Life along Layman and Lowell Avenues in the 1940s

     Orville and Marjorie Peters raised their four children at 312 North Layman Avenue. Family scrapbooks reveal the busy childhoods of each of the kids. Most of the photos for this post were taken in the 1940s and show life along North Layman Avenue. While children were clearly the focus of the images, many Layman Avenue residences can be seen behind the family members. 

Layman Avenue 

In 1945, a group of scouts gathered in the front yard of the Peters home at 312 North Layman Avenue. Behind the group you can see the homes located at 315 and 321 North Layman Avenue. Marjorie Peters served as the den mother. Orville Peters, her husband, taught the boys how to build and fly a kite. He can be seen standing in the back clad in a black hat. We do not know the names of every boy so if you recognize someone, let me know. Pictured:  Dick Parish in the plaid jacket and next to him, David Peters in the dark jacket; Max Woodbury in the striped shirt; and Steve Lane kneeling in the front. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Billy Cline posed with his friend Susan Peters c 1948 along Layman Avenue. Behind the kids, you can see the homes located at 327, 331, and beyond. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

308 North Layman Avenue

     When Marjorie and Orville Peters moved into 312 North Layman Avenue, likely one of the first neighbors to say"hello" might have been the Weavers at 308. Marjorie had grown up at 312 and would have known this family her entire life. Harry and Mable (Myrle) Weaver had lived at 308 North Layman Avenue since the 1910s. Their children would have grown up next to Marjorie.  

Donald and David Peters (left) posed with their friend, Price Garland, who lived at 328 North Layman Avenue c1943. Behind the boys, you can see the Weaver home at 308 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Mable and Harry Weaver posed for this photograph in July of 1917. They lived at 308 North Layman Avenue for decades. (photo courtesy of the Weaver family descendants via Ancestry.com) 

316 North Layman Avenue

     In 1940, when the Peters family moved into 312 North Layman Avenue, Orley and Mellie May resided next door at 316 North Layman Avenue. Various photographers frequently posed family members facing north so the May home appeared quite frequently in their photos. Mr. May died at the age of 56 after a tragic accident in 1942. Mrs. May passed away in 1950. The home sat empty through most of 1951 until the Victor family moved in. 

Marjorie and Orville posed for this photograph c1944. Behind the couple, you can see both 316 and 320 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

David and Donald Peters posed c1944 in their front yard at 312 North Layman Avenue. Behind the boys, you can see the May home at 316 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Donald Peters prepared to pass the football c1945. Behind him, you can see the May home at 316 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Donald Peters was ready for his Little League game c1948. Behind him, you can see the May home at 316 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Left to right: David Peters, Marjorie Fox, and Susan Peters, c1948; Behind the kids you can see up Layman Avenue including the May home at 316 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Susan Peters looked on as her father, Orville Peters, displayed his great catch of fish, c1948. Behind them, you can see the south side of 316 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Susan and David Peters rode their bikes near their home at 312 North Layman Avenue c1947. Behind the kids, you can see 316 and 320 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family) 

315 North Layman Avenue

     While we do not know the exact month, Mrs. Frances E. Ensworth, a retired bank clerk, moved into 315 North Layman Avenue during the same year as the Peters family across the street in 1940. Impressively, Mrs. Ensworth, a career woman, spent most of her time at American Fletcher National Bank. By the time she moved into her Layman Avenue home at the age of 68, she had already been a widow for twelve years. Her time in the home ended with her death in 1955. Later the Downey and Hill families moved in. 

 Susan Peters, the third child of Orville and Marjorie Peters, smiled for the camera in this shot from 1944. Across the street, you can see the home belonging to Mrs. Frances Ensworth at 315 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family) 

Susan and Marjorie Peters posed along the front yard at 312 North Layman Avenue c1944. Behind them, you can see both 315 and 321 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

5514 Lowell Avenue

     The Huggins and later Alexander families lived in the two-story Arts and Crafts bungalow at 5514 Lowell Avenue in the 1940s and 1950s. The backyard of the Peters family at 312 North Layman abutted the side yard of 5514 Lowell Avenue so the eastern side of that home frequently showed up in family photos. 

Orville Peters posed with his sons, Donald and David, in the backyard of 312 North Layman Avenue c1943. Behind them, you can see the side of 5514 Lowell Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

David and Donald Peters displayed their catch, c1948, in the backyard of 312 North Layman Avenue. Behind the boys, you can see 5514 Lowell Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

5602 Lowell Avenue

     Several families lived in the two-story American foursquare located at 5602 Lowell Avenue during the Peters' era at 312 North Layman Avenue. The Johnson, Kenner, and Moore families lived across the street from the Peters family and that home frequently appeared in family photos. 

Marjorie Peters joyfully held up her new baby daughter, Susan, in 1943. Behind them, you can see the west side of 5602 Lowell Avenue. Richard and Marguerette Johnson resided in the home at the time. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Donald Peters tried out his new bike along the brick street in front of his house at 312 North Layman Avenue in December of 1946. Behind him, you can see the home located at 5602 Lowell Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family) 

David Peters, c1948, in his front of house at 312 North Layman Avenue. Behind him, you can see 5602 Lowell Avenue. A post office box can also be seen at the corner. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Susan Peters posed for this photograph along the front walk of her home at 312 North Layman Avenue. Behind her, you can see a milk delivery truck parked near the intersection of Layman and Lowell Avenues. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

I wish to thank Doug, Donald, David, and Susan Peters for their photos and stories. 

Sources:  Interview with Douglas Peters, 2024; US Federal Census records, 1930, 1940, and 1950; Polk's City Directories for Indianapolis 1939-1956; Information for the Weaver family came from Ancestry.com; Orley and Mellie May--Obituaries, Indianapolis News, January 31, 1947, p. 7; Indianapolis News, October 24, 1950, p. 24; Frances Ensworth obituary--Indianapolis News, October 6, 1955, p. 12.

Irving Circle Park in 1941

Over the decades, the small Irving Circle Park has served as a lovely spot for taking photos of friends and family. As a nearby resident, I can assure you that in 2016 it happens weekly. In the spring of 1941, Donna Garland and Barbara Jones brought their camera and a beloved pet to document their friendship. In the photos, you will see that the girls are mainly in the western part of the park with their camera pointing east. Behind the young ladies, you can see the doubles at 237-39 and 245-47 South Audubon Road as well as 251 South Audubon Road.  Dr. Walter Kelly owned the large double at 237-39. In 1941, he rented the other half of his residence to the DeHaven family.  Next door the Bowmans and Myers resided in the large American Four Square double. The Johnston family lived in the beautiful arts and crafts home located at 251 South Audubon Road. You will also note that there was not much of a fountain in the park during those years. You can see a small concrete base that contained a pipe that shot out water during the warmer months.

Donna Garland posed for Barbara Jones in the spring of 1941 in the Irving Circle Park. Behind her, you can see the double at 245-47 South Audubon Road and the house at 251 South Audubon Road. 

Barbara Jones posed with a beloved pet in the Irving Circle Park in the spring of 1941. Behind her you can see Dr. Walter Kelly's darkly stained double at 237-39 South Audubon Road and the large green American Four Square double at 245-47 South Audubon Road.

Donna Garland posed in the Irving Circle Park in the spring of 1941. Behind her, you can see the small concrete base that housed a water spout. Barbara Jones, the photographer, aimed her camera east towards University Avenue.  

Pennsylvania Railway Line Then and Now

In the spring of 1941, Barbara Jones and Donna Garland grabbed a camera and walked around Irvington to pose for different shots. The young women inadvertently documented various sites around the neighborhood including this image of the Pennsylvania Railway. You will note that in 1941, the crossing guard used to be located in the middle of the street! One has to wonder how many cars plowed into that concrete base. Behind Miss Garland, you can clearly see the lovely cottage located at 108 South Audubon Road.

Dr. John R. Scherer (1891-1977) and his wife Rosa Youngling Scherer (1892-1971) dwelled in the house at the time of the photo. The Scherers along with their three children had resided there since 1932. Dr. Scherer purchased the home from Dr. John Anderson.  The Scherers moved out of the city in 1944.  Eventually the home was enlarged into a double in 1952 or 1953.

The Pennsylvania Railway has now been converted into a beautiful walking and biking path in 2016.

Donna Garland, photographed by Barbara Jones, posed in the middle of South Audubon Road near the Pennsylvania Railway in the spring of 1941. Note that the railroad crossing used to be on a concrete pedestal in the middle of the street. Behind her, you can see the lovely nineteenth-century cottage at 108 South Audubon Road. 

In 2016, the Pennsylvania Railway is now a bike and walking path. 

108 South Audubon Road in 2016

The historic image is courtesy of the Jones Family Collection.  

South Kitley Avenue Then and Now

In 1941, Donna Garland and Barbara Jones walked around Irvington and posed for photographs in various locations. Sometime in the early spring of 1941, the pair sauntered over to the far eastern edge of the neighborhood and took this photograph on the southwest corner of East Washington Street and South Kitley Avenue. Donna Garland stood on the vacant lot next to the for sale sign put up by the developer. Behind her, you can see 43 and 83 South Kitley Avenue.

The Phelps family dwelled at 43 South Kitley Avenue for decades and might have been in the house on the day of this photo. Raymond Phelps owned and operated the Phelps Coal Company at 5543 Bonna Avenue. His ad in the city directory claimed that he sold "coal, coke, concrete blocks, cement, lime, sand, and gravel."  In 1949, the company touted in another ad, "Phone Phelps for Fuel."  Violet Phelps stayed home and raised the couple's three children.

Next door at 83 South Kitley Avenue resided the Fultz Family.  William Fultz was a carpenter and built houses. Perhaps it was he who remodeled the simple farmhouse. Martha Fultz, his wife, worked for a press clipping service.  Her mother, Katherine Mollenkamp, also lived with the couple. A 1933 Indianapolis Star article reveals that Mr. Fultz was arrested for drinking and driving after an automobile crash on the near east side.

Eventually, the site upon where Donna Garland stood was developed.  In 2016, the corner is occupied by a hauling company.  Both homes in the historic image are still standing.

Donna Garland posed for this photo at the southwest corner of East Washington Street and South Kitley Avenue in 1941.

6525 East Washington Street in 2016

The Phelps family dwelled at 43 South Kitley Avenue for decades. Raymond Phelps ran the Phelps Coal Company on Bonna Avenue.  (Photo 2016)

The Fultz family dwelled at 83 South Kitley Avenue in the 1930s and 40s.  (Photo in 2016)

The historic image is courtesy of the Jones Family Collection.  

Best Friends Posed Near School #57

Barbara Jones and Donna Garland posed for this candid portrait most likely in 1941 or 42 on the lawn of IPS #57. Other photographs from the Jones family collection reveal that the girls had been friends for several years. Miss Jones grew up at 273 South Ritter Avenue and it is not known at this time where Miss Garland dwelled.

Barbara Jones (left) and Donna Garland (right) posed on the grounds of IPS #57 c1941.

The historic photograph is courtesy of the Jones Family Collection.  

Lost Irvington--287 South Downey Avenue

The large Victorian home at 287 South Downey Avenue (first home on the left) had sat along this meandering street since perhaps the late nineteenth century.  The 1900 Census noted that Omar and Mary Wilson dwelled there when the address used to be 355.  Mr. Wilson was a local teacher and would have likely known the very elderly Allen Benton, who dwelled across the street in what is today the Benton House Museum.  The Wilsons took in two "wards," Ralph (age 2) and Dorothy (age 1).  By 1909, Samuel and Minnie Hull moved in along with their teenaged daughter, Clara.  Mr. Hull operated a business along Bonna Avenue in between South Audubon Road and Ritter Avenue.  He sold coal, cement blocks, porch columns, gravel, and sand.  By the mid-1910s the home was once again back on the market.  For the next forty years, the dwelling would serve as a rental for the middle class.  J.W. Friday served as the agent for the home.  On July 5 and November 8, 1914, Mr. Friday placed ads in the Indianapolis Star announcing that the nine-room house could be let for the high price of $35 a month. (typical rents were around $15 a month) The large dwelling also came with an acre of ground.  By November 21, 1920, the rent had gone up to $50 a month.

By the mid-1950s, Murray and Ila Garland moved into the house.  They would be the last family to spend any time in the dwelling.  Mr. Garland's untimely death, likely placed a hardship upon his widow, but she continued to live on in the house working as a department manager and buyer for both Levi Strauss & Co. and the Wm. Block Co.  By 1969, the Reverend Spencer and Margaret Austin purchased the house.  For reasons yet unknown, the Austins tore down the old place in 1969 and built a home in the style of a southern plantation.  The Reverend Austin did keep the oak posts from the interior staircase and fashioned them into suitcase holders. A very young nearby neighbor, Stephen Enz, recalled playing in the newly dug up foundation for the future home at 287 Downey Avenue.

The star of this photo was the 1964 GTO belonging to Doug McLean, who dwelled across the street in 1966 when the this shot was snapped by a young Chuck McCleery.  Behind the GTO, loomed the now-forgotten structure at 287 South Downey Avenue.  A current photo, shows the newer home on the site on September 5, 2013.

Cool car and forgotten home:  A GTO sits in the driveway of Doug McLean at 266 South Downey Avenue.  Across the street, you can see 287 South Downey Avenue in 1966.  (first house on left)

287, 303, and 317 South Downey in 1966

287 South Downey Avenue in 2013.  

The photo and stories for this post are courtesy of Chuck McCleery, Stephen Enz, and Jack Austin.