Nelson and Mila Shimer Lived Along Emerson Avenue for Many Years

      The Shimer family predates Irvington. Many of the descendants remained in the area for years. Nelson Shimer, who grew up on the family farm along Brookville Road, built a small cottage for his family at 422 South Emerson Avenue in the 1880s. Later, in the early twentieth century, he and his wife, Mila Murphy Shimer, greatly enlarged the residence. They needed a larger place to raise their seven children. Photos from the Chris Shimer family collection show the many changes to the house over the years. 

Nelson and Mila Shimer built a one-story cottage at 422 South Emerson Avenue in the 1880s. They quickly outgrew the residence. Pictured in this photo taken c1900: Thomas, Elizabeth (Lizzie), Mae, Clara Belle, and a cousin named Ralph Shimer. (courtesy of Chris Shimer)

Nelson Shimer stood next to his family home at 422 South Emerson Avenue c1900. (photo courtesy of Chris Shimer)

The Shimers enlarged their Queen Anne style cottage into a larger American Foursquare popular in the early 1900s. The photo was likely taken c1920. (courtesy of Chris Shimer) 

Mila and Nelson Shimer posed with one of their sons c1905 at 422 South Emerson Avenue. Mr. Shimer worked on the family farm located nearby on Brookville Road and at a brick factory. (photo courtesy of Chris Shimer)

Clara Belle Shimer (later Johnson) posed with two young women in the side yard at 422 South Emerson Avenue c1915. (Photo courtesy of Chris Shimer)

Alfred Johnson posed with his wife, Clara Belle Shimer Johnson, c1925 at 426 South Emerson Avenue. After their marriage in 1924, they moved into a Sears-kit bungalow next to the Shimer family home. (courtesy of Chris Shimer)

Lillian Shimer posed near the front porch at 422 South Emerson Avenue c1925. (courtesy of Chris Shimer)

Lewis Grover Shimer posed with his son, Lewis V. Shimer, at 422 South Emerson Avenue c1923. (courtesy of Chris Shimer)

Mila Murphy Shimer (1863-1947) worked in her front yard at 422 South Emerson Avenue c1915. (courtesy of Chris Shimer)

Clara Belle Shimer posed with two other stylish women on the front porch of the Shimer home at 422 South Emerson Avenue c1918. Behind the young ladies you can see the house located at 459 South Grand Avenue. (courtesy of Chris Shimer)

Mila Murphy Shimer posed with an unidentified family member, c1940 at 422 South Emerson Avenue (courtesy of Chris Shimer)

422 South Emerson Avenue on July 19, 2024

     I wish to thank Chris Shimer for his photos and stories of the Shimer family. 

From the Scrapbook of a T.C. Howe High School Student

          Phyllis Halcomb, the daughter of Oscar and Mary King Halcomb, was very involved at Thomas Carr Howe High School before graduating in 1948. Photos in her scrapbook and stories from her daughter, Mary Lee Pappas, reveal that she was an active teenager who had several friends. In fact, many of the young women that she met at the school remained her friends for life.  

     Phyllis was the fifth child out of seven for the Halcombs. Her dad sold shoes for the Marrott and Patterson Shoe Companies. Like many Americans, the Halcombs struggled during the Great Depression and had to watch every penny, but they eventually recovered. Phyllis spent most of her youth living in a double at 3723 East Michigan Street. Her mother was a homemaker who managed the seven children and the household. 

     Phyllis was known as a stylish dresser. Her mom helped to sew many of the outfits that she donned at school and at various social events. Her life centered around the D.M.O. sorority. "Sub-debs" and "Squires" were tolerated at high schools in the mid-twentieth century but not sanctioned. The D.M.O. admitted only ten girls. Phyllis served as the president of the club during her senior year.

     In the fall of 1947, three young women vied to be the Homecoming Queen for Howe High School. In that era the football team chose who would serve as the queen and they chose Phyllis Halcomb with Ellen Barnes and Virginia Eubanks as the runner-up. During half-time in the game between Howe and Warren Central High School, Principal C.M. Sharp crowned Phyllis in front of a cheering crowd. 

     Hayrides in Brown County, trips to Lake Manitou and Freeman, slumber parties with friends were all documented in her scrapbook. One of those fun parties took place in the spring of 1946 at the home of Gladys Ferguson, who lived at 5201 East Burgess Avenue. Snapshots from that fun day reveal that bobby socks ruled the day.

    

Pat Clause, Marilyn Doherty, and Phyllis Halcomb gathered on the steps next to Howe High School in the Fall of 1947 (photo courtesy of Mary Lee Pappas)

Phyllis Leffler and Mariana Fullen held on to Phyllis Halcomb next to Howe High School in the fall of 1947. (photo courtesy of Mary Lee Pappas)

Pat Clause, Phyllis Halcomb, Phyllis Leffler, Mariana Fullen, and Carol Schneider posed near Howe High School in the fall of 1947. (photo courtesy of Mary Lee Pappas)

In the fall of 1947 Phyllis Halcomb was named the Homecoming Queen for Howe High School. She graduated from the school in 1948. (photo courtesy of Mary Lee Pappas)

Winnie Locklear and Gladys Ferguson stood near the Ferguson home at 5201 East Burgess Avenue in 1946. (photo courtesy of Mary Lee Pappas) 

Jean Shaffer and Mariana Fullen gathered near the Ferguson home at 5201 East Burgess Avenue in 1946. (photo courtesy of Mary Lee Pappas)

Jean Shaffer, the daughter of Lawrence and Eleene Shaffer of 135 South Spencer Avenue, stood along a back sidewalk at the Ferguson home at 5201 East Burgess Avenue in 1946. (photo courtesy of Mary Lee Pappas)

In 1946, Gladys Ferguson, the daughter of Clarence and Verna Ferguson, hosted a party for her girlfriends at her home at 5201 East Burgess Avenue. (photo courtesy of Mary Lee Pappas)

Mariana Fullen, the daughter of Harman and Merlene Fullen of 126 Berry Avenue, posed along the back sidewalk of the Ferguson home at 5201 East Burgess Avenue. (photo courtesy of Mary Lee Pappas)

Winnie Locklear, the daughter of Harper and Esther Locklear of 336 Grand Avenue, sat along the back sidewalk of the Ferguson home at 5201 East Burgess Avenue in 1946. (photo courtesy of Mary Lee Pappas)

Gladys Ferguson (left) hosted her friends, Phyllis Halcomb, Winnie Locklear, Carol Schneider, and Jean Shaffer at her home located at 5201 East Burgess Avenue. The garage behind the young women is no longer standing, but you can see the rear of the bungalows located on Burgess Avenue and the side of 359 Grand Avenue. (photo courtesy of Mary Lee Pappas) 

    I wish to thank Mary Lee Pappas for the use of her family photos and for the stories of her mother. I also wish to thank Deedee Davis. 

Sources: Interview with Mary Lee Pappas, March 18 and 21, 2022: D.M.O. events--Bobby Manners, "Sub-debs and Squires," Indianapolis Star, January 27, March 17, April 7, 1946; D.M.O. president--Bobby Manners, "Sub-Debs and Squires," Indianapolis Star, December 28, 1947; Homecoming queen--"Howe to Crown Football Queen," Indianapolis News, October 22, 1947, 31. 

Irvington at 150: Street Names E-H

Irvington street names have a complicated history. Many of the avenues have been called by numerous names. In this second part of the series, you will note that some of the meandering paths in the neighborhood were named after local farm families, famous American writers, and investors. We do not know the origin of all of the names, but thanks to the hard work of a local historian, Larry Muncie, we do have precise dates for their naming. Feel free to contact us if you have more information!

Edmondson Avenue: Little is known about the origin of this street. It first appears in the Indianapolis City Directory in 1928. When Warren Park incorporated in the late 1920s, Edmondson Avenue became an eastern boundary for that neighborhood. More research is needed on this street.

Ellenberger Parkway:  In the mid-1920s, city officials began construction on Ellenberger Parkway; however, they did not pave nor link it with Tenth Street, which upset a few local residents. (Indianapolis Star, May 19. 1925) With the availability of federal funds during the Great Depression and working with the WPA, the parkway was completed by the mid-1930s. (Indianapolis Star, December 20, 1935, 18) The avenue was named for the prominent Ellenberger family who also sold the land for the nearby park. 

Members of the Ellenberger family gathered for a reunion at the family home at 5602 East 10th Street in 1914. Both a park and a nearby street are named for the Ellenbergers. 

Elizabeth Street: Although the name of the street is unknown at this time, we do know that many of the homes built along that stretch were developed by the Vogel Company in Wagner's Addition in 1941. The investors invited the public to tour twelve new residences on September 7, 1941. Two months later, the United States entered World War II.

Indianapolis Star, September 7, 1941, 31

Emerson Avenue: Now a busy thoroughfare, Emerson Avenue began as a quiet street called National Avenue until 1898. The Irvington Town Board changed the name to Emerson after the essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson (1802-1882). Mr. Emerson would have likely been pleased that two of his good friends, George Bancroft and Nathaniel Hawthorne, also had streets named for them in the new college town, but he died before the renaming. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1802-1882) never knew that the little town of Irvington named a street for him. (public domain)

English Avenue: On September 1, 1873, city officials approved the contract to improve the first half mile of a new street in Irvington called "English" Avenue. The street was named after William Hayden English (1822-1896), a prominent banker and politician in Indianapolis. (Indianapolis News, September 2, 1873, 2) 

William Hayden English, a capitalist and politician, built an opera house and hotel on Monument Circle in Indianapolis. (public domain) 

Farrington Avenue: After World War II, developers scrambled to build houses for the returning veterans who were starting their families. With assistance from the FHA and the GI Bill, families could apply for loans and purchase brand new two or three-bedroom residences along Farrington Avenue in the late 1940s and early 1950s. E. G. Bauer & Son built many of the houses along the new street. 

Fletcher Avenue: While Fletcher Avenue is most often associated with a near south side Indianapolis neighborhood, the street has a short stretch through southwestern Irvington. The street is named after Calvin Fletcher, an early resident of Indianapolis who went on to become a banker, farmer, and a politician. 

Calvin Fletcher (1796-1866) was an early leader in Indianapolis. His multi-volume diary captured life in the young capital and was later published by the Indiana Historical Society (public domain)

Good Avenue: Walter and Ada Good joined Jacob Julian, Sylvester Johnson, and Lycurgus Rawles in platting most of southern Irvington in January of 1873. As a thank you for his investment, a small street north of Dewey (then East) and south of Bonna (then Railroad) was named Good Avenue. Later in 1903, the city of Indianapolis renamed South Street in between University Avenue and Rawles as Good Avenue as well. 

Graham Avenue: While it is unconfirmed at this moment, it is believed that Graham Avenue was named for William Henry Harrison Graham, a local resident and investor. Mr. Graham and his wife Ellen built a beautiful home on University Avenue. In 1897, he became the American consul at Winnipeg, Canada. He also went into business with Charles Brouse, who helped to develop several sections of Irvington. His widow, Ellen Graham, entered the history books when she sold their beautiful home to D.C. Stephenson, the Grand Dragon of the KKK in Indiana and the Midwest. 

Grand Avenue: The street used to be longer as it stretched from Audubon Road to Brookville Road, but the town board realized that it was a confusing route so the section from Audubon Road to Ritter Avenue was changed to Burgess Avenue. Only a small section of the street remains today. The name appears to be generic. 

Greenfield Avenue: Perhaps when Jacob Julian and Sylvester Johnson named a small stretch as Greenfield Avenue, they had hoped that one day the path might connect to the nearby Hancock County city. Both men were from Centerville, Indiana and would have passed through Greenfield along the National Road on their way to and from Irvington. Greenfield Avenue, however, never managed to make it out Irvington. 

Hawthorne Lane: In 1898, the Irvington Town Board chose to name both Commercial and Blount Streets after Nathaniel Hawthorne, the popular writer. Mr. Hawthorne died before the founding of the town, but his works like Scarlet Letter and Twice Told Tales would have rested on many bookshelves throughout the neighborhood. 

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was much admired by many in Irvington.

Hibben Avenue: In December of 1913, the Irvington Improvement Association announced the exciting news that lots on a new street called Hibben Avenue would now be for sale. (Indianapolis Star, December 4, 1913, 4) The small street stretched from Downey to Ritter Avenue. The Association named the street for the wealthy Hibben family who dwelled in a villa at 5433 University Avenue. Thomas Hibben earned his fortune in the wholesale trade. His children were equally as talented. Paxton Hibben, a brilliant student, went on to become an author and a diplomat. Thomas Hibben, Jr. was an architect who designed buildings on Butler's Fairview campus while James Hibben taught chemistry at Princeton University. His daughter, Helene Hibben, was a prominent sculptor who opened an early kindergarten where the children spoke French. Her sister Hazen assisted her. The house where they lived on University was the previous home to the Downey and Thompson families; thus, three street names came from one house: Downey, Bonna, and Hibben. 

Courtesy of Hibben family descendants via Ancestry.com

Courtesy of the Hibben family descendants via Ancestry.com

Courtesy of Hibben family descendants via Ancestry.com 

Hill Street: It appears that the small street located in Ritter's Lowell Subdivision was laid out in 1911. Curbs and sidewalks were not added until 1913. (Indianapolis Star, October 4, 1913, 3) Since there is a slight hill on the avenue, it appears that the name is geographical in nature. 

Howe Drive: Named for the nearby high school and a former president of Butler University, the narrow street has served as a conduit for thousands of teenagers over the decades. The residents of Irvington had long wanted a high school so when they finally received one in 1938 they decided to name it after Thomas Carr Howe (1867-1934). Mr. Howe served Butler University as a professor, dean, and as president. His untimely death, after being struck by an auto, shocked the community. 

Thomas Carr Howe, a former president of Butler University (public domain) 

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; "Would Change Names of 149 Streets in City," Indianapolis News, December 18, 1916, 8; Interviews with Steve Barnett and Larry Muncie, 2020. 

A Victory Garden in Irvington--1944

Twenty million Americans planted "Victory Gardens" on their lots, in parks, and on public land throughout World War II.  Food shortages and rationing became the norm as the country fought a two-front war. Eleanor Roosevelt planted a garden on the White House lawn to encourage more to do the same.  Americans produced an astounding nine to ten tons of food from these small and sometimes large gardens.

Verl Muncie answered the call and planted a large vegetable garden on a lot next to his in-law's home at 5225 English Avenue in 1944.  In this image, he paused from his toil along with his young son, Larry for a photo.  Behind them, you can see three new doubles on the northwest corner of English and Grand Avenue.  In less than a year after this photo was taken, Mr. Muncie was called into service.  The lot where the Muncies farmed was eventually sold and redeveloped into housing.

Verl and Larry Muncie in their Victory Garden next to 5225 English Avenue

1940s era doubles located on the northwest corner of English and Grand Avenues in 2012

The historic photo is courtesy of Larry Muncie. The contemporary photo shows the "newer" doubles on the northwest corner of English and Grand in 2012.

Film Clip: Charles Dorn's Standard Grocery and a Grand Avenue Scene c1933

Charles Dorn, a popular Irvington grocer, operated a Standard Grocery Store on the northwest corner of Brookville Road and Grand Avenue. In this very brief clip, c. 1933, patrons exit and enter the store.  The final scene shows some employees standing along South Grand Avenue.  Behind them, you can see houses on the eastern side of the street (400 block).  I have included a shot of those dwellings in 2012.  This historic film is courtesy of Larry Muncie.

400 block of South Grand Avenue in 2012

Film Clip of Charles Dorn's Standard Grocery and the Nearby Horner House c.1933

Charles Dorn operated a small Standard Grocery store on the northwest corner of Brookville Road and Grand Avenue. (just east of South Emerson Avenue) Sometime in the early 1930s, a family member or friend filmed Mr. Dorn and some of his workers as they exited the store.  Mr. Dorn can be seen wearing a hat and smoking a cigar.  Larry Muncie, a local historian, remembers going to the store during World War II with his mother Margaret Muncie and his Aunt Gladys Shimer.  During the war years, Mr. Dorn could only carry canned goods because of the rations on meat and other items. Eventually, a Standard Grocery Store would be built on East Washington Street. Mr. Dorn's store still stands today although it has been drastically altered and is now a church.

So you know what you are seeing, I have included a sequential history by clip:

0-5 seconds--The exterior of the store

6-20 seconds--You can see the employees exiting the store and playfully posing for the camera. Behind them, you can see a bungalow on the southside of Brookville Road near Emerson and a brief shot of the Horner House on South Emerson.  Towards the end of this segment, you can see Mr. Dorn standing along the Grand Avenue side.  A small bungalow on Grand is behind him.

22--27 seconds--You can see a young man come from around a bus parked on Brookville Road.  Behind him, you have a clear shot of the Horner House on South Emerson Avenue.

This amazing film clip is courtesy of Larry Muncie. I am working to get rid of the labeling on the film. Contemporary images show the same views in 2012.

Charles Dorn's Standard Grocery in 2012

The Horner House has recently been purchased. You may follow their blog by clicking on my favorite links.