The Ostranders Settle Along Audubon Road

In 1921, local Irvingtonian Joseph Ostrander married Guinevere Ham of Shirley, Indiana at the Irvington Presbyterian Church. The couple took up housekeeping at the Audubon Court Apartments. Mr. Ostrander worked as printer and publisher of the Marion County Mail along with another Irvington resident, Howard Caldwell, Sr. The business partners had been friends since their days at Butler University. Mr. Ostrander, a veteran of World War I, was one of millions of people who fell victim to the Great Influenza Epidemic sweeping the planet in 1918. He survived but his health was never good after that. He died in 1926. He left behind a wife and his six-month-old daughter, Nancy.

Mrs. Ostrander was the daughter of George Washington and Adelaide Titus Ham of Hancock County. The Hams operated a successful farm. Mr. Ham named many of his ten children after great literary characters or locales.  One of his sons, for instance, received the name Walter Scott while another was called Montezuma. When it came time to name their youngest daughter, Mr. Ham was determined that the child would be named George no matter whether it was a girl or boy. Mrs. Ham quietly ignored her husband's demand and placed "Georgia Guinevere Ham" on the birth certificate. She became known as "Gwin." 

After the death of her husband, Guinevere Ostrander and her infant daughter, Nancy, moved into the beautiful house at 323 North Audubon Road in 1927. She had purchased the home from the Newton family. Two years earlier, Mrs. Ostrander had received news from her brother, Thaddeus Cooper Ham, who resided on a coffee plantation in Cuba, that his wife had died. He asked Guinevere to raise their newly born child, Eva Ruth Ham. Baby Eva arrived in August of 1927 along with her Cuban nanny, Esperanza Rodriguez, to stay permanently at her Audubon Road address. Mrs. Ostrander’s mother, Adelaide Titus Ham, of Shirley, Indiana joined her daughter at the home shortly thereafter. Other people would also call upon Mrs. Ostrander’s generosity over the years and the house remained a lively and exciting place.

Guinevere Ostrander watched over Nancy Ostrander, her daughter, (left) and Eva Ruth Ham (right), her niece and adopted daughter. The photo was taken in 1929 in the living room at 323 North Audubon Road.  

Employees of the Marion County Mail gathered for this photograph c1919 in front of their office at 105 North Alabama Street. Pictured from left to right:  Joseph Ostrander, Paul Cornelius, Howard Caldwell, Sr., and Miss Peterson. 

Nancy Ostrander and her cousin, Eva Ham, were raised as sisters. This photo was likely taken in 1927.

Mother and Daughter: Guinevere Ham Ostrander posed with her daughter, Nancy in 1929.

323 North Audubon Road in the autumn of 2015.  

The historic images are courtesy of Nancy Ostrander.  

Irvington--A College Town

From 1875 until 1928, Irvington hosted Butler University. For thousands of students, the neighborhood became an important part of their lives. Butler employed women as professors from its founding and was an early leader in coeducation among U.S. colleges. The campus provided very little housing with only one dorm so most students dwelled in boarding, fraternity, or sorority houses throughout the community. Many local residents earned an extra income by leasing out a bedroom to a Butler student. In 1912, the only dorm on campus was for out-of-town women. Decorum between men and women was tightly regulated in those days although campus officials frequently had meetings with the students to review the rules and infractions.

Two of the images below show the women's dorm on campus. The photos were taken between 1912 and 1919. The third image shows the bedroom of two Butler students. It was likely taken in a private home as the young women were members of the Kappa Kappa Kappa Sorority, but it might have been taken in the dorm. Note all of the interesting items in that photo!

Women's Dorm on Butler campus c1919 (demolished)

Women's Dorm on Butler campus in 1912 (demolished)

Two Butler women study and work in their room somewhere on or near the Butler campus in 1912

The historic images are courtesy of Nancy Ostrander.  

South Audubon Road Bungalow 1941 and 2015

On May 30, 1941, George and Barbara Long posed for this photo with their infant son, George, Jr. in front of their home at 346 South Audubon Road.  Mr. Long worked as a ruler for a ledger company. Mrs. Long taught Sunday school at the Irvington Presbyterian Church. She had been in an auto accident as a young woman and had suffered some paralysis so the couple needed a one story home. Thankfully, she regained the use of both of her arms and legs. The Longs lived in the modest bungalow for over fifty years.

Barbara and George Long posed with their son, George Jr. on May 30, 1941 in front of 346 South Audubon Road.

346 South Audubon Road in 2015

The historic image is courtesy of George William Long, IV.  

The Wilkens Family Move into 9th Street Cottage--1958

Pharmacist, Harold Wilkens and his wife, Ellen, purchased their first home in 1958. For years they leased doubles in the Emerson Heights and Irvington neighborhoods.  Late in life, they managed to save up enough money to purchase a beautiful Tudor-Revival brick cottage at 5260 East 9th Street. Their only child, Diana, dwelled in New York City at the time although she later returned upon learning the news that her Mother was dying.  Mrs. Wilkens passed away in 1964, but Mr. Wilkens continued to dwell in the house.  Diana later inherited the property. Photos from the late 1950s and early 1960s reveal joyful times in the house.

Ellen and Harold Wilkens proudly stand in front of their home at 5260 East 9th Street in the summer of 1958.

5260 East 9th Street in July of 1958

Ellen Wilkens decorated the Christmas tree in the living room at 5260 East 9th Street in 1958.

Harold and Ellen Wilkens on Christmas Day, 1958 in their home at 5260 East 9th Street

Ellen and Harold Wilkens in their dining room on Christmas Day, 1958

Christmas Day, 1959 at 5260 East 9th Street

Christmas Tree at 5260 East 9th Street in 1958

Ellen Wilkens on Christmas Day in 1958 at 5260 East 9th Street

Harold and Ellen Wilkens working in the kitchen at 5260 East 9th Street in 1958.  

The historic images are courtesy of Diana Wilkens.  

East Washington Street Double 1949 and 2015

In 1949, Samuel Wheeler posed for this photo next to his Ford Coupe in the driveway of 5115 East Washington Street. This home is no longer standing.  To his left, you can barely see the brick American Four Square at 5117 East Washington Street. It was at that point in its history the Blackwell Funeral Home.  Behind him, you can see the facade of the double at 5118-20 East Washington Street.  The Wilkens and Rahn family dwelled in that double throughout much of the 1950s.  Although a Bradford Pear Tree in the parking lot of the Speedway Gas Station made it impossible to capture the exact view in 2015, I tried to stand close to where Mr. Wheeler stood sixty-six years ago.

Samuel Wheeler posed next to his 1949 Ford Coupe. The white clapboard house to his right  (our left) was located at 5115 East Washington Street and is no longer standing.  

5118-20 East Washington Street in 2015

The historic image is courtesy of the Wheeler family via Ancestry.com.  

Exciting Times at an East Washington Street Double

For years the Wilkens family dwelled in a small one-bedroom double along Linwood Avenue. In 1950, Harold and Ellen Wilkens along with their daughter Diana moved into a spacious double at 5120 East Washington Street.  The family could see the beautiful Hilton U. Brown mansion across the street and of course in the winter, they watched as hundreds of kids sledded down his steep hill. Next door, motorists stopped by the Flying Red Horse Filling Station on the northeast corner of East Washington Street and Emerson Avenue to fill up their Pontiacs, Buicks, Cadillacs, and other boat-sized vehicles. Mr. Wilkens, a pharmacist, purchased his first car in 1950--a 1949 Chevrolet.

Young Diana enjoyed living in the stucco double as she could walk to Howe High School, a place she loved.  Each morning she dressed up in her cashmere sweater, long dress, hose, and flat shoes and entered Miss Motley's homeroom class. She loved to draw so Mr. Howard, an art instructor, was one of her favorite teachers.  She joined a social club called  "Smiles" and hung out with friends after school. After graduating from Howe in 1952, Diana matriculated to Butler University. She continued to dwell with her parents

Then Diana decided to do something crazy. In 1956, she bid her bid parents "farewell" and headed off to New York City with a few other friends. She landed a job with the Benton and Bowls Ad Agency as an art secretary. While she mainly kept the files organized for the executives and ad men, she occasionally helped out the creative directors by posing for test shots before the models would be brought in for the actual photo shoot.  Diana had to pinch herself as she met famous people like Norman Rockwell, Grandma Moses, and fashion designer John Weitz. She also fell in love, but in 1964 she learned that her mother was ill so she packed up her bags and made the long ride home to Irvington, where a new life awaited her.

Diana Wilkens posed for this shot with her date, Paul Ross, in her home at 5120 East Washington Street in 1954

All Dressed Up: Diana Wilkens on the front steps of 5120 East Washington Street in 1954

Diana Wilkens playfully held up "Ming" to the Christmas wreath hanging on the door at 5120 East Washington Street in 1955.

Mr. Wilkens fed a tame squirrel on the rear stoop of 5120 East Washington Street in 1954

Exciting Times: Diana Wilkens and Alan Pentaleri posed for a test shoot for an ad while working at the Benton and Bowls Ad Agency in New York City in 1958.  

The Wilkens family moved into the double at 5118-20 East Washington Street in 1950 would remain there throughout the decade.  

Tough Times on Linwood Avenue During the Great Depression

Harold Wilkens (1904-1976) and Ellen Smolley (1908-1964) eloped in 1930 and kept their marriage a secret for two years. They lived separately, but eventually in 1932 they formally announced to their families that they had wed. Mr. Wilkens found a job as a pharmacist with Henry Silver, who ran a drug store along Michigan Street near Bosart Avenue. In 1934, the couple had a daughter, Diana. With little money and in the middle of the Great Depression, the couple leased a double at 727 North Linwood Avenue. It was a small one-bed apartment and became even smaller when Carrie Gardner, the mother of Ellen Wilkens, moved in with them. Mrs. Gardner and the baby shared the bedroom while Harold and Ellen moved the dining room table each night and pulled down the Murphy Bed built into the wall. They remained in the small double for thirteen years before moving into a larger place in Irvington.

Young Diana had many friends along Linwood Avenue and attended School #58 nearby. She used to play in the woods and meadow in what would later become the Linwood Square shopping area. She recalled a fruit stand along East 10th Street near Linwood Avenue.  Diana remembered that times were tough for her family during those days.  In 1947, their landlord asked them to leave so that he could move in family members of his own. While initially this caused chaos in their lives, they would soon lease a beautiful double at 5120 East Washington Street.  

Diana Wilkens posed for her mother in front of 727-29 North Linwood Avenue in 1938.

Diana Wilkens in the front and backyard of 727 North Linwood Avenue in 1938

Christmas in 1940:  Diana Wilkens enjoyed Christmas Day in her home at 727 North Linwood Avenue. In the upper right photo, you can see Ed and Thelma Sheets who stopped by for a visit. Snowball the cat is visible in some photos.

Diana Wilkens and a friend posed for this shot in 1940 in her yard at 727 North Linwood Avenue. Behind the girls, you can see the tree-lined street and the homes in the 700 block of that street.  

The small double at 727-29 North Linwood Avenue looks much the same as it did when the Wilkens family dwelled here from 1934 to 1947. (Photo taken in the summer of 2015)