Who Lived Here? The Blumers of Michigan Street

In 1924, a young couple, Frank C. and Bernice Duval Blumer, received the keys to their newly-built home at 5120 East Michigan Street. A street car passed near their residence daily so it would have been an easy commute for Mr. Blumer to his downtown job at the L.E. Morrison & Company. Mr. Blumer had been with the company for years and was a buyer of leather products as the company was known for its quality luggage and bags. Local newspapers also reported that he was a good bowler and frequently scored well in local leagues. Mrs. Blumer stayed home and raised their son, William, who was twelve when they moved into Irvington.

In 1926, the thirty-six-year-old salesman sat down for a portrait and submitted it to a book called Fellow Citizens of Indianapolis. Life was going well for the Blumers. For reasons unknown, but at the height of the Great Depression, the Blumers moved away from their home in 1931 and rented various apartments in the area for the remainder of their lives.  The L.E. Morrison Company survived the Great Depression, but it did take a hit. Perhaps the Blumers felt it was in their best financial interests to leave their home. The McCann family moved into the American Four Square in 1932.

5120 East Michigan Street in 2015

Michigan Streetcar Line--c1915

Three separate streetcar lines came into Irvington.  The oldest line, a former mule-powered transport, followed the Brookville Road. The most widely-used line traversed East Washington Street from downtown to Sheridan Avenue.  It also followed down part of South Audubon Road to a small commercial section of the neighborhood.  The last streetcar line to be built in the neighborhood was the East Michigan Street line which terminated at Emerson Avenue.  This line connected downtown and several other east side neighborhoods including Tuxedo Park and Emerson Heights and was completed in 1911.  In this photo, Indianapolis Traction Company employees--one of whom was a man named Zero Horner--stood at the intersection of North Emerson Avenue and East Michigan Street c1915.  The commercial structure behind the car used to stand on the northeast corner of that intersection.

 Streetcar at North Emerson and East Michigan Street c1915

This image is courtesy of the Horner family via Ancestry.com.  

Irvington --Street Car

In this undated photo, the Layman family pose in a street car in Irvington. The line went straight down East Washington Street in front of the Layman home at 5731 E. Washington Street. Based upon the clothing, it looks like it might have been taken in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. Notice how dressed up everyone is in the photo! This image is courtesy of Isabelle Layman Troyer.