Treat Home

Hiram and Isabelle Treat and family dwelled at 335 Whittier Place. Mr. Treat worked as a clerk in the Parry Manufacturing Company in 1910. Mrs. Treat was an active clubwoman in Irvington. Their American Four Square styled home was a common design found in Indianapolis. This house photo is one of many featured in my book Irvington in 1910: A Year in the Life of an Indianapolis Neighborhood. You may order it from www.lulu.com

The second photo is of Isabelle Treat in 1910. Both pictures are courtesy of Tawn Spicklemire.

Kin Hubbard

Indianapolis News cartoonist Kin Hubbard moved to Irvington in 1907. Hubbard became well known throughout the United States because of a folksy rube he created named Abe Martin. The backwards hill character was centered in Brown County, Indiana and he had many quips about life that early twentieth-century Americans enjoyed reading. Syndicated in newspapers around the country, Hubbard soon started publishing books with Martin's witty jabs at society. Hilton U. Brown, the publisher of the News, encouraged Hubbard to buy a beautiful piece of real estate from him and build a house in Irvington. Hubbard sited the home on a small hill near Emerson Avenue, Pleasant Run Parkway, (not yet built in 1907) and Michigan Street. Hubbard eventually left Irvington as his fortunes increased for a mansion along Meridian Street.

The postcard above was sent from "Emma" to Mrs. Earl Brown of Advance, Indiana on November 1, 1914. Emma was staying at 133 Downey Avenue in Irvington and was renting the "sleeping porch." In a brief note she describes her worries about staying warm in such a room during winter!

Hubbard published Abe Martin's Almanack in 1909. It was his third major publication with many more on the horizon.

Backyard fun

The Treat family dwelled at 335 Whittier Place in 1910. In this photo, Alice and Isabel Treat enjoy getting their picture taken in some entangling vines in the backyard. The photo was likely taken around 1910. This photo is courtesy of Tawn Spicklemire.

Children in Ellenberger Park

The city of Indianapolis acquired Ellenberger Woods in 1910 after levying a special assessment on residents in eastern Indianapolis. The tax met with some resistance, but the city prevailed. Noted landscape architect, George Kessler created several boulevards through Indianapolis including Pleasant Run Parkway. Kessler placed the new park in his grand design. Irvington residents have utilized the park for decades. These children in 1922 enjoy a drink from a fountain long removed. This photo is courtesy of Martha Scott (far right).

South Audubon Road

The Graves Family dwelled at 270 South Audubon Road in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This photo shows two members of the family standing in front of 266 South Audubon Road. You can see the Irving Circle Park and part of 262 South Audubon Road as well. This photo is courtesy of the Stewart Family.

Car Repair

Members of the Bowsher family work on the family vehicle in the 300 block of Whittier Place. This photo is courtesy of Roberta Quandt.

Emerson Heights

In the early twentieth century, developers designed and created Emerson Heights, a neighborhood just west of Irvington. By 1910, the city built a streetcar line along Michigan Street so that the new residents could easily travel to work downtown. Built at the height of the Arts and Crafts era, the neighborhood is filled with bungalows and American Four Squares. Several of the streets have an esplanade with sweet gum trees providing a beautiful canopy. Many people sought their dream home here. Unfortunately, the developers put in a protective covenant that forbade the sale of homes to Indianapolis's African-American population.

The print for this post came from www.emersonheights.org. Leaders in that neighborhood have created a stunning website that actually has the original 1914 promotional book with photos of many of the houses. Be sure to click on "development book-historic photos." I believe that this neighborhood is seeking National Register status and once you see photos of the homes you will see why that should be granted. Enjoy.