Seven Years and Still Counting

What is it about this special neighborhood that has kept me writing about it for seven years? It hasn't always been easy. There have been droughts when the historic photos were hard to find and there have been feasts when I could have posted everyday if I could have found the time. There have been moments when I thought about stopping. Does anyone really read this blog? And just when I start to doubt myself, I receive a note from one of you or in a few cases a trunk full of historic photos.

I live in this beautiful place called Irvington. Nearly every evening, I walk the winding streets under the tall maples and catalpas planted fifty to one hundred years ago. I never tire of imagining who might have lived in these dwellings. Each residence, no matter the size, has at least one to one thousand stories. I  have told a few of those tales. What awaits me in the coming year? I wish to particularly thank the following people for their contributions this past year. They include: Ted Lollis, Judy Niedenthal, Janet Chapman, Dick Palmer, Nancy Ostrander, Carol Yeager, Emily Jarzen, and Deedee Davis. This blog could not have been possible without you.

So, let's see where the next chapters take us. I look forward to more walks especially those that transport us back in time. Thank you, Irvington!

The dining room of Walter and Mary Fee Palmer at 333 North Audubon Road in 1943 (Photo courtesy of Janet Chapman) 

A Tribute to Thomas Richard Palmer 1921-2016

We have received word of the passing of Richard "Dick" Palmer. I never met Mr. Palmer, but I felt as if I knew him through the photographs and stories that he shared via his daughter Janet Chapman. Although his health was failing, he was still able to recall his life along North Audubon Road.  He spent his childhood and formative years in a charming stuccoed bungalow at 333 North Audubon Road. He was the only surviving child of Walter and Mary Fee Palmer.  Dick had many friends in the neighborhood and graduated from Arsenal Tech High School in 1939 and Miami University in Ohio in 1943. During World War II, he flew B-25 Mitchell aircraft and instructed others on how to fly the machine. He later married and started both a career and a family and only returned to Irvington to visit his parents. If we could travel back in time and walk along North Audubon Road in the late 1920s or early 1930s, we would likely see Dr. Walter Palmer coming home from his job with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and we would likely see Mary Fee Palmer sitting on their long front porch watching their son play with his latest toy automobile or plane. Dick Palmer remained an enthusiast about autos and planes for the remainder of his life. Can you hear the laughter and shrieks from the other kids on the block? I can.

This post is dedicated to Thomas Richard Palmer. I am particularly grateful to Nancy Ostrander, who put me in touch with Janet Chapman. Mrs. Chapman scanned dozens of family photographs and interviewed her father so that I could publish his stories on this blog. To read more about the Palmers of Irvington click on the "Palmer" link below.

Mary Fee Palmer holds her son Dick in 1922 on the front porch of their brand new home at 333 North Audubon Road.

Dick Palmer graduated from Arsenal Technical High School in 1939 and Miami University in 1943.

Walter and Mary Fee Palmer raised their son Dick in this lovely home at 333 North Audubon Road. 

Beautiful Home Along Michigan Street--c1919

Walter and Mary Fee Palmer rented the beautiful residence at 5712 East Michigan Street from March, 1918 until November 21, 1921. They eventually built a home at 333 North Audubon Road. Based upon the foliage, it appears that the photos below were likely taken in the summer. Little has changed about the dwelling except for the porch columns. Notice the empty lot to the west of the home where a bungalow now stands.

5712 East Michigan Street c1919

5712 East Michigan Street c 1919

5712 East Michigan Street in the summer of 2016

The historic images are courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer.

Lost Irvington: Downey Avenue Homes

Like many folks after a beautiful snowfall, Dick and Mildred Palmer grabbed their camera in the winter of 1947 to document the lovely moment. The couple resided in a small apartment at 55 South Downey Avenue along with their first child, Janet. Either Mr. or Mrs. Palmer snapped this photo most likely from a second story window. While they knew they were documenting a wintry scene, they had no idea at the time of course, that they were also capturing images of two Irvington homes that have been gone for many years.

The most visible home in the photo is that of 52  South Downey Avenue.  The unusual dwelling hosted some important Indianapolis residents over the years. City directories indicate that the home was built in 1901 for Amos and Mary Reynolds Butler and their five children. Mr. Butler was the Secretary to the Indiana Board of Charities. He was an avid birder and the local chapter of the Audubon Society would be named for him. He was also caught up, like many in his generation, in the eugenics movement. A trained scientist, Butler embraced the view at the time that some people were defective or "degenerate." His position with the Charity Board gave him great power. He believed that people labeled as "feebleminded" must not be allowed to marry or procreate.  Butler was a proponent of Indiana laws that called for the sterilization of women who might have mental illnesses, epilepsy, or mental deficiencies. Hundreds of Hoosier women in the twentieth century were forcibly sterilized. Butler played a strong role in that movement.  

As Mr. and Mrs. Butler began to age and their children started to move away, they started to lease part of their home. Throughout the 1920s, Merritt and Ann Harrison along with their daughter resided in part of the dwelling. Mr. Harrison was a skilled architect and actually designed the "new" Irvington Presbyterian Church in 1927 while living at 52 South Downey Avenue.  Others who dwelled in the home included the Linton, Parsons, and Blaase families. The house was torn down in 1958 to make room for a playground for the Our Lady of Lourdes School.  

The other home visible in the photo was of 28 South Downey Avenue. It was built in 1893 for David K. and Mary Carver. The couple moved to Irvington from Anderson. Mr. Carver, a veteran of the Civil War, had the distinction of being the first Republican ever elected in Madison County, Indiana. He served as sheriff in Anderson for a couple of terms. Mrs. Carver, while dwelling in Irvington, was an active club woman. Both spent the remainder of their lives in the home. They frequently leased rooms to various boarders. In the 1920s, the Marsh family resided in the home. Robert I. Marsh was an attorney for D. C. Stephenson, the Grand Dragon of Ku Klux Klan in Indiana. To learn more about his role in that episode of history, click on the Marsh family link below.  For most of its tenure, the large old home served as the convent for the Sisters of St. Francis, who taught at the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. The house was torn down in 2001 to make room for an addition to the Our Lady of Lourdes School. 

Today, on the former site of the Butler and Carver homes, children play kickball and attend classes at the nearby Catholic school. Most neighbors have forgotten the Butler home and soon the Carver residence/Convent shall also fade from memory. 

52 and 28 South Downey Avenue in 1947 (photo courtesy of Dick Palmer and Janet Chapman)

Amos Butler moved into 52 South Downey Avenue in 1901.(image courtesy of Butler family via Ancestry.com)

David Carver moved into 28 South Downey Avenue in 1893.  (image courtesy of Carver family via Ancestry.com)

To learn more about the role of Amos Butler in the eugenics movement read Robert Osgood's article in the Indiana Magazine of History titled, "The Menace of the Feebleminded: George Bliss, Amos Butler, and the Indiana Committee on Mental Defectives." (vol. 97, Issue 4, 253-77)  Information for the Carvers came from "David Carver Funeral to be at Home," Indianapolis News, May 20, 1915, 5; "Mrs. Mary Carver Dead," Indianapolis News, March 30, 1918, 13.  Dick Palmer and Janet Chapman provided the original historic photo for this story.  

Creighton Apartments--1947

Entrepreneur, Samuel H. Creighton hired architect Charles Edgar Bates in 1916 to design a beautiful Tudor-Revival structure for the northwest corner of Downey and Julian Avenues.  Built as four separate townhouses under one roof, the apartment building was sheathed in brick for the lower story and stucco for the upper. Beautiful terra cotta tiles graced the steep gables of the building. Mr. Creighton along with his wife, Nora, and their son, Samuel Taylor, Jr.,  moved into the western townhouse at 60 South Downey Avenue and rented out the remaining three along Julian Avenue. Various renters over the years could look out their windows and see the Butler mansion (demolished) and the original brick Downey Avenue Christian Church.

Time has not been kind to the elegant dwellings. Subsequent owners and landlords have removed much of the charm of the place, however, on a snowy day in 1947, the Creighton Apartments still looked lovely.  The historic photo was snapped by the Palmer family who happened to be going for a walk with their toddler, Janet, just after the snow ended.  To learn more about the these apartments check out Paul Diebold's research in Greater Irvington (1997).

The Creighton Apartments at the northwest corner of Downey and Julian Avenues in 1947

The Creighton Apartments in 2016

The historic photo is courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer.  

Downey Avenue on a Snowy Day

Dick Palmer and Mildred Orr Palmer, moved into a walkup apartment at 55 South Downey Avenue in 1947. Mr. Palmer had just completed his stint with the Air Force and had a job at a filling station on Meridian Street. Mrs. Palmer stayed home to raise the couple's first child, Janet. Their tenure along Downey Avenue was brief as Mr. Palmer received a job with Western Adjustment and Inspection Company (later known as General Adjustment Bureau) in Muncie, Indiana.  Living in the downstairs apartment at the time was Lorin and Wilma Mae Eichhorn Sentiff.  Mr. Sentiff was an inspector while Mrs. Sentiff was an elementary school teacher.

Sometime in 1947 and just after a snowstorm, the Palmers grabbed their camera and their toddler, Janet, to take a walk.  They snapped several scenes including these lovely shots on Downey Avenue.

Mildred Orr Palmer and Janet Palmer enjoyed a snowy day in Irvington in 1947 in the front yard of 55 South Downey Avenue.  

Downey Avenue looking south towards East Washington Street: The house most visible in the photo is that of 23 South Downey Avenue. The Negley family dwelled there in 1947. You can also see the rear of the Moynahan Apartments at 5345 East Washington Street.

23 South Downey Avenue in 2016

Richard and Mildred Palmer rented the upper story of this home at 55 South Downey Avenue in 1947.  

The historic images and stories for this post are courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer. 

Who Lived Here? The Palmer Family

Walter and Mary Fee Palmer dwelled at 333 North Audubon Road for five decades beginning in the 1920s. Dr. Palmer worked six days a week for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He retired from that agency in 1950. Mary Fee Palmer did not work but taught piano lessons from a small den in their home and was a member of various clubs including the Luncheon Club, the Irvington Coterie,  the Irvington Friendship Circle, and Alumnae Club of Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority. The couple also belonged to the Irvington Presbyterian Church and the Society of Indiana Pioneers.

The Palmers built beautiful gardens with rock walls in their backyard. Mr. Palmer had a workshop in the basement where he refinished furniture and rebuilt tools. He kept a bookshelf full of classics in his living room so that he would not lose his ability to read Greek and Latin. The couple raised one son, Dick, in the house and both would spend the majority of their lives along Audubon Road.

Mary Palmer sat in her living room at 333 North Audubon Road in 1943. 

Walter and Mary Fee Palmer grew beautiful flowers and many vegetables on their lot at 333 North Audubon Road. The couple also hauled rocks from around the Irvington area to build these beautiful walls. (photo--1947)

Mary and Walter Palmer enjoyed a warm day in 1947 in their backyard at 333 North Audubon Road. 

The dining room at the home of Walter and Mary Palmer at 333 North Audubon Road in 1943.  

Dr. Walter Palmer relaxed next to his fireplace at 333 North Audubon Road in 1943.  

Mary Palmer posed for this photograph in her living room at 333 North Audubon Road in 1943.  

A lovely corner in the dining room at 333 North Audubon Road in 1943...note the tea kettle hanging over an oil burning warmer on the antique table.  

333 North Audubon Road in 2016

Images and information for this post were courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer.  

Friends Pay a Visit Along Audubon Road in 1943

Dick Palmer, who grew up at 333 North Audubon Road, graduated from Arsenal Technical High School in 1939 and later at Miami University in Ohio in 1943. Sometime in 1943, Dick returned home just before going off to flight school to learn how to fly B-25 aircraft. Many of his buddies stopped by for a visit in Irvington including John and Bernard Korbly, who lived up the street at 425 North Audubon Road and another friend named Jim Boyd, who dwelled with a widowed aunt at 346 North Audubon Road.  All of the young men were likely thinking about their futures as World War II raged overseas, but at least for the time being they shared a few light-hearted moments in front of Dick's home.

Bernard (driving) and John Korbly of 425 North Audubon Road stopped by the Palmer home in their 1935 Ford Roadster convertible to visit Dick Palmer in 1943. Behind the young men, you can see the Ostrander home at 323 North Audubon Road and the Buck home at 311 North Audubon Road.  

Jim Boyd in his "gas saver" had fun trying to push the Buick parked in front of 336 North Audubon Road in 1943. Jim lived with his widowed Aunt Edith Edwards at 346 North Audubon Road. A pianist, he frequently played the blues on his Aunt's piano.

Jim Boyd drove his "gas saver" along Audubon Road. Behind him, you can see the homes at 326 and 336 North Audubon Road in 1943.  

One of the Korbly brothers jumped into the photo while Jim Boyd attempted to drive a homemade contraption in 1943. Behind the young men you can best see 344  and 346 North Audubon Road. 

Dick Palmer posed in his Pontiac in the summer of 1943. Behind him, you can see the Ostrander residence at 323 North Audubon Road. 

Dick Palmer during his senior year at Arsenal Technical High School in 1939.  

Images and stories for this post are courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer.  

Time for Play and Time for School in the 1920s

Dick Palmer grew up at 333 North Audubon Road as the nation and the neighborhood "roared."  His parents, Walter and Mary Fee Palmer, built a house in the decade as did hundreds of others especially north of Pleasant Run Parkway. Many Irvingtonians purchased cars during the 1920s so toy automobiles became popular gifts for children. Dick Palmer received his special present in 1925. He remained a car enthusiast for the rest of his life. In an image below, you can see him "driving" around in the backyard.  Two years later he received a toy airplane. Behind him in that photo, you can see the double at 338-40 and the dwelling at 344 North Audubon Road. His family had no way of knowing it in 1927, but  later during World War II, Dick flew B-25 Mitchell aircraft and even taught other pilots how to fly.

The 1920s were also important for Dick as he started school in 1927. Children along North Audubon Road attended School #57. Visiting the family in September of 1927 was his Aunt Nell Fee.  The Fees hailed from a prominent farming family near Clarksburg, Indiana in northeastern Decatur County. Nell and Mary Fee's grandfather, John G. Fee, was one of the founders of Berea College in Kentucky. Aunt Nell's timing for her visit could not have been more perfect as Dick was afraid to go to school. She told him that she would escort him to the building and she gave him a dime to put in his pocket. As young Dick walked up the stairs of School #57, he turned back to give his Aunt the dime, but she told him to keep it and he was to show it to her upon his exit later that day. Dick Palmer thrived at school. He later graduated from Arsenal Tech High School and Miami University in Ohio.

Dick Palmer received his toy car gift in 1925. He "drove" it around in the backyard of his home at 333 North Audubon Road. 

Dick Palmer and a friend posed for this photograph in 1927 after receiving his new airplane as a gift. Behind the boys, you can see the double at 338-40 North Audubon Road and the residence at 344 North Audubon Road. The Karns family dwelled on one side of the double and the Johnson family lived at 344.  The 1927 city directory noted that one side of the double was vacant.  

Dick Palmer posed for this photograph in 1927 in his front yard at 333 North Audubon Road on his first day of school.

Dick Palmer posed for his family in 1927 in the backyard of 333 North Audubon Road in 1927. His  supportive Aunt Nell Fee walked  with him to school that day. 

Growing Up Along Audubon Road

Thomas Richard or Dick Palmer was born in 1921 to Dr. Walter and Mary Fee Palmer. He spent his entire childhood at 333 North Audubon Road.  Dick was raised as an only child because his older brother died before his birth. He had no trouble finding playmates as there were several households in the area with children under ten years of age. Next door at 323 North Audubon Road dwelled little Nancy Ostrander and Eva Ham. Two doors down at 347 North Audubon Road resided Thomas Harrison, the youngest son of John and Elizabeth Harrison. Ruth Adams, the daughter of Henry and Pearl Adams lived across the street at 344 North Audubon Road. Other kids near his age like Bob Glass, Roger Schuck, and the Korbly brothers dwelled in the vicinity on Michigan Street, and along Lowell, Lesley, Graham, and Bolton Avenues. The Palmers, clearly very proud of their son, documented several key moments of his early life. You will see snapshots from his youth and scenes from the neighborhood in the following images.

Dick Palmer played with his toys on his front porch at 333 North Audubon Road in 1923.

Backyard fun:  Dick Palmer played in the backyard of his home at 333 North Audubon Road in 1922. 

Dick Palmer enjoyed the outdoors in the spring of 1922. Behind him, you can see the large Italianate home at 343 North Audubon Road. 

Dick Palmer on the front porch of his home at 333 North Audubon Road in 1923.

Mary Fee Palmer assisted her son Dick on her porch at 333 North Audubon Road in 1922.

333 North Audubon Road in 1922

333 North Audubon Road in 1923

The historic images are courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer. 

The Palmers Build a Bungalow on Audubon Road

Shortly after suffering the loss of their only child in 1920, Dr. Walter and Mrs. Mary Fee Palmer decided to start anew. First, they moved into a brand new home and then they welcomed a new baby boy into their lives in 1921.  For the first four years of their marriage, the couple rented various homes throughout the neighborhood. Thanks to Dr. Palmer's steady income working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the couple was now able to build a beautiful bungalow at 333 North Audubon Road.

The unique two-story home sits on a beautiful lot in a wooded area of the neighborhood. Clad in stucco, the dwelling possesses an entryway complete with sidelights and flanked by beautiful casement doors facing Audubon Road. Thomas Richard Palmer, who grew up in the home, noted that his parents built what they could afford. The couple planted some beautiful trees and lush flower gardens. They also built a rock wall at the back of the property. Besides a garage, the couple erected a chicken coup at the back of the property.

Thomas Richard or Dick Palmer grew up in the house. He is now 94 years-old and still recalls his early life along Audubon Road. He remembers many of his neighbors and his childhood friends. In the next post we shall examine Mr. Palmer's early years in the neighborhood.

The historic image and stories are courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer.  

A beautiful snow blanketed Irvington c1938. Walter and Mary Palmer built the home in 1920 or 1921. A similar home exists along the 300 block of North Bolton Avenue. 

Walter and Mary Palmer dwelled at 333 North Audubon Road for decades. In 1943, they posed next to their fireplace for this image.  

Mary Fee Palmer proudly posed with her son, Dick, in 1921 on the front porch of 333 North Audubon Road.

Newborn, Thomas Richard or Dick Palmer, smiles from his baby carriage on the front porch of 333 North Audubon Road in 1921. He spent the remainder of his childhood in the home.  

The Palmers Move to Irvington

Dr. Walter Palmer (1884-1974) grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio under modest circumstances, but managed to put himself through veterinarian school. In 1916, he married Mary Fee (1889-1976) of Clarksburg, Indiana. They had two sons although their first son, John, died in 1920 at the age of three. Their second son, Thomas Richard, was born in 1921.

Dr. Palmer worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Federal Building in downtown Indianapolis although he spent most of his time at the Kingan & Company Meat Packing Plant. The couple made the decision to move to Irvington and they first rented houses at 210 South Ritter Avenue (1916-1918),  527 North Emerson Avenue (1918-1919), and then at 5712 East Michigan Street (1919-1921) before building a bungalow at 333 North Audubon Road in 1921.

In the photos below, you can see Mary Fee Palmer standing in front of her Emerson Avenue home after a major snowstorm in 1918. The homes most visible in the image were those of her neighbors at 549 and 601 North Emerson Avenue. The McKibben and Lazenby families dwelled in those homes.

Stay tuned for more stunning photographs and stories of Irvington from this interesting family.

Mary Fee Palmer stood along the sidewalk in front of her home at 527 North Emerson Avenue after a snowstorm in 1918.

On wintery day in 1918, Mary Fee Palmer posed for her husband, Dr. Walter Palmer, on the sidewalk leading up to their home at 527 North Emerson Avenue. The home most visible in the image belonged to the McKibben family at 549 North Emerson Avenue. This home was later altered and the front door was moved to face North Street. 

527, 549, and 601 North Emerson Avenue in 2016

The historic images and stories are courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer.