Snowy Layman Avenue Images

      Donald and David Peters, who resided at 312 North Layman Avenue, enjoyed some fun playtime after a snowstorm struck Irvington in the winter of 1945. Several inches of snow provided plenty of fun for sledding and snowball fights. Behind the boys, you can see that few people had ventured out yet. Other residents of the block on that snowy day included the Weaver, Ensworth, May, Davis, Schowe, Stobaugh, Jenkins, and Reel families. 

David and Donald Peters sled down a small incline at 312 North Layman Avenue during the winter of 1945. Behind the boys, you can see the snow on the rooftops in the 300 block of Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family) 

Donald Peters saluted the photographer, most likely his mother or father, in the winter of 1945. Behind him, you can see the houses in the 300 block of Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

David and Donald Peters posed in front of their home at 312 North Layman Avenue on a snowy day in 1945. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Donald and David Peters prepared to have fun on a snowy day in front of their home at 312 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

David and Donald Peters enjoyed the fresh snowfall in front of their home at 312 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

     I wish to thank the Peters family for their generosity in loaning me photos and telling me their stories. 

Sources: Information for the names of neighbors along Layman Avenue came from Polks's Indianapolis City Directory (1945). 

Life along Layman and Lowell Avenues in the 1940s

     Orville and Marjorie Peters raised their four children at 312 North Layman Avenue. Family scrapbooks reveal the busy childhoods of each of the kids. Most of the photos for this post were taken in the 1940s and show life along North Layman Avenue. While children were clearly the focus of the images, many Layman Avenue residences can be seen behind the family members. 

Layman Avenue 

In 1945, a group of scouts gathered in the front yard of the Peters home at 312 North Layman Avenue. Behind the group you can see the homes located at 315 and 321 North Layman Avenue. Marjorie Peters served as the den mother. Orville Peters, her husband, taught the boys how to build and fly a kite. He can be seen standing in the back clad in a black hat. We do not know the names of every boy so if you recognize someone, let me know. Pictured:  Dick Parish in the plaid jacket and next to him, David Peters in the dark jacket; Max Woodbury in the striped shirt; and Steve Lane kneeling in the front. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Billy Cline posed with his friend Susan Peters c 1948 along Layman Avenue. Behind the kids, you can see the homes located at 327, 331, and beyond. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

308 North Layman Avenue

     When Marjorie and Orville Peters moved into 312 North Layman Avenue, likely one of the first neighbors to say"hello" might have been the Weavers at 308. Marjorie had grown up at 312 and would have known this family her entire life. Harry and Mable (Myrle) Weaver had lived at 308 North Layman Avenue since the 1910s. Their children would have grown up next to Marjorie.  

Donald and David Peters (left) posed with their friend, Price Garland, who lived at 328 North Layman Avenue c1943. Behind the boys, you can see the Weaver home at 308 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Mable and Harry Weaver posed for this photograph in July of 1917. They lived at 308 North Layman Avenue for decades. (photo courtesy of the Weaver family descendants via Ancestry.com) 

316 North Layman Avenue

     In 1940, when the Peters family moved into 312 North Layman Avenue, Orley and Mellie May resided next door at 316 North Layman Avenue. Various photographers frequently posed family members facing north so the May home appeared quite frequently in their photos. Mr. May died at the age of 56 after a tragic accident in 1942. Mrs. May passed away in 1950. The home sat empty through most of 1951 until the Victor family moved in. 

Marjorie and Orville posed for this photograph c1944. Behind the couple, you can see both 316 and 320 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

David and Donald Peters posed c1944 in their front yard at 312 North Layman Avenue. Behind the boys, you can see the May home at 316 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Donald Peters prepared to pass the football c1945. Behind him, you can see the May home at 316 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Donald Peters was ready for his Little League game c1948. Behind him, you can see the May home at 316 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Left to right: David Peters, Marjorie Fox, and Susan Peters, c1948; Behind the kids you can see up Layman Avenue including the May home at 316 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Susan Peters looked on as her father, Orville Peters, displayed his great catch of fish, c1948. Behind them, you can see the south side of 316 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Susan and David Peters rode their bikes near their home at 312 North Layman Avenue c1947. Behind the kids, you can see 316 and 320 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family) 

315 North Layman Avenue

     While we do not know the exact month, Mrs. Frances E. Ensworth, a retired bank clerk, moved into 315 North Layman Avenue during the same year as the Peters family across the street in 1940. Impressively, Mrs. Ensworth, a career woman, spent most of her time at American Fletcher National Bank. By the time she moved into her Layman Avenue home at the age of 68, she had already been a widow for twelve years. Her time in the home ended with her death in 1955. Later the Downey and Hill families moved in. 

 Susan Peters, the third child of Orville and Marjorie Peters, smiled for the camera in this shot from 1944. Across the street, you can see the home belonging to Mrs. Frances Ensworth at 315 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family) 

Susan and Marjorie Peters posed along the front yard at 312 North Layman Avenue c1944. Behind them, you can see both 315 and 321 North Layman Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

5514 Lowell Avenue

     The Huggins and later Alexander families lived in the two-story Arts and Crafts bungalow at 5514 Lowell Avenue in the 1940s and 1950s. The backyard of the Peters family at 312 North Layman abutted the side yard of 5514 Lowell Avenue so the eastern side of that home frequently showed up in family photos. 

Orville Peters posed with his sons, Donald and David, in the backyard of 312 North Layman Avenue c1943. Behind them, you can see the side of 5514 Lowell Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

David and Donald Peters displayed their catch, c1948, in the backyard of 312 North Layman Avenue. Behind the boys, you can see 5514 Lowell Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

5602 Lowell Avenue

     Several families lived in the two-story American foursquare located at 5602 Lowell Avenue during the Peters' era at 312 North Layman Avenue. The Johnson, Kenner, and Moore families lived across the street from the Peters family and that home frequently appeared in family photos. 

Marjorie Peters joyfully held up her new baby daughter, Susan, in 1943. Behind them, you can see the west side of 5602 Lowell Avenue. Richard and Marguerette Johnson resided in the home at the time. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Donald Peters tried out his new bike along the brick street in front of his house at 312 North Layman Avenue in December of 1946. Behind him, you can see the home located at 5602 Lowell Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Peters family) 

David Peters, c1948, in his front of house at 312 North Layman Avenue. Behind him, you can see 5602 Lowell Avenue. A post office box can also be seen at the corner. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

Susan Peters posed for this photograph along the front walk of her home at 312 North Layman Avenue. Behind her, you can see a milk delivery truck parked near the intersection of Layman and Lowell Avenues. (photo courtesy of the Peters family)

I wish to thank Doug, Donald, David, and Susan Peters for their photos and stories. 

Sources:  Interview with Douglas Peters, 2024; US Federal Census records, 1930, 1940, and 1950; Polk's City Directories for Indianapolis 1939-1956; Information for the Weaver family came from Ancestry.com; Orley and Mellie May--Obituaries, Indianapolis News, January 31, 1947, p. 7; Indianapolis News, October 24, 1950, p. 24; Frances Ensworth obituary--Indianapolis News, October 6, 1955, p. 12.

Ninety Years Earlier...A Visit

We paused before a house that seemed

A swelling of the ground;

The roof was scarcely visible.

The cornice but a mound.

Emily Dickinson

Weaver's Air Service flew over Irvington in the winter of 1923 and snapped at least two aerial photos of the neighborhood.  This incredible image displayed today revealed homes along South Audubon Road, University Avenue, Oak Avenue, Dewey Avenue, and Beechwood Avenue.   While I did not have time to call upon every house in the picture, I asked Mr. Weaver to drop down so I could pay a visit to a few places.  How often does one get transported back in time?  I could not pass up this opportunity.    

Aerial Shot of southern Irvington in 1923 (click to make the photo larger)

I began my tour by trekking down the brick street of Audubon Road just south of the Irving Circle  (upper left of the photo) to pay my respects to the Thomas K. Canfield family at 269 South Audubon Road.  Mr. Canfield managed his own company and rented this lovely American-Four Square.  Adelaide Conte, a well-known music teacher, had just vacated the home. Many children in the neighborhood took vocal and instrumental lessons inside the cobblestoned dwelling.  The Canfields had just moved in so I decided not to dwell long, but I couldn't help but notice the solid stone fireplace in the living room and the beautiful oak woodwork.  

269 South Audubon Road in 1920

269 South Audubon in 2011

Next door, at 275 South Audubon Road, I noted that the Pi Beta Phi sorority girls were very welcoming.  Some young women were playing the piano while others were singing. They had only a short walk to classes at Butler University from this wonderful abode. The chapter president, Margaret Kellenbach, who welcomed me, had bobbed hair like most fashionable young women of the Roaring 20s.  The place was festooned in the colors of wine and silver blue.  Above the fireplace, hung the sorority motto, For Every Girl, A Man or Two.  Although it was difficult to leave this lively place, I decided to move on to my next stop.  

Pi Beta Phi House in 1923 at 275 South Audubon Road

Interior shot of Pi Beta Phi House at 275 South Audubon Road in 1923

Two doors down at 307 South Audubon Road, I was greeted by the Nichols.  William Nichol, the manager of the White Haine Optical Company, and his family were one of the many to call this high-class rental "home."  In fact, the place seemed to be a revolving door as at least nine other families had lived there since 1907.  It looked like the Nichols would not be staying long.  I saw that Mrs. Nichol was already packing some boxes. Another family, the Griffiths, had leased it for 1924.

307 South Audubon Road c1923

307 South Audubon Road in 2013

The tall Queen Anne home at 315 South Audubon Road had intrigued me for years.  I was surprised to learn that only three people lived here in 1923.  Forty-three-year-old Waller Filson and his thirty-two-year-old wife, Sarah, answered the door.  The couple told me that they had met back home in Pennsylvania, and that Waller's brother, Adna, who was 38, also lived here.  Both the Filson brothers worked for a local telegraph company.  Mr. Filson owned the home and of course, I knew that he and his wife would continue to dwell there for another twenty-five years.

315 South Audubon Road in 2013

I crossed the intersection of Oak Avenue and looked down the block.  I could see that the towering oaks provided a beautiful canopy for the street in 1923 just as they did in 2013.   At the southeast corner, I spotted the large Italianate at 325 South Audubon Road. Everyone in the neighborhood still called it the Howe home in 1923, although a new family, the Eberts, had just moved in.  The Howes were storied people and one of their descendants, Thomas Carr Howe, had served as the President of Butler University from 1908 to 1920.  The Eberts were very different from the Howes.  Otto and Lena both spoke German fluently.  Mr. Ebert worked as an engineer for the Irvington Ice and Coal Company on South Ritter Avenue. They raised most of their five children on Burgess Avenue, but Otto Jr. spent the majority of his teen years in this fine old home.  I bade them goodbye and was stunned when I walked out the door and headed south.

325 South Audubon Road in 2013

Where were the houses?  A huge empty lot sat south of the Howe-Ebert home.  The five bungalows that now occupy the site were not present in 1923.  In fact, there was a path that locals created to cut over to Beechwood Avenue on the vast green space.  Across the street, I saw more empty space.  Incredible! 

I crossed the intersection and paid my respects to the widow, Laura Weaver, who owned a Dutch-Colonial Revival duplex at 353-55 South Audubon Road.  Ms. Weaver had just turned 53 and had been alone for a while as her son had just moved out to start his adult life.  To make ends meet, she rented rooms on her side and leased out the other side to the Asbury family.  Joseph Asbury worked as a clerk for the rail lines.  He was 43 while his wife, Martha was 37.  Three young children certainly added a lot of life for the corner. Ms. Weaver would have been surprised had I informed her that by 2013, her home was no longer a double!  I decided that to keep that secret to myself.

353 South Audubon Road in 2013 (formerly 353-55)

My final stop for the day would be across the street.  The Hartig family dwelled at 358 South Audubon Road on the southwest corner of Audubon and Beechwood.  The tall home had been on the corner since the late nineteenth-century.  The Hartigs had been in the dwelling for at least ten years and they knew the Howes from the next the block.  Joel Hartig had a variety of jobs, but his most recent as a salesman of livestock, provided the most stability.  His son, Gravis, worked with him.  Martha, his wife, stayed home and helped to raise Marguerite, Alice, and Susanna.  I looked out a southern window in the parlor and I could see a beautiful bungalow that had just recently been built on a lot next to the Hartigs.  If Mrs. Hartig had opinion on the contrast of homes with hers towering and the new one hugging the ground, she didn't comment.  I longed to go upstairs and tour the entire place, but as I was not that familiar with the family, I did not think it pertinent to ask.

358 South Audubon Road in 2013

With so little time, I had to scurry back to Weaver's airplane.  I was disappointed that I could not jog down some of the other streets.  Off in the distance, I noted the chimney stack of the Children's Guardian Home.  I had been told that over fifty "inmates," as they were called in 1923, had refuge there.  I wished I could warn Mr. and Mrs. Oberholzter, who lived across the street from the Guardian Home on University Avenue, about the dangers that awaited their daughter Madge.  If only I could tell them that in two years the lovely State House secretary would meet a horrible fate at the hands of the brutal Ku Klux Klan leader D. C. Stephenson.  Madge, do not go to his house! Perhaps on another visit? Mr. Weaver had grown impatient with me as it was time to return to the "present."  Our plane banked right and I looked down one more time at 1923.....