Kin Hubbard Home

Cartoonist and humorist, Kin Hubbard (1868-1930), moved his family into this beautiful home at 5070 East Pleasant Run Parkway in 1909.  He had made enough money from his syndicated cartoon strip Abe Martin to build this beautiful home.  Eventually, the dwelling would vanish behind a canopy of trees and tall shrubs.  As his fortune grew, Mr. Hubbard moved out of Irvington and into a mansion along North Meridian Street.  His biographer noted that Mr. Hubbard tended to shun public appearances and radio broadcasts and he enjoyed working in his garden and being with his family.  His rube character, Abe Martin, dwelled in a fictionalized Brown County and was very popular all over the US for his folksy statements on life.  Many of those "witty" comments have not passed the test of time, but he was loved in his day. The top image shows the home shortly after its construction (c1910).  The second image, taken in 1923, shows the home with its lush landscaping. The bottom image was likely taken in the late 1920s or perhaps into the 1930s and is courtesy of Bob Alloway.  You may learn more about Kin Hubbard by clicking on the link below.  The beautiful home still stands today.

Kin Hubbard home (c1910) at 5070 East Pleasant Run Parkway

Kin Hubbard home (1923) at 5070 East Pleasant Run Parkway

Kin Hubbard home (c1930) at 5070 East Pleasant Run Parkway

Kin Hubbard

Indianapolis News cartoonist Kin Hubbard moved to Irvington in 1907. Hubbard became well known throughout the United States because of a folksy rube he created named Abe Martin. The backwards hill character was centered in Brown County, Indiana and he had many quips about life that early twentieth-century Americans enjoyed reading. Syndicated in newspapers around the country, Hubbard soon started publishing books with Martin's witty jabs at society. Hilton U. Brown, the publisher of the News, encouraged Hubbard to buy a beautiful piece of real estate from him and build a house in Irvington. Hubbard sited the home on a small hill near Emerson Avenue, Pleasant Run Parkway, (not yet built in 1907) and Michigan Street. Hubbard eventually left Irvington as his fortunes increased for a mansion along Meridian Street.

The postcard above was sent from "Emma" to Mrs. Earl Brown of Advance, Indiana on November 1, 1914. Emma was staying at 133 Downey Avenue in Irvington and was renting the "sleeping porch." In a brief note she describes her worries about staying warm in such a room during winter!

Hubbard published Abe Martin's Almanack in 1909. It was his third major publication with many more on the horizon.