Wintry Scenes in Irvington Through the Decades

      One of the advantages of writing this blog for twelve years, is that I have amassed a database of beautiful winter imagery connected to Irvington. So far, snow has eluded the neighborhood in late 2021, but who knows what awaits us. If heavy snows arrive in 2022, then we will probably grab our cameras and rush outside much like folks have been doing through the ages. Some of these photos have been posted before but many have not. Happy holidays and thank you to all of you who have contributed photos over the years. 

     This post is dedicated to the memory of Robert Kistner, whose image is below. I met both Mr. Kistner and his daughter Elizabeth Bodi as they were traveling down memory lane in Irvington. He grew up by the Irving Circle Park so I instantly knew which photo I wanted to post of him.  Rest in peace, Mr. Kistner. 

The Lamb family resided at 5631 University Avenue from 1937 until 1961. This photo was likely snapped c1938 on a beautiful wintry day. (photo courtesy of Lynn Smith)

The Hackleman kids, who lived at 5438 Lowell Avenue, found time to play in the snow along North Whittier Place c1910. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) 

Florence Hackleman, who lived at 5438 Lowell Avenue, posed with the family cow near the carriage house in her backyard on a winter's day c1912. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

A giant snow mound in the backyard at 5438 Lowell Avenue provided entertainment for the Hackleman children c1910. The home most visible in the image is located at 321 Whittier Place. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) 

Florence Hackleman posed near her front porch at 5438 Lowell Avenue with her sled c1912 (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) 

Albert and Rita Stone resided at 317 North Ritter Avenue from 1949 until 1954. Sometime during the early 1950s they sent this Christmas card to the Richardsons of 477 North Audubon Road. The family impressively already had a television set. (photo courtesy of Donn and Carolyn Richardson)

The Richardson family lived at 477 North Audubon Road and snapped this snowy image c1950 (photo courtesy of Donn and Carolyn Richardson)

Almost like a ghostly image, the Doan residence at 47 North Irvington Avenue was clearly covered in snow c1904. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown and the Indiana Album) 

On a wintry day, the Doan sisters of 47 North Irvington Avenue posed for a photograph. Behind the girls you can see the home located at 59 North Irvington Avenue. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown) 

Anne Warner posed in her front yard at 66 Johnson Avenue in 1954. Behind her you can also see the residences located at 58 and 54 Johnson Avenue. (photo courtesy of Steve Warner and Paul Diebold)

Wintry Scene 1954: A member of the Warner family snapped this photograph from the family home at 66 Johnson Avenue. To the left you can see the Irvington Presbyterian Church and across the street you will note the homes located in the 5600 block of Julian Avenue. (photo courtesy of Steve Warner and Paul Diebold) 

Robert Kistner (1934-2021) or "Bobby" as he was known in the photograph, posed for this image in his front yard at 263 South Audubon Road in 1937. Behind him you can see the Irving Circle Park. (photo courtesy of Robert Kistner and Elizabeth Bodi)

Bernard and Margaret Korbly purchased the Kendall home in 1915. They snapped this image of 425 North Audubon Road in the winter of 1920. (photo courtesy of Pat Dwyer)

Bike tracks lead to the Doran home at 5770 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive in the winter of 1951. (photo courtesy of Kevin Yamafuji)

Jim Burck shoveled his driveway at 6120 East 9th Street in 1943. Behind him, you can see the Ghere family home located at 6126 East 9th Street. (photo courtesy of Christina Burck) 

John, Della, and RoseAnn O'Connor posed after a snowstorm in 1957. The O'Connors resided at 5956 Beechwood Avenue. Behind the family you can see the bungalows located at 5952 and 5948 Beechwood Avenue. (photo courtesy of RoseAnn Linder)

Dr. John H. Booth and his son, George, listened to the radio in their home at 280 South Downey Avenue c1935. (photo courtesy of Mac Fife)

Dr. Clifton and Bonnie Applegate Donnell resided at 82 North Hawthorne Lane when this photo was snapped by a member of the Caldwell family in 1943.  (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

The Schmidt home at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive on a snowy day in 1938. The home was later renumbered as 5701 East St. Clair Street. (photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw) 

Time to sled! Dr. Henry Schmidt posed next to Beverly Spencer and Ann Schmidt on a winter day in 1938. The Schmidts resided at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive and had a perfect hill for sledding. (photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

  Thank you to all who have contributed over the years! More vintage photos will be forthcoming. 

The Conners Built a Large Home on Whittier Place

      By the time that workers began building the large two-story home at 88 Whittier Place (then numbered as 100) in the spring of 1903, Reverend Americus Wood Conner and his wife Mary Jane Cadwallader Conner had already lived in numerous homes throughout Irvington, the state, the nation, and even in Canada. Mr. Conner spent most of his career preaching in Indiana. Sometimes he would be called to serve at several churches within one county. In Rush County, for example, he served as the minister to congregations in Milroy, Plum Creek, and Fairview. 

Reverend Americus Wood and Mary Jane Cadwallader Conner moved into their brand new home at 88 Whittier Place in 1903. They only lived in the house for two years before selling it to Eunice Macy in 1905. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) c1905

Reverend Americus Wood Conner preached in Disciples of Christ Churches throughout Indiana and beyond. He was described in a Fort Wayne Gazette article (September 6, 1900) as "tall and spare" and "full of humor and with a bright snappy way of speaking." (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

     In 1893, Americus and Mary Jane moved to Irvington, the home of Butler University (then called Butler College). The college was affiliated with the Disciples of Christ and would have been very important to the couple. Mr. Conner's brother,  Reverend James W. Conner already lived in the community. City directory research indicates that the Conners resided in numerous homes throughout the neighborhood during the 1890s although Americus spent part of the decade preaching in Danville, Indiana and in other smaller congregations.

     On June 21, 1899, the Indianapolis Journal announced a new corporation and publication called The Boys' Friend.  With a capital stock of $5000, Americus along with directors, James Conner, Pearl Conner (later Hackleman), William Redman, and William Doan launched what would become his life's work. Reverend Conner theorized that boys and young men needed strong male role models in order to succeed in life. He opened an office in the Majestic Building in downtown Indianapolis and then went on the Chautauqua Circuit. He spoke in churches, teacher institutes, and at revivals. Many of his talks were conducted at Bethany Park, a Disciples' campground in Morgan County, Indiana. He also wrote a corresponding book in 1899 titled The Boggs Boys or Corralling the Kids of Kiddsville, a fictional account of  what can happen if boys do not have proper male role models.  

The Conners frequented Bethany Park in Morgan County, Indiana often for revivals. Reverend Conner also held his talks about the Boys' Friend Movement here. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) c1910

Bethany Park c1910: Reverend Americus Wood Conner led the Boys' Friend Movement in the state of Indiana. He frequently asked that both fathers and sons attend his lectures. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

Besides publishing a monthly magazine in the early twentieth century, Americus Conner also found time to write and publish the book, The Boggs Boys (1899). You will note that the book was published in Irvington! 

     Shortly after launching the business venture, Mary Jane and Americus joyfully hosted the wedding of their daughter Pearl to William Edward Michael Hackleman, a talented composer of Protestant music. The wedding made the society pages of the Indianapolis News on September 13, 1899, because of the fact that the bride's father and two uncles conducted the service. After their marriage, the Hacklemans lived with the Conners at their home at 5522 East Washington Street. However, a disastrous fire in 1901 at the home forced the families to find temporary housing. 

     1903 must have been an exciting year for both the Conners and the Hacklemans as both families moved into newly-constructed homes at the intersection of Lowell Avenue and Whittier Place. The Conners moved into 88 Whittier Place while the Hacklemans moved into 5438 Lowell Avenue.  Although they no longer lived together, the families could see each other every day. The life of a preacher in those days was always a bit nomadic, so it must have come to no surprise to the Hacklemans that Americus and Mary Jane Conner placed their beautiful home on the market in 1905 and moved to Lafayette, Indiana where Americus preached at a Disciples church there. 

      In later years, the elderly Conners returned to Irvington and lived out part of their final years with their daughter Pearl and son-in-law, William, at the Lowell Avenue home. Across the street, they would have noticed their former home later occupied by the Macy, Fay, Butler, Lucas, Hughel, Rumpler, and Ragsdale families and others. In 1909,William Fay turned the second story of 88 Whittier Place into a separate apartment. Mr. Conner passed away in 1932 while Mrs. Conner lived on until 1938. Both died at 1201 North Alabama Street in the home of Pearl Conner Hackleman, who had moved out of Irvington after the death of her husband, William in 1927. 

Pearl Conner Hackleman, the daughter of Americus and Mary Jane Conner, built a house at 5438 Lowell Avenue in 1903 on the opposite corner from the Conners along with her music-publishing husband, William Edward Michael Hackleman (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) c1905

Americus and Mary Jane Conner moved into their spacious Irvington home at 88 Whittier Place (then numbered as 100) in 1903. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) c1905

The Conners sold 88 Whittier Place to Eunice Macy in 1905 for $3000. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) c1905

Many families have lived in 88 Whittier Place since 1903. The Conner family was the first. This image was snapped in October of 2021. (photo by William Gulde)

     I wish to thank Anne Gribble Spurgeon, the great-great granddaughter of Americus and Mary Jane Conner, for the use of the photos and for the stories about her family. I also wish to thank Steve Barnett and Paula Schmidt at the Irvington Historical Society for their leads and research.

Sources:  Information about Rush County tenure as a minister--"Church News," Rushville Republican, June 27, 1893; Wedding of Pearl and W.E.M. Hackleman--"Unusual Wedding," Indianapolis News, September 13, 1899, 9; Incorporation of Boys' Friend Magazine--"Incorporated," Indianapolis Journal, June 21, 1899, 8; Lecture about Boyhood Movement--"Steuben County Teachers," Angola Herald, September 11, 1901, 4; Sale of 88 Whittier Place to Eunice Macy--"Real Estate," Indiana Tribune, September 24, 1905;  Obituaries for Americus Conner--"Former Local Minister Dies," Journal & Courier (Lafayette, IN), May 11, 1932, 11, and "Disciples Pastor Succumbs Here," Indianapolis Star, May 11, 1932, 10; Obituary for Mary Jane Conner--"Church Worker Dies Here at 82," Indianapolis Star, July 29, 1938, 3; Conversion of second story of 88 Whittier Place into an apartment--Ad placed in the Indianapolis Star, March 30, 1909, 12.  

     

 

Early Photos of an Irvington Avenue Home

Florence and Marcia Doan, who grew up at 47 North Irvington Avenue, frequently played in the lot north of their home. Their father, Wilson Doan, was a prominent attorney who later sold one of his lots to his law partner, Charles Orbison around 1906. Before the sale of the lot, the Doans enjoyed the use of the wide open space. Photographs from 1903-05 show the girls playing in the lot with other neighborhood children and even enjoying a horse-driven wagon ride. Behind the kids in most of the photos, you can see the home of Jesse and Sarah Josephine Stuart Lowes at 59 North Irvington Avenue.

Jesse Lowes and Sarah Stuart married on November 23, 1892. Shortly after their marriage, the couple moved into their Irvington home around 1895. It is not known at this time if they built the house or if they are the second owners. The Indianapolis Journal noted in a "Society" snip in 1896 that the couple hosted some of Sarah's family from Acton, Indiana on Elm Avenue, the former name of Irvington Avenue. The couple had one daughter, Eunice Isabella, who likely played with Florence and Marcia next door.

Mr. Lowes first tried his luck as a grocer at 203 South Audubon Road along with Arthur L. Porter, but that partnership dissolved in 1900. He also became active in Republican Party politics and was one of the founders of the Irvington Republican Party Club. He worked for various Senators and even sold his Irvington Avenue home and moved to Washington DC with his family around 1905 to work in the US Senate. Upon his return to Indianapolis, the voters of Warren Township elected him as their Assessor in the 1920s.

Mrs. Lowes made headlines years later in 1925 when she testified at the murder trial of D.C. Stephenson, who was the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana. At the time, the Lowes lived on Hibben Avenue just behind the Stephenson home. Mrs. Lowes testified that she heard the screams of Madge Oberholtzer in the middle of night on March 17, 1925, along with the sounds of barking dogs, which belonged to Stephenson. Her testimony along with many others helped to convict the Klansman of murder.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Lowes passed away in 1945 while their daughter, Eunice, who married Kenneth Johnson, died in 1990 at the age of 97. Their former home at 59 North Irvington Avenue was later enlarged and cut into apartments. To learn about another family, who lived in the house from the 1920s to the 1940s, click on "Adams Family" link below.

Marcia and Florence Doan gathered on the front porch at 59 North Irvington Avenue c1904. The older lady is possibly Sarah Lowes and the young girl next to her is possibly Eunice Isabella Lowes.
(Photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

Florence Doan, who is standing barefooted in the tall grass next to her home at 47 North Irvington Avenue pulls her sister Marcia and an unidentified boy in a wagon. Behind the kids, you can see an empty lot and the Lowes family home at 59 North Irvington Avenue in June of 1903. (Photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

Marcia and Florence Doan, who lived at 47 North Irvington Avenue, posed in their side yard c1904. Behind the girls, you can see the Lowes home at 59 North Irvington Avenue complete with a windmill under construction in the backyard. In the far distance you can see the Ingersoll residence that used to stand at 5408 Lowell Avenue. (Photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

Florence Doan pushes her sister Marcia in a wheelbarrow next to their family's home at 47 North Irvington Avenue (then called 27 North Elm Avenue) c1903. Behind the girls, you can 59 North Irvington Avenue (then called 37 North Elm Avenue). Jessse and Sarah Lowes lived in that house along with their daughter Eunice. Across the street, you can see the cottage located at 72 North Irvington Avenue. That house has been greatly modified over the years. (Photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

Tall grass and weeds stands on an empty lot behind the Doan sisters on a summer's day most likely in 1903. The house most visible in the photo is that of 59 North Irvington Avenue. (Photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

On a wintry day, the Doan sisters posed for a photograph near their front porch at 47 North Irvington Avenue c1903. Behind the sisters, you can see the house at 59 North Irvington Avenue. (Photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

59 North Irvington has been enlarged over the years and converted into apartments. (photo taken in the winter of 2020)

    To see more images from the Indiana Album, click on the link below:
https://indianaalbum.pastperfectonline.com/randomimages

I wish to thank Jim and Ann Brown for their wonderful hospitality and assistance with these posts and the Indiana Album, a digital museum dedicated to capturing images from throughout the state including Irvington.

Sources:  1900 Federal Census; Obituary for Jesse Lowes, Indianapolis News, March 3, 1945, 14; Early house--Indianapolis Journal, July 19, 1896, 13; Mr. Lowes jobs--Indianapolis News, February 3, 1900, 13; Indianapolis News, December 15, 1903, 3; Mrs. Lowes and DC Stephenson Trial--Noblesville Ledger, November 3, 1925, 2.

Hill Family Residence in the Early 20th Century

The Reverend Harry G. Hill and his wife Katherine Ralston Hill likely moved into 52 North Irvington Avenue around 1904. Affiliated with the Disciples of Christ, Dr. Hill worked in the administration of that organization and later served as a minister of the Third Christian Church. The 1910 Federal Census reveals that the Hills, who were both 35 at the time, had three children, Herbert R. who was nine years old, Paul G., who was seven years old, and Dorothy, who was four years old. A thirty-five-year-old servant named Ella White lived in the house as did another minister named Granville Powers, who was 31 years old.

Living across the street from the Hill family was the Doan family at 47 North Irvington Avenue. Sometime around 1905, a Doan family member snapped photos of children in front of their home. Behind the kids, you can see the double at 38-40 North Irvington Avenue as well as the Hill home at 52 North Irvington Avenue.

The Hills lived in the house until 1927. Reverend Hill seems to have gotten into a spat with the leadership and perhaps the congregation at Third Christian Church. He left there in 1912 and became active in other churches as well as the Chautauqua movement. Mrs. Hill was an active club woman. The Doans and Hills were close as neighbors. Reverend Hill officiated the wedding of Florence Doan when she married Richard Power of Milroy, Indiana  in her childhood home at  47 North Irvington Avenue on August 25, 1925.

At some point during their tenure of the home, the Hills added the large stone porch across the front of the house, but that was clearly after these photos were snapped.

Unidentified children posed along Irvington Avenue. Behind the kids, you can see the double at 38-40 North Irvington Avenue on the left and the Hill home at 52 North Irvington Avenue on the right c1905.
 (photo courtesy of Jim and and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

Unidentified children walk up the Doan family sidewalk c1906. Behind the two small kids, you can see both the double at 38-40 North Irvington Avenue and the Hill home at 52 North Irvington Avenue. You can also see that the Hill children have set up camp in the side yard of their home. (photo courtesy of Jim and and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

Harry Granison Hill, who resided at 52 North Irvington Avenue, was still the minister of the Third Christian Church in 1912 when the photo appeared in the Indianapolis News on January 29, 1912. 

A small child stood on the Doan family sidewalk at 47 North Irvington Avenue c1905. Behind the toddler, you can see the Harry and Katherine Hill residence at 52 North Irvington Avenue. (photo courtesy of Jim and and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

52 North Irvington Avenue in the winter of 2020. 

To see more historic images of the state of Indiana, click on the Indiana Album link below

https://indianaalbum.pastperfectonline.com/randomimages

I wish to thank Jim and Ann Brown for their hospitality and information regarding the homes along Irvington Avenue.

Sources:  Obituary for Harry G. Hill, Indianapolis Star, February 16, 1951, 16; Obituary for Katherine Ralston Hill, Indianapolis News, November 26, 1958, 14; 1910 Federal Census.

Doan Family Arrives in 1892

Twenty years after its founding in 1870, Irvington still had hundreds of lots available to would-be investors or future residents. The independent community had many features that attracted folks including Butler College and the strict covenants regarding alcohol, factories, and slaughterhouses. It would be the perfect place for the newly-married Wilson and Myra Holbrook Doan in 1892.

Mr. Doan was a rising star as an attorney in the city and as an active member with both the Republican and later the Prohibition Party.  An Indianapolis Journal article revealed that the construction on a brand new home for the couple began in March of 1892 on Elm (later Irvington) Avenue. Mr. Doan must have been earning a comfortable living by that time as his two-and-a-half story residence stood amidst at least four lots owned by him. We do not know the name of the builder or if there was an architect, but the Upright-and-Wing home used to have a long front porch and the entire residence reflected the popular Queen Anne style of the time. The couple would have three children although only two would survive into adulthood. The Doans, who were strictly in favor of temperance, were likely attracted to Irvington for many reasons including the fact that it was a dry community.

 The first child to be born to the Doans was Florence in 1893 followed by Marcia in 1894. In 1896, the couple welcomed Dorothy but she she died on March 18, 1899, of "brain congestion." Her funeral was held in the home on March 21. Shortly after her funeral, the couple received a shock when an intruder snuck into their home at two in the morning on April 4, 1899. Awakened by a sound, Mr. Doan noticed a man creeping towards his bed. He leapt at him and the burglar fled the scene with Mr. Doan's wallet containing three dollars. Several other homes were hit that night.

By all accounts, the Doan children enjoyed their childhood along Irvington Avenue. They certainly witnessed many changes. In an unpublished history, Florence recalled that Irvington Avenue used to be gas-lit and that Italians paved the street with bricks. She also witnessed the construction of many houses along the avenue. Photos from the early twentieth century, show that the children enjoyed their time outdoors. Both girls went to Shortridge High School as the Doans valued education.

Meanwhile, while Mrs. Doan was heavily involved in clubs and in the First Friends Meeting House, Mr. Doan began to get actively involved in politics. In 1900, he withdrew from the Republican Party and publicly announced his support for the Prohibition Party. His involvement grew in that new party so much so that when he gave the opening speech at the party's national convention in 1904 at Tomilinson Hall in Indianapolis, people in the audience began to shout "Vice President." His oration on that summer day likely inspired other like-minded Prohibitionists. Curiously, they held up Abraham Lincoln as their role model. In fact, Mr. Doan spoke in front of a giant portrait of the sixteenth President to over 1200 enthusiastic delegates. His entire speech was printed in the Indianapolis News. About his city, he boasted: "We are proud of our sober, industrious, and manly citizens." Another interesting quote came in the middle of the speech when he said, "Lincoln had a vision for his country that there should be no slaves and no drunkards." He received thundering applause throughout his oration.

Society clips in the Indianapolis newspapers reveal that Mrs. Doan frequently hosted the Irvington Woman's Club. In 1913, the topic for the members included "Napoleon and his wife Josephine." In 1927, the club's topic was more political as Mrs. Doan gave a presentation about whether women should serve on juries. Mr. Doan was a prolific writer and frequently contributed to local Quaker journals. He also published a book called Bush River about the westward expansion of the Quakers who opposed slavery.

Tragedy struck the family in the summer of 1921 when both Doan girls along with their cousins were involved in a horrific accident in Greenfield. Marcia Doan, who had just purchased a new automobile, had offered to drive the group to Richmond for the yearly meeting of the Friends. When they arrived in Greenfield, there was a detour that took the group over the traction tracks. Marcia likely panicked as she didn't see the trolley and her new car died on the tracks. She was killed and the rest of the riders suffered some terrible injuries although they survived.

Mr. and Mrs. Doan continued to reside in the large house even after Florence married and moved out. After Mr. Doan's death, Florence worried about her mother living in the house all by herself and she along with her husband moved into the home. While their residence has had several owners since then, their home remains intact and still has most of its 1890s features.

Members of the Doan family posed on their front porch at 47 North Irvington Avenue c1910
(photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

Florence Doan, who had a cast on her arm, sits with her sister, Marcia in wagon along the sidewalk in front of 47 North Irvington Avenue c1903. We do not know the name of the young girl standing next to the wagon. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

The Doan sisters along with an unidentified boy rode in a carriage next to their home at 47 North Irvington Avenue c1904. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

Marcia Doan, on the right, dressed in boy's clothes, posed in front of her childhood home at 47 North Irvington Avenue c1904. We do not know the name of the child on the left. 

The Doan sisters posed on a swing with Telford Orbison in their front yard at 47 North Irvington Avenue in June of 1903. Behind the kids, you can see the curve of Irvington Avenue as it winds towards Washington Street. The man in the photo was most likely Charles Orbison, a law partner and future neighbor to Mr, Doan. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

Wilson Doan, a prominent attorney, sat on a bench next to his house at 47 North Irvington Avenue c1904. He and his wife Myra Holbrook Doan had the house built in 1892. 

Florence and Marcia Doan posed with an unidentified boy on their front porch at 47 North Irvington Avenue c1903. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

Marcia and Florence Doan posed on a bench with a young girl in their front yard at 47 North Irvington Avenue in May 1903.  Note that there are no houses across the street! (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

The Doan sisters hosted a croquet match in their side yard at 47 North Irvington Avenue in June of 1903. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

One of the Doan children posed on her bike next to the family home at 47 North Irvington Avenue c1904. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

The Doan sisters in the front of line posed with other children in their side yard at 47 North Irvington Avenue c1904. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

All four members of the Doan family posed with their dog at the rear of 47 North Irvington Avenue c1910. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

The Doan sisters, on the right, posed with other children on their front porch at 47 North Irvington Avenue c1904. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

Marcia Doan posed with "Ralph" in front of her home at 47 North Irvington Avenue c1907. The Orbison home at 51 North Irvington Avenue can be seen behind the children as well. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

Florence Doan posed next to her home at 47 North Irvington Avenue c1904. Perhaps it was the first day of school. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

Marcia or Florence Doan posed on a bike next to her home at 47 North Irvington Avenue c1904.

The Doan sisters and some friends had fun in the snow in the lots north of their home at 47 North Irvington Avenue in the winter of 1904. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

The ghostly and snowy image of 47 North Irvington Avenue c1904: Note the windmill visible behind the residence. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

Wilson and Myra Holbrook Doan in 1918. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown; Indiana Album)

47 North Irvington Avenue in the winter of 2020

I wish to thank Jim and Ann Brown for their hospitality and information about 47 North Irvington Avenue. The Browns recently participated in a scan-a-thon for the Indiana Album, a digital museum dedicated to capturing images of Indiana. For more information on the Indiana Album, click on the link below. 

https://indianaalbum.pastperfectonline.com/randomimages

Sources:  Late nineteenth-century information:  "Suburban Notes," Indianapolis Journal, March 17, 1892, 6; "Burglars in Irvington," Indianapolis News, April 5, 1899, 8; Early twentieth-century information: "Joins Prohibitionists," Indianapolis News, September 29, 1900, 6; "One Cheering Mass of Prohibitionists," Indianapolis News, January 29, 1904, 1; Accident--"Traction Car Crashes into Automobile," Greenfield Daily Republican, July 25, 1921, 1; Obituaries:  "Services Are Held for Wilson S. Doan, Well-Known Friend," Richmond Palladian-Item, April 29, 1930, 12; "Mrs. Myra H. Doan," Indianapolis Star, July 31, 1958, 13; Unpublished history of Florence Doan Power posted on the Indiana Album (see above link).