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.  

Drive into the Country--1945

As more people purchased automobiles in the 1920s and 1930s, they enjoyed venturing out into the countryside and into nearby villages.  A popular route for Irvingtonians was to head down the Brookville Road.  They could motor to New Palestine, Morristown, and down to Rushville, or if they were really up for an adventure then they could follow the federal highway all the way to Brookville and then to Cincinnati.  Not far from Irvington, the Malon family owned land at the intersection of the Brookville Road and Bade Road. Across the highway from the Malon home, Selma Malon Nau and her husband Will Nau operated a gas station.  In 1945, a member of the Malon-Nau family stood at the  petrol station and snapped an image of the home place. It appeared to be a rainy day.

Remnants of the gas station remained well into the 1980s, however, there is no evidence of it today as the highway has been widened.  The Malon-Nau home still stands although it too has been altered.   Nearby development south of Brookville Road has encroached upon the farmstead, but the area around the dwelling still retains the bucolic setting that mid-century Irvingtonians would have recognized.

Malon-Nau Home at 10236 Brookville Road in 1945

10236 Brookville Road in 2014

The historic image is courtesy of the Malon-Nau family via Ancestry.com 

Lost Irvington--6049 East Washington Street

Many homes along East Washington Street have been razed over the years for commercial development. This lovely early twentieth-century home at 6049 East Washington Street met its fate in the mid-twentieth century and has been gone from Irvington for decades.  In 1909, attorney Levi P. Harlan and wife Lillian and son Loran moved into the home.  By the 1920s, the Wright family dwelled here.  Bert Wright was a laborer while his wife Anna stayed home and took care of the house.  Her father, Charles Edwards, a veteran of the Civil War, moved into the large dwelling in the late 1920s and remained until his death.  In this photo, taken in 1925, Mr. Edwards sits peacefully in the side yard playing with the family dog. The yard is lush--a far cry from the commercial site it would become.  In 2014, the lot now hosts a liquor store.  You can see the area today by clicking on the address below.

Charles Edwards in the side yard at 6049 East Washington Street in 1925. He moved in and stayed with his daughter and son-in-law for the remainder of his life.  

Anna Edwards Wright dwelled at 6049 East Washington Street with her husband Bert.  

The Pope Family of South Audubon Road

Harry J. and Flora Pope moved into their dream home at 377 South Audubon Road in 1908.  They would not be the first family to setup housekeeping in this large dwelling, but they would certainly be one of the longest as they remained until the late 1940s.  Mr. Pope worked his way up in the U.S. Post Office eventually moving into a management position.   Flora Knarzer Pope was actually Harry's second wife as his first wife, Effie Keeter, passed away in 1907.  Mrs. Pope stayed home and raised the couple's two daughters, Mary and Alberta.  In 1938, Mary married D. J. Hampton Smith.  The couple eventually built a small brick cottage at 381 South Audubon in 1946 next to the Pope family home.  Sadly, Mr. Pope passed away just as his daughter and son-in-law were completing the new house.  Eventually, the Popes moved away from South Audubon Road.

Today, the large home at 377 South Audubon Road is undergoing restoration.  The little house next door is barely visible in 2014 as it is now surrounded by giant spruce trees.

The Pope Family c1935:  Harry J, Flora, Mary and Alberta (in front) next to the family home at 377 South Audubon Road

D..J. Hampton Smith and Mary J. Pope in 1938 next to 377 South Audubon Road

377 South Audubon in 2014

The Smith Cottage (1946) at 381 South Audubon Road.

The historic images are courtesy of the descendants of the Pope Family via Ancestry.com.  

Butler University Band c1922

Can your hear the band practicing for the big game?  If you lived near the Butler University campus in the 1920s, there is a good chance that you might be listening to a rousing piece performed by these guys.  They are dressed for warm weather so they were likely getting ready to play around kickoff time.  It is very apparent that newer facilities for this group might have been in order based on the condition of the structure around them. W. Frank Jones, a local photographer snapped this image c1922.

Butler University pep band c1922

School #57--1922

Several proud eighth graders gathered in the spring of 1922 for this photo.  The pupils are all wearing their coats and the boys in the front row are sitting on folded chairs so they won't get dirty. Each graduate has a ribbon pinned to their coat.  Teachers clumped at the edge of the rows.  Some are smiling and some look stern.  I wonder about the lives of so many of these children.  What became of them?  It is likely that every person in this photo is no longer with us. How can this be as the children look so vibrant?  One African-American girl stands in the top row.  What became of her?  Did the other students treat her with respect?  We know of only one name in the photo and that is of Robert Orbison, who dwelled at 51 North Irvington Avenue. If you recognize any of the students or teachers in this photo, then drop me a note at williamfranklingulde@gmail.com.

Eighth Grade Graduation Photo at School IPS #57 in 1922

This historic image is courtesy of Carol Orbison.

The Orbisons of 51 North Irvington Avenue

Charles J. and Ella Talkenberg Orbison moved into 51 North Irvington Avenue in 1907. The couple had previously dwelled at 40 North Ritter Avenue before moving into the spacious American Four Square. Mr. Orbison, an attorney, later became a judge and was appointed to enforce the federal government's ban on alcohol.  In 1920, local newspapers hailed him as the bootlegger's worst enemy. Mrs. Orbison helped to raise the couple's two sons and was very involved at the Irvington Presbyterian Church and in the Eastern Star. Their sons, Telford and Robert, spent their formative years in the house and attended nearby School #57 before moving on to Shortridge High School and Arsenal Technical High School.  Both sons graduated from Butler University and would follow in their father's footsteps and pursue law as a career.

Sadness washed over the house in 1926 as Mrs. Orbison fell victim to breast cancer. With her sons and husband at her side, she passed away in the house at the age of 53. Mr. Orbison remained in the home until he moved to California in the late 1920s.  Telford Orbison and his wife Dorothy dwelled at 51 North Irvington Avenue by 1930.  This rising star in the Republican Party was appointed as a district attorney for the United States government.  He was also an avid golfer and helped to save the Pleasant Run Golf Course from a proposed boulevard extension in 1935. ("Irvington Golfers Storm Park Board Meeting," Indianapolis News, November 21, 1935)  The 1930 Federal Census reveals that 51 North Irvington Avenue was valued at $9000.   Robert made the decision to join his father in California, but just as he was ready to depart he learned that his Dad had suddenly passed away.  The young attorney and his wife, Beatrice, decided to return to Indianapolis, although not to Irvington.  Telford and his wife eventually moved to New Albany, Indiana in 1937 ending the Orbison's thirty-year tenure in the home.

51 North Irvington Avenue after a snowstorm c1912

Orbison Family:  Telford, Ella, and Robert Orbison in 1913.  Note Mrs. Orbison's beautiful dress. If only we could see it in color!  

Judge Charles J. Orbison c1910

Charles Orbison in 1926

Devilish grin: Robert Orbison posed the backyard of 51 North Irvington Avenue in 1911.  You can see the rear of homes located along Whittier Place.  

Serious and studious:  Telford Orbison posed for this photo c1912

Later years:  Ella Orbison posed for this photo sometime before her untimely death in 1926

Robert Orbison served the country in the U.S. Navy during World War II.  

51 North Irvington Avenue on March 10, 2014

The historic images, stories, and newspaper clippings are courtesy of Carol Orbison.