A Snowy Day at the Corner of North Ritter Avenue and Michigan Street

      Little Gladys Hackleman, the youngest granddaughter of Americus and Mary Jane Conner, posed along the sidewalk on a snowy day in front of 340 North Ritter Avenue in 1913. Her mother, Pearl Conner Hackleman, likely pulled her in the wagon from their home located nearby at 5438 Lowell Avenue.

     While Gladys, with her basket full of snow, might have been the subject of the photo, behind her you can see the two residences located at 351 and 345 North Ritter Avenue. Both of these homes have stories to tell.

Gladys Hackleman of 5438 Lowell Avenue sits in front of 340 North Ritter during the winter of 1913. Behind her you can see 351 and 345 North Ritter Avenue as well as a glimpse of 5514 East Michigan Street. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

     351 North Ritter Avenue: A Young Couple Moves into Their Dream Home

     Gilbert and Stella Laymon watched patiently as their new home was erected on the southeast corner of North Ritter Avenue and Michigan Street in 1909. They had been renting a home across the street for several months. Dr. Laymon was only 29 years old and running a  thriving dental business. The couple had two children, Ruth and Russell, who likely knew the older siblings of Gladys Hackleman. Perhaps they had also been out playing in the snow on that winter's day. On July 25, 1909, the Indianapolis Star featured the Laymon home at 351 North Ritter Avenue complete with a photo of the house and floor plans. The residence had been constructed by the Home Building and Realty Company for $3,500. David A. Coulter, the president of the company, built dozens of custom homes like this one throughout the city. His creations were frequently featured in the Sunday papers. 

     The new Laymon home contained beamed ceilings, a fireplace with built-in bookcases, beautiful interior columns, and oak and mahogany woodwork. The 1910 Federal Census reveals that the family also employed a seventeen-year-old live-in servant named Floy (possibly Flora) Blankenship. Despite their apparent upper middle-class status in a charming home and in a desirable neighborhood, the Laymons left Irvington for Miami Beach in 1918 where Dr. Laymon served as one of the earliest dentists to operate in that newer community. They spent the rest of their lives in Florida. 

The Laymon home appeared in the Indianapolis Star on July 25, 1909.

351 North Ritter Avenue in the winter of 2020 (photo courtesy of Amy Hall)

     345 North Ritter Avenue: Tragedy Follows Tragedy

     If I had been writing a fictional novel about the two-story Arts and Crafts bungalow located at 345 North Ritter Avenue, most would have said that the following story would have been implausible. How could so much tragedy exist within the walls of one residence? I have been researching and writing this blog for eleven years and I have never encountered such a story.

      Walter and Nora Burns along with their four children moved into 345 North Ritter Avenue in late 1912. The home had been newly-built and it must have been exciting to move into the pleasant dwelling. All six members of the Burns family could have peered out their window in the winter of 1913 to see little Gladys Hackleman riding in her wagon across the street. How could they know that the world and their family was about to change? 

     The United States avoided entry into World War I until 1917. Dozens of young Irvington men enlisted or were drafted into service and shipped to Europe. Paul and Victor Burns of 345 North Ritter Avenue answered the call of duty. Paul, the younger of the two, was gassed in France, but survived the attack. His father, an editor for the Indiana Daily and later other Indianapolis newspapers, published his letters in the local papers. Paul recovered from the attack and was sent to a small village near Paris to load munitions. In August of 1918, he died after a tragic accident. The news must have been devastating for the Burns family. On October 8, 1918, as the war was winding down, Victor Burns died as a result of injuries he suffered in a battle. Instead of two blue stars hanging in their window, the family now displayed two gold stars. 

      At the same time that the Burns brothers were fighting and dying in Europe, a terrifying disease, the Influenza, began to sweep the world peaking in 1918. Margaret Burns, the seventeen-year-old daughter of Walter and Nora became sick with the dreaded illness. Her health deteriorated and newspapers of the time noted that the Burns family made frequent trips to Arizona most likely to help with her breathing. She lingered for two years and died at the Ritter Avenue home on November 27, 1920. 

     Marie Burns was now the only surviving child. In 1917, she married Varian Parker and the newlyweds moved into the family home on Ritter Avenue. The Burns family could not catch a break. Young Varian became ill and died on July 17, 1923, after an operation. For Mr. Burns it was too much. He had lost his sons, his daughter, and now his son-in-law. He went into the basement of the family home and attempted suicide. Two weeks later he died from his wounds. 

     Mrs. Burns and her daughter did their best to move on in life. They joined the American Legion Auxiliary and stayed active in the Irvington Methodist Church. Mrs. Burns passed away first in 1938 at the age of 66 leaving Marie Parker all alone at the Ritter Avenue home. She died in 1943 at the age of 52. Her obituary noted that she only had two surviving aunts and one uncle. 

Gladys Hackleman posed for this photo in front of her grandparents' home at 340 North Ritter Avenue in the winter of 1913. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

345 North Ritter Avenue via Google Streetview, July 2019

     Now, dear reader, if you think that this ends the saga of a tragic house history, you would be mistaken. In 1943, the Ragsdale family moved into the home. In a shocking turn of events, two of the Ragsdale sons died in World War II. In 1944, the photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt came to Irvington for Life magazine. He was there on assignment to photograph local residents who were interviewed about their thoughts on what should be done with the Germans and Japanese after the war. His photos reveal the anguish of several local families including that of Mr. and Mrs. John Ragsdale, who sat on their front porch for the interview. You may read and see photos of other families in the link below. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ragsdale were photographed by the famous photographer, Alfred Eisenstaedt, on their front porch at 345 North Ritter Avenue in 1944 for Life magazine. 

Link to Life magazine article about Irvington families during World War II below:

Life Magazine

     I would like to thank Anne Gribble Spurgeon for access to scans from her family's scrapbooks. She is the great great granddaughter of Americus and Mary Jane Conner, the great granddaughter of William E.M. and Pearl Conner Hackleman, and the granddaughter of Wayne and Grace Hackleman Carson. 

Sources:  Laymon family--"Building Permit," Indianapolis News, March 6, 1909; "How Others Have Built," Indianapolis Star, July 25, 1909; "Dr. Gilbert Laymon," (obituary), Miami News, January 8, 1944; "$17,750 Left to Children," (death of Stella Laymon), Miami News, September 23, 1945. Burns family--"Paul E. Burns Gives His Life on Battlefield," Indianapolis Star, August 13, 1918, 1; Victor Burns--"Dies at Front," Indianapolis Star, November 1, 1918, 1; "Miss Margaret Burns Dies," Indianapolis Star, November 28, 1920; Obituary of Varian Parker--Indianapolis News, July 17, 1923; Death of Walter Burns--"Only Two Members Left of Walter L. Burns Family," Indianapolis News, April 16, 1924, 10; "Tribute is Paid to Walter Burns," Indianapolis Star, April 19, 1924, 11; "Mrs. Nora Burns Succumbs at 66," Indianapolis Star, March 31, 1938, 4; "Funeral Services Today for Mrs. Marie Parker," Indianapolis Star, August 12, 1943, 12; 

     

 

An American Four-Square on Ritter Avenue

      The Reverend Americus Conner and his wife, Mary Jane Cadwallader Conner, lived all over the state of Indiana and in Irvington. In 1912, the couple along with their foster daughter, Mary Seeger, returned to the neighborhood to reside at 340 North Ritter Avenue. Also living nearby was their daughter Pearl Conner Hackleman and her family at 5438 Lowell Avenue. 

     Their newer home at 340 North Ritter Avenue was built on speculation in 1908 for the Reverend John P. Findley, who then rented the place to Gilbert and Stella Laymon. The Laymons resided in the house briefly and watched as their new home at 351 North Ritter Avenue was under construction across the street and completed in 1909.  Jason and Gertrude Baker also lived in the house from 1909 until 1911.  The Conners came next and resided in the two-story dwelling for about five years before moving out in 1917. During their time in the home, the family spent much of their lives on the road as Reverend Conner was an evangelist and in high demand among Protestant churches as a speaker. An Indianapolis News article indicated that the Conners along with their foster daughter started a new business called the Boys' Friend Chautauqua Company with a capital stock investment of $7500 in the summer of 1912. 

     Americus has been lecturing Hoosiers for years over the dangers of what could happen to boys if they were not given proper instruction. In the new campaign, he added a separate talk for girls led by his foster daughter, Mary Seeger. Mrs. Conner traveled with the group to assist with logistics. Sometimes the troupe would spend as long as a week in one town. Their Ritter Avenue neighbors likely seldom saw the family as in 1912 alone, they held revivals in New Albany, Muncie, Huntington, Seymour, Franklin, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

     Although the Conners were members of the Disciples of Christ, they preached wherever they were invited. In little Windfall, Indiana in 1914, both the Methodist and Disciples hosted the family, while in that same year, they preached to the Presbyterians of Rushville. In Greenfield, some local businessmen paid their fee so that Hancock County Protestants could attend the daily talks for free.  The Conners charged each venue for their revivals as it was after all, a family business. 

     In 1917, the Conners and Mary Seeger started the year with their ministry in southern Indiana. They preached in Evansville, Boonville, and Mount Vernon.  A post in the Martinsville Reporter-Times (March 21, 1917, 1), noted that all three of them vacated their Ritter Avenue home and moved into the sanitarium at Bethany Park in Morgan County, Indiana for the summer. They continued their ministry well into the 1920s and eventually the elderly Conners moved in with their daughter Pearl Conner Hackleman at her Lowell Avenue home. 

The Reverend John P. Findley built 340 North Ritter Avenue on speculation in 1908. Gilbert and Stella  Laymon moved into the house in 1909. The Conners arrived in 1912. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble  Spurgeon) c1915

Built in the American Four Square style in 1908, 340 North Ritter Avenue has housed numerous Irvington families over the years. The woman in the photograph might be Mary Jane Conner. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) c1915

Americus and Mary Jane Conner along with their foster daughter, Mary Seeger, resided at 340 North Ritter Avenue from 1912 until 1917. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) c1915

In this photograph, you can not only see 340 North Ritter Avenue, but you can also see 338 North Ritter Avenue. The Conners lived at 340 in 1915 while the Agnew family lived next door at 338. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) c1915

     I would like to thank Anne Gribble Spurgeon, the great great granddaughter of Americus and Mary Jane Conner, for her family stories and the use of her photographs. I would also like to thank Steve Barnett and Paula Schmidt at the Irvington Historical Society for their assistance with research.

Sources:  Articles related to the Conner Chautauqua Circuit from 1912 to 1917: "Youth Camp," Muncie Star-Press, February 10, 1912, 5; Huntington Herald,  April 8, 1912, 3; Seymour Tribune, May 4, 1912, 1; Franklin Evening-Star, September 7, 1912, 1; Fort Wayne Gazette, December 17, 1912, 3; Greenfield Reporter, March 15, 1913, 1; Elwood Call-Leader, April 5, 1914, 3; Boonville Standard, January 5, 1917, 1; Evansville Courier-Press, January 30, 1917, 3. Details about topics that the Conners covered in revival and Mary Seeger's role: "The Boys' Friend," Greenfield Daily Reporter, March 11, 1913, 1

The Conners Built a Large Home on Whittier Place

      By the time that workers began building the large two-story home at 88 Whittier Place (then numbered as 100) in the spring of 1903, Reverend Americus Wood Conner and his wife Mary Jane Cadwallader Conner had already lived in numerous homes throughout Irvington, the state, the nation, and even in Canada. Mr. Conner spent most of his career preaching in Indiana. Sometimes he would be called to serve at several churches within one county. In Rush County, for example, he served as the minister to congregations in Milroy, Plum Creek, and Fairview. 

Reverend Americus Wood and Mary Jane Cadwallader Conner moved into their brand new home at 88 Whittier Place in 1903. They only lived in the house for two years before selling it to Eunice Macy in 1905. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) c1905

Reverend Americus Wood Conner preached in Disciples of Christ Churches throughout Indiana and beyond. He was described in a Fort Wayne Gazette article (September 6, 1900) as "tall and spare" and "full of humor and with a bright snappy way of speaking." (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

     In 1893, Americus and Mary Jane moved to Irvington, the home of Butler University (then called Butler College). The college was affiliated with the Disciples of Christ and would have been very important to the couple. Mr. Conner's brother,  Reverend James W. Conner already lived in the community. City directory research indicates that the Conners resided in numerous homes throughout the neighborhood during the 1890s although Americus spent part of the decade preaching in Danville, Indiana and in other smaller congregations.

     On June 21, 1899, the Indianapolis Journal announced a new corporation and publication called The Boys' Friend.  With a capital stock of $5000, Americus along with directors, James Conner, Pearl Conner (later Hackleman), William Redman, and William Doan launched what would become his life's work. Reverend Conner theorized that boys and young men needed strong male role models in order to succeed in life. He opened an office in the Majestic Building in downtown Indianapolis and then went on the Chautauqua Circuit. He spoke in churches, teacher institutes, and at revivals. Many of his talks were conducted at Bethany Park, a Disciples' campground in Morgan County, Indiana. He also wrote a corresponding book in 1899 titled The Boggs Boys or Corralling the Kids of Kiddsville, a fictional account of  what can happen if boys do not have proper male role models.  

The Conners frequented Bethany Park in Morgan County, Indiana often for revivals. Reverend Conner also held his talks about the Boys' Friend Movement here. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) c1910

Bethany Park c1910: Reverend Americus Wood Conner led the Boys' Friend Movement in the state of Indiana. He frequently asked that both fathers and sons attend his lectures. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon)

Besides publishing a monthly magazine in the early twentieth century, Americus Conner also found time to write and publish the book, The Boggs Boys (1899). You will note that the book was published in Irvington! 

     Shortly after launching the business venture, Mary Jane and Americus joyfully hosted the wedding of their daughter Pearl to William Edward Michael Hackleman, a talented composer of Protestant music. The wedding made the society pages of the Indianapolis News on September 13, 1899, because of the fact that the bride's father and two uncles conducted the service. After their marriage, the Hacklemans lived with the Conners at their home at 5522 East Washington Street. However, a disastrous fire in 1901 at the home forced the families to find temporary housing. 

     1903 must have been an exciting year for both the Conners and the Hacklemans as both families moved into newly-constructed homes at the intersection of Lowell Avenue and Whittier Place. The Conners moved into 88 Whittier Place while the Hacklemans moved into 5438 Lowell Avenue.  Although they no longer lived together, the families could see each other every day. The life of a preacher in those days was always a bit nomadic, so it must have come to no surprise to the Hacklemans that Americus and Mary Jane Conner placed their beautiful home on the market in 1905 and moved to Lafayette, Indiana where Americus preached at a Disciples church there. 

      In later years, the elderly Conners returned to Irvington and lived out part of their final years with their daughter Pearl and son-in-law, William, at the Lowell Avenue home. Across the street, they would have noticed their former home later occupied by the Macy, Fay, Butler, Lucas, Hughel, Rumpler, and Ragsdale families and others. In 1909,William Fay turned the second story of 88 Whittier Place into a separate apartment. Mr. Conner passed away in 1932 while Mrs. Conner lived on until 1938. Both died at 1201 North Alabama Street in the home of Pearl Conner Hackleman, who had moved out of Irvington after the death of her husband, William in 1927. 

Pearl Conner Hackleman, the daughter of Americus and Mary Jane Conner, built a house at 5438 Lowell Avenue in 1903 on the opposite corner from the Conners along with her music-publishing husband, William Edward Michael Hackleman (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) c1905

Americus and Mary Jane Conner moved into their spacious Irvington home at 88 Whittier Place (then numbered as 100) in 1903. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) c1905

The Conners sold 88 Whittier Place to Eunice Macy in 1905 for $3000. (photo courtesy of Anne Gribble Spurgeon) c1905

Many families have lived in 88 Whittier Place since 1903. The Conner family was the first. This image was snapped in October of 2021. (photo by William Gulde)

     I wish to thank Anne Gribble Spurgeon, the great-great granddaughter of Americus and Mary Jane Conner, for the use of the photos and for the stories about her family. I also wish to thank Steve Barnett and Paula Schmidt at the Irvington Historical Society for their leads and research.

Sources:  Information about Rush County tenure as a minister--"Church News," Rushville Republican, June 27, 1893; Wedding of Pearl and W.E.M. Hackleman--"Unusual Wedding," Indianapolis News, September 13, 1899, 9; Incorporation of Boys' Friend Magazine--"Incorporated," Indianapolis Journal, June 21, 1899, 8; Lecture about Boyhood Movement--"Steuben County Teachers," Angola Herald, September 11, 1901, 4; Sale of 88 Whittier Place to Eunice Macy--"Real Estate," Indiana Tribune, September 24, 1905;  Obituaries for Americus Conner--"Former Local Minister Dies," Journal & Courier (Lafayette, IN), May 11, 1932, 11, and "Disciples Pastor Succumbs Here," Indianapolis Star, May 11, 1932, 10; Obituary for Mary Jane Conner--"Church Worker Dies Here at 82," Indianapolis Star, July 29, 1938, 3; Conversion of second story of 88 Whittier Place into an apartment--Ad placed in the Indianapolis Star, March 30, 1909, 12.  

     

 

Over 100-Year-Old Halloween Party Invitation

      During the autumn of 1919, twenty-two-year old Margaret Striebeck wrote out Halloween invitations for the children who attended the Tuxedo Park Baptist Church at 29 North Grant Avenue. Miss Striebeck, who lived with her parents in their Emerson Heights bungalow at 606 North Bosart Avenue (formerly numbered as 530), was on the cusp of her long teaching career for the Indianapolis Public Schools. She grew up on Pine Street near what is today called the Cottage Home neighborhood, but by the time she was in her late teens, her parents had moved to their brand new bungalow on Bosart Avenue. Miss Striebeck not only lived the rest of her life at the Bosart home, but remained a life-long member of the church as it was even mentioned in her obituary in 1976. 

     The invitation has survived through the years because it was never given out. Perhaps she wrote out too many cards or perhaps she was unhappy with the blemish on the back of the invitation. 

Invitation for a Halloween Party at the Tuxedo Park Baptist Church on October 28, 1919 (Margaret Striebeck Collection) 

Miss Margaret Striebeck (1897-1976) lived most of her life at 606 North Bosart Avenue. She taught for 34 years at School 54 (3150 East 10th St.) and School 15 (2302 East Michigan Street). She retired in 1959. (Margaret Striebeck Collection) 

Miss Striebeck was a life-long member of the Tuxedo Baptist Church located at 29 North Grant Avenue just west of Irvington. (photo Google Earth, June, 2011)

Source: "Miss Striebeck Services Thursday, " Indianapolis Star, December 1, 1976, 65.

Depression-Era Road Trips From Irvington

     By the 1930s, Americans who could afford a car, could travel across the nation from coast to coast on various highways. There were no interstates yet but many states had paved or gravel highways. Newlyweds, Burrell and Emma McCord Lawton of 5706 University Avenue, trekked from Irvington to Colorado in the spring of 1935 where they visited with relatives. The following year, Mr. Lawton volunteered for his employer to return a car that had been stolen from Los Angeles. He  brought his wife with him for the epic adventure. Together, they traveled across the Great Plains where they might have glimpsed the devastation of the Dust Bowl, through the Rocky Mountains, and eventually to California. The couple managed to snap several photographs of their journey. Once they reached Los Angeles, they purchased bus tickets for the return ride to Indianapolis.

1936--Returning a Stolen Car to Los Angeles

Emma McCord Lawton of 5706 University Avenue enjoyed the views at Estes Park, Colorado in 1936. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

In 1936 Burrell Lawton of 5706 University Avenue volunteered for his employer, the Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company Insurance Company, to return a stolen car to Los Angeles, California. He was very a organized person and likely drove for hours only pausing in certain locations like Estes, Colorado. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

The Lawtons traveled through the treacherous Red Mountain Pass in Colorado in 1936. Today the road is paved. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

Burrell and Emma McCord Lawton marveled at the beautiful scenery as they passed through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in 1936. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

The Lawtons visited the Eagles Nest in the Petrified Forest of Arizona in 1936. In 1941, the unusual formation collapsed after heavy rains. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) 

     In March of 1937, Emma and Burrell Lawton traveled across the United States once again except this time they did so with Emma's parents, Harvey and Ada Belle McCord. The main purpose of the trip was to visit Emma's sister, Pauline McCord Campbell who lived in Cave Creek, Arizona. The McCord sisters had grown up in Seymour, Indiana. In fact, Harvey and Ada Belle still owned their Seymour home in 1937 although they had lived at 5706 University Avenue in Irvington since 1932. 

     By all accounts, Pauline McCord was a talented young woman. She was a bright student and an outstanding vocalist. After graduating from Brownstown High School in Jackson County, Indiana, Pauline made the decision to become a nurse. While taking a course at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis she came into contact with someone who had tuberculosis. That unfortunate moment changed the trajectory of her life.  Tuberculosis, a bacteria that invades the lungs, was a death sentence for millions of humans. In 1930, there was a strong belief that drier climates helped TB patients breathe, so Pauline left her Hoosier family and moved to a TB camp in Cave Creek. 

     Pauline lived in a couple of cabins over time at the colony. While there, she met twenty-five-year-old Clifton Campbell, a divorcee and fellow TB sufferer. They married in 1934. He hailed from North Carolina and listed "real estate" as his occupation. They lived in their own cabin by 1937 when her family came to visit. 

     A beautiful late-winter snow fell upon Irvington just as the Lawton-McCord families departed for Arizona. Either Burrell or Emma grabbed a camera and took a photo of the Irving Circle Park. Then, they departed on their journey along Route 40 stopping first in Greenville, Illinois, which also had snow on the ground. Eventually, the foursome made it to Arizona where they toured many sites including the Coolidge Dam and the Grand Canyon. 

      At Cave Creek, Arizona, the Lawtons and McCords reunited with Pauline. Photos reveal that she was quite thin and likely suffering. The cure for TB would not be discovered until 1944 so Pauline had to endure the ravages of that dreaded disease. The family had much to think about for the long trip back to Indiana. A Seymour newspaper article noted that Harvey, Ada Bell, Burrell, and Emma made it back to Irvington by early April. 

     Sadly, Pauline McCord Campbell passed away in September of 1937. Her husband Clifton died months later also from the effects of TB. 

1937--Visiting Pauline McCord Campbell in Arizona 

Before departing for Arizona, the Lawtons snapped this snowy image of the Irving Circle Park from their front porch at 5706 University Avenue in March of 1937. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

The group encountered more snow on their first stop at the intersection of North First Street and Beaumont Avenue in Greenville, Illinois in March of 1937 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

During healthier times, Emma McCord (left) posed with her sister Pauline McCord in the early 1930s before Pauline's demise from tuberculosis. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) 

Emma McCord Lawton posed behind the wheel of the family's 1934 Chevrolet Master in March of 1937 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

Harvey and Ada Belle McCord of 5706 University Avenue stood near the Coolidge Dam in Arizona in March of 1937 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

Many TB sufferers from the eastern United States moved to places like Cave Creek, Arizona as drier climates were supposed to be better for those who suffered. Pauline McCord moved to this site in 1930 and remained for seven years. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

In 1934, Pauline McCord married Clifton Campbell. The couple met at the TB camp in Cave Creek, Arizona. Both died within months of each other from the disease. This photo is possibly of Mr. Campbell although we are not certain. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) 

The McCords and Lawtons toured the rim of the Grand Canyon in March of 1937 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

Ada Belle McCord (left) bids good bye to her daughter, Pauline McCord in March of 1937. Sadly, Mrs. Campbell died six months later. 

      Sources: Information for this post came from the unpublished family history written by Steve Lawton. Other sources include The Tribune (Seymour, Indiana), March 16, 1937 and April 9, 1937.  To learn more about the TB camp at Cave Creek, Arizona, click on the link below.

https://imagesarizona.com/cabin-fever-how-health-seekers-shaped-arizonas-history/

Irving Circle Park in the 1930s

      Harvey and Ada Belle McCord along with two of their children moved into the double at 5706 University Avenue in the spring of 1932. One of the perks of living at that address included the nearby Irving Circle Park. Shortly after relocating from Seymour, Indiana to Irvington, Ada Belle McElroy McCord (1871-1952) and her sister Myrtle McElroy Wiley (1887-1934) walked a few steps from the McCord home to a bench in the park. The sisters had grown up in a large family near Lancaster in Jefferson County, Indiana. What were the two women chatting about as they sat on the bench? Myrtle might have spoken of her two children or her life as a widow. Ada Belle might have talked about life in the neighborhood or her worries about her daughter Pauline, who had tuberculosis. Perhaps they kept it on the surface and talked of the weather or of the lovely park. Behind the women, you can see the double located at 245-247 South Audubon Road. The 1932 Polk's Indianapolis City Directory indicates that Harry L and Myrtle Ball lived at 245 South Audubon while Mrs. Margaret Myers resided at 247 South Audubon. Did either a member of the Ball or Myers families see the McElroy sisters in the park that day? 

Myrtle McElroy Wiley and her sister, Ada Belle McElroy McCord relaxed on a park bench in the Irving Circle Park in 1932. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

     In a much clearer image, members of the McCord and Cox family posed for a family photo at the Irving Circle Park during the spring of 1938. Ada Belle McCord, who is in the center of the photo, was the mother of Emma McCord Lawton (left) and Gladys McCord Cox (right). Below her gaze, you can see her grandson, William Lawton, in a baby carriage while her granddaughter, Linda Cox, stood next to her cousin. All of the folks in this photo lived nearby at 5706-5708 University Avenue. Tragically, eight-year-old Floyd Cox, the son of Gladys Cox, is not in the photograph as he died of anterior poliomyelitis  on August 5, 1937.  One of the remarkable aspects of this photo, for the sake of historical documentation, is the view of the fountain basin for the Irving Circle Park. It used to be quite low and there was a "geyser" in the middle that shot up a single spout of water. 

Emma McCord Lawton, Ada Belle McCord, Gladys McCord Cox, William Lawton (in the carriage), and Linda Cox posed for a photograph in the Irving Circle Park in 1938 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) 

In the 1990s, the neighborhood reimagined the basin and fountain in the Irving Circle Park. (Photo by Bill Gulde on September 14, 2021)

Sources: Information for this post came from the unpublished family history researched and written by Steve Lawton, the grandson of Harvey and Ada Belle McCord. I also consulted the 1937 Polk's Indianapolis City Directory for information pertaining to 245-247 South Audubon Road. 

The McCord Family Moved to University Avenue

     Harvey and Ada Belle McCord's move from Seymour, Indiana to Irvington in 1931 likely surprised many of their neighbors and friends. The McCords had been a fixture in Jackson County for many years as they raised all six of their children in that community. In fact, all six of the McCords graduated from high school and some even went on to college, a rare feat in early twentieth-century Indiana. Mr. McCord's humble beginnings as a baker did not reveal his future path as his neighbors later elected him twice as the sheriff of Jackson County as a Republican in a heavily Democratic area. He also became involved in real estate. 

     By 1930, three of their older children, Margaret, Robert, and Gladys had settled in Indianapolis and had started their families. Another older daughter, Pauline, moved to Arizona where the climate was better for her tuberculosis diagnosis. Perhaps longing to be near their grandchildren, Harvey and Ada Belle, along with their two youngest children, Emma and Harvey, Jr., sold their beautiful Seymour home and moved to Indianapolis.

     The McCords first rented a small bungalow at 1035 North Euclid Avenue just west of Irvington. An Indianapolis News article reveals that Harvey McCord purchased the double at 5706-08 University Avenue in the spring of 1932 from Marvin Deputy. Perhaps Mr. McCord bought the property with the idea of one side producing income or perhaps he bought it with the idea of renting it to family. The structure still contained a large wrap-around front porch popular during the Queen-Anne era of construction. The McCords would be able to sit out on the veranda and see the nearby Irving Circle Park and the Children Guardian's Home. 

Ada Belle, Harvey, and Emma McCord stood near their garage at 5706-08 University Avenue in 1932 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

Emma McCord (later Lawton) stood at the edge of the sidewalk leading to 5706 University Avenue. The photo is important for not only documenting the future Mrs. Lawton, but also for what is behind her. The double at 5706-08 University Avenue still had its Queen-Anne wrap-around front porch in the 1930s. ( see Sanborn below) Also visible in the photo is the home at 5712 University Avenue. Note the mansard roofline. The residence was the former home of the First Baptist Church, an African-American congregation and was erected in 1891. The congregation moved out the building in 1910 for a larger church on Good Avenue. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

Emma McCord Lawton posed on the front porch at 5706 University Avenue in 1937. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

An early twentieth-century Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows that 5706-08 University Avenue used to have a wrap-around porch. (photo courtesy of IUPUI)

5706-08 University Avenue and 5712 University Avenue in the summer of 2021. 

     Harvey, Ada Belle, Emma, and Harvey, Jr. moved into 5706 while their daughter Gladys and their son-in-law, Floyd Cox, moved into 5708. Floyd managed the Haag's Drug Store on the northwest corner of East Washington Street and Audubon Road so he could easily walk to and from work. Gladys and Floyd also placed an ad in the Indianapolis News on October 28, 1932, announcing that they had a room to rent at 5708 University Avenue and that they would also include breakfast as part of the deal. It was the Great Depression after all and any additional income was helpful.  

Floyd Cox was the son-in-law of Harvey and Ada Belle McCord.  He was a pharmacist for Haag's Drug Store at East Washington Street and Audubon Road in the 1930s. The Cox family also lived in the apartment adjacent to the McCords at 5708 University Avenue during that decade. (Indianapolis Star, May 16, 1935)

     The McCords celebrated two joyous events shortly after moving to Irvington. First, their daughter, Pauline, who had been living in Arizona, came home to spend the summer with her parents in 1932. She later returned to Arizona. Secondly, the entire family gathered in the spring of 1935 for the wedding of Emma McCord, the youngest daughter, to Burrell Lawton at the Irvington Methodist Church. The family still possesses film footage of the McCords gathering at the church for the wedding.  Emma and Burrell drove out to Colorado and along the way encountered one of the worst floods in the history of that state. Burrell Lawton documented the event with his movie camera. They also hiked in the Rockies and visited with family. 

In the spring of 1935, Emma McCord and Burrell Lawton traveled to Colorado to visit family. Along the way, they encountered one of the worst floods in the history of that state. At some point in their journey, they came upon this washed-out road. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

     Back in Irvington, the University Avenue double became a compound for McCord relatives. The Cox, Coffey, Lawton, and other relatives resided in the double. At some point, Harvey and Ada moved into 5708 while other McCord family members leased 5706. Mr. McCord remained active in his lodges and clubs. Mrs. McCord was very involved in the Methodist church. Her grandson, Steve Lawton, described her as a person who dressed up everyday. She even wore high-heeled shoes on most days. 

In the winter of 1937, either Mr. or Mrs. McCord, took this beautiful snowy-weather photo scene from their front porch at 5706-08 University Avenue. The front porch of 5712 University Avenue is visible as is the fence for the Children's Guardian Home at 5751 University Avenue. (photo courtesy Steve Lawton)

     Harvey and Ada Belle spent most of the war years near their children and grandchildren. Life changed for the family when Mr. McCord died in 1945. Ada Belle moved in with her daughter Gladys in nearby Wanamaker. The last of the McCords moved out of the double on University Avenue in 1946. Mrs. McCord passed away in 1952. 

     Editor's Note: Most of the information for this post came from Steve Lawton's unpublished family history. Mr. Lawton is the grandson of Harvey and Ada Belle McCord. To learn more about the Lawton family, click on the link below. Other sources for this post include Indianapolis City Directories, Federal Census Records, and Obituaries for the McCord family.