Beautiful Irvington School Burned in 1898

      In the wee hours of the morning sometime around 3:30AM on December 16, 1898, the "Owl" train pulled into Irvington. Al Atkinson and another employee on the train noticed a glare in the distance and realized that the Irvington School was completely engulfed in flames. He tried to warn local officials about the fire. Some nearby residents like Robert E. Moore and the Earl family also saw and possibly heard the inferno. A few citizens tried to go into the building to rescue some of the books, but the heat and smoke kept them out. Because the town of Irvington had no proper fire protection, the small crowd had to helplessly watch the destruction of their beautiful school. 

     Built in 1874 in the Second Empire style, the school stood across the street from the Irving Circle Park on the southeast quadrant of University Avenue and South Audubon Road. As the population grew, the school board commissioned an addition to the original structure in 1896. Mary E. Plummer was the first principal of the school. The total cost of the building came in at around $20,000, but unfortunately town officials did not take out enough insurance for such a calamity. 

     A reporter for the Indianapolis News described that the light from the flames that night reflected onto the snowy ground. Eerie photos likely taken from the Earl home at 5631 University Avenue showed the various stages of the fire. The addition completed in 1896 tumbled into the ground while some of the walls of the original structure remained intact. If you look closely at two of the photos you will see the silhouettes of a small crowd. Everything was lost in the blaze including artwork and the school's library. Even some of the nearby trees were singed. Daniel Lesley, the president of the board of education, pledged that children would be back at school in some capacity by January. For the remainder of the new winter and spring term, classes met in various churches, lodges, and businesses throughout the community until a new school could be built. 

     The blaze had been the largest in the history of the town. This fire and others led many citizens to call for Irvington to be annexed by the city of Indianapolis which took place in 1902. Shockingly, the new school built just south of the current building burned in 1903 leading officials to rebuild yet again except at the new location at the intersection of East Washington Street and Ritter Avenue. That school would later be known as the George Washington Julian School, I.P.S. #57. 

The Irvington Public School (1874-1898) was possibly designed by Isaac Taylor with Joel Stover as the contractor. The school sat in a grove of trees across the street from the Irving Circle Park. This photo was likely snapped c1890. (Carrie Tompkins Scrapbook, Irvington Historical Society)

Students from the Irvington Public School gathered for this photograph on April 23, 1891. (Carrie Tompkins Scrapbook, Irvington Historical Society)

The Irvington Public School sat on the southeast quadrant of University Avenue  (then Grand Avenue) and South Audubon Road (then Central Avenue). After the fire it was removed for another school on the site which also burned in 1903. Later the section was developed into several lots for homes. (Map of Irvington, 1889)

Fire Photos

The fire in the Irvington Public School began in the early morning hours of December 16, 1898. The janitor in charge informed the school board that he had turned down the furnace before he left that day. Members of the Earl family likely took this photo from their home across the street just as the flames started to consume the structure. (Carrie Tompkins Scrapbook, Irvington Historical Society)

The second photo, likely taken from 5631 University Avenue on December 16, 1898, shows that the fire had now consumed the rear addition to the building (at the right). If you look closely, you can see silhouetted individuals in the foreground.  (Carrie Tompkins Scrapbook, Irvington Historical Society)

Adults on the left huddled together and children on the right, watched--most likely in horror and fascination as fire consumed the entire Irvington Public School on December 16, 1898. Irvington had no proper fire protection at the time. (Carrie Tompkins Scrapbook, Irvington Historical Society)

Indianapolis News, December 16, 1898, p. 8

Site of former Irvington School at University Avenue and South Audubon Road on December 13, 2025

Sources:  Lola Blount Conner, "Irvington's Children of the Early 70's Got First Glimpse of McGuffey Readers at Old Mt. Zion District School," Indianapolis Star, November 26, 1933, p. 49; B.R. Sulgrove, History of Indianapolis and Marion County, (Philadelphia, 1884), p.622; Construction--"Personal," May 9, 1873, p.3; Paul Diebold, Greater Irvington II, (Indianapolis, 2020), pp. 163-164; Fire--"Large Fire," Indianapolis News, December 16, 1898, p. 8. 

Lost Irvington: The Downey Home

      Several wealthy families resided in the grand home that used to sit at 5433 University Avenue from 1874 until 1929 including the Downeys, Goes, Thompsons, and Hibbens. The imposing two-story home complete with a tower sat on four acres of ground on the southeast corner of University and Downey Avenues. It has been gone for almost 100 years and nine smaller houses now occupy the site. A speculator, a banker, a grocer, an artist, a prominent teacher, and others all left their mark upon the residence. The deliberate demolition of a house like this seems impossible today, but the last owner, Mrs. Jessie Landon, likely saw dollar signs in the summer of 1929 since the place sat on such a large lot. Her timing, however, could not have been worse. Just as contractors reduced the home to rubble the country fell into the Great Depression. It would take twelve years before the area was redeveloped.  

The Downey Years (1874-1884) 

     James E. and Mary Julian Downey arrived in Irvington in 1871. In fact, they built the very first home in the new town in 1871 on the northwest corner of East Washington Street and Audubon Road. Three years later, they built an even bigger home on what would become 5433 University Avenue in the Woodland Park Addition in 1874. Their timing, however, could not have been worse as an economic panic swept the United States and ruined the lives of many investors including the Downeys. The couple formally declared bankruptcy in 1878, but managed to keep their home and four acres of land for several more years before moving out of state. 

     Red-headed James E. Downey married Mary Julian in Centerville, Indiana. When Mary's father, Jacob Julian founded Irvington along with another investor named Sylvester Johnson, the Downeys followed the Julians to the new town of Irvington. Mary Julian Downey might be the only person in Indianapolis to have had two streets named after her family. She lived next to Downey Avenue and could walk two blocks to the north to walk down Julian Avenue. She loved her Julian name so much that she gave three of her sons that middle name and one of her sons received it as a first name. In total the couple would have eight children live into adulthood. She is also credited, along with her father, of naming the new community after her favorite author, Washington Irving. Joseph Robert Downey, the only son not to receive the Julian name, wrote about his life in 1950 and his memories of that house were published by the East Side Herald. 

      Joseph Downey described their wooded lot as full of beech, oak, maple, dogwood, and paw paw trees. He noted that his father, ever an entrepreneur, was both a "promoter and plunger" who was always trying to find ways to make money. Five-year-old Joseph nearly died in the house after he and his brothers slid down the steep staircase railing. He hit his head on the lowest newel post. One local doctor thought that he might not live, but he did. The Irvington years were some of the happiest in his life and their sudden departure from the town upset him greatly. 

     While Irvington was largely a peaceful place and far away from the problems of the city, it was not immune from crime. At 3:00AM on May 20, 1878, the Downeys were awakened by a noise inside the house. Mr. Downey rushed downstairs and saw two men in the darkness. One was crawling on his knees. Upon confronting the intruders, one of the men shot at Mr. Downey, but the bullet sailed over his head and into a wall. The thieves ran out of the house with some of the family silver. They were never caught. 

     With bills mounting, the Downeys welcomed boarders into their home. They were fortunate in that Butler University officials moved the campus from north of downtown Indianapolis and into Irvington. Some of those first tenants included students, but their most prominent renters were the Merrill sisters. Much has been been written about Catharine Merrill over the years. A beloved teacher, she made history, as one of the earliest female university professors in the United States. A brilliant woman, she lived in Europe from 1859 until 1861 where she studied German. In Ireland she witnessed beggars from the potato famine. In England, she visited a great exhibition featuring artwork by Joseph Turner. In Italy, she wrote about the efforts of people to unite that country just as her own country fell apart and into the Civil War. While living in the Downey home, Miss Merrill had access to the "western parlor" where she held salons every Thursday evening. Students, professors, and neighbors attended these events where there might be poetry readings, book discussions, or even games. Young Joseph Downey recalled sitting on the lap of Butler professor, David Starr Jordan, who drew various kinds of fish on a piece of paper for him. Miss Merrill's kindness towards the Downey children was never forgotten. After Miss Merrill retired from Butler University, she moved out of the Downey home. One year later, the Downeys also moved away. 

The 1889 map of Irvington shows the Downey Home on Lot 21 and facing Spratt Avenue (University Avenue)

Rocky Mountain News, September 1, 1914

Mina Merrill and Catharine Merrill (courtesy of the Indiana State Library Digital Collection)

The Rental Years (1884-1890)

     Columnist, Grace Julian Clarke, noted in one of her essays on Irvington that after the Downeys moved out of Irvington that a rental company took over the ownership of the home. As of this writing, we only know of one family who leased that house during these years, and we only learned about that fact very recently. 

     Hezekiah and Cornelia Goe leased 5433 University Avenue in 1888. Why do we know this fact? In the possession of the descendants of the Goes is another photograph of the Downey home. On the back of that photo, someone has written "birthplace of Percy Goe," one of the five children of Hezekiah and Cornelia. Mr. Goe earned a comfortable living as a grocer and opened up a business at 130 South Audubon Road. The couple soon built a beautiful residence of their own at 128 South Ritter Avenue. More will soon be written about that lovely home.  

  

Faded photograph of the Downey-Thompson-Goe-Hibben home c1915; The image was snapped during the Hibben-era by a member of the Goe family. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

Percy Goe (1888-1921) was the fourth child of Hezekiah and Cornelia Goe. He was born at 5433 University Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family)

The Thompson Years (1890-1902)

     Edward and Mary Thompson along with their daughter, Bona, arrived in Irvington full of hope. All hailed from Edinburg, Indiana where Mr. Thompson became wealthy as a banker and from farming. They purchased the Downey home so that their only surviving child could attend nearby Butler University. By all accounts, she was a gifted student who won prizes for her speeches. While living in the house, the Thompsons added a new dining room, a kitchen with built-in cabinets, and a fruit-storage closet for canned foods. They enlarged the house by a story and a half complete with dormers in the roofline. The servants likely slept up there. They also lengthened the front tower. They added gas, electricity, and a shower. Their daughter would have a pleasant place in which to study and live.

      In 1897, Bona graduated from Butler University and then matriculated to Wellesley College. Mrs. Thompson had not been feeling well for some time. She thought a trip to Europe might lift her spirits and perhaps her health so she and Bona sailed across the ocean in 1899; however, the trip did not go as planned. While in Paris, it was Bona who started to feel unwell and not Mrs. Thompson. She seemed to rally and then they traveled to England, but once again Bona seemed to be suffering from something. The pair arrived back to the US to discover that Bona had contracted typhoid fever on their journey. She was not able to go back to Wellesley and could scarcely make it out of her bedroom in the large house on University Avenue. 

     Bona Thompson lingered for weeks before dying on October 12, 1899, at the age of 21. Their neighbor and friend, Dr. Allen R. Benton at 312 South Downey conducted the funeral service. Devastated by the loss of their only child, Edward and Mary donated land and thousands of dollars to Butler University for a new library. Mrs. Thompson grew sicker and watched from across the street as workers began building the new Bona Thompson Memorial Library, but she never lived to see it completed. Some folks in the neighborhood noted that she had died from heartbreak, but many others said that she wanted to live to see the completion of the library. She and her husband had even gone to Hot Springs, Arkansas in hopes of a respite in her health, but nothing worked and she died in the spring of 1902.  Dr. Allen R. Benton conducted the funeral service on April 16.  Six months later, Edward Thompson had a series of strokes and died on December 18, 1902. Dr. Benton once again led his third funeral at 5433 University Avenue. 

T.C. Steele painted a portrait of Bona Thompson from a photograph after her death. The original painting hangs at Butler University while a copy hangs at the Bona Thompson Memorial Library, currently the home of the Irvington Historical Society. 

Neither Edward nor Mary Thompson lived long enough to see the completion of the library named in their daughter's honor, but both knew that construction had started. The library is located at 5350 University Avenue and served Butler University students from 1903 until 1928. 

The Hibben Years (1903-1929)

     Thomas and Jane Hibben moved into the Downey home and immediately made significant changes to the residence. They not only enlarged the place,  but they also re-landscaped the property with stunning flower gardens. Mr. Hibben, whose family came from Rushville, Indiana, had made a fortune in the dry goods wholesale business. His father was a founder of the firm Hibben and Hollweg. Thomas joined the firm in 1900. It appears that one of his passions was art and he was considered one of the best etchers in the Midwest. With their comfortable income, the Hibbens purchased numerous paintings and etchings and filled their home with art. 

     Mrs. Hibben might have already known about the grand house as her Aunt Catharine Merrill had leased rooms from the Downeys in the late nineteenth century. Perhaps she visited the residence as a girl and might have witnessed a few of those Thursday-evening salons. The Hibbens were likely very proud of their children who all went on to achieve some impressive feats. By age 28, Paxton Hibben, served as a legate for the American delegation in the Netherlands. Their daughter, Helene, a future teacher, received commissions as a young woman as sculptress. Some of her bas reliefs of prominent Hoosiers are still around today.  Their son Thomas, Jr. became an architect and James became a chemist. Hazen served as teacher with her sister, Helene. 

     Thomas Hibben's sudden death in 1915 at the age of 54 shocked his family. His obituary ran on the front pages of the local newspapers. Mrs. Hibben died in 1920. Their daughters Helene and Hazen continued to live on in the house until 1929. The sisters operated an early pre-school for wealthier Irvington families where kids learned to speak some rudimentary French. In 1929, the women sold their home to Jessie Landon, one of the wealthiest women in Indianapolis. She and her husband Hugh lived at the former Eli Lilly mansion called Oldfields at the time. 

       Then, Mrs. Landon did something unthinkable for many Irvington residents. She bulldozed the Downey home in the summer of 1929. Why did she do it? Was she plotting a new development? Neighbors must have been very concerned since Butler University had just pulled out leaving many of the nearby buildings vacant. In the end, she did nothing with the property. She fell ill and died the following year. 

     A little over a decade later, contractors erected smaller homes on the once grand acreage. With World War II coming to a close, dozens of new families flocked to the site. 

(Indianapolis News, July 6, 1915, p. 1)

Thomas E. Hibben, Sr. was also a talented etcher. His work, Spanish Doorway, may be seen at the Irvington Historical Society. 

Helene sculpted a bas relief of James Whitcomb Riley. She also sculpted numerous other prominent Hoosiers of the early twentieth century. (Irvington Historical Society)

Indianapolis Star, August 18, 1928, p. 18

     I wish to thank Kathy and Dick Meyer for the photograph and new information about the Goes in the Downey Home. I also wish to thank Steve Barnett for his expertise and knowledge about the Downey Home. 

Sources;

Downey Era--Joseph R. Downey, Boyhood Days in Irvington, Irvington Historical Society, 1991 (first published by the East Side Herald in 1950); Bankruptcy--"In Bankruptcy," Indianapolis News, November 27, 1878, p. 4; Burglary--"Burglary," Indianapolis News, May 20, 1878, p. 1; Mr. Downey Obituary--Rocky Mountain News, September 1, 1914.

Catharine Merrill--Katharine Merrill Graydon, Catharine Merrill, Life and Letters, (Mitchell Publishing, 1934). 

Rental Years--Information on the back of a photograph provided by the Kingsbury family 

Thompson Era--US Census Records, 1900; "Miss Bona Thompson," Indianapolis News, October 13, 1899; Obituary for Mary Thompson--Franklin Democrat, April 18, 1902, p. 1; "Funeral of Edward C. Thompson," Indianapolis Journal, December 23, 1902, p. 3; 

Hibben Era--US Census Records, 1910 and 1920; History of Hibben School--"Hibben School Founded to Care for Children During Days of War," Indianapolis Star, August 23, 1931, p. 8; "Thomas E. Hibbens Dies at N.Y. Athletic Club," Indianapolis News, September 6, 1915, p. 1; "Mrs. Janie K. Hibben Dies," Indianapolis Star, October 17, 1920, p. 1.

General Overview--Grace Julian Clarke, "Some of 'Original' Irvington's History Recalled by House Razing," Indianapolis Star, May 26, 1929, p. 72; "Another Landmark Gone," Butler Alumni Quarterly, July 1929, pp. 79-80; Edward J. Hecker, Sr., "Old Irvington Residence Recalled," Irvington Review, December 12, 1940; Sheri Patterson, "Memories of Irvington Downey Home Recalled," Indy East, July 31, 1985, p. 1

Depression-Era Road Trips From Irvington

     By the 1930s, Americans who could afford a car, could travel across the nation from coast to coast on various highways. There were no interstates yet but many states had paved or gravel highways. Newlyweds, Burrell and Emma McCord Lawton of 5706 University Avenue, trekked from Irvington to Colorado in the spring of 1935 where they visited with relatives. The following year, Mr. Lawton volunteered for his employer to return a car that had been stolen from Los Angeles. He  brought his wife with him for the epic adventure. Together, they traveled across the Great Plains where they might have glimpsed the devastation of the Dust Bowl, through the Rocky Mountains, and eventually to California. The couple managed to snap several photographs of their journey. Once they reached Los Angeles, they purchased bus tickets for the return ride to Indianapolis.

1936--Returning a Stolen Car to Los Angeles

Emma McCord Lawton of 5706 University Avenue enjoyed the views at Estes Park, Colorado in 1936. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

In 1936 Burrell Lawton of 5706 University Avenue volunteered for his employer, the Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company Insurance Company, to return a stolen car to Los Angeles, California. He was very a organized person and likely drove for hours only pausing in certain locations like Estes, Colorado. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

The Lawtons traveled through the treacherous Red Mountain Pass in Colorado in 1936. Today the road is paved. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

Burrell and Emma McCord Lawton marveled at the beautiful scenery as they passed through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in 1936. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

The Lawtons visited the Eagles Nest in the Petrified Forest of Arizona in 1936. In 1941, the unusual formation collapsed after heavy rains. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) 

     In March of 1937, Emma and Burrell Lawton traveled across the United States once again except this time they did so with Emma's parents, Harvey and Ada Belle McCord. The main purpose of the trip was to visit Emma's sister, Pauline McCord Campbell who lived in Cave Creek, Arizona. The McCord sisters had grown up in Seymour, Indiana. In fact, Harvey and Ada Belle still owned their Seymour home in 1937 although they had lived at 5706 University Avenue in Irvington since 1932. 

     By all accounts, Pauline McCord was a talented young woman. She was a bright student and an outstanding vocalist. After graduating from Brownstown High School in Jackson County, Indiana, Pauline made the decision to become a nurse. While taking a course at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis she came into contact with someone who had tuberculosis. That unfortunate moment changed the trajectory of her life.  Tuberculosis, a bacteria that invades the lungs, was a death sentence for millions of humans. In 1930, there was a strong belief that drier climates helped TB patients breathe, so Pauline left her Hoosier family and moved to a TB camp in Cave Creek. 

     Pauline lived in a couple of cabins over time at the colony. While there, she met twenty-five-year-old Clifton Campbell, a divorcee and fellow TB sufferer. They married in 1934. He hailed from North Carolina and listed "real estate" as his occupation. They lived in their own cabin by 1937 when her family came to visit. 

     A beautiful late-winter snow fell upon Irvington just as the Lawton-McCord families departed for Arizona. Either Burrell or Emma grabbed a camera and took a photo of the Irving Circle Park. Then, they departed on their journey along Route 40 stopping first in Greenville, Illinois, which also had snow on the ground. Eventually, the foursome made it to Arizona where they toured many sites including the Coolidge Dam and the Grand Canyon. 

      At Cave Creek, Arizona, the Lawtons and McCords reunited with Pauline. Photos reveal that she was quite thin and likely suffering. The cure for TB would not be discovered until 1944 so Pauline had to endure the ravages of that dreaded disease. The family had much to think about for the long trip back to Indiana. A Seymour newspaper article noted that Harvey, Ada Bell, Burrell, and Emma made it back to Irvington by early April. 

     Sadly, Pauline McCord Campbell passed away in September of 1937. Her husband Clifton died months later also from the effects of TB. 

1937--Visiting Pauline McCord Campbell in Arizona 

Before departing for Arizona, the Lawtons snapped this snowy image of the Irving Circle Park from their front porch at 5706 University Avenue in March of 1937. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

The group encountered more snow on their first stop at the intersection of North First Street and Beaumont Avenue in Greenville, Illinois in March of 1937 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

During healthier times, Emma McCord (left) posed with her sister Pauline McCord in the early 1930s before Pauline's demise from tuberculosis. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) 

Emma McCord Lawton posed behind the wheel of the family's 1934 Chevrolet Master in March of 1937 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

Harvey and Ada Belle McCord of 5706 University Avenue stood near the Coolidge Dam in Arizona in March of 1937 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

Many TB sufferers from the eastern United States moved to places like Cave Creek, Arizona as drier climates were supposed to be better for those who suffered. Pauline McCord moved to this site in 1930 and remained for seven years. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

In 1934, Pauline McCord married Clifton Campbell. The couple met at the TB camp in Cave Creek, Arizona. Both died within months of each other from the disease. This photo is possibly of Mr. Campbell although we are not certain. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) 

The McCords and Lawtons toured the rim of the Grand Canyon in March of 1937 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

Ada Belle McCord (left) bids good bye to her daughter, Pauline McCord in March of 1937. Sadly, Mrs. Campbell died six months later. 

      Sources: Information for this post came from the unpublished family history written by Steve Lawton. Other sources include The Tribune (Seymour, Indiana), March 16, 1937 and April 9, 1937.  To learn more about the TB camp at Cave Creek, Arizona, click on the link below.

https://imagesarizona.com/cabin-fever-how-health-seekers-shaped-arizonas-history/

The McCord Family Moved to University Avenue

     Harvey and Ada Belle McCord's move from Seymour, Indiana to Irvington in 1931 likely surprised many of their neighbors and friends. The McCords had been a fixture in Jackson County for many years as they raised all six of their children in that community. In fact, all six of the McCords graduated from high school and some even went on to college, a rare feat in early twentieth-century Indiana. Mr. McCord's humble beginnings as a baker did not reveal his future path as his neighbors later elected him twice as the sheriff of Jackson County as a Republican in a heavily Democratic area. He also became involved in real estate. 

     By 1930, three of their older children, Margaret, Robert, and Gladys had settled in Indianapolis and had started their families. Another older daughter, Pauline, moved to Arizona where the climate was better for her tuberculosis diagnosis. Perhaps longing to be near their grandchildren, Harvey and Ada Belle, along with their two youngest children, Emma and Harvey, Jr., sold their beautiful Seymour home and moved to Indianapolis.

     The McCords first rented a small bungalow at 1035 North Euclid Avenue just west of Irvington. An Indianapolis News article reveals that Harvey McCord purchased the double at 5706-08 University Avenue in the spring of 1932 from Marvin Deputy. Perhaps Mr. McCord bought the property with the idea of one side producing income or perhaps he bought it with the idea of renting it to family. The structure still contained a large wrap-around front porch popular during the Queen-Anne era of construction. The McCords would be able to sit out on the veranda and see the nearby Irving Circle Park and the Children Guardian's Home. 

Ada Belle, Harvey, and Emma McCord stood near their garage at 5706-08 University Avenue in 1932 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

Emma McCord (later Lawton) stood at the edge of the sidewalk leading to 5706 University Avenue. The photo is important for not only documenting the future Mrs. Lawton, but also for what is behind her. The double at 5706-08 University Avenue still had its Queen-Anne wrap-around front porch in the 1930s. ( see Sanborn below) Also visible in the photo is the home at 5712 University Avenue. Note the mansard roofline. The residence was the former home of the First Baptist Church, an African-American congregation and was erected in 1891. The congregation moved out the building in 1910 for a larger church on Good Avenue. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

Emma McCord Lawton posed on the front porch at 5706 University Avenue in 1937. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

An early twentieth-century Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows that 5706-08 University Avenue used to have a wrap-around porch. (photo courtesy of IUPUI)

5706-08 University Avenue and 5712 University Avenue in the summer of 2021. 

     Harvey, Ada Belle, Emma, and Harvey, Jr. moved into 5706 while their daughter Gladys and their son-in-law, Floyd Cox, moved into 5708. Floyd managed the Haag's Drug Store on the northwest corner of East Washington Street and Audubon Road so he could easily walk to and from work. Gladys and Floyd also placed an ad in the Indianapolis News on October 28, 1932, announcing that they had a room to rent at 5708 University Avenue and that they would also include breakfast as part of the deal. It was the Great Depression after all and any additional income was helpful.  

Floyd Cox was the son-in-law of Harvey and Ada Belle McCord.  He was a pharmacist for Haag's Drug Store at East Washington Street and Audubon Road in the 1930s. The Cox family also lived in the apartment adjacent to the McCords at 5708 University Avenue during that decade. (Indianapolis Star, May 16, 1935)

     The McCords celebrated two joyous events shortly after moving to Irvington. First, their daughter, Pauline, who had been living in Arizona, came home to spend the summer with her parents in 1932. She later returned to Arizona. Secondly, the entire family gathered in the spring of 1935 for the wedding of Emma McCord, the youngest daughter, to Burrell Lawton at the Irvington Methodist Church. The family still possesses film footage of the McCords gathering at the church for the wedding.  Emma and Burrell drove out to Colorado and along the way encountered one of the worst floods in the history of that state. Burrell Lawton documented the event with his movie camera. They also hiked in the Rockies and visited with family. 

In the spring of 1935, Emma McCord and Burrell Lawton traveled to Colorado to visit family. Along the way, they encountered one of the worst floods in the history of that state. At some point in their journey, they came upon this washed-out road. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

     Back in Irvington, the University Avenue double became a compound for McCord relatives. The Cox, Coffey, Lawton, and other relatives resided in the double. At some point, Harvey and Ada moved into 5708 while other McCord family members leased 5706. Mr. McCord remained active in his lodges and clubs. Mrs. McCord was very involved in the Methodist church. Her grandson, Steve Lawton, described her as a person who dressed up everyday. She even wore high-heeled shoes on most days. 

In the winter of 1937, either Mr. or Mrs. McCord, took this beautiful snowy-weather photo scene from their front porch at 5706-08 University Avenue. The front porch of 5712 University Avenue is visible as is the fence for the Children's Guardian Home at 5751 University Avenue. (photo courtesy Steve Lawton)

     Harvey and Ada Belle spent most of the war years near their children and grandchildren. Life changed for the family when Mr. McCord died in 1945. Ada Belle moved in with her daughter Gladys in nearby Wanamaker. The last of the McCords moved out of the double on University Avenue in 1946. Mrs. McCord passed away in 1952. 

     Editor's Note: Most of the information for this post came from Steve Lawton's unpublished family history. Mr. Lawton is the grandson of Harvey and Ada Belle McCord. To learn more about the Lawton family, click on the link below. Other sources for this post include Indianapolis City Directories, Federal Census Records, and Obituaries for the McCord family. 

Irvington at 150: Street Names S-Z

In part five of five in our series on Irvington streets, three military generals hang out with at least one poet and one lexicographer along with several local families on various street signs throughout the neighborhood. A few street names still elude us. If you happen to have an original abstract of your home and you live along one of these streets, check it out and let us know if more is revealed about your street in that document. We will update and amend information for all of the posts as we get more information. I am especially indebted to Steve Barnett and Larry Muncie for their assistance on this project. I did not anticipate how difficult it would be to find information for some of the streets. 

Sheridan Avenue: Irvington residents of the early twentieth century knew Sheridan Avenue as the last stop on the street car line. In 1903, the Indianapolis City Council officially changed the name from East Street to Sheridan Avenue. Likely named for General Philip Sheridan (1831-1888), a popular Civil War leader. Sheridan helped Grant bring the war to a conclusion with his pursuit of Lee in Virginia. After the war, he participated in various brutal campaigns against the Sioux and other Native American groups. 

General Philip Sheridan (public domain)

Shimer Avenue: Nearly two hundred years ago, Elias and Mahala Dunn Shimer purchased 240 acres of land along the Brookville Road in 1829. The Shimers had four sons and all of them went into farming with two remaining nearby. The couple built a beautiful brick Italianate home that was later bulldozed for the International Harvester plant. Two sons, Corydon and William, continued to farm into the twentieth century and Shimer descendants eventually platted the area that now bears the street named for them. 

Elias Shimer purchased 240 acres along the Brookville Road in 1829 (photo courtesy of the Geiser family via Ancestry.com) 

Mahala Shimer lived long enough to see the brand new community called Irvington rise to the north of her home on Brookville Road. (photo courtesy of the Geiser family via Ancestry.com) 

Corydon, Isaac, William, and Caleb Shimer gathered for a reunion (c1914) at William Shimer's home at 4905 Brookville Road. The brothers grew up along the highway and Corydon still lived in the family home just east of William. (photo courtesy of David Bailey) 

Spencer Avenue: Sarah J. Pattison, a widow, platted a small section of Irvington south of Washington Street, east of Emerson Avenue, west of Butler Avenue, and north of the Pennsylvania Rail Line. Newspaper accounts indicate that she started to sell lots for future homes as early as 1892. She and her deceased husband, Coleman Pattison, hailed from Rushville, Indiana and had gone into the wholesale business with some of their relatives--the Hibben family. It unclear as to where either Mrs. Pattison or the Irvington Town Board came up with the name of Spencer for her new avenue. Steve Barnett, the director of the Irvington Historical Society, believes that the strongest candidate is Herbert Spencer, an English philosopher popular in the late nineteenth-century for his unfortunate and now-debunked theory on social Darwinism. More research on the origin of this street name is needed. 

St. Clair Street: General Arthur St. Clair, a former Revolutionary War commander, was the first governor of the Northwest Territory of what would become the states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. It is interesting that the city of Indianapolis would choose to name a street after him due to the fact that his punitive raid against Native Americans ended in utter failure for the Americans at the Battle of the Wabash in 1791. 

General Arthur St. Clair (public domain) 

St. Joseph Street: When Ethel Shearer filed a plat for her new neighborhood north of the Pleasant Run Golf Course in 1924, she originally called what is today St. Joseph Street as Pratt Street. At some point, a city official must have intervened as Pratt Street is the former name of Ninth Street and this street more closely matched in longitude with St. Joseph Street. Historic nineteenth-century maps of Indianapolis reveal that north of St. Joseph Street was St. Mary's Street (now Tenth St.) so there was likely a theme when early developers named those two streets. 

An 1855 map of the city of Indianapolis reveals that St. Joseph Street was just a block south of St. Mary's Street. (courtesy of Indiana State Library online)

Hoyt Fulk designed and built this Tudor-Revival home in Shearer's Pleasant Run Plaza subdivision in 1931. (Indianapolis Star, November 1, 1931)

Wilbur Washburn erected this Tudor cottage in Shearer's Pleasant Run Plaza subdivision in 1932. (Indianapolis Star, June 12, 1932)

Stratford Avenue: In 1934, Arthur and Kathleen McKay moved into the first residence constructed along a new street called Stratford Avenue. Mr. McKay was a carpenter so it is possible that he built the home or at least worked on the finishing touches. On the evening of March 21, fire trucks raced to the home at 4645 Stratford Avenue just as Mr. McKay managed to rescue his wife and children. Thankfully, the McKays were able to make it out of the house and rebuild. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, dozens of young families moved into brand new homes along the street likely named for William Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford-Upon-Avon. 

William Shakespeare was possibly born in this house in the town of Stratford-Upon-Avon (public domain) 

Tenth Street: On September 23, 1895, the Indianapolis City Council passed an ordinance whereby east-west streets in the city north of Washington Street would now be numbered. However, those streets in the original Mile Square, like Market Street, would retain the original name. Beginning with Pratt Street (Ninth) and north, all streets would receive a number. An editorial in the Indianapolis News on April 11, 1896 (4) blasted city leaders for this decision: "To our way of thinking, numbered streets are briefly--detestable. We have not very many of them in Indianapolis, and we should abolish them before they increase." Tenth Street had a variety of names prior to 1895, but in the Irvington area it had been called Clifford Avenue. 

University Avenue: This long and winding street has had multiple names in several sections. In 1898, the Irvington Town Board decided to clear up the confusing avenue by renaming it University Avenue for the nearby Butler University campus. The stretch between Audubon Road and Butler Avenue used to be called Spratt Avenue. Thomas B. Spratt was the brother to Susanna Spratt Ohmer. Mr. Spratt and Nicholas Ohmer were both early investors in the new town. Ohmer Avenue remains. Spratt does not. The stretch between Audubon Road and Arlington Avenue used to be called  Grand Avenue prior to 1898. The small stretch west of Emerson Avenue used to be called Lena Street. Who was Lena?! More work is needed. 

Walnut Street: Charming bungalows and early twentieth-century cottages now line Walnut Street in Irvington. The 1910 city directory indicates that the Chasteen, White, Stevenson, Stone, Wilson, Dorsey, and Taylor families were the first to call the street "home." The origin of the name does not originate in Irvington as the historic stretch actually started north of downtown Indianapolis. Many streets in America are named for the majestic walnut trees that grow in abundance in places like Indiana. 

An ad in the Indianapolis Star, June 13, 1909

Washington Street:When Jacob Julian and Sylvester Johnson founded Irvington in 1870, they deliberately located their new town near two rail lines and along the National Road, the first federally-funded highway in the United States. At that time, the great road stretched from Cumberland, Maryland (thus, the name for Cumberland, Indiana) to the former Illinois capital at Vandalia. Both Julian and Johnson lived near the road when they resided in Centerville, Indiana. In Marion County, the stretch is named for George Washington. Later, it also became known as Route 40 and it eventually stretched to California. 

Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington (public domain)

Wallace Avenue/Lane: Although often associated with the Emerson Heights neighborhood, Wallace Avenue has its origins in Irvington. The politically prominent Wallace family, who owned many acres along Washington Street, built the beautiful home at 4704 East Washington Street in the early 1860s. By the 1880s, the family had lost almost everything. They sold the house and the land to the Bosart family in 1882. An 1886 map shown below reveals that Rachel Wallace, the sister-in-law to William John Wallace, still possessed 18 acres although news accounts in the Indianapolis newspapers reported that creditors eventually sought this land as well. Wallace Street, as it was called in those days, can be seen on the map. What can not be seen was the troubled financial story of a nineteenth-century family. 

This 1886 map shows "Wallace Street" in pink and next to the Bosart land. Rachel Wallace, the sister-in-law to William John Wallace, still possessed some of the Wallace land although creditors were already knocking on the door. 

William John Wallace placed his beautiful country home at 4704 East Washington Street on the market in 1881. (Indianapolis News. March 31, 1881)

Financial problems plagued the Wallace family and played out in local newspapers. (Indianapolis News, July 31, 1886)

Webster Avenue: Irvington has had several women who have developed sections of the neighborhood including Sarah J. Pattison and Ethel Shearer. One of the earliest female entrepreneurs was Mrs. Elizabeth A. Cain who platted Cain's addition south of Washington Street and east of Arlington Avenue in 1872. Mrs. Cain was very traditional with her street names. One of her streets was called "Orchard Street." In 1903, the city of Indianapolis changed it to Webster Avenue. To complicate matters, the street kept changing names as it stretched south. Below the Pennsylvania Railroad and north of Oak Avenue, it used to be called Prescott Street. South of Ivanhoe and north of the Brookville Road it was called Jones Street. All of that was consolidated into one name--Webster Avenue. In 1908, the Creighton Realty Company announced that over thirty new lots along North Webster Avenue would be for sale as soon as the city could place a sewer line north of Washington Street. The avenue is presumably named after Noah Webster, who compiled an early dictionary and was responsible for authoring the Copyright Act of 1831. 

An ad for Elizabeth Cain's new addition to Irvington (Indianapolis News, October 22, 1872)

James Herring painted this portrait of Noah Webster in 1833 (public domain)

Wentworth Boulevard: Although it appears that the city of Indianapolis paved the street in 1928, it took another ten years before contractors erected the first homes along Wentworth Boulevard. Arthur and Hilda Eubank were the first residents to be listed in the 1939 Indianapolis city directory. Dozens of homes were added in the 1940s. Ads from the time period touted that the new homes were near Christian Park, Thomas Carr Howe High School, and IPS #82. The origin of the name is unclear. Were the developers keeping an English theme with Stratford Avenue nearby? Wentworth is a small medieval village in England. There was already an apartment building along Meridian Street named Wentworth so clearly it was a popular name. There appear to be no Wentworth families living in the area so more research will be needed. 

Indianapolis News, January 31, 1941

Indianapolis News, February 7, 1941

Whittier Place: In 1898 the Irvington Town Board renamed Hunter Street as Whittier Place. John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) was an admired American poet who lived in New England. He submitted some of his work to James Russell Lowell, (also a nearby street) who edited the Atlantic Monthly, so when you walk or ride by the intersection of Whittier and Lowell in Irvington, you can tell your friends about the connection. 

John Greenleaf Whittier, an American poet (public domain)

Worcester Avenue: When James Downey and Charles Brouse platted their new addition in the southwestern Irvington in the mid-1870s, they named one of their streets "Worcester" presumably after the city in England. They also named a nearby street "Auvergne" after a region in France. Thousands of Irvington school children became familiar with Worcester Avenue after the Indianapolis Public School Commissioners approved the construction of IPS #82 near the street in 1930. 

Worcester, England Cathedral (public domain)

Young Avenue: In the 1870s, John and Clarrissa Young platted at least two subdivisions in southwestern Irvington. The Youngs hailed from Belfast Ireland and Mr. Young had a storied career as a Butler University professor and acting president, real estate developer, and as an attorney. During the Civil War, he served as a consul to Ireland for the Lincoln administration. In Mr. Young's Second Addition to Irvington, you can drive down the street named for him. In some early newspapers articles, the addition is also referred to as University Place. 

Sources: Larry Muncie, Three Windows on Irvington's History, 1989; Spencer Avenue--"Petition for New Loop," Indianapolis News, January 29, 1904, 2; St. Clair Street--"Stamp Would Honor Revolutionary Patriot," Indianapolis Star, September 24, 1933, 49; St. Joseph Street--Abstract from Shearer's Pleasant Run Plaza courtesy of Anne Hardwick; Stratford Avenue--"Wife and Babies Rescued," Indianapolis News, March 21, 1934, 2; Tenth Street--"The Numbered Streets," Indianapolis News, September 25, 1895, 8; Webster Avenue--"New Addition to Irvington," Indianapolis News, May 23, 1908, 23; Wentworth Blvd--"Awards Contracts for Street Work," Indianapolis Star, September 23, 1928, 27; Young Avenue--Indiana Sentinel, February 20, 1878 and George Waller, Butler University: A Sesquicentennial History, 2006;