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.

The Schmidt Family Arrives in Irvington

Dr. Henry Schmidt and his wife Isabelle Early Schmidt purchased the beautiful bungalow at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive in 1937. The pretty home situated on a bluff overlooking the boulevard and stream had been designed and built for the Jenney family in 1922. The Jacksons and Marions had also dwelled here before the successful 27-year-old optometrist and his wife moved onto the property. The Schmidts already had one daughter by 1937 named Ann and would have four more children: Maureen, Carl, Pat, and Jill. The children had the most amazing yard in which to play. A side porch offered stunning views all seasons. The Schmidt children grew up with dogs who also had the run of the acreage. Family photos from their early years in the house, reveal the lovely setting as well as the close friends and family who stopped by for a visit. The Schmidts remained in the house until the early 1990s.

Dr. Henry Schmidt sat on his front stoop in 1937 shortly after purchasing 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. Nearby, General, whose real name was General Tobias T. Smith, relaxed on the front yard. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw) 

Ann Schmidt, the oldest child of Henry and Isabelle Early Schmidt, posed in front of her home at 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive in the summer of 1938. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw) 

In this sweet image, Ann Schmidt stopped to smell the lovely peonies most likely planted by Walter Jenney, in the spring of 1938. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw) 

Dr. Henry Schmidt surveyed his new acreage at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive with Anita Platte and Isabelle Schmidt in 1937. Bob Platte (not pictured) likely took the photograph. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw) 

Brothers: Dr. Henry Schmidt and his daughter Ann posed with Dr. Paul Schmidt (also an optometrist) and his daughter Barbara on the grounds of 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw) 

From their side porch at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive in 1937, the Schmidts could enjoy the seasons as their home sat perched upon a bluff over looking Pleasant Run Parkway and Creek. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw) 

A long drive led to and from the Schmidt home at 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw) 

A giant walnut tree near the garage of the Schmidt home at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive existed in 1937. The family later had it removed. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw) 

 Isabelle Schmidt stood in doorway of her home at 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway in the spring of 1938. Nearby, Bob Platte, Ann Schmidt, and Henry Schmidt worked in the yard. The photo was likely taken by Anita Platte.  The Schmidts and the Plattes were very good friends. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw) 

Isabelle Schmidt posed with her daughter Ann along the brick path leading to their home at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive in the spring of 1938. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw) 

I am indebted to Ann Schmidt Brown and her daughter Doreen McGuire Crenshaw who opened their scrapbooks and memories to me. 

Editor's Note: To learn more about the earlier eras of this house click on the Jenney Family link below. Today the house now has the address of 5701 East St. Clair Street. 

Graham Avenue in the 1920s

The first folks who moved along the 700 block of Graham Avenue must have felt like they moved into the country. Farm land still existed all around them as developers took advantage of the "roaring" economy to build homes in the area. Sometime in 1923 or 1924, Walter Jenney stood atop a hill on his property at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway and took a photograph facing eastward. Not one home had yet been built in the 700 block of North Audubon Road. Four houses can been seen on Graham Avenue and one on Pleasant Run Parkway. At the far left in the photo, you can see the rear stuccoed bungalow at 750 North Audubon Road. Across the the street, you can see the lovely residence at 747 North Audubon Road. In the middle of the photo, you can see the front of 731 North Audubon Road and the rear of 734 North Audubon Road. At the far right, the rear of 5744 East Pleasant Run Parkway is visible. By the end of the decade, the entire area would be developed with only a few lots open for later construction. Some of the earliest families to dwell along Graham Avenue in the 1920s included the Wrights, Steinbuchs, the Flowers, and the Carsons. To see aerial photos of this part of the neighborhood click on the "aerial" tab below.

Few houses had yet been built in the 700 block of North Graham Avenue in 1923 or 1924 when this photo was snapped by Walter Jenney. In  the photo, you can see 750.747, 734, and 731 North Graham Avenue as well as the rear of 5744 East Pleasant Run Parkway. Audubon Road was a mere path behind the fence line in the middle of the photo and near a clump of trees.  (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown)

750 North Graham Avenue in 2018: You can see the rear of this home in the historic photograph.

747 North Graham Avenue (photo taken in 2014)

734 North Graham Avenue: You can see the rear of this home in the historic photograph. (Image taken in 2014)

731 North Graham Avenue (Image taken in 2014)

5744 East Pleasant Run Parkway (Image taken in 2014)

Editor's Note: Narrowing down a date for the historic photo has been tricky. Since none of the houses along Audubon would be constructed until 1925, Mr. Jenney likely took the photo either in 1923 or 1924. The city directories offer some confusing options as some of the addresses do not match. Clearly more research will be needed to be more precise. I am particularly indebted to Todd Cloud, Ann Schmidt Brown, and Chris and Felicia Sears.

The Jenneys Built a Dream Home On a Bluff Above Pleasant Run Stream--1922

Walter and Alice Jenney purchased several lots from developer Arthur V. Brown near what would become Pleasant Run Parkway in 1911. They paid Mr. Brown the sizable sum of $6000 for the land. At the time, the Jenneys lived at 350 North Whittier Place with a view of Ellenberger Woods. Their new plot of land was north of the Pleasant Run Stream and east of Ritter Avenue. George Kessler, the noted landscape architect, designed the new boulevard that was soon to be expanded from Ritter Avenue to Arlington Avenue. Arthur V. Brown had already donated about six acres along both sides of the stream for a public green space.

Mr. Jenney held many jobs over the years as he was a salesman and an entrepreneur. His family moved to Irvington when he was young and he made headlines in 1895 when he and another Irvington child found some of the charred remains of Howard Pitezel, a victim of the serial killer H.H. Holmes. As a young man, he worked for his uncle Charles E. Jenney, who owned the Jenney Electric Company. Walter Jenney later struck out on his own as an advertising agent for the New York Store and for the Indianapolis Star  and News. After buying land from Mr. Brown in the Ellenberger Park Addition, Mr. Jenney opened a nursery where he sold peonies, lilacs, roses, and other beautiful specimens. The Irvington North Garden Historic District received its National Register name because of Mr. Jenney's beautiful nursery located near St. Clair Street and Lesley Avenue.

The land that the Jenney's purchased contained an older farmhouse, some outbuildings, and a windmill. Little is known about the original farmers who used to live in the house, but the historic residence still stands at 5665 East St. Clair Street. Mr. Jenney operated his nursery out of the house. Alice Jenney was involved in various Irvington clubs and taught Sunday School at the Irvington Methodist for 50 years. Amazingly, she would live to be 101 years old. She outlived her husband by 33 years. Her brother, Arthur J. Randall, and sister-in-law, Anna Hayes Randall, purchased land and built a home at 5660 East St. Clair Street. The siblings lived across the street from each other for decades.

Alice Randall Jenney stood on the site of her future home at 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway (later 5701 E. St. Clair Street) in 1912. The couple would not start construction of their new residence until 1922.  (photo courtesy of Todd Cloud and Ann Schmidt Brown)

Walter and Alice Jenney purchased land from a developer named Arthur V. Brown in 1911. They bought the farmhouse and and the adjacent bluff for a future home. Pleasant Run Parkway had not yet been constructed when this photo was snapped in 1911. (photo courtesy of Todd Cloud and Ann Schmidt Brown) 

Walter Jenney snapped this beautiful photo in 1912 on the site of his future home at 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway. (Photo courtesy of Todd Cloud and Ann Schmidt Brown)

The North Irvington Garden Historic District used to be a farm. In 1911, Walter Jenney snapped this image eastward from his property at 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway. The future 700 blocks of Audubon Road, Graham, Bolton, Campbell, and Arlington Avenues had yet to be developed. (photo courtesy of Todd Cloud and Ann Schmidt Brown)

Alice Randall Jenney stood in the nursery and near the site of her future home at 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway. Her husband, Walter Jenney, had opened the business in the farmhouse (not visible) at 5665 East St. Clair Street. His peonies won many prizes. Mr. Jenney, the photographer, faced eastward for this photograph. Note the windmill and the water tower. The photo was likely taken in 1914. (photo courtesy of Chris and Felicia Sears and Ann Schmidt Brown)

In this undated photograph, you can see that Pleasant Run Parkway is under construction. (c1912) The house that is visible in the image is the farmhouse that still stands at 5665 East St. Clair Street. (photo courtesy of Chris and Felicia Sears and Ann Schmidt Brown)

The old farmhouse at 5665 East St. Clair Street in 2018.

Walter Jenney operated a nursery out of the farmhouse at 5665 East St. Clair Street (Indianapolis Star, October 1, 1920)

It took some time, but eventually the Jenneys began construction of their dream home at 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway (also known as 5700) in the summer of 1922. They chose to site the home on a bluff facing southward towards Irvington. Mr. Jenney designed the home while O. E. Pike served as the general contractor. An Indianapolis Star article profiled the new home on November 12, 1922. To get to the property, one entered from Pleasant Run Parkway, crossed over a stone bridge, and then up a steep and winding drive. Once at the top of the hill, a lovely "colonial" stuccoed home awaited visitors. Mr. Jenney designed a long living room across the entire front of the home complete with a mahogany fireplace and beautiful oak floors. Mr. Pike installed an heirloom buffet into the dining room. The Jenneys could sit in a beautiful side porch and gaze across the tree tops that grew along the stream below. The stunning location must have been a beautiful place to live in all seasons. For many years, the old windmill still stood near the dining room window.

Numerous other families have called this beautiful place "home." Their stories should be told as well. I am particularly grateful to Ann Schmidt Brown, whose family lived here for much of the mid and late twentieth century. Todd Cloud and Chris and Felicia Sears have also been instrumental in providing information for this post. I wish to thank them all. At some point, Mr. Jenney gave a scrapbook full of photos to the Schmidt family. I was able to publish these photos due to the generosity of the Schmidts. More photos will be forthcoming so stay tuned!

Walter Jenney originally designed his future home at 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway with a veranda around the house. He later modified his design. In this photo, he superimposed his original vision on a photograph in 1922. (image courtesy of Todd Cloud and Ann Schmidt Brown)

Alice Randall Jenney sat on the front porch of her new home at 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway (later 5701 East St. Clair Street) in 1922. (photo courtesy of Todd Cloud and Ann Schmidt Brown)

Walter Jenney snapped this photograph in 1922 as he faced westward. (photo courtesy of Todd Cloud and Ann Schmidt Brown) 

Mr. Jenney's peonies bloomed in the spring of 1923. Behind the garden, you can see the Jenney home at 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway. (photo courtesy of Todd Cloud and Ann Schmidt Brown)

The Jenney home and property at 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway shortly after it was built in the winter of 1922 (photo courtesy of Todd Cloud and Ann Schmidt Brown)

5701 East St. Clair Street (formerly 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway) in 2018

Indianapolis Star, September 14, 1944, 5

Editor's note: During the Schmidt-era of the home, the city changed the address of the house from 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway to 5701 East St. Clair Street.

Sources: About the house--"Stucco Attractive Finish for Homes," Indianapolis Star, November 12, 1922, 61; Obituary for Walter E. Jenney, Indianapolis Star, September 14, 1944, 5; Obituary for Alice Randall Jenney, Indianapolis News, February 5, 1977, 13; About Howard Pitezel--"This Reminds Me," Indianapolis Star, March 10, 1951, 31; Arthur Brown donation--"Gives City Six Acres," Indianapolis News, July 28, 1911, 16. Interview with Ann Schmidt Brown, December 2, 2018; Interview with Chris and Felicia Sears, December 8, 2018.

The Randall Home in 1915 and in 2018

Arthur J. and Anna Hayes Randall moved into their beautiful new home at 5660 East St. Clair Street in 1915. They had purchased land in the summer of 1914 from Arthur V. Brown, a banker who owned many acres in the area. They paid Mr. Brown $3000 for lots 101, 107, and 110 at the northwest corner of Lesley Avenue and St. Clair Street. Mr. Randall was a successful printer. Mrs. Randall stayed home and raised the couple's three children, Ruth, Margaret, and Ralph. She was also very involved in the Expression Club, the Irvington Mothers' Study Club, and the Irvington Methodist Church. The historic photo was likely taken by her brother, Walter Jenney, who owned  land and a nursery across the street. He, too, bought plots from Arthur V. Brown and eventually built a bungalow across from his sister.

Walter Jenney sold peonies, lilacs, and other beautiful specimens from his land in the 5700 block of East St. Clair Street. He would later build a house on his property. In 1915, prior to any construction, he snapped this photograph of his brother and sister-in-law's home across the street. Arthur and Anna Randall had just moved into 5660 East St. Clair Street in 1915 when this image was taken. Note Mr. Jenney's beautiful peonies in the foreground. 

5660 East St. Clair Street in 2018

Arthur Randall, of 5660 East St. Clair Street was in the printing business for decades. This ad appeared in the Indianapolis Star on May 30, 1924. 

This photo was taken a few years before Arthur Randall's death in 1950. The family used the image for his obituary which appeared in the Indianapolis Star on November 5, 1950. 

On December 28, 1924, this photo of Arthur J. Randall appeared in the Indianapolis Star. The newspaper had published a story on his printing business. 

Anna Hayes Randall as she appeared in the Indianapolis Star on June 3, 1934: Mrs. Randall dwelled for many years with her husband and family at 5660 East St. Clair Street. 

The Randalls of 5660 East St. Clair Street had three children. In 1937, their daughter Margaret married E. Blair Harter. (Indianapolis Star, March 7, 1937)

The author wishes to thank Ann Schmidt Brown, Todd Cloud, Chris Sears and Felicia Sears for stories and information for this post. More information will be forthcoming about this area of Irvington.

Sources:  The Randall purchase of land--Indianapolis Star, July 21, 1914; Obituary of Arthur Randall, Indianapolis Star, September 5, 1950