The Goes of South Ritter Avenue

      Hezekiah and Cornelia Goe arrived in Irvington in 1884. He was 47 and she was 36. They left their comfortable home and business in Indianapolis for a new chapter in the small town located in eastern Marion County. Few people lived in Irvington when they arrived, but Butler University had been in the community for nine years so the Goes speculated that the area was ripe for a new grocery store. Their gamble paid off. After renting a home for a few years, they moved into their own home designed by Louis Gibson at 128 South Ritter Avenue in 1890. They had five children who lived into adulthood and three of them lived in Irvington for most of their lives. In this post, you will get the opportunity to meet some of the earliest residents of Irvington.

Hezekiah and Cornelia Goe posed for this photograph in 1911. Behind the couple, you can see their neighboring houses at 127, 129, and 128 South Ritter Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

Hezekiah Noble Goe (1837-1919)

     Hezekiah Goe hailed from Madison County, Indiana and married a local woman named Winifred A. Mauzy in 1864. They lived in Indianapolis as Mr. Goe started his various jobs as a clerk. Tragedy struck within one year as both his wife and newborn baby died in 1865. At some point, he met Margaretta "Cornelia" Farnsworth. They married in 1872 and started a family and a life together. 

     Besides running the family grocery store at 130 South Audubon Road, he also managed at least one rental property. In 1891, the Goes built a second home just south of the Pennsylvania Railroad at 220 South Ritter Avenue as an investment. An ad in the Indianapolis News on November 7, 1898, promoted an eight-room cottage for $15 a month. The house was within easy walking distance of their own home nearby. 

     We know from family records that Mr. Goe was active in the Methodist Church and that he loved to garden. Family photographs reveal that besides growing fruit and vegetables, he also raised chickens. The house had a large barn for his horses and later his automobiles. 

     He lived to be 82 years old. At his funeral, Professor Allen R. Benton, read the eulogy composed by Cornelia Goe, his wife of 47 years. 

     He loved the out-of-doors, the flowers, plant life, the work in his garden. Watching the growth of his planting was a source of great pleasure to him. He enjoyed sharing the results of his work with friends and neighbors, and possessed a fund of information which was often sought from him. So he was happy in his nature, liking people, and possessing a forgiving spirit. He did not cherish resentment. Sabbath, the last day of his life, he was very happy with his family, reading and enjoying his home in all that it afforded...When the even-tide came, a messenger hovered near--that unseen power called "death," the reaper, which spares neither young nor old, claimed its victim, after four brief hours...

Hezekiah Goe on December 12, 1912 (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

One of the final photographs taken of Hezekiah Goe was snapped in 1919. Behind him, you can see a neighbor's home located at 5427 Julian Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

  Margaretta "Cornelia" Farnsworth Goe (1848-1940)

     In an age when most women in Indiana could only dream of a college education, Cornelia Farnsworth of Liberty, Indiana received her diploma from the Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio in 1869. Education remained the hallmark of her life. Newspaper articles reveal that after she married Hezekiah Goe in 1872 she joined numerous clubs for women. In Irvington she belonged to dozens of organizations and frequently hosted book talks, discussions, and lectures. 

     Her crowning professional achievement came when she served on the Irvington School Board in the late 1880s and early 1890s. The State of Indiana allowed women to serve on school boards after 1881, but few did. In fact, she became one of the earliest females to serve on a school board in the state. Many women believed that capable public servants like Cornelia Goe demonstrated to the public that women could hold office and deserved the right to vote in elections. It took a while for the men to catch on, but Cornelia Goe likely cast her first vote in 1920 at the age of 72. 

      She helped to raise her five children into adulthood. All of them received coursework or degrees past high school. She loved to travel and the society pages noted her excursions throughout the United States and to Europe. She lived a long life. Sadly, she had to endure the deaths of her beloved husband and three of her adult children. 

Margaretta "Cornelia" Farnsworth Goe in her later years. She was a pioneer female public servant serving on the Irvington School Board in the late nineteenth century. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

Cornelia Farnsworth Goe posed with her daughter Cornelia Goe Kingsbury on May 30, 1920. After her daughter's death in 1923, Mrs. Goe helped to raise her grandchildren. Behind the women, you can see the rear of 128 South Ritter Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

The Goe Children

Clara Mae Goe (1872-1958)

     Clara Goe, the oldest child of Hezekiah and Cornelia Goe graduated from Butler University and became an elementary teacher in a variety of Indianapolis Public Schools before landing at #57 in 1909. Upon her graduation from Butler, she presented a recommendation note from her French professor, Hugh L. Miller, and the former president of the college, Allen R. Benton. How do we know this? The Irvington Historical Society possesses the letters. We also have one of her early teaching contracts. Like her mother, Clara immersed herself in local Irvington clubs. She remained at the Ritter Avenue house for decades taking care of her elderly mother and along with her sister, Grace, raised her niece and nephew. To hundreds of former students she was simply known as Miss Goe.  She lived to be 85 years old.

Clara Goe posed for this photograph sometime in the late nineteenth century. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

Hugh Miller wrote his letter of recommendation first on May 19, 1897. Allen R. Benton added his on to the same page on November 11, 1898. (courtesy of the Estate of Theodore Kingsbury, Irvington Historical Society)

Clara Goe earned $925 for the year in 1917-1919 as a teacher for Indianapolis Public Schools (courtesy of the Estate of Theodore Kingsbury, Irvington Historical Society)

Edwin "Herbert" Goe (1876-1903)

     Herbert Goe, the second child and first son of Hezekiah and Cornelia Goe, was a talented athlete and student who attended Butler University. While at Butler, he joined Phi Delta Theta fraternity. After graduating, he started his career working for power companies in New York, Wisconsin, and finally Michigan. While working for Consolidated Lake Superior Power Company in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, he had an attack of appendicitis. Hezekiah Goe rushed to northern Michigan to be near his son. Herbert immediately wrote the saddest letter a parent could receive. He posted the letter on January 15, 1903. With his father at his side, he penned:

     My Dear Mother.

     This may be my last letter to you. The doctors say so. I want to tell you for all dear mother how I love you with all the fervor of a son. I am so weak. I want to write more. Oh, if you and the children had come up with dear father.

     Don't give up hope, Mother. I am trusting in God. Love Love Love to brothers and sisters--

    Your Dying Son,

     Herbert

The poignant note is still possessed by family members. Herbert Goe, who was only 27 years old, died shortly after writing his mother. As a testimonial to his popularity, 200 power company employees escorted the casket to the train station for the long ride back to Indianapolis. One can only imagine the grief back on Ritter Avenue over the loss of Herbert. 

Herbert Goe shortly before his untimely death in 1903. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

Grace Goe (1880-1968)

     Grace Goe was a career woman who followed her mother's footsteps and attended Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio. Upon returning, she worked for a variety of companies as a stenographer. Her longest employment occurred at the Washington Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. She served as stenographer for that organization from 1928 until 1958. She, along with her sister, Clara, lived at 128 South Ritter Avenue for most of their lives. She and Clara cared for their elderly parents and later helped to raise their niece and nephew. She outlived all of her siblings. 

Grace Goe attended Western College for Women like her mother. The photo above is attributed as her dorm room c1896. (Kingsbury family collection)

Grace Goe worked as a stenographer for most of her life. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

   

Grace Goe worked as stenographer for a variety of companies. She can be seen in the white dress in this photograph c1910. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

     

Percy F. Goe (1888-1921)

     Percy Goe was the first child of Hezekiah and Cornelia Goe to be born in Irvington. He attended local schools as well as Butler University where he followed his older brother's footsteps and pledged the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He served his country during World War I, and later worked for several years for National Cash Register in Dayton, Ohio. At a turning point in his life, he decided to switch careers and become an income tax inspector, but that goal was cut short when his tuberculosis returned with a vengeance. Like his brother, he died at an early age likely devastating his poor Mother and sisters. 

Percy and Cornelia Goe, c1894; Both siblings contracted tuberculosis at an early age and succumbed in their early adulthoods. (photo of the Kingsbury family)

Butler University friends, Percy Goe, Harry Browning, Mark Houser, and Theodore Kingsbury posed for this photo c1910. Percy Goe's sister, Cornelia, married Theodore Kingsbury in 1912. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

Percy Goe c1915 (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

Cornelia Goe Kingsbury (1890-1923)

     Cornelia Goe Kingsbury lived much of her life in Irvington. She was the only child of Hezekiah and Cornelia Goe to marry and to have children. She graduated from Emmerich Manual Training High School and Butler University where she pledged as a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. Her marriage to Theodore Kingsbury in 1912 united two prominent Irvington families. The Kingsburys briefly lived in Washington D.C., but they returned to Irvington after the death of Hezekiah Goe presumably to be nearer to her family.  She bore two children, Cornelia and Richard, before dying of tuberculosis in 1923 at the age of 33. Her death greatly affected the trajectory of her young family. Her absence weighed upon her husband Theodore, who had to travel for his job as the state geologist. To help him, the Goes stepped up and invited the Kingsbury children to live at their home on Ritter Avenue for extended periods of time. 

Cornelia Goe (left) with her friend, Mayme Potter c1902 in the front yard at 128 South Ritter Avenue (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family) 

Hezekiah Goe posed with his daughter, Cornelia, next to the family home at 128 South Ritter Avenue in 1911. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

The Goe family home at 128 South Ritter Avenue c1920 (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

I wish to thank Kathy and Dick Meyer and the extended Kingsbury family for their stories and photos about the Goe family. 

Sources:  Hezekiah Goe--Eulogy by Cornelia Goe read at his funeral by Allen R. Benton, September 3, 1919 (possessed by the Kingsbury family); "H.N. Goe, City Grocer Forty Years, is Dead," Indianapolis News, September 1, 1919, p. 7. Rental house construction--"Irvington," Indianapolis Journal, September 18, 1891, p. 6

Cornelia Farnsworth Goe--"Mrs. Goe Rites Wednesday," Indianapolis News, April 29, 1940, p. 12; Western Alumni News--"Personal and Society," Indianapolis Journal, July 3, 1887, p. 5; Irvington School Board--"Irvington," Indianapolis News, September 10, 1891, p. 6  "Women for School Officers," Indianapolis Journal, December 28, 1892, p. 6; Travels--"Irvington Items," Indianapolis Journal, August 4, 1895, p. 11 (European travel)--"Personal and Social," Indianapolis News, April 30, 1897, p. 9

Children--Clara--"Clara Goe, Ex-Teacher, Dies," Indianapolis News, May 30, 1958, p. 18; Edwin Herbert Goe--"Funeral Notice," Indianapolis News, February 12, 1903, p. 8; Letter from Herbert to his mother, January 15, 1903, (Kingsbury family archives); Grace Goe--"Miss Grace Goe Rites Tomorrow," Indianapolis News, August 16, 1968, p. 36; Percy Goe--"Funeral to be Wednesday," Indianapolis News, May 10, 1921, p.15; Cornelia Goe Kingsbury--"Mrs. Cornelia Kingsbury," Indianapolis Star, October 24, 1923, p. 7.

The Young of Young Avenue

      They gathered under a beautiful shade tree at the intersection of South Drexel and Young Avenues each race-day weekend for the unofficial Christian Park Heights bicycle race. Any kid who had a bike could participate. You might be aware that Johnnie Parsons won the Indianapolis 500 in 1950, but did you know who crossed the finish line on South Drexel in that year? The boys awaited the official start from Wayne Bruness. Then, they sped south on Drexel to Brookville Road.  They hoped that no oncoming car would slow them down. They raced east on Brookville Road and north on Bosart Avenue. In their imaginations they could hear the crowds cheering.  They skidded around the corner onto Young Avenue, a gently sloping down-hill street. And then, the moment of truth arrived. Ron Huggler, of 4613 Young Avenue, passed under the shade tree before the others. Another race was in the history books.

Bike race in May, 1950: Wayne Bruness held the flag. The racers left to right: Johnnie Robeson, Dale May, Bob Butler, and Ron Huggler. Their starting and ending line was on South Drexel Avenue under a shade tree in the yard at 4601 Young Avenue. Behind the kids you can see the houses located at 4572 and 4602 Young Avenue. (photo courtesy of Ron Huggler) 

On race day, many boys would gather at the Huggler house at 4613 Young Avenue and play a board game called "Huggin' the Rail." It was a simple game of chance whereby kids rolled the dice to move their race car along an oval track. (image courtesy of boardgeek.com) 

     If you walked down Young Avenue in the 1940s and 1950s on a beautiful day, you would hear the sounds of children. Nearly every other home along the block had a child in it. For young Ron Huggler, it was a "paradise." The newer neighborhood with its affordable housing attracted many young couples just starting out in life. Some remained in the area for years while others moved into larger homes in other neighborhoods. After World War II ended, another influx of newer families moved in as the veterans took advantage of the GI Bill to buy a home. 

     Ron Huggler recalled that on Saturday mornings he and his family shopped in Irvington. He fondly remembered patronizing the F. W. Woolworth Co. and Danner Brothers. He loved stopping by Taylor's Ice Cream and Candy Store.  Sometimes, he would join his friends for a double matinee at the Irving Theater. They also patronized the Tuxedo, Arlington, Sheridan, and Emerson Theaters as well. During his teenage years, he loved to lunch at Wolman's Drugs on the corner of East Washington Street and Ritter Avenue where he dined on the delicious chili, a sandwich, and a flavored drink. He also enjoyed riding his bike to Bob Steele's Hobby Shop as they had numerous board games, models, train sets, and all kinds of toys. 

     During the summer months, the kids played baseball in a field near Pleasant Run. They also enjoyed hanging around the nearby railroad tracks to flatten pennies or other objects. On one occasion, Ron found a rail-line lantern along the tracks. Several decades later he donated that artifact to the Irvington Historical Society. Another fun adventure for the kids was a bike ride or walk to Bob's Market on Orion Avenue just west of Emerson Avenue. Here, the kids could purchase an array of candy including bubblegum, licorice whips, Red Hots, Jaw Breakers, and even candy cigarettes. (Yikes!) The store had a huge collection of large chocolate bars, most of which cost five cents. 

     There were so many kids living in the area that years later as adults they gathered for reunions in places like Christian Park and the Huggler home. Most of the kids in the photos below are in their 80s now if they are still with us. Enjoy this trip down Memory Lane also known as Young Avenue. 

Several kids in the neighborhood gathered at the Huggler home at 4613 Young Avenue c1945. Behind the kids you can see the homes at 4609 and 4605 Young Avenue. Top Row: Unknown child holding flag, Unknown blond-haired boy, Ron Huggler: Middle Row: Unknown girl, Linda Teeguarden, Bethany Teeguarden, possibly Bonnie Dove; Cathy Dudley with flag. 

Many kids posed on the front yard of 4613 Young Avenue c1946. Top row: Ron Huggler, Sandra Clift; Middle Row: Dale Male, possibly  Wally or Johnny Paul, Alan Miller, Cathy Dudley; Front row:  Johnnie Robeson, Ronnie Riebe, Randy Toler, Linda Riebe, and Bob Butler. 

Bob Butler and Cathy Dudley posed in their western gear in the front yard of 4613 Young Avenue. Behind the kids you can see the north side of the 4600 block of Young Avenue c1947. 

Barbara Reed and her pet chihuahua visited the Hugglers at 4613 Young Avenue c1946. 

Billy, Connie, and Patty Harrell posed in their front yard at 4571 Young Avenue c1950. Behind the kids you can see 4568 and 4572 Young Avenue. 

Cowgirls, Cathy Dudley and Barbara Reed c1945 in front of the Reed home at 4572 Brookville Road.

Wayne Bruness and Ron Huggler posed in the Huggler living room at 4613 Young Avenue on Christmas Day c1947. 

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Ron Huggler and Patrick c 1952 at the Huggler home at 4613 Young Avenue.

Ron Huggler stood at his patrol post in the winter of 1951, Behind him you can see 4658 Brookville Road.

Meanwhile on nearby Farrington Avenue in 1949!! (Hoosier Chronicles)

Sources:  Ron Huggler, "The Best of Times: Random Thoughts on My Journey to Now," Unpublished memories of life on Young Avenue, 2006; Interview with Ron Huggler, January 23, 26, February 1, 2023. I also wish to thank Mike Widner. 

Postcard Sent to the Miller Family of 312 South Downey Avenue

     Many years ago, I collected historic postcards, especially those of my childhood home of Rushville, Indiana. My middle-aged world intersected with my youth when I began reading the backs of these cards only to discover that one of these artifacts was mailed to 312 South Downey Avenue, today known as the Benton House, a glorious historic architectural gem and museum in Irvington. The note, postmarked from Rushville, sent me into numerous rabbit holes to unravel the connections between my home county and my adopted neighborhood. 

The Benton House at 312 South Downey Avenue in the summer of 2019 (photo by Bill Gulde)

Lenora A. Blacklidge Writes a Note

     On November 25, 1913, Lenora A. Blacklidge, who lived on a farm two miles northeast of Rushville, Indiana, mailed a postcard to her friend, Isabelle Aurelia Miller, of 312 South Downey Avenue in the neighborhood of Irvington in Indianapolis. 

Dear Belle Aurelia,

     It is awfully kind of you three girls to ask me again to visit you. If nothing happens & the weather isn't too bad, the children & I will spend their day & night at the Linden (a hotel at 311-317 N. Illinois St, Indianapolis) with Mary and Alfred B. (cousins to her husband--they also managed the Linden Hotel) Friday night at Southport & Saturday eve. & Sun. with you folks. Will try & phone you from Linden, but time will be short & I want to do some shopping. Please don't do extra for us. You are not able & I don't enjoy it so much as simple ways. With Love, Lenora A. Blacklidge

Lenora A. Blacklidge sent this postcard of the Masonic Temple in Rushville to Mrs. Willis K. Miller. in 1913

Lenora Blacklidge filled her note to Belle Miller with logistics

    Lenora Alexander Blacklidge (1874-1958) grew up in Rushville and graduated from Indiana University in 1897. At some point in her youth, she met Isabelle Aurelia Moore Miller, a Butler University alum. They might have been a part of the same sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. Isabelle married Willis K. Miller on June 28, 1900, and in October of that same year, the newlyweds visited Lenora Alexander in Rush County. (Rushville Republican, October 28, 1900, 4)

     Lenora Alexander married Amos Blacklidge, who had attended Purdue University, and together they started a dairy farm two miles northeast of Rushville. The Millers and Blacklidges visited each other often during the early 1900s. A Rushville Republican article published on June 14, 1909, noted that Blacklidges spent the weekend in Irvington with friends and attended the baccalaureate at Butler University. The Millers visited the Blacklidge farm several times. On August 10 and 11, 1912, Willis and Isabelle Miller along with their ten-year-old son, Herschel, spent the weekend at the Blacklidge farm. Young Herschel could have played with the Blacklidge boys, William and Lawrence. (Rushville Republican, Aug. 12, 1912, 5)

Lenora Alexander Blacklidge c1910 (photo courtesy of Blacklidge descendants on Ancestry.com) 

Amos Blacklidge c1901 (courtesy of Blacklidge family descendants via Ancestry.com

August 16, 1913 at the Blacklidge Farm

     Amos Blacklidge, who had suffered from heart disease, went out to the backyard of his farmhouse to pump some water in a bucket. Lenora Blackidge was inside the house and heard her husband groan and drop to the ground. She rushed outside and then frantically called for a local doctor. She did not know it at the time, but her husband was already dead. He was only 48 years old. The Rushville Republican carried his obituary on the front page. 

    With two young sons, Lenora had to raise some cash so on September 23, 1913, she held an auction at her farm. Jersey cows, mules, a hog, and numerous implements like harnesses and incubators and other things too numerous to mention were up for bid. 

From the Daily Republican (Rushville, IN), September 23, 1913

The Millers Receive a Postcard from Lenora A. Blacklidge

     Likely worried about her friend, Isabelle, known as "Belle," wrote to Lenora Blacklidge and invited her and the boys to Irvington following the untimely death of Amos Blacklidge. She now had her answer. If nothing happens & the weather isn't too bad, the Blacklidge family would arrive on November 29 and 30, 1913. 

     Isabelle Aurelia Moore, a Butler University graduate, married fellow Butler attendee, Willis K. Miller. The couple did not immediately set up housekeeping in Irvington, but in 1907 they purchased the beautiful home at 312 South Downey Avenue from Allen R. Benton for $6000. (Indpls. Star, Aug. 10, 1907, 13) The couple would have known the house quite well as they both attended classes nearby in their younger years and they might have even been in the house when Dr. Benton was the president of Butler University. Mr. Miller immediately began to remodel the house. He added a large brick arts and crafts-era front porch and he took out a building permit for a brick garage in 1912. (Indpls. Star, Dec. 19, 1912, 17) 

     Willis K. Miller was a serial entrepreneur. His obituary noted that he sold "old-fashioned" fireplace mantels; got involved in a coffee plantation in Central America; dabbled in real estate and construction; and operated a cement and gravel company. He also bought a nearby wooded lot on what is today 290 South Downey Avenue. Isabelle Miller stayed home and raised their son, Hershel. She was an active club woman. Indianapolis newspapers frequently noted that she hosted the Irvington Tuesday Club or the Irvington Auxiliary of Public Health Nursing Association at her home on Downey Avenue. 

Herschel, Isabelle, and Willis Miller, 1915 (photo courtesy of the Indiana Historical Society)

The Millers added a large front porch and a driveway to the back garage. This photo was likely snapped around 1915. (photo courtesy of Irvington Historical Society)

Postscript

     On the surface, Lenora Blacklidge's note to Belle Aurelia Miller is rather ordinary. It is filled with logistics, but digging deeper, we see a woman who has just lost her husband and has just held an auction to earn some money. She is alone and is raising two young boys. Her good friend, aware of her turmoil, has invited her to stay for a weekend in Indianapolis. 

     We do not know how long their friendship endured. Lenora Blacklidge eventually remarried although a horrifying tragedy still awaited. Her son, William, and her daughter-in-law, and grandchildren moved to the Philippines where William took a teaching position.  Shortly thereafter the Japanese invaded and took the entire family prisoner. Lenora's daughter-in-law and grandchildren were rescued, but her son, Captain William Blacklidge, died in Japanese custody. A grief-stricken Lenora established an oratorical scholarship in her son's name for Rushville High School students. 

     After World War II, Lenora moved to Florida and occasionally stayed with her son Lawrence, who lived in California. Her second husband, Herbert Caldwell, died in 1950. In 1958, she returned to Rushville to attend a high school class reunion. As she was walking up a sidewalk to visit an old friend, she collapsed and died. She was 83 years old. 

     Isabelle and Willis Miller continued to reside at 312 South Downey Avenue for decades. Willis died first at the age of 87 years old in 1955. Remarkably, Isabelle Miller lived to the age of 93. She died in 1965. Fifty-two years after Lenora Blacklidge had to auction off many animals and tools from her farm, Herschel Miller, the son of Willis and Isabelle, advertised an auction of his parents' estate on September 9, 1965. 

Indianapolis Star, September 5, 1965.

      A group of Irvington residents formed Irvington Historical Landmarks and purchased the Miller home in 1966. They restored the residence to the Benton family era. (1890-1907) They removed the Miller additions like the front porch and driveways.  The Millers and Blacklidges are long gone, but a brief note into their previous worlds still exists.  Please don't do extra for us...I don't enjoy it so much as simple ways. 

 

Sources:  I wish to thank Steve Barnett, Paula Schmidt, and Steve Schmidt of the Irvington Historical Society for their assistance with this article. The Miller family collection may be found at the Indiana Historical Society. 

       

     

Our Lady of Lourdes First Communion--1944

The young ladies gathered in front of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on East Washington Street for their first communion in the spring of 1944. They all wore white dresses and veils. Somewhere in that line of girls stood Barbara Schweiters,  the daughter of Norbert and Dorothy Schweiters, of 6076 Dewey Avenue. Behind the girls, traffic was parked along East Washington Street and a bus had just passed along the intersection with North Hawthorne Lane. Across the street, you can see the sign for the Gulf Filling Station run by Don W. Miller at 5302 East Washington Street. (demolished) The most visible home in the photo was that of Joseph and Josephine Kernel, who dwelled at 5370 East Washington Street in 1944. Dr. Kernel was an optometrist as was one of his daughters. Next door at 5360 East Washington Street, you can see residence of Karl and Agness Kernel. Mr. Kernel was the brother to Joseph. Another brother, Paul, lived just around the corner at 5040 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. Beyond the Kernel homes, loomed the Butler apartment building at 5230 East Washington Street. Although it is hard to believe, all of those young girls in the photo would be in their eighties if they are still living in 2016. Sadly, the life of Barbara Schweiters was cut short as she passed away from the effects of polio in 1949.

A procession of young girls with their hands clasped prepared to enter Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on East Washington Street in 1944.  

The historic image is courtesy of Deedee Davis. Information on the Kernel brothers came from the Polk's City Directory and census records. 

A Birthday Party--1923

Nine-year old Thomas Ferling proudly stands next to his friends on the occasion of his birthday party on September 2, 1923. The Ferlings dwelled at 311 North Bosart Avenue although you can really see the charming bungalow at 315 N. Bosart Avenue behind the kids better than the Ferling home. Notice how dressed up the children are and some of them appear to be holding gifts or toys. Many of the children in the photo lived in nearby homes.

Pictured from left to right are: Mary Margaret Flarey, Oscar Bosart, Jim Crawford, Jane Bosart, Constance Bailey, Robert Ferling, Charles Miller, Josephine Geis, and Thomas Ferling. Both houses are still standing although the lovely bungalow pictured has been greatly altered since 1923. The historic image is courtesy of Bill Ferling.

The Lost Houses of Ritter Avenue

When the Finch family took the following photos of George Finch in 1929, they had no idea that they were documenting a piece of history. Besides the cute kid in the striped sweater, they also captured 369, 373, and 377 South Ritter Avenue. An explosion in February of 2004, destroyed all three of these bungalows and damaged dozens of others nearby. Although you can only see 369 in two of the photos (far left), it was actually a Sears catalogue home! The other two might have come from a catalogue as well. City directories reveal that all three homes were built between 1923 and 1925. Richard B. Miller, an employee for the Diamond Chain Company, and his family lived in the Sears home. The Bortsfields and Craggs lived in the other two bungalows. Both Rueben R. Bortsfield and Harry C. Cragg worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad.

The contemporary image, taken during the winter of 2012, shows the newer homes constructed since 2004. Note that the only thing that is similar is the placement of the fire hydrant. The historic images are courtesy of Evan Finch.