Birthday Party in Ellenberger Park in 1954

Ellenberger Park served as the perfect spot for local families to host reunions, receptions celebrations, and birthday parties.  When Steve Koepper turned ten years old on April 11, 1954, he invited his Trinity Evangelical Lutheran School friends to Ellenberger Park to celebrate.  Mr. Koepper, the son of Norman and Lora Meyer Koepper, grew up in a bungalow located at 5263 East Tenth Street.  Ellenberger Park became an important place for the young man as he took swimming lessons from the Red Cross in the park's pool in 1951.  He would later join the Ellenberger Park Swim Team under Coach Dave Hines.  You may see a photo of the 1960 swim team by clicking on the "Ellenberger Park" link below.

Birthday Party Gathering:  Steve Koepper and his Trinity Evangelical Lutheran School friends posed for this photograph in the spring of 1954 in Ellenberger Park.  Left to right:  Steven Deal, Fred Von Spreckelsen, Jeff Boerger, Steve Koepper, Lanny Simpson, Irvin Coffer, Danny Edwards, Ron Yeskie, Bill Hoff, and Tom Holtman

All of the young men in the photo above attended the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran School at 26 North Arsenal Avenue. They were the last class to graduate from this building in 1958 before the institution moved to its current location at 8540 East 16th Street.  Many of the students who attended this school had German heritage.  (photo: Damien Center) 

The historic image and information for this post are courtesy of Steve Koepper.  

Lost Irvington--222 Ohmer Avenue

This lovely American Four Square used to sit at 222 Ohmer Avenue across from the Christian Women's Board of Missions. The intended object of this photo was not the house, but rather Don Ward (238 Ohmer Avenue), who was playing ball next door at 230 Ohmer Avenue at the Pflueger home in 1945. Behind him looms the ghost of the house not seen in Irvington in over thirty years.

The house used to sit along the alley connecting Butler Avenue and essentially Butler University. In 1909, Harry Wilfred Ballard and his family dwelled here. He was the president of the Indianapolis Engraving Company. Curiously, three other engravers lived in the neighborhood during this time including Harry Simpson (5743 Oak Avenue), S.Turney Downs (5803 Oak Avenue), and Charles Hackleman (34 North Ritter Avenue).

By 1912, the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity moved in and remained in the house until 1919. The home's location next to campus undoubtedly made it highly desirable for Butler students. The dwelling's position across the street from the Missions Building also made it attractive to the Reverend Oscar W. Wiley and his wife Ida. The Wileys set up housekeeping here in 1921 and remained well into the 1940s. In the 1950s, Ada M. Mosher, a librarian, lived at 222. By the early 1960s, another minister named Spencer P. Austin and his wife Margaret called the place home. The house remained listed in both the 1970 and 1980 directory, but vanished from record shortly thereafter. Perhaps some of our astute readers will be able to tell us what became of the house. In more recent times, a small home has been constructed on the site.

5743 Oak Avenue Then and Now

In 1985, Laraine and Kevin Robbins purchased 5743 Oak Avenue in the dead of winter. They knew that the home used to belong to Florence Wiese, who had lived into her nineties. They had also been informed by another Wiese family member that Miss Wiese, who had gone blind, used to rent the upstairs of the home out to widows or single women. At the closing, the Robbins family received a 1920s era photo of their "new" historic home. So who was Miss Wiese and was there more to the story of this charming Arts and Crafts era home? It turns out there was.

Harry C. Simpson (1883-1954) left Aberdeen, Scotland in 1908 at the age of 24 for a new life in the United States. He departed on the SS Victoria bound for Canada in April. He entered the US via St. Albans, Vermont. His immigration papers describe him as 5'7" with brown hair and brown eyes. He had a total of $230 in his pocket as he made his way towards Indianapolis. He had been trained as a lithograph artist in Scotland and he took a similar position with the Indianapolis Engraving and Electrotyping Company. How he came to meet Grace L. Pritchett (1885-1973) is unclear, but they fell in love and married at the Irvington Presbyterian Church on July 11, 1911.

Immediately following their ceremony, Harry and Grace departed Indianapolis for Montreal and then on July 15, they sailed for the United Kingdom so that Grace could meet his parents in Scotland. They stayed away for the entire summer and lingered in the eastern United States before settling at Sadie Pritchett's (Grace's Mom) home at 5743 Oak Avenue in Irvington. It appears that Mrs. Pritchett built next door to Samuel Downs, another employee of the same firm as Mr. Simpson. Perhaps Mrs. Pritchett was connected with the firm in some way and discovered the lot via Mr. Downs. The two-story Arts and Crafts era house would be now be home for the newlyweds who would eventually have a son named James G. and a daughter named Grace L.

In 1920, the Simpsons moved from their Oak Avenue home for the country. As an artist, perhaps Mr. Simpson longed for nature to inspire him as he illustrated for others. They sold the house to Peter Winkel, a printer, and his wife Minnie. Both of the Winkels approached 50 as they moved in and they welcomed their 23 year-old son Raymond and his wife Edith to join them. The elder Mr. Winkel died in 1923 so Mrs. Winkel sold the home to the Wiese Family.

Harry C. Wiese tried out many business adventures throughout out his working life. In 1923, he managed the Claman Lunch and Recreation Billiard Parlor at 207-11 North Delaware. (also known as Claman Cafeteria). By 1930, he worked for the Beech Nut Packing Company as a traveling salesman. Back home his wife Odessa or Tessa managed the affairs at 5743 Oak Avenue. Also living with the Wieses in 1930 included Anton Wiese, the 82 year-old father of Harry, and Harry Wiese, Jr, their 30 year-old son and electrician. So, who was Florence Wiese? As it turns out, Florence was the spinster sister of Harry C. Weise. She had lived with her father for years and then moved into 5743 Oak Avenue with everyone else. Florence worked as a stenographer and secretary for several doctors and businessmen on the east side including William Tomilinson, John R. Swan, and Edwin Tether. By the 1960s, only Florence remained in the large bungalow so she started renting out the upstairs rooms. Some of the women who lived up there during this time include Helen R. Johnson, Helen Miller, and Linda Chambers.

Upon the death of Florence Wiese in the mid-1980s, her distant family members longed to sell the house quickly. Laraine and Kevin Robbins had no idea that the home would take years to restore, but they have faithfully done it. With one photo and some scant information, we now at least know a little more about the families who dwelled here. The historic image is courtesy of Laraine and Kevin Robbins. The contemporary image was shot on January 3, 2012.