Irving Circle Park in the 1930s

      Harvey and Ada Belle McCord along with two of their children moved into the double at 5706 University Avenue in the spring of 1932. One of the perks of living at that address included the nearby Irving Circle Park. Shortly after relocating from Seymour, Indiana to Irvington, Ada Belle McElroy McCord (1871-1952) and her sister Myrtle McElroy Wiley (1887-1934) walked a few steps from the McCord home to a bench in the park. The sisters had grown up in a large family near Lancaster in Jefferson County, Indiana. What were the two women chatting about as they sat on the bench? Myrtle might have spoken of her two children or her life as a widow. Ada Belle might have talked about life in the neighborhood or her worries about her daughter Pauline, who had tuberculosis. Perhaps they kept it on the surface and talked of the weather or of the lovely park. Behind the women, you can see the double located at 245-247 South Audubon Road. The 1932 Polk's Indianapolis City Directory indicates that Harry L and Myrtle Ball lived at 245 South Audubon while Mrs. Margaret Myers resided at 247 South Audubon. Did either a member of the Ball or Myers families see the McElroy sisters in the park that day? 

Myrtle McElroy Wiley and her sister, Ada Belle McElroy McCord relaxed on a park bench in the Irving Circle Park in 1932. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

     In a much clearer image, members of the McCord and Cox family posed for a family photo at the Irving Circle Park during the spring of 1938. Ada Belle McCord, who is in the center of the photo, was the mother of Emma McCord Lawton (left) and Gladys McCord Cox (right). Below her gaze, you can see her grandson, William Lawton, in a baby carriage while her granddaughter, Linda Cox, stood next to her cousin. All of the folks in this photo lived nearby at 5706-5708 University Avenue. Tragically, eight-year-old Floyd Cox, the son of Gladys Cox, is not in the photograph as he died of anterior poliomyelitis  on August 5, 1937.  One of the remarkable aspects of this photo, for the sake of historical documentation, is the view of the fountain basin for the Irving Circle Park. It used to be quite low and there was a "geyser" in the middle that shot up a single spout of water. 

Emma McCord Lawton, Ada Belle McCord, Gladys McCord Cox, William Lawton (in the carriage), and Linda Cox posed for a photograph in the Irving Circle Park in 1938 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) 

In the 1990s, the neighborhood reimagined the basin and fountain in the Irving Circle Park. (Photo by Bill Gulde on September 14, 2021)

Sources: Information for this post came from the unpublished family history researched and written by Steve Lawton, the grandson of Harvey and Ada Belle McCord. I also consulted the 1937 Polk's Indianapolis City Directory for information pertaining to 245-247 South Audubon Road. 

Irving Circle Park in 1941

Over the decades, the small Irving Circle Park has served as a lovely spot for taking photos of friends and family. As a nearby resident, I can assure you that in 2016 it happens weekly. In the spring of 1941, Donna Garland and Barbara Jones brought their camera and a beloved pet to document their friendship. In the photos, you will see that the girls are mainly in the western part of the park with their camera pointing east. Behind the young ladies, you can see the doubles at 237-39 and 245-47 South Audubon Road as well as 251 South Audubon Road.  Dr. Walter Kelly owned the large double at 237-39. In 1941, he rented the other half of his residence to the DeHaven family.  Next door the Bowmans and Myers resided in the large American Four Square double. The Johnston family lived in the beautiful arts and crafts home located at 251 South Audubon Road. You will also note that there was not much of a fountain in the park during those years. You can see a small concrete base that contained a pipe that shot out water during the warmer months.

Donna Garland posed for Barbara Jones in the spring of 1941 in the Irving Circle Park. Behind her, you can see the double at 245-47 South Audubon Road and the house at 251 South Audubon Road. 

Barbara Jones posed with a beloved pet in the Irving Circle Park in the spring of 1941. Behind her you can see Dr. Walter Kelly's darkly stained double at 237-39 South Audubon Road and the large green American Four Square double at 245-47 South Audubon Road.

Donna Garland posed in the Irving Circle Park in the spring of 1941. Behind her, you can see the small concrete base that housed a water spout. Barbara Jones, the photographer, aimed her camera east towards University Avenue.