Snapshot from 1915 Reveals University Avenue Double

Edward Lollis had only recently moved in with his Uncle Robert and Aunt Mary Stevenson in 1915 at their home at 275 South Audubon Road when this photograph was snapped in the Stevenson's backyard. Young Edward, dressed up in costume, stood near the family garage. Behind him, you can see the rear of 5727 and 5729 University Avenue, a double that had only recently been constructed. The Lollis and Stevenson family is well-documented on this page. Click on the links below to learn more those interesting families.

John and Ida Battenfeld dwelled on the 5727 side of the double in 1915. They had already lived there for two years and would continue to do so for another eighteen years. Mr. Battenfeld was a buyer for the Wm. H. Block's Department Store at the time. They had no children. On the other at 5729, resided John and Louise Isaacs. They had three children, Mildred, Coleman, and John, Jr. Mr. Isaacs sold Ford Automobiles at a dealership in the 1300 block of East Washington Street. The Isaacs quickly outgrew the double and were gone by 1917.

Edward Lollis posed in the backyard of his new home at 275 South Audubon Road in 1915. Behind him, you can see the rear of the double at 5727-29 University Avenue.

The historic photograph is courtesy of Ted Lollis.  

A Postcard to Irvington--Mary Dale of Johnson Avenue

On July 12, 1967, "Marie" walked into a post office in Gillette Wyoming and sent her friend, Mary Dale of 37 Johnson Avenue, #12, a lovely postcard of the Badlands in South Dakota.

Hi!

The vagabonds enjoyed seeing the phenomena of nature at sunset last night. Quite a sight! We had such a good time in Boulder and are now heading toward Yellowstone and Tetons. Know you enjoyed your company over the week-end.  Love, Marie

While we have no idea at this point about any information regarding "Marie," Mary Dale was a well-known resident of Irvington from 1957 to 1979. Born and reared in Alva, Oklahoma, Mary Mondy was a bright student who received her Bachelor's Degree from Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma and her Masters in Arts from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. For a brief time she taught high school in the Dallas area. So how did she get to Irvington and why was she living in Maplewood Court?   

In 1944, Mary Mondy married Jack Dale who sadly died at a young age.  As a young widow, Mary Dale became very involved in the Disciples of Christ Church so much so that in 1957 she was ordained.  In that same year, she packed her bags and moved to Indianapolis to work at the Disciples of Christ headquarters at 222 Downey Avenue. She became the Executive Secretary for the Department of Homeland Ministries, a position she held until 1970.  Many of the employees and missionaries for the Disciples rented apartments at Maplewood Court at 37 and 47 Johnson Avenue. Mrs. Dale leased #12. She likely walked to work.  Upon her retirement in 1970, Mrs. Dale spoke at Christian churches throughout Indiana before retiring first to St. Petersburg, Florida and eventually back to Dallas, Texas. Incredibly, she lived to be 100 years old passing away on December 26, 2003. If any of our readers remember Mrs. Dale, then drop us a note and we will share them.

Mary Dale dwelled in Irvington and worked at the Disciples of Christ headquarters. She moved to Indianapolis in 1957 and left in 1979.  She died in 2003 at the age of 100.  (Photo:"Woman's Day Set at Church," Daily Journal, Franklin, Indiana, February 21, 1975) 

Postcard found in a local flea market

Maplewood Court at 37 and 47 Johnson Avenue on January 16, 2017

     

Sources:  Obituary, Dallas Morning News, December 26, 2003; "Woman's Day Set at Church," Daily Journal, (Franklin, Indiana), February 21, 1975, 2.

Builder Theodore Benson Brydon dwelled on South Bolton Avenue

Theodore and Mary Brydon moved into their newly-built bungalow at 124 South Bolton Avenue in 1915.  Mr. Brydon constructed many homes and apartment buildings in the city so it is possible that he also erected this house. Located just north of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Brydon children, Julia, Howard, Marie, and Louise, would have likely become accustomed to the noise and rumbles of the nearby trains. For a few years, Mrs. Brydon's Mother, Elizabeth Schwappacher, and her Uncle John Schwappacher resided with the family in the 1920s. 

Mr. Brydon's largest building projects in Irvington included the Washington-Audubon Apartments at 5730 East Washington Street (1925); the Arlington Court Apartments at 5901 East Washington Street (1926); and the Butler Apartments at 5230 East Washington Street (1927). At the Arlington Court Apartments, Mr. Brydon created a courtyard to protect century old trees from a previous estate. 

While his business career roared during the 1920s, the Brydons suffered from a series of tragedies for which Mr, Brydon never recovered. On May 15, 1924, while driving on North Illinois and Ohio Streets, Mr. Brydon failed to see Edith Kellum, a thirty-five-year-old woman from Connersville, Indiana as she walked out in front of him after crossing between two parked cars. He blew his horn to alert her, but Miss Kellum was going deaf and did not hear him. Sadly, she died shortly after being struck and Mr. Brydon was arrested for vehicular manslaughter, a seemingly automatic charge in those days. He did not go to jail. 

A little over a year later on September 25, 1925, the Brydons received a call from an official in Jefferson County, Indiana telling them that their only son, Howard, had been killed in an automobile accident near Hanover College. Two other students also lost their lives that day. Howard had just graduated from the college the previous year and was on campus to give another Irvingtonian, Mary McDonald of 45 North Irvington Avenue, a ride back to Indianapolis. Two other Hanover coeds asked Howard if they could be transported to Madison before the couple headed back to Indianapolis and he agreed. Apparently, Howard lost control of the car when the breaks failed as he drove down a hill near campus. The group plunged into a ravine killing three of the four riders. 

The news hit the Brydons like a bomb. Mr. Brydon was at the apex of his building career and he had recently named his company Brydon and Son as Howard had agreed to join the family business. Mr. Brydon became ill after Howard's death and when the elder Brydon died around Christmas in 1930, the Indianapolis Star attributed Theodore's passing at age 55 to a broken heart over the death of Howard. Mr. Brydon's death certificate lists the cause as a cerebral hemorrhage.  

Mrs. Brydon and her young daughter, Louise, continued to dwell in the bungalow on South Bolton Avenue. Mrs. Brydon eventually moved into the Julian House at 115 South Audubon Road as it was a nursing home by 1945. She died in that house after falling and breaking her hip.

Dozens of residences and at least three apartment buildings still stand in Indianapolis as part of the legacy of Theodore Brydon. 

Theodore Brydon submitted this photo to Fellow Citizens of Indianapolis in 1926

Tall catalpa trees, perhaps planted by the Brydon family,  still tower over their family home at 124 South Bolton Avenue in 2017.

Theodore Brydon built the Washington-Audubon Apartments at 5730 East Washington Street in 1925 (Indianapolis Star)

Theodore Brydon's most beautiful apartments were the Arlington Court Apartments at 5901 East Washington Street built in 1926. He preserved the large trees on the site from a previous estate. (Indianapolis Star)

In 1927, Theodore Brydon constructed the Butler Apartments at 5230 East Washington Street. 

Sources:  "Theodore B. Brydon Contractor, Dies," Indianapolis Star, December 26, 1930, 10; "Inquiries Started in Auto Fatality," Indianapolis Star, May 15, 1924, 24; "Six Dead, Auto Toll in State; One Motor Car Leaps Bridge; Another Plunges From Cliff," Indianapolis Star, September 25, 1924, 1; "Preserves Old Surroundings," October 31, 1926, 38.

Aerial Photograph of Irvington--Winter of 1908

A small crowd gathered on Butler College's (now University) Irwin Field in the winter of 1908. Were they watching a football scrimmage?  A game? A practice? One lone automobile--a rarity in those days--parked near the tall fence. The unknown photographer snapped this image for the 1909 Butler Drift. 

The photographer faced east so the most visible street in the picture is that of Ohmer Avenue as it snakes its way towards Downey Avenue. The dwelling closest to the photographer with intersecting gables and a long front porch still stands at 307 Ohmer Avenue. The barn or outbuilding associated with the property is long gone. Note that there are no other homes along the north side of Ohmer Avenue. On the south side of Ohmer Avenue, the most visible home is that of 5338 Ohmer Avenue. (Near the fence by the athletic fields)  If you look closely, you can see the rear of the Benton House at 312 Downey Avenue along with other nearby homes.  The smaller residences at the far right of the photo face Burgess Avenue.  The football field and green space would later be developed in the 1940s into housing.

Ohmer, Downey, and Burgess Avenues near the the Butler University football field in 1908

Who Lived Here? The Williams Family of Irvington Terrace

Arthur L. and Margaret E. Williams moved into their brand new home at 6014 Lowell Avenue in 1916. It must have been an exciting time for the couple as birth records reveal that the family welcomed their first child, Robert, in May of that year. The modest home sits on a small lot in the Irvington Terrace section of the neighborhood just east of Arlington Avenue and north of Washington Street. Mr. Williams worked at a variety of jobs while living at the house. He managed a hardware store and later sold farm implements for International Harvester. The couple welcomed two more children, Joan and Patricia, while dwelling at this residence. In 1926, Mr. Williams was 38 years old when he sat for this portrait for a promotional book titled Fellow Citizens of Indianapolis. At the time, he was President of the Advance Transfer & Warehouse Company in the Wholesale District just south of downtown Indianapolis. Little is known of Mrs. Williams at this time, but the family moved to Pittsboro, Indiana in 1938 so that Mr. Williams could sell farm implements there. Both Mr. and Mrs. Williams were buried in Washington Park Cemetery in eastern Marion County. Mr. Williams died in 1959 while Mrs. Williams lived until 1985.

6014 Lowell Avenue in 2016: The 1930 Federal Census reveals that the home was worth $6,000 in that year.

Information on the Williams family can be found in the obituary of Arthur L. Williams (Indianapolis Star, August 26, 1959) and in the usual places like census records, city directories, and even on the website "Find a Grave." 

The Kingsbury Family Arrived Early to Irvington

James Goodwin Kingsbury (1831-1913) was a successful editor for both the Indiana Farmer and the Indianapolis Journal. Mr. Kingsbury spent his childhood and early career in western Indiana. He married Mary Layman and had three children with her. Sadly, she died at the age of 33 in 1870.  A daughter, Fannie, died in 1866.  With his two sons, James L. and Edward, he relocated to Marion County to start a new life. He eventually remarried and moved into three homes in Irvington with the first at 5860 Lowell Avenue followed by 98 North Layman Avenue, and then to 71 North Ritter Avenue. He was likely enthused about living in the community as he was an ardent Prohibitionist and Irvington was a dry village.  Many of his children, step children, and grandchildren continued to dwell in the area and became quite prominent. One grandson, Dr. John Kaylor Kingsbury, was a physician who had an office at East Washington Street and Ritter Avenue. Dr. Kingsbury became important in history as he was the physician to attend to the dying Madge Oberholtzer. Miss Oberholtzer had been brutally raped and assaulted by the D.C. Stephenson, the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana.

The elder Kingsbury, James Goodwin Kingsbury, lived to be 83 years old and with his fourth wife at his side, he died in his Ritter Avenue home in 1913.

James Goodwin Kingsbury was photographed by A.F. Wise in Crawfordsville, Indiana in 1857. 

James Goodwin Kingsbury wrote and edited the Indiana Farmer for decades. He was still working for the paper when he died in 1913. Family members assumed control of the publication upon his passing. 

Mary Layman married James G. Kingsbury. She died at age 33 in 1870 in Putnamville Indiana.  

Fannie and James Layman Kingsbury were the children of James G. and Mary L. Kingsbury. They posed for this photograph around 1863. Note how James was dressed as a little girl and he still had his curls. Dressing young boys in this manner was common in the nineteenth century. A.F. Wise of Crawfordsville, Indiana photographed the children.

Fannie Kingsbury was the daughter of James G. and Mary L. Kingsbury. She posed for photographer, A.N. Pierce of Lafayette, Indiana, most likely in 1862. Tragically, she died in 1866.  

James L. and Fannie Kingsbury c1865

James Layman Kingsbury was the son of James G. and Mary L. Kingsbury. His biological mother died when he was ten years old in 1870 so his step mother, Mary Taylor Kingsbury, raised him into adulthood. In this photograph taken around 1870, James posed for the photographer G. W. Apple of Indianapolis.  

James Layman Kingsbury c1874

In 1880, first cousins, Robert Layman Dorsey (left) and James Layman Kingsbury posed for this photograph by Frank M. Lacey

James Goodwin Kingsbury c1900

"A good likeness" is what James Goodwin Kingsbury wrote on the back of this novelty photograph in 1906. Mr. Kingsbury resided at 71 North Ritter Avenue at that point in his life.

James Goodwin Kingsbury c1902

One of the last photographs of James Goodwin Kingsbury occurred on May 3, 1909 when he sat for this photograph. Note the swastika symbol below his image before it became synonymous with evil.  

The historic images and newspapers clippings are courtesy of Kelly Wheat, a Kingsbury descendant.  

Seven Years and Still Counting

What is it about this special neighborhood that has kept me writing about it for seven years? It hasn't always been easy. There have been droughts when the historic photos were hard to find and there have been feasts when I could have posted everyday if I could have found the time. There have been moments when I thought about stopping. Does anyone really read this blog? And just when I start to doubt myself, I receive a note from one of you or in a few cases a trunk full of historic photos.

I live in this beautiful place called Irvington. Nearly every evening, I walk the winding streets under the tall maples and catalpas planted fifty to one hundred years ago. I never tire of imagining who might have lived in these dwellings. Each residence, no matter the size, has at least one to one thousand stories. I  have told a few of those tales. What awaits me in the coming year? I wish to particularly thank the following people for their contributions this past year. They include: Ted Lollis, Judy Niedenthal, Janet Chapman, Dick Palmer, Nancy Ostrander, Carol Yeager, Emily Jarzen, and Deedee Davis. This blog could not have been possible without you.

So, let's see where the next chapters take us. I look forward to more walks especially those that transport us back in time. Thank you, Irvington!

The dining room of Walter and Mary Fee Palmer at 333 North Audubon Road in 1943 (Photo courtesy of Janet Chapman)