Audubon Road House in the Winter of 1910

      Newspaper accounts reported heavy snows throughout the state of Indiana in January of 1910. Some local officials had to deal with ice jams on various rivers. Cold temperatures forced many residents to remain inside for better weather. In Irvington, a photographer snapped an image for a postcard of the Reverend John H. and Martha Starks Ketcham's home at 23 North Audubon Road. The Ketchams likely purchased duplicates of the photos and sent them out to various family members. Martha or "Mattie" mailed one image to her nephew, Charles E. Anderson in Lathrop, California on January 18, 1910, and included an amusing note. Some words have been added to help with the context although you can read the original unedited note on the card pictured below.

     This is none of your Calif. make-believe snows. Just look at the ice cycles and the depths of the white stuff on my steps. It has been better (deeper) than this(.) It is melting some (as) you (can) see at this time. I am warm enough indoors but venture out very little. I hope you received my Christmas greeting. This is the house that we built. Aunt Mat.

     The Ketchams, who were both in their 70s, purchased the land for their home from Robert C. Browning in the spring of 1907. A blurb in the Indianapolis Star on October 13, 1907, noted that the retired minister and his wife moved from their Martinsville, Indiana house and into their newly-built Irvington home in that month. The Ketchams also sold part of their lot to their daughter and son-in-law, Mary Ketcham Piercy and Joseph W. Piercy, in that same year. In the fall of 1908, the Piercys relocated next door in their newly-built residence at 19 North Audubon Road. You can read more about the Piercy family by clicking on the link below. 

     Mattie Ketcham, the author of the note, had been very busy the previous month as she hosted the Women's Home Missionary Society of the Irvington Methodist Church on December 29, 1909. Each member of the committee answered the roll call with a "bit of Christmas cheer." Mrs. Walter Jenney read "The Christmas Story," while others provided the music. Her husband, the Reverend John H. Ketcham, who although retired, frequently substituted for vacationing or ill Indianapolis ministers. 

     In 1911, the elderly couple said goodbye to their daughter's family next door. The Piercys moved to Bloomington, Indiana due to Joseph Piercy's employment as a professor at Indiana University. They also had to say farewell to their talented granddaughter, Josephine Piercy, who would go on to earn many degrees including a Master's degree from Columbia University and a doctorate from Yale University. She followed in her father's footsteps and taught at Indiana University. Newspaper accounts revealed that the Piercys came back to stay with the Ketchams for the holidays for numerous years. 

     The couple lived out the rest of their lives in the Audubon Road residence. Both of them lived into their 90s. Mr. Ketcham died in 1922 followed by Mrs. Ketcham in 1933.

Snow fell upon the Ketcham home during the winter of 1910. You can somewhat see the side of 25 North Audubon Road as well as a barn or carriage house.  (courtesy of Kyle Kingen)

Rear of the photo-postcard sent by Martha Ketcham on January 18, 1910 to her nephew, Charles E. Anderson; (courtesy of Kyle Kingen)

Indianapolis Star, March 10, 1933, p. 3

Indianapolis Star, March 2, 1922, p. 9

23 North Audubon Road on November 27, 2024

Thank you: I am particularly indebted to Kyle Kingen, whose keen eye realized that he likely found a photo of an Indianapolis residence. With the aid of super history-sleuth, Deedee Davis, the pair realized that they had uncovered a photograph of a house in Irvington. I thank them both. 

Sources--Rev. J.H. Ketcham--"Dr. J.H. Ketcham, Methodist Pastor 68 Years, Is Dead," Indianapolis Star, March 2, 1922, p. 9; "The Reverend J. B.  (sic) Ketcham Dead at the Age of 90," Indianapolis News, March 2, 1922, p. 7. Martha "Mattie" Stark Ketcham--"Early State Settler Dies at Home Here," Indianapolis Times, March 10, 1933, p. 12; "Mrs. Martha M. Ketcham, Widow of Pioneer M.E. Minister, Succumbs," Indianapolis Star, March 10, 1933, p. 3; Granddaughter, Dr. Josephine Piercy--"Josephine K. Piercy Had Taught English at Indiana University," Indianapolis Star, February 16, 1995, p. 41; 23 North Audubon--"News of the Churches," Indianapolis Star, December 29, 1909, p. 3; Xmas, 1921--"Personal Mention," Indianapolis Star, December 24, 1921, p.44.

Shimer Family Purchased New York Street Bungalow

      Thomas and Edna Webster Shimer bought their relatively new bungalow at 5815 East New York Street in 1930. They were not the first family to reside in the home. Werner and Irene Monninger and their young daughter, Gloria, lived in the house from 1926 until 1930. Mr. Monninger, a World War One veteran, taught at Arsenal Technical High School while Mrs. Monninger studied art at the Herron Art School. She later made a name for herself painting portraits. In 1930 they moved south of Irvington to 2160 South Ritter Avenue.

     Thomas Sylvester Shimer and Edna Webster Shimer had been married for nearly nine years when they purchased their forever home on New York Street in Irvington. Their son, Thomas, Jr., was only four years old when they moved in. Photos from their early years in the home show the young boy playing outside and celebrating Christmas. 

     Mr. Shimer worked as a safety engineer with his father-in-law, Dana Webster, at the Aetna Insurance Company. The job provided stability for the family as he remained with the company for 43 years. As a World War One veteran, he joined the local American Legion Post No. 38 and occasionally served as an officer. Mrs. Shimer stayed home and raised their son. Newspaper articles reveal that she served on the PTA for School #57 and that she hosted the Mother Study Club. She also had some musical talent and that seems to have passed to her son, Thomas Jr. He later became a jazz lover and played the saxophone for most of his life. 

     The Shimers were members of the Irvington Methodist Church so they could easily walk to Sunday services. Thomas Shimer, Jr. graduated from Arsenal Technical High School in 1944 and received a scholarship to study at the University of Cincinnati although World War II briefly affected those plans. In 1951, the Shimers walked down to the Methodist Church to witness the marriage of their only son to Carol Thompson. Later, they also proudly watched as he became an architect. In fact, he designed numerous hospitals in the state of Indiana including some of the wings for Community Hospital East. 

     Thomas Shimer retired from Aetna Insurance in 1962. In 1967, he died in the hospital designed by his son, Community East. He was 69 years old. Mrs. Shimer continued to live in the bungalow for many more years; however, due to her age she had to move into a nursing home run by the Methodists in Franklin, Indiana. She passed away in 2000 at the age of 100 years old. Thomas Shimer, Jr. passed away in 2012 at the age of 86. 

Edna Webster Shimer and Thomas Shimer, Sr. posed in their living room at 5815 East New York Street with their son Thomas, Jr. sometime in the early 1930s. (photo courtesy of Chris Shimer)

Thomas Shimer, Jr. posed next to the family Christmas tree c1930 at 5815 East New York Street. Under the tree that morning appears to be a miniature Christmas village scene. As an adult, Thomas Shimer, Jr. had his own architectural firm in the city of Indianapolis. (photo courtesy of Chris Shimer) 

Mila Murphy Shimer posed with her daughter-in-law, Edna Webster Shimer, and her grandson, Thomas Shimer, Jr, c1930 in the front yard of 5815 East New York Street. The home most visible in the photo is 5819 East New York Street. The Cheney family lived in that house at the time of the photo. (photo courtesy of Chris Shimer)

Thomas Shimer, Jr. posed along the sidewalk at 5815 East New York Street c1930 after a snowfall in Irvington. (photo courtesy of Chris Shimer)

For much of the twentieth century, the Shimer family resided at 5815 East New York Street. (photo snapped on December 8, 2023)

          I wish to thank Chris Shimer and Sheri Piland for their help with this post.  

Sources:  Irene Monninger--Lucille Morehouse, "Portrait is of Interest to Art and Theater," Indianapolis Star, August 5, 1945; "Irene Monninger Liked Art, Music," Indianapolis News, June 13, 1964, 6; Werner Monninger--"Former Teacher Dies in Florida," Indianapolis Star, May 19, 1961; Thomas Shimer, Sr--"Thomas Shimer Dies, Retired Safety Engineer," Indianapolis Star, January 16, 1967, 33; Edna Webster Shimer--online obituary, 2000; "Mother Study Club," Indianapolis Star, November 14, 1937, 50; Thomas Shimer, Jr. --online obituary, 2012; Scholarship--Indianapolis Star, June 27, 1944; "Carol Anne Thompson, T.S. Shimer, Jr. To Wed," Indianapolis Star, December 17, 1950; Community Hospital--Indianapolis Star, May 31, 1964, 2; 1930 Federal Census; Polk's City Directory for Indianapolis.

Irvington Methodist Church Images--1940s

Methodists have been worshipping in Irvington since the late nineteenth century and in the current edifice since the 1920s. Thousands of people have been members over the years including the Richardson family who resided at 477 North Audubon Road. George Richardson had worked for Allison's Engine Company during World War II but had begun working at the Aluminum Finishing Corporation on 21st near the Monon Railroad after the war was over. His wife's father, Arthur Leslie Chesterfield, owned and operated the plant at the time.

George and Edythe Chesterfield Richardson joined the Challengers, an active adult Sunday School class at the Methodist Church. The Richardson children also participated in Sunday schools and with both the Boys and Girls Scouts in the basement of the church. The family would have had easy walk from their home along "Lover's Lane" to church each Sunday. Dr. Ralph O. Pearson served as the pastor of the church in the late 1940s when these photos were snapped.

Irvington Methodist Church c1947 (photo courtesy of Donn and Carolyn Richardson)

The Challengers Sunday School was for adults at the Irvington Methodist Church. George Richardson of 477 North Audubon Road is located in the top row at the far left. (photo courtesy of Donn and Carolyn Richardson)

Santa visited the children of the Irvington Methodist Church in 1947. Standing under a window in black dress was Edythe Chesterfield Richardson holding her baby, Jenny. Sitting at her feet were her other children at the time, Donn and Elizabeth. (photo courtesy of Donn and Carolyn Richardson)

A special thanks to Donn and Carolyn Richardson for providing these photos and stories. 

Irvington Brownie Troop Photo--c1942

When Ann Schmidt of 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive joined a local Brownie Troop in the early 1940s, she became part of a tradition that had been in the neighborhood for decades. Her particular group met at the Irvington Methodist Church. The girls gathered regularly and usually made some kind of craft. Ann Schmidt Brown still has a sunflower pin cushion she created as a Brownie over seventy years later.

In this photo, we have identified several of the girls, but not all. If you know of additional names for this photo, please contact me at williamfranklingulde@gmail.com. We are estimating the date to be 1942, but let us know if we are off on the date as well.

Front row:  (left to right) Marianne Baker, Dianne Hoffman; Second Row (left to right): Marilyn Moffett, ?. Ann Schmidt, Alice Aldrich, ?,?, Cassie Armstrong, Judy Wurster, ?, ?; Third Row (left top): ?, Janet Paxton, Lou Ann Bischof, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?; Top Row (left to right): Babs Fry, Dorothy Gerstner. Carol Kendrick,  Barb Swengel, Betty Cowell, ?, ? (photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

A special thank you to Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw who opened their scrapbooks and memories to me.

Lost Irvington--A Church

In 1900, the Indianapolis News announced that the Methodists of Irvington would be getting a larger building. There had been members of this faith in the neighborhood since its founding in 1870 and they had met in a variety of places. Mrs. Frances Barbour (possibly Barber) donated two lots on Layman Avenue north of East Washington Street with the stipulation that the Methodist build a brick edifice. The building committee seemed thrilled at the donation, but they had planned a wooden chapel. Mrs. Barbour's requirement forced the Methodists to raise some additional cash which they managed to do. By the winter of 1901, they moved into their new Gothic and Romanesque-inspired church.

For the next 25 years, the congregation met on Layman Avenue. However, by the late 1910s and early 1920s, the church membership had grown dramatically. Eventually, the congregation built a stunning church at 30 North Audubon Road. They kept the Layman Avenue structure and used it for a variety of purposes. In 1937, the Irvington Church of Christ moved into the facility and remained until 1964. Revivals and radio broadcasts could be heard from the older chapel throughout the mid-twentieth century. The Church of Christ grew too large for the smaller structure and they also moved out.

In 1965, the Irvington Methodist Church once again acquired the structure and demolished it for a parking lot for their booming congregation.  The site is still a parking lot in 2017 and most local Irvington residents do not know that a beautiful brick church once stood on the site.

In this photo, taken around 1948, Cynthia Hopping posed for parents, Don and Helen Louise Brown Hopping, on the steps of their home at 21 Layman Avenue. Behind her, you can see the former Irvington Church of Christ. The second image came from an advertisement in the Indianapolis News in 1944.

Cynthia Hopping posed on the steps of 21 Layman Avenue c1948. Behind her you can see the former Irvington Methodist Church/Irvington Church of Christ at 25 Layman Avenue. 

An ad in the Indianapolis News 1944. The church was torn down in 1965.

The historic image is courtesy of Ted Lollis.  

Sources:  "Irvington's New Church," Indianapolis News, October 6, 1900.
                "Meeting," Indianapolis Sentinel, February 22, 1885, 5.  

Who Lived Here? The Belzers of South Audubon Road

Nestled in a grove sits the charming Belzer home located at 320 South Audubon Road. Many of the tree specimens on the property were likely planted by Francis O. Belzer, an executive with the Boy Scouts organization. Mr. Belzer grew up in Lawrence Township and married Prunetta Hunter in 1892. The couple had one child, Katherine, in 1900. Mr. Belzer began his career in education as a principal in a four-room schoolhouse in Castleton in 1899. He then moved to Oaklandon and eventually down into the city of Indianapolis where he served as the principal of School #50 and others. In 1904, the couple and their daughter moved into the beautiful Queen Anne home at 320 South Audubon Road. It would remain part of the Belzer family until 1980.

The Boy Scouts of America started in 1910 and in the next year Mr. Belzer started Troop Number Nine at the Irvington Methodist Church. In 1915, he took a leave of absence from the city schools to run the Boys Scouts in Marion County.  In that same year, tragedy struck the family with the death of Prunetta Belzer. Fifteen-year-old Katherine and her father had only each other now.  She would later graduate from Butler University and become a social worker. She never married and dwelled in the family home until her death in 1980.

Mr. Belzer became a beloved member of the community. Thousands of young boys joined the scouts during his tenure as their leader. He started the Cross Roads of America Band in 1917 and he shepherded the Scouts to focusing more on the outdoors and less on athletics. In 1933, he traveled with some local boys to the World Jamboree in Budapest, Hungary.  Towards the end of his life, the Boy Scouts honored him by naming a camp after him in Lawrence Township. Later, school officials would also name the Belzer Middle School for him.

Sometime in 1926, Mr. Belzer posed for this photo for a book titled, Fellow Citizens of Indianapolis. He was a well-known figure in the city and many local leaders counted him as one of their mentors.

320 South Audubon Road in 2015

Scenes Around the Irvington Methodist Church in 1948 and in 2015

Walter and Merry Jo Carey joyously departed the Irvington Methodist Church at 30 North Audubon Road on May 16, 1948, to start their newly married life.  The festivities began when Mrs. Carey stood atop the stairs and tossed down her wedding bouquet.  Behind the family members, you can see the beautiful rock wall located at 75 North Audubon Road.  The lushness of the tree canopy prevent us from seeing the stunning Thornton House on the property; however, the beautiful Craftsman home had stood on the site since 1914 and the Thornton's still dwelled there in 1948.  In another shot, friends decorated the newly married couple's car.  Behind them, you can see the cottage located at 23 North Audubon Road.  The Hui family might have been looking out one of their windows from that house to enjoy the merriment outside.  Of course, they might not have paid any heed as joyous events like this had been common here for decades.

Throwing the Bouquet:  Merry Jo Carey tossed her flowers to one lone woman hoping for a "catch."  Behind the family members, you can see the wall and home at 75 North Audubon Road on May 16, 1948.

Standing atop the stairs at the Irvington Methodist Church, you can see the same view that Merry Jo Carey saw when she joyfully tossed her bouquet.  The century-old stone wall still stands across the street and encloses the property at 75 North Audubon Road in March of 2015.     

Decorating the Car:  Friends gathered to write a few words on the windshield of the newlyweds, Walter and Merry Jo Carey, on May 16, 1948.  The house to the left at 23 North Audubon Road belonged to the Hui family in 1948.  

The grounds of the Irvington Methodist Church and a nearby house at 23 North Audubon Road can be seen in this contemporary image taken in March of 2015.  

One Last Goodbye:  Friends and family surrounded newlyweds, Walter and Merry Jo Carey, across the street from the Irvington Methodist Church as they gathered to take off for their honeymoon on May 16, 1948.  

The historic images are courtesy of Leslie Wilson.  

A Beautiful Spring Wedding in Irvington--1948

Walter Hershel Carey and Merry Jo Kessler likely breathed a sigh of relief when they awoke on the morning of May 16, 1948, to see that it was a beautiful day to have a wedding in Irvington.  The couple had met a year earlier.  Both were employed.  Mr. Carey  had worked stateside during World War II and by 1948 served as a salesman for the William Lynn Chemical Company.  He rented a small apartment in nearby Woodruff Place.  Miss Kessler leased a room from Anna Susman, the widow of John Susman, at 5145 East Michigan Street in the Pleasanton section of Irvington.  During World War II, Miss Kessler worked at the P.R. Mallory Defense Plant where she learned how to use an early calculator called the Comptometer.

On the day of their wedding, family members converged at the Irvington Methodist Church.  Mr. Carey's family hailed from New Castle while Miss Kessler's people drove in from Kokomo. They held their reception in the church as well.  The couple did not remain in Irvington for very long as they moved to Broad Ripple and later into Washington Township as Mr. Carey was a rising star within the company.  Mrs. Carey stayed home and raised the couple's two children, Leslie and Brian. Devout Methodists, the pair were charter members of the Epworth Methodist Church on Allisonville Road.  They took their vows seriously on this date in 1948 and remained together for the rest of their lives.

Walter Carey united in matrimony with his lovely bride, Merry Jo Kessler, on May 16, 1948, in the Irvington Methodist Church.

The Deed is Done!  Mr. and Mrs. Carey exited the Irvington Methodist Church on May 16, 1948.  

Merry Jo and Walter Carey opened gifts inside the Irvington Methodist Church on May 16, 1948.  

About to be a Bride:  Merry Jo Kessler looked excitedly into the nave as she was about to walk down the aisle at the Irvington Methodist Church on May 16, 1948. Her father, Joel Henry Kessler, stood next to her as did her maid of honor, Marilyn Hollingsworth, and her flower girl.  

Mr. and Mrs. Carey cut the cake inside the Irvington Methodist Church on May 16, 1948. Nearby, family members from New Castle and Kokomo, Indiana watched the ritual.  

Walter and Merry Jo Kessler Carey joyously greeted guests after marrying at the Irvington Methodist Church on May 16, 1948.  

The historic images are courtesy of Leslie Wilson.  

Irvington Methodist Church Then and Now

This beautiful Tudor-Revival structure has graced the "north" circle since 1925. Designed by architect, Herbert Foltz, the church replaced an earlier building on Layman Avenue.  (now a parking lot for businesses along East Washington Street) Mr. Foltz decided to position the structure towards Lowell Avenue rather than tear down the double-gabled home that faced East Washington Street.  The dwelling had been occupied by both the Forrest and Howe families.  Thomas Carr Howe would later become the President of Butler University and for whom Irvingtonians named their local high school in 1938.  His home now serve as offices and school space for the church.  The intersection of Lowell Avenue and North Audubon Road is one of the loveliest in the city of Indianapolis.

Irvington Methodist Church c1930

Irvington Methodist Church on June 3, 2013

Forrest-Howe Manse now incorporated into the Irvington Methodist Church