Although it is hard to believe, all of those young girls in the photo would be in their eighties if they are still living in 2016. Sadly, the life of Barbara Schweiters was cut short as she passed away from the effects of polio in 1949.

A procession of young girls with their hands clasped prepared to enter Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on East Washington Street in 1944.  

The historic image is courtesy of Deedee Davis. Information on the Kernel brothers came from the Polk's City Directory and census records. 

At the Edge of the City--1950

Residents in southeastern Irvington lived near farms and meadows in the 1940s. The Schweiters family, who dwelled at 6076 Dewey Avenue, could walk to the edge of their street and find themselves in the country. South Sheridan Avenue was merely a dirt path and was likely a farm lane. Sometime in the winter of 1950, Irene Spitzer and Dorothy Schweiters went for a walk on a cold and frosty day along what would become South Sheridan Avenue. Behind them you can see vast stretches of undeveloped land and a tree line near English Avenue.

Irene Spitzer (left) and Dorothy Schweiters along with Smokey the dog walked upon South Sheridan Avenue in the winter of 1950. Small brick houses occupy this site in 2016. 

Irene Spitzer (left), the daughter of Edmund and Freida Spitzer of 6064 Dewey Avenue, posed with Dorothy Schweiters, the daughter of Norbert and Dorothy Schweiters of 6076 Dewey Avenue, in the winter of 1950 along South Sheridan Avenue. Note that the "street" was merely a dirt path at that point in time. 

Dorothy Schweiters (left) and her friend Irene Spitzer posed in the fields near their homes on Dewey Avenue at the edge of the city line in 1950. The Marbar Development Corporation added 100 homes upon the site in 1951. Beyond the girls, you can see the farms that existed just east of Irvington. 

In the summer and fall of 1951, contractors for the Marbar Subdivision were busy constructing 100 brick homes on the empty land near the Schweiters. On December 2, 1951, the public was invited to tour two of the model homes at 6019 Ivanhoe Street and at 338 South Webster Avenue. The small dwellings were marketed towards veterans and cost $11,500. Veterans needed to put at least $1,000 towards a down payment, but they could also finance that money as well. Those who qualified paid $63.89 for their mortgage. Visitors to the model homes noted the hardwood floors, full basements, tiled bathrooms, storm doors and windows, automatic furnaces, and Youngstown metal kitchen cabinets. The Schweiters still living nearby would have watched as their rural playground vanished and traffic along their once quiet street increased dramatically as families moved into the modern residences. (Information for the Marbar Subdivision came from: Indianapolis Star, December 2, 1951, 36; Indianapolis Star,  January 20, 1952, 30)

6019 Ivanhoe Street served as the model home for the Marbar Subdivision on December 2, 1951.

Typical modest brick homes in the Marbar Subdivision along South Webster Avenue in 2016

The historic photograph and information on the Schweiters family is courtesy of Deedee Davis.

Pastoral Scene at the Edge of Irvington--1937

Norbert and Dorothy Schweiters moved into the bungalow at 6076 Dewey Avenue in 1937. Both of them worked for the Kiefer-Stewart Company at the time. The home would be an ideal setting to raise their two daughters, Barbara and Dorothy, as the property abutted undeveloped land and plenty of space for their kids to play. Most of the homes along the north side of Dewey Avenue bordered acreage along the Pennsylvania Rail Line.

In the historic photograph, taken in the summer of 1937, Mr. Schweiters posed in his backyard at 6076 Dewey Avenue. Behind him you can see a large barn (demolished) that was likely constructed by the Dietz family decades before. To the left of the barn, you can see the double at 145-147 South Catherwood Avenue. The Polks' City Directory from 1937 notes that James and Daisy Brown along with their three children, James, Jr., Alice, and Dorothy, dwelled in at least one side of that double. The Browns were part of a small black settlement north of the Pennsylvania Rail line, east of Arlington Avenue, and south of East Washington Street. Mr. Brown was listed as a laborer. In the photograph, you can see a newly-laid stone path towards a gate opening into the empty acreage behind the Schweiters home. More information on the Schweiters family and their neighborhood will be forthcoming.

J.W. "Norbert" Schweiters posed in his backyard at 6076 Dewey Avenue in the summer of 1937. Behind him you can see a long forgotten barn in the acreage along the Pennsylvania Rail Line. To the left of the barn you can see the small double at 145-147 South Catherwood Avenue.

The land along the south side of the former Pennsylvania Rail Line east of Arlington Avenue remains largely undeveloped 2016.  

The historic image is courtesy of Deedee Davis. 

Dewey Avenue Home on a Wintery Day c1958

Charles Rich and Verla Goodwin Rich dwelled at 5936 Oak Avenue through much of the 1950s and into the early 1960s. They had one son, Dick, who graduated from Howe High School in 1957. Mr. Rich worked as a lathe operator for the International Harvester plant on Brookville Road.

In the historic photo, Verla Rich documented Charles as he shoveled the snow for the Perkins family who lived at 5925 Dewey Avenue. Harold and Lulu Perkins, both quite elderly by the 1950s, resided behind the Rich family. The couple had owned the property since 1921. City directory research indicates that the house had been converted into apartments as early as the 1920s. Mr. Perkins filed for a permit in 1944 to turn the place into an apartment building, but it is unclear if he planned to tear down the current structure or add more units into the existing home. (Indianapolis Star, July 18, 1944, 14)

The connection to the Perkins and Rich family is unknown at this time, but by 1963 the Rich family had moved away from their Oak Avenue home.

Charles F. Rich in front of the Harry and Lulu Perkins home at 5925 Dewey Avenue c1958

The historic photo and information about the Rich family is courtesy of Carol Yeager. 

At the Intersection of Dewey and Good Avenues

Ora and Mildred Heithecker of Brazil, Indiana rented half a double at 5843 Dewey Avenue in the late 1930s and early 1940s.  Mr. Heithecker worked as an equipment inspector for the state of Indiana.  The couple paid $35 a month in rent.  Their two young children, Janis and Harold, enjoyed playing and riding their bikes along Dewey and Good Avenues. While the world seemed to be falling into chaos and war, the US was still at peace and warm summer days provided endless fun for the youth of Irvington.  In the top photo, the children were carefully posed next to the family home in 1939. They were dressed up so perhaps it was for a special event.  In the bottom photo, Janis Heithecker enjoyed a bike ride along Dewey.  The photographer not only captured a beautiful image of her, but behind her you can see Good Avenue.  Contemporary images show the same views in 2014.

Heithecker children in front of 5843 Dewey Avenue

5843-45 Dewey Avenue in 2014

A car pulls off of Good Avenue onto Dewey Avenue behind Janis Heithecker in 1940.

The intersection of Dewey and Good Avenues in 2014

The historic images are courtesy of the Heithecker descendants via Ancestry.com.  

Ninety Years Earlier...A Visit

We paused before a house that seemed

A swelling of the ground;

The roof was scarcely visible.

The cornice but a mound.

Emily Dickinson

Weaver's Air Service flew over Irvington in the winter of 1923 and snapped at least two aerial photos of the neighborhood.  This incredible image displayed today revealed homes along South Audubon Road, University Avenue, Oak Avenue, Dewey Avenue, and Beechwood Avenue.   While I did not have time to call upon every house in the picture, I asked Mr. Weaver to drop down so I could pay a visit to a few places.  How often does one get transported back in time?  I could not pass up this opportunity.    

Aerial Shot of southern Irvington in 1923 (click to make the photo larger)

I began my tour by trekking down the brick street of Audubon Road just south of the Irving Circle  (upper left of the photo) to pay my respects to the Thomas K. Canfield family at 269 South Audubon Road.  Mr. Canfield managed his own company and rented this lovely American-Four Square.  Adelaide Conte, a well-known music teacher, had just vacated the home. Many children in the neighborhood took vocal and instrumental lessons inside the cobblestoned dwelling.  The Canfields had just moved in so I decided not to dwell long, but I couldn't help but notice the solid stone fireplace in the living room and the beautiful oak woodwork.  

269 South Audubon Road in 1920

269 South Audubon in 2011

Next door, at 275 South Audubon Road, I noted that the Pi Beta Phi sorority girls were very welcoming.  Some young women were playing the piano while others were singing. They had only a short walk to classes at Butler University from this wonderful abode. The chapter president, Margaret Kellenbach, who welcomed me, had bobbed hair like most fashionable young women of the Roaring 20s.  The place was festooned in the colors of wine and silver blue.  Above the fireplace, hung the sorority motto, For Every Girl, A Man or Two.  Although it was difficult to leave this lively place, I decided to move on to my next stop.  

Pi Beta Phi House in 1923 at 275 South Audubon Road

Interior shot of Pi Beta Phi House at 275 South Audubon Road in 1923

Two doors down at 307 South Audubon Road, I was greeted by the Nichols.  William Nichol, the manager of the White Haine Optical Company, and his family were one of the many to call this high-class rental "home."  In fact, the place seemed to be a revolving door as at least nine other families had lived there since 1907.  It looked like the Nichols would not be staying long.  I saw that Mrs. Nichol was already packing some boxes. Another family, the Griffiths, had leased it for 1924.

307 South Audubon Road c1923

307 South Audubon Road in 2013

The tall Queen Anne home at 315 South Audubon Road had intrigued me for years.  I was surprised to learn that only three people lived here in 1923.  Forty-three-year-old Waller Filson and his thirty-two-year-old wife, Sarah, answered the door.  The couple told me that they had met back home in Pennsylvania, and that Waller's brother, Adna, who was 38, also lived here.  Both the Filson brothers worked for a local telegraph company.  Mr. Filson owned the home and of course, I knew that he and his wife would continue to dwell there for another twenty-five years.

315 South Audubon Road in 2013

I crossed the intersection of Oak Avenue and looked down the block.  I could see that the towering oaks provided a beautiful canopy for the street in 1923 just as they did in 2013.   At the southeast corner, I spotted the large Italianate at 325 South Audubon Road. Everyone in the neighborhood still called it the Howe home in 1923, although a new family, the Eberts, had just moved in.  The Howes were storied people and one of their descendants, Thomas Carr Howe, had served as the President of Butler University from 1908 to 1920.  The Eberts were very different from the Howes.  Otto and Lena both spoke German fluently.  Mr. Ebert worked as an engineer for the Irvington Ice and Coal Company on South Ritter Avenue. They raised most of their five children on Burgess Avenue, but Otto Jr. spent the majority of his teen years in this fine old home.  I bade them goodbye and was stunned when I walked out the door and headed south.

325 South Audubon Road in 2013

Where were the houses?  A huge empty lot sat south of the Howe-Ebert home.  The five bungalows that now occupy the site were not present in 1923.  In fact, there was a path that locals created to cut over to Beechwood Avenue on the vast green space.  Across the street, I saw more empty space.  Incredible! 

I crossed the intersection and paid my respects to the widow, Laura Weaver, who owned a Dutch-Colonial Revival duplex at 353-55 South Audubon Road.  Ms. Weaver had just turned 53 and had been alone for a while as her son had just moved out to start his adult life.  To make ends meet, she rented rooms on her side and leased out the other side to the Asbury family.  Joseph Asbury worked as a clerk for the rail lines.  He was 43 while his wife, Martha was 37.  Three young children certainly added a lot of life for the corner. Ms. Weaver would have been surprised had I informed her that by 2013, her home was no longer a double!  I decided that to keep that secret to myself.

353 South Audubon Road in 2013 (formerly 353-55)

My final stop for the day would be across the street.  The Hartig family dwelled at 358 South Audubon Road on the southwest corner of Audubon and Beechwood.  The tall home had been on the corner since the late nineteenth-century.  The Hartigs had been in the dwelling for at least ten years and they knew the Howes from the next the block.  Joel Hartig had a variety of jobs, but his most recent as a salesman of livestock, provided the most stability.  His son, Gravis, worked with him.  Martha, his wife, stayed home and helped to raise Marguerite, Alice, and Susanna.  I looked out a southern window in the parlor and I could see a beautiful bungalow that had just recently been built on a lot next to the Hartigs.  If Mrs. Hartig had opinion on the contrast of homes with hers towering and the new one hugging the ground, she didn't comment.  I longed to go upstairs and tour the entire place, but as I was not that familiar with the family, I did not think it pertinent to ask.

358 South Audubon Road in 2013

With so little time, I had to scurry back to Weaver's airplane.  I was disappointed that I could not jog down some of the other streets.  Off in the distance, I noted the chimney stack of the Children's Guardian Home.  I had been told that over fifty "inmates," as they were called in 1923, had refuge there.  I wished I could warn Mr. and Mrs. Oberholzter, who lived across the street from the Guardian Home on University Avenue, about the dangers that awaited their daughter Madge.  If only I could tell them that in two years the lovely State House secretary would meet a horrible fate at the hands of the brutal Ku Klux Klan leader D. C. Stephenson.  Madge, do not go to his house! Perhaps on another visit? Mr. Weaver had grown impatient with me as it was time to return to the "present."  Our plane banked right and I looked down one more time at 1923.....