Honoring an Irvington Family of Veterans

Countless Irvingtonians have served in the U.S. military over the years. Many fought and died for the country in several wars.  In the twentieth century, it was possible for three generations of family members to serve in three separate wars. Jesse Earl Dickerson, who later moved to Irvington with his wife Esther, assisted the army during World War I as a medic administering inoculations. His sons, Leland and Robert, both served their country during World War II.  Robert Dickerson, son of Leland and Anna Belle York Dickerson, had a tour of duty during the Vietnam War.

The Dickerson family, like so many others who have come to the aid of their country paid a heavy price. Robert Dickerson, the brother to Leland and son of Jesse and Esther Dickerson was killed near Aachen, Germany on January 15, 1944.  Brian Callahan, a nephew of Mr. Dickerson, reports that Robert had not been in the war for very long when he was shipped overseas to fight the Germans, who were "bulging" into Allied divisions. Many of these young draftees never had a chance as a high percentage of these troops died in the ferocity of the last gasp by the German forces along the front lines.  Mr. Callahan reports that many of these new recruits did not have the experience to fight in such a war nor were there any mentors who could teach them how to survive. 

Robert Dickerson's family received two purple hearts as he had been injured in a previous battle. Mr. Callahan reports that over the decades many members the Dickerson family have honored Robert's service by visiting his grave. Robert Dickerson never had the chance to marry nor have children of his own.  Today we thank the Dickersons and thousands of other Americans like them who have lent their fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters to the United States government in times of war, chaos, and terror.

To learn more about the Dickerson family, click on the link below. The historic photos and stories are courtesy of Brian Callahan.  

Esther Plank Dickerson, Jesse Earl Dickerson, Robert Dickerson

Leland and Robert Dickerson posed with their mother and other family members at 818 North Arlington Avenue c1943

Letters sent home to Esther Dickerson

A New House in Emerson Heights--1911

Harold and Nell Scott moved into their dream home at 626 North DeQuincy Street in 1911.  The large American Four Square would also house their new baby, Martha Scott. Mr. Scott had done quite well and he soon worked his way up to becoming vice president of a local clothing company. Perhaps longing for an even more upscale address, the Scotts eventually built a beautiful home at 5435 Pleasant Run Parkway in 1923.  In this photo, taken shortly after the construction of the home in 1911, you can not only see the their beautiful dwelling, but also the lovely house next door at 630 North DeQuincy Street. In the distance, you can see a two-story home in the 600 block of North Wallace Avenue. To view a contemporary image these houses today, click on the link below.

Newly constructed in 1911:  626 North DeQuincy Street

The historic image is courtesy of Martha Scott Baum.  

South Ritter Porch 1937 and Now

Hess and Josephine Jones left their native Crawford County, Indiana for a better life in Indianapolis in the mid-1930s.  Mr. Jones found work as a brakeman for a nearby railroad and later told his granddaughter that it was "the best job ever."  He was likely grateful at having employment at the height of the Great Depression.  The Jones family moved into 273 South Ritter Avenue in 1937 and paid $20 a month in rent.  They definitely needed the space to house their five children--Barbara, Burrell, Robert, Betty, and Melanie.  They would continue to dwell in the house for decades and would become a fixture in southern Irvington.

In this wonderful photograph, taken in 1937, Barbara, Betty, and Burrell Jones sat on the front porch at 273 South Ritter Avenue.  Behind them, you can see Hess Jones standing in the doorway.  A shadow of the ornamental porch detail (now gone) can be seen along the exterior of the home.  Contemporary photographs show the home in 2014.

Barbara, Betty, and Burrell Jones on the front porch at 273 South Ritter  Avenue in 1937

Front porch of 273 South Ritter Avenue in 2014

273 South Ritter Avenue in 2014

A Justus House

Walter Guy Justus started building houses in Indianapolis as early as 1910.  By the 1930s, he was known to build Tudor-Revival brick homes all over the city, but especially on the east side of Indianapolis.  Mr. Justus served as the contractor for dozens of homes in northern Irvington. Eventually, he and his wife Katie moved into 5233 East 10th Street, a Justus-built home, in 1939.  From his small, but tasteful front porch he could look out and see many other homes built by his company.  In this photo, snapped in 1939, Walter G. and Katie Justus posed on the sidewalk in front of their home. Across the street, you can see two homes on the north side of the 5300 block of East 10th Street.  Mr. Justus eventually retired and his son took over the family business for much of the remainder of the twentieth century.

Walter Guy and Katie Justus standing in front of 5233 East 10th Street in 1939

5233 East 10th Street in 2014

The historic photo is courtesy of the descendants of the Justus family via Ancestry.com.  

Our Lady of Lourdes Graduating Class--1947

Eighth graders from the graduating class of 1947 from Our Lady of Lourdes School gathered for one last photograph.  The church and school had been an important part of the neighborhood for nearly forty years.  Many of the students in this photograph had attended the school for eight years.  Justine Collins and Joseph Lutz had the highest grades from the class while Thomas Williams, Marilyn Schmidt, and Barbara Noonan had perfect attendance.  The local priest urged parents to "remember their obligation of providing a CATHOLIC EDUCATION in high school for their children." (back of this flier) Students who had not attended Our Lady of Lourdes but desired to attend a Catholic high school would need a letter from a local pastor and then have it submitted to the Archbishop.  The children in this photo would have a much easier path to a Catholic high school.

First Row: Marilyn Hagan, John Foley, Max Haughton, Thomas Williams, Mary Ann Just, Kathleen Gallagher, Donald Newman,  John Schulz, Robert Denari, Marjorie Schauinger
Second Row:  Richard Mayer, Elizabeth Rumple, Mona Lee Cull, Jacqueline Bender, George Lawler,  Sue Ann Dillchay, Anne Shannon, Justine Collins
Third Row: Nadine May, Marie Speicher, Joan Miller, Joan Fox, Earl Owens, Jane Fox, Patricia Braun, Patricia Schoettle, Marilyn Schmidt
Fourth Row: Joseph Lutz, Marilyn Hofer, Joan Gannon, Robert Commons, Mary Margaret Rohyans, Barbara Noonan, James Matthews
Fifth Row:  Donald McWilliams, Rose Ellen Sexton, Patricia Alandt, Rita Harding, Margaret Everett, Richard Simko

Our Lady of Lourdes in 2014

The historic flier is courtesy of Suzette Hagan.

Fun Along South Audubon Road--1941

Barbara Jones (273 South Ritter Avenue) visited with friends in the early spring of 1941 in front of 303 South Audubon Road.  She was playfully "holding up" the young lad in front of her.  Behind the children, you can see the stone porch of 269 South Audubon Road.  In the distance, the beautiful Craftsman house at 251 and the large American Four Square double at 245-47 South Audubon Road can also be seen.  The tall tree behind the young boy is long gone, but some of the trees in the Irving Circle Park still exist in 2014.  A contemporary photo shows two of the homes in 2014.

Stickem' up!  Barbara Jones and a young boy have fun in front of 303 South Audubon Road.  Behind them you can see, 269, 251, and 245-47 South Audubon Road in 1941.  

245-47 and 251 South Audubon Road in 2014

Anti-Saloon Crusader Dwelled Along Downey Avenue

Samuel P. McNaught and his wife Ethel dwelled in Irvington in the late 1910s and early 1920s  Thirty-four-year-old Samuel and twenty-nine-year-old Ethel first lived at 43 North Arlington Avenue before moving to 330 South Downey Avenue in 1920. The McNaughts were likely drawn to Irvington because it was a dry neighborhood long before the Prohibition Amendment was added to the U.S. Constitution.  Mr. McNaught was an attorney for the Anti-Saloon League and celebrated when the entire nation went "dry." Conservative forces rose to prominence in the 1920s as a liberal way of living began to sweep the nation in the Roaring 20s.  The McNaughts clearly fell on the side of the traditionalists who were worried about the future of the U.S.   Many Irvingtonians shared similar concerns.

The family eventually moved to Iowa where Mr. McNaught headed up the Anti-Saloon League in that state.  He must have been horrified in 1933 when the country repealed the 18th Amendment and legalized the sale of alcohol once again.

Historic images from the McNaught family taken around 1922 show Ethel and her daughters, Esther and Doris Lucine standing on the sidewalk in front of 330 South Downey Avenue.  Behind the family, you can see a small woods that still exists just south and east of 317 South Downey Avenue.  You can also see a mirage of 317 South Downey Avenue.  This beautiful home was occupied by the Kingsbury family in 1922. Edward Kingsbury was a manufacturer of fertilizer.  His wife Mary and children, Virginia and George, also dwelled in the home.  Did they know the McNaughts?  Did they agree with their views on alcohol?  Nearby on the Butler University campus, there certainly would have been a few students who might not have seen eye-eye with their Anti-Saloon League neighbors.

After leaving Irvington, the McNaughts moved to Iowa where Samuel McNaught headed up the Anti-Saloon League in the 1930s.  

Doris Lucine, Ethel, and Esther McNaught in front of their home at 330 South Downey Avenue.  Behind them you can see the Kingsbury home at 317 South Downey Avenue in 1922.

Doris Lucine McNaught in front of her home at 330 South Downey Avenue in 1922.  Behind her, you can see a small woods located just south and east of 317 South Downey Avenue.  

Wooded lot remains in the 300 block of  South Downey Avenue in 2014.  

The Kingsbury home at 317 South Downey Avenue in 2014

The McNaught home at 330 South Downey Avenue in 2014

The historic images are courtesy of the descendants of the McNaught family via Ancestry.com.