South Ritter Avenue in the Late 1970s

   Jimmy Carter was President of the United States and Otis Bowen was the Governor of Indiana. Disco dominated the airwaves in the late 1970s in Indianapolis. With cable TV still on the horizon, Hoosiers consumed TV shows like The Jeffersons, Happy Days, M.A.S.H, the Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Saturday Night Live on five or six channels on their TVs. 

     Living at 128 South Ritter Avenue, teen-aged Doreen McGuire, the daughter of James and Ann McGuire, grabbed her camera and photographed her friends and family. Her collection of snapshots evoke an era and documents a small section of historic Irvington. Her images are now nearly 50 years old. Below is just a small sample from her scrapbooks. Her photos remind us that we need to save photos from this era of our lives. Doreen has done a good job of identifying individuals on the back of the snapshots and you should too!    

Doug McKain, Pete Boulais, Dave Arnold, and Phil Keough played basketball in the backyard of the McGuire home at 128 South Ritter Avenue in 1979. All of the young men lived nearby. Behind the kids, you can see the historic barn built for the Goe family in 1890. The large structure had been converted into a garage most likely by the Leamon family who lived in the house from 1957-1967. (photo courtesy of Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Before the invention of drones or the creation of Google Earth, there were trees. Doreen McGuire climbed this tall tulip poplar in her backyard and snapped the rear of her home at 128 South Ritter Avenue in 1977. (Photo courtesy of Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

In one of her earlier images, young Doreen snapped a photo of a friend. Of course, without the ability to zoom in, she inadvertently documented houses across the street c1975. The double at 131-33 and the home at 139 South Ritter Ave are the most visible. The young boy in the photo is most likely a Boulais family member, who resided at 130 South Ritter Avenue. (photo courtesy of Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

With a better camera Doreen McGuire stood on her front porch and snapped an image of 111, 115, 127, and 129 South Ritter Avenue in 1979. Mid-twentieth century residents of Irvington were practical people and clad many of the beautiful residences with aluminum siding. Three of the four homes in this photo have now been restored to their original early twentieth century look without the aluminum siding. (photo courtesy of Doreen McGuire Crenshaw) 

Ann McGuire, known as "Mrs. McGuire" to her students, taught at IPS #37 for many years. Her daughter Doreen captured her Mom relaxing on their long couch at 128 South Ritter Avenue in December of 1980. I had the privilege of meeting Ann McGuire (later Ann Brown), and she loaned me some incredible photos from her childhood along St. Clair Street. You can see those images by clicking on the "Schmidt" link below. (photo courtesy of Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Doreen McGuire, our young photographer, posed in her dining room at 128 South Ritter Avenue in 1976 or 1977. Behind her you can see the buffet and a Naugahyde chair given to them by a family friend, Dr. Harold Fahrbach, an optometrist. He knew Dr. Schmidt, a fellow optometrist, and the father of Ann McGuire. On the dining room table you can see the equipment that Doreen needed for her photojournalism class at Howe High School. (photo courtesy of Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

     I wish to thank Doreen McGuire Crenshaw for these images and for her incredible kindness and support over the years. 

Wintry Scenes in Irvington Through the Decades

      One of the advantages of writing this blog for twelve years, is that I have amassed a database of beautiful winter imagery connected to Irvington. So far, snow has eluded the neighborhood in late 2021, but who knows what awaits us. If heavy snows arrive in 2022, then we will probably grab our cameras and rush outside much like folks have been doing through the ages. Some of these photos have been posted before but many have not. Happy holidays and thank you to all of you who have contributed photos over the years. 

     This post is dedicated to the memory of Robert Kistner, whose image is below. I met both Mr. Kistner and his daughter Elizabeth Bodi as they were traveling down memory lane in Irvington. He grew up by the Irving Circle Park so I instantly knew which photo I wanted to post of him.  Rest in peace, Mr. Kistner. 

The Lamb family resided at 5631 University Avenue from 1937 until 1961. This photo was likely snapped c1938 on a beautiful wintry day. (photo courtesy of Lynn Smith)

The Hackleman kids, who lived at 5438 Lowell Avenue, found time to play in the snow along North Whittier Place c1910. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) 

Florence Hackleman, who lived at 5438 Lowell Avenue, posed with the family cow near the carriage house in her backyard on a winter's day c1912. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

A giant snow mound in the backyard at 5438 Lowell Avenue provided entertainment for the Hackleman children c1910. The home most visible in the image is located at 321 Whittier Place. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) 

Florence Hackleman posed near her front porch at 5438 Lowell Avenue with her sled c1912 (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) 

Albert and Rita Stone resided at 317 North Ritter Avenue from 1949 until 1954. Sometime during the early 1950s they sent this Christmas card to the Richardsons of 477 North Audubon Road. The family impressively already had a television set. (photo courtesy of Donn and Carolyn Richardson)

The Richardson family lived at 477 North Audubon Road and snapped this snowy image c1950 (photo courtesy of Donn and Carolyn Richardson)

Almost like a ghostly image, the Doan residence at 47 North Irvington Avenue was clearly covered in snow c1904. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown and the Indiana Album) 

On a wintry day, the Doan sisters of 47 North Irvington Avenue posed for a photograph. Behind the girls you can see the home located at 59 North Irvington Avenue. (photo courtesy of Jim and Ann Brown) 

Anne Warner posed in her front yard at 66 Johnson Avenue in 1954. Behind her you can also see the residences located at 58 and 54 Johnson Avenue. (photo courtesy of Steve Warner and Paul Diebold)

Wintry Scene 1954: A member of the Warner family snapped this photograph from the family home at 66 Johnson Avenue. To the left you can see the Irvington Presbyterian Church and across the street you will note the homes located in the 5600 block of Julian Avenue. (photo courtesy of Steve Warner and Paul Diebold) 

Robert Kistner (1934-2021) or "Bobby" as he was known in the photograph, posed for this image in his front yard at 263 South Audubon Road in 1937. Behind him you can see the Irving Circle Park. (photo courtesy of Robert Kistner and Elizabeth Bodi)

Bernard and Margaret Korbly purchased the Kendall home in 1915. They snapped this image of 425 North Audubon Road in the winter of 1920. (photo courtesy of Pat Dwyer)

Bike tracks lead to the Doran home at 5770 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive in the winter of 1951. (photo courtesy of Kevin Yamafuji)

Jim Burck shoveled his driveway at 6120 East 9th Street in 1943. Behind him, you can see the Ghere family home located at 6126 East 9th Street. (photo courtesy of Christina Burck) 

John, Della, and RoseAnn O'Connor posed after a snowstorm in 1957. The O'Connors resided at 5956 Beechwood Avenue. Behind the family you can see the bungalows located at 5952 and 5948 Beechwood Avenue. (photo courtesy of RoseAnn Linder)

Dr. John H. Booth and his son, George, listened to the radio in their home at 280 South Downey Avenue c1935. (photo courtesy of Mac Fife)

Dr. Clifton and Bonnie Applegate Donnell resided at 82 North Hawthorne Lane when this photo was snapped by a member of the Caldwell family in 1943.  (photo courtesy of Ginny Hingst)

The Schmidt home at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive on a snowy day in 1938. The home was later renumbered as 5701 East St. Clair Street. (photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw) 

Time to sled! Dr. Henry Schmidt posed next to Beverly Spencer and Ann Schmidt on a winter day in 1938. The Schmidts resided at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive and had a perfect hill for sledding. (photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

  Thank you to all who have contributed over the years! More vintage photos will be forthcoming. 

Kids Photographed Along St. Clair Street 1948

Sometime in the winter of 1948, Ann Schmidt and her good friend, Marcia Shick, grabbed their cameras and snapped photos of their little brothers and sisters next to the Schmidt family Buick parked near St. Clair Street. Ann Schmidt lived at 5702 East Pleasant Run Run Parkway North Drive and Marcia Shick lived nearby at 5728 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. The car in the photos belonged to Dr. Henry Schmidt. For many years the frugal optometrist took the streetcar or other modes of transportation to work. After World War II ended, he decided to buy the used Buick seen in the photos. In some of the images, you can see the rear of the residences at 804 and 814 North Audubon Road.

Maureen Schmidt, Marcia Shick, and Ann Schmidt posed next to the Schmidt family Buick in the driveway at 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive in the winter of 1948. Behind the kids, you can see the rear and side of the Vroom family home at 814 North Audubon Road. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Carl and Maureen Schmidt posed with their neighbor Peter Shick in 1948. The kids are standing next to the Schmidt family Buick at 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Marcia Shick photographed Peter Shick, Carl Schmidt, and Maureen Schmidt at 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. Behind the kids, you can see the rear of 804 and 814 North Audubon Road. Ann Schmidt likely took this photo of her friend snapping this picture in the winter of 1948. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Editor's Note: 5702 East Pleasant Run Parkway is now numbered as 5701 East St. Clair Street. I would like to thank Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw for their contributions to this series. 

Historic Wallpaper Revealed

Sometime in the late 1930s or early 1940s, Dr. Henry Schmidt of 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive put up wallpaper in the family's dining room.  Early Americana on wallpaper was quite popular in the mid-twentieth century. Dr. Schmidt likely purchased the mass-produced mural from a local store or a catalog. For years, members of the Schmidt family treasured the scene. In the tableaux, you can see a two-story colonial home surrounded by shrubbery and a fence. In front of the house and along the road, people sit in a horse-drawn carriage. Nearby, you can see a church steeple. The idealized image is similar to the earlier and popular Currier and Ives prints of the late nineteenth century. As the image began to fade, members of the family carefully and artfully touched up the colors. Thankfully, the Schmidt family documented the wall as the mural-paper was later removed.   (Editor's Note: The address of 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive changed to 5701 East St. Clair Street in the mid-1960s.)

Carl and Pat Schmidt posed in the dining room at the Schmidt family home at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive c1947. Dr. Henry Schmidt most likely put up the wallpaper in the early 1940s. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Dr. Henry Schmidt posed with his son Carl c1946 in the dining room at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. Behind them you can see interesting mural-wallpaper. It has since been removed. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Annabelle Early posed with her great grandchildren c1975 in her daughter's home at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive (later changed to 5701 East St. Clair Street) Behind the group, you can see the beautiful wallpaper in the dining room. Family members treasured the scene and touched it up as it began to fade. The children in the photograph are: seated in the chair-- Shannon Foley; seated at the table--Chris and Debbie Schmidt (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw) 

Little research seems to have been done on mass-produced twentieth century wallpaper, but the Old House Journal did publish an interesting overview recently. I have included that link. I am indebted to Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw for providing the stories and photos.

https://www.oldhouseonline.com/interiors-and-decor/guide-to-20th-century-wallpaper

Irvington Brownie Troop Photo--c1942

When Ann Schmidt of 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive joined a local Brownie Troop in the early 1940s, she became part of a tradition that had been in the neighborhood for decades. Her particular group met at the Irvington Methodist Church. The girls gathered regularly and usually made some kind of craft. Ann Schmidt Brown still has a sunflower pin cushion she created as a Brownie over seventy years later.

In this photo, we have identified several of the girls, but not all. If you know of additional names for this photo, please contact me at williamfranklingulde@gmail.com. We are estimating the date to be 1942, but let us know if we are off on the date as well.

Front row:  (left to right) Marianne Baker, Dianne Hoffman; Second Row (left to right): Marilyn Moffett, ?. Ann Schmidt, Alice Aldrich, ?,?, Cassie Armstrong, Judy Wurster, ?, ?; Third Row (left top): ?, Janet Paxton, Lou Ann Bischof, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?; Top Row (left to right): Babs Fry, Dorothy Gerstner. Carol Kendrick,  Barb Swengel, Betty Cowell, ?, ? (photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

A special thank you to Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw who opened their scrapbooks and memories to me.

Winter Scenes Along Pleasant Run Parkway

Winter in Irvington has always been a beautiful time to grab the camera and capture the newly-fallen snow. The Schmidts, who dwelled at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive, filled their scrapbooks to document these moments. Dr. Henry and Isabelle Early Schmidt moved into the house in the latter part of 1937 and immediately fell in love with the acreage on a winter's day. Their children, Ann, Maureen, Carl, Pat, and Jill had the perfect sledding hill as the property sat high above the Pleasant Run stream.  Fallen logs, gorgeous evergreens, and even their pretty bungalow all provided opportunities to capture the serene quiet around them.

The Schmidt home at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive on a winter's day in 1938. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Time to sled! Dr. Henry Schmidt posed next to Beverly Spencer and Ann Schmidt on a winter's day in 1938.  The Schmidts resided at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive.

(Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Beverly Spencer and Ann Schmidt enjoyed a winter day in 1938

(Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Dr. Henry Schmidt posed with Maureen and Ann Schmidt on November 11, 1941. Behind the family, you can see their residence at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. Some elm trees still existed on the lot during this era. Most elms across the United States were dying off in record numbers.

(Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

The side porch at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive in the winter of 1938.

(Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Beautiful newly-fallen snow on evergreen trees at the Schmidt home at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive c1938.

(Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Looking South: In this image, you can see the long driveway leading up to 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive c1944. In the distance, you can see Pleasant Run Parkway

(Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

A winter storm at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive c1950

(Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive in 1979. It was now numbered as 5701 E. St. Clair Street

(Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

5701 E. St. Clair Street (formerly 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive) c1990

(Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

I am indebted to Ann Schmidt Brown and her daughter, Doreen McGuire Crenshaw, for opening their scrapbooks and memories for this post.

Editor's Note: 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway is now numbered as 5701 E. St. Clair Street. 

A Perfect Place to Grow up

When Dr. Henry and Isabelle Early Schmidt purchased 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive in 1937, they only had one child. Over the course of a decade they would add four more. Ann, Maureen, Carl, Pat, and Jill Schmidt had the perfect yard for a playground. In the winter, they could sled down the giant hill in their front yard. In the warmer seasons, they could explore the woods and nearby Pleasant Run. Family pets also had plenty of acreage in which to run. Photos taken in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s reveal some of the fun that children had while living on the property.

Ann Schmidt provided milk for Teddy on a warm summer day in 1939 at her home at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Dress Up: Ann Schmidt had fun in her "new" adult clothes in July of 1940 at her home at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. Behind her, you can see the barberry bush that used to be on the property for decades. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

"General" Tobias T. Smith greeted Paul Schmidt and his daughter Barbara in 1937.  Paul was the brother of Henry Schmidt. Although General had plenty of acreage in which to roam, he preferred the entirety of the neighborhood frequently causing problems for the family who had to retrieve him.  (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Ann Schmidt remained a dog lover for her entire life. In this photo, snapped in 1947, she posed with Rags on the family property at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. Rags loved to nip at people's feet. He was especially interested in their shoestrings. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Cute little Pat Schmidt posed in her bedroom in the attic at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive in 1951. Ann Schmidt, her older sister, likely took this image. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Carl Schmidt went for a bike ride in 1950. In this photo, he posed along the Schmidt family driveway at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. Behind him, you can see the doghouse. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

Carl Schmidt posed for this photo along the sidewalk at the Schmidt family home at 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive c1951. Behind him, you can see a family car. (Photo courtesy of Ann Schmidt Brown and Doreen McGuire Crenshaw)

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Editor's Note: The address of 5702 Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive changed to 5701 E. St. Clair Street in the mid-1960s. 

I wish to thank Ann Schmidt Brown and her daughter Doreen McGuire Crenshaw for their kindness in allowing me to scan photos from their scrapbooks.