What We Did in 2010

Every year, the president of the Franklin Township Historical Society compiles a summary of the year's events. Here is this year's wrap-up from FTHS president Diana Stevenson.

Sages say that “time flies when you’re having fun,” and Franklin Township Historical Society has been having fun for 35 years! Our members and the community continue to astound us with their interest, their support, and their contributions in keeping and documenting the history of Franklin Township. Our Meeting House has welcomed over 200 guests during 2010, including Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Franklin Township 4-H club members, the 1960 graduating class of Franklin Township High School, and numerous visitors during Open Hours. Special activities during Open Hours were quite successful: two croquet tournaments, a cat demonstration, a post card exchange and tours of Big Run Cemetery.

Community participation efforts included our input in the planning of an Indy Parks recreation area near the Wanamaker Post Office, providing input for a proposed Historic Michigan Road Byway and judging student projects for National History Day. Presentations informing local groups about our historical society were given to the Four Corners Home Ec Club, Franklin Township Chamber of Commerce, Perry Township Historical Society, and Marion County Home Economics group. We provided an exhibit for the Wanamaker Branch Public Library and participated in the second annual Genealogy Fair at the Indiana State Library.

The “Remembrances” weekly column continues in popularity and provides a wealth of information to readers of the Informer. Sylvia Henricks is to be applauded for this important contribution and for her encouragement in recruiting other members to provide stories of interest.

The Christmas holidays provided an opportunity for walking in the annual Christmas Parade in conjunction with “Christmas in Wanamaker,” and we held our first Old Fashioned Christmas Party at the Meeting House, where we sang carols and enjoyed cookies and hot cider.

We published a new book, A Celebration of Learning, an updated history of Franklin Township Schools, and created new note cards this year. Our publications continue to be our most valuable funding source. Old Settlers’ Day, Christmas in Wanamaker, Acton Craft Fair and a Harvest Festival at the Moravian Church allow us to showcase our publications. Since the 2009 Annual Meeting, we have accepted 3 new lifetime members and 10 new regular members. A special thanks goes out to all those who renew their membership annually.

We continue to receive inquiries via the internet and our webmaster, Alena Van Arendonk, has moved us into the 21^st century with the addition of Facebook!

We continue to send quarterly newsletters to our members, have monthly board meetings, and have nearly completed a data base of our possessions. There are some new exhibits in the display cases at the Meeting House, some newly organized and indexed scrapbooks making them more user-friendly for our visitors and many new gifts received during the year from the community and our members. This year has been another opportunity for Franklin Township Historical Society to be the recipient of an Eagle Scout project. Josh Armentrout recently completed his project, which includes a lighted sign that once served to provide information about Big Run Baptist Church. We can now post information about upcoming events on our new sign and our American flag is lighted at dark.

As the year closes, it is a perfect time to thank the Board Members of the Franklin Township Historical Society. Their faithfulness in attending meetings, participating in events, sending press releases, cleaning the Meeting House, and baking cookies is greatly appreciated! Kudos to John Kanouse, Carolyn Kanouse, Dana Crapo, , Sylvia Henricks, Nancy Van Arendonk, Diana Hipple, Ginny Compton, Larry Stevenson, David Ostheimer, Alena Van Arendonk, Marlena Linne, Jim Winton, Evelyn Tandy and Ben Schuman.

Diana Stevenson, president

November 4, 2010

Croquet Competition at FTHS Meeting House

Franklin Township Historical Society invites one and all to participate in a croquet tournament at the Meeting House (6510 South Franklin Road) on Saturday, October 2. Sign-ups will begin at 1 p.m. with play starting at 1:45 p.m. This event is free and open to all ages. Light refreshments will be available.

For more information, contact Diana Stevenson at kimgada2004@yahoo.com.

Marjorie Main - Ma Kettle

Among Acton's many and varied claims to fame is that it is the birthplace of actress Marjorie Main. Although she appeared in more than 80 roles throughout her career, often opposite big-name stars such as Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne and Judy Garland, she is best remembered as Ma Kettle from the popular series of Ma & Pa Kettle films.

On October 8 and 9, the Historic Artcraft Theatre in Franklin, Indiana will be showing one of these classic films, The Further Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle. If you haven't seen this local girl on the big screen, now's your chance! You'll also be supporting historic preservation; the Artcraft is a 1920s-vintage movie palace in care of the non-profit organization Franklin Heritage, Inc., and all proceeds go to the restoration of the building.

For more information, visit the Artcraft's website.

Phillip Gulley at Harvest Dinner

The FTHS is proud to announce that Phillip Gulley, author of 16 books and Emmy-winning television personality, will be the speaker Nov. 4th at the Franklin Township Historical Society’s annual Harvest Dinner. The event is open to the public.

Gulley, best known for his “Harmony” series and other widely-acclaimed books, also hosts "Porch Talk with Phil Gulley" on the PBS/WFYI television show Across Indiana.
The Wall Street Journal has said of him, “Philip Gulley [has] a charming sense of small-town life and a shrewd sense of life in general. A self-deprecating narrator, he knows how to exaggerate in a witty way.”

The event will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday Nov. 4th at the New Bethel Baptist Church, 8936 Southeastern Avenue, Indianapolis. Tickets are $25 per person and include a full dinner. Attendees will also be able to speak with Phillip Gulley afterward and have books autographed, if desired. To reserve a place, mail payment to the Franklin Township Historical Society, P.O. Box 39015, Indianapolis, IN 46239. For more information, contact Diana Stevenson (317-862-8822 or kimgada2004@yahoo.com).

Post Cards on Display

Franklin Township Historical Society invites all those interested in post cards to come to Open Hours at the Meeting House (6510 South Franklin Road) on July 18, from 1-4 p.m. "It is interesting to see what cards are most valued by collectors," says Joe Seiter, long time post card enthusiast. FTHS has several collections that will be on display and some cards will be offered for sale.

Old Settlers Day

Join us Sunday, June 27 for Old Settlers Day, Wanamaker's annual summer street fair! We will again be hosting our popular used book sale -- books of every genre are only 50 cents each! -- as well as offering our publications, memberships, Instant Ancestors, and more at our booth.

For more information on Old Settlers Day, visit the FTCC's page.

Remembrances: Watercolor Cabin

Today, we bring you one of Sylvia Henricks' "Remembrances." You can read more of Sylvia's columns weekly in The Franklin Township Informer, or in her book From The Ash Grove (available directly from the FTHS, and via the web site).

Open Hours at the Society's Meeting House -- 6510 S. Franklin Road, from 1 to 4 p.m., on the first Saturdays, and the third Sundays of March through October -- are almost always an interesting time. All members are invited to share the afternoons, greet visitors, and perhaps help answer their questions.

We never know what a visitor may ask for -- information on his family -- the history of an old house he may be remodeling -- the photo of a great-grandparent who may have attended one of the district schools. We have a variety of places to look: abstracts, files of photographs, our own publications, scrapbooks and family histories. Sometimes we can help, sometimes not, but we never fail to try.

When township resident Stanley Wise came on our first Open Hours of the season, he said, "My father, Donald Wise, who died a few years ago, told me you had a picture of the old house -- a log cabin -- that once stood on Maze Road where the house my parents, Don and Iona Wise, later lived, and where I now live. The old house, my father thought, had a dug well in front, and another in the back, with a few outbuildings."

Several of us looked through our Area Old Houses book, our 2009 Calendar of historic homes, and through our collection of old photographs. Nothing. And then I heard Stanley say, "Yes, that's it." Dave Ostheimer had found what we were looking for -- but in a form that I, at least, had not thought of. It was a small framed watercolor, one of three given to the Society by Leroy Compton many years ago, on display in one of our cases.

The paintings were done by a relative of Leroy's, Dale Hendrickson, who with his wife liked to come "from the city" and visit his wife's sister, Leroy's grandmother, Edith Rabourn Maze at their farm home on Knapp Road. Dale sometimes brought his paints along. The other two watercolors are also country scenes -- a house on Knapp Road, and a log barn.

A card taped to the bottom edge of the frame identified the scene. "This log house was located where the Donald Wise family now live at 9540 Maze Road. Leroy Compton commented: 'My grandfather, Roy Maze, had a brother, Erasmus, who returned to Indiana from one of the Dakotas where the had homesteaded. Erasmus moved into the house where the Chamberlains now live, down a lane by the west side of the house in the picture. In the 1930s Erasmus built a new house on the site of the log house. My folks tell me that they remember the last occupant of the log house, an elderly single fellow who did odd jobs and lived from his garden, which occupied most of his summer time. My mother thinks the man's name was Nixon. Before the house was torn down, my grandfather stored farm implements in it.'"

More 2010 Events!

We're celebrating our 35th anniversary with lots of free community events! If you've been reading along, you already know about our Barnyard Croquet Tournament and Performing Cat demonstration on May 15 (if you missed this news, it's from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Meeting House). But be sure to add our other summer events to your calendar, as well! Here's a handy reference list that you can copy to your calendar, tape to your refrigerator door, or otherwise turn into a memorandum:

May 15 - Barnyard Croquet Tournament and Performing Cats, at the Meeting House (6510 S. Franklin Rd.), 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

May 16 - Regular Open Hours at the Meeting House.

June 5 - Informative Cemetery Walk at the Big Run Cemetery (across the street from the Meeting House, on Franklin Rd.) during Open Hours.

June 19 - Field Trip to historic Spiritualist camp at Chesterfield, IN. Departs from Meeting House in morning; returns early afternoon.

June 20 - Regular Open Hours at the Meeting House.

June 27 - Old Settlers' Day street fair on Southeastern Ave. in Wanamaker.

July 3 - Regular Open Hours at the Meeting House.

July 18 - Antique Postcard Display during Open Hours at the Meeting House.

August 7 - Regular Open Hours at the Meeting House.

August 22 - Regular Open Hours at the Meeting House.

There are more events to come in the fall and winter, so check back frequently!

A Celebration of Learning: Memorials and Tributes

Attention, Franklin Township Residents!

Franklin Township Historical Society is preparing to publish an updated book on the history of Franklin Township Schools. A Celebration of Learning: An Updated History of Franklin Township Schools is planned for summer of 2010. Many of you purchased copies of a 1988 publication, Readin', Writin' and Rememberin', and the new book will highlight many of the changes since that time.

To offset the cost of publishing, FTHS is inviting individuals and local businesses to place notes of appreciation in the book to (1) honor someone, or (2) in memory of someone who has been a positive influence in your life. The costs of these tributes are: an eighth of a page ($25); one-fourth of a page ($40) and a half page ($75). Space is limited. The deadline for placing this information in the new book is April 30. The name of the person being honored may have 10 – 15 words of description (sample at right).

For information regarding the placement of these tributes, phone 862-8822 or e-mail kimgada2004@yahoo.com. You may also contact any member of the “Celebration of Learning” committee: Sylvia Henricks, David Ostheimer, Barb Fengya, Linda Hayward or Diana Stevenson.

2010 Events

The FTHS has a full schedule this year!

In 2010 we celebrate our 35th anniversary! Plus, we have a new book in the works (more on that later!), and we're working on some very special programs for our membership.

The first date to save is May 15, 2010. We'll be hosting an old-fashioned croquet tournament! For those not participating in the lawn games, Melissa Heigl of The Ideal Pet will offer a performance featuring her amazing trained cats. Melissa and her performing cats have been featured in The Indianapolis Star and on Fox 59.

Stay tuned for more free community events, brought to you by the Franklin Township Historical Society!

Four Corners Home Economics Club

Photo: (L to R) Phyllis Reasoner, Iona Wise and Eleanor Radcliffe preparing soup in the kitchen of Acton United Methodist Church.

In what has become a tradition, the members of the Four Corners Home Economic club met recently for their January soup meeting. Everyone began arriving with a small container of chopped vegetables which were added to a simmering meat broth that would soon be ladled out as a delicious vegetable soup. There is no need to remind readers of the delicious aroma guiding the group into the kitchen. “We meet monthly, and several years ago, we started out the new year by gathering together and making soup for lunch at our first meeting of the year,” stated Phyllis Reasoner, a long-time member of the group.

Beulah Rabourn and Juanita Wilson, charter members of Four Corners Club were in attendance at the meeting and recalled a time when the group had lots of members and there were several Home Economics clubs active in rural communities. Home economic clubs were started in Indiana about 1915 and were intended to strengthen families and communities through education and leadership training. Extension services reached out to more than 70,000 homes in Indiana by the 1950s, focusing on health, nutrition, sewing and other homemaking skills. “Today, we have twelve members and most of the time, we just go out to eat,” says Jan Schildmeier, the current leader of the club. “We still do some community service projects, but our club is primarily a social gathering.” In the recent past, Four Corners Club has completed projects with Riley Hospital, some local nursing homes and a Christmas project with Veterans.

Members of the group are Garnet Denney, Sandy Gilkerson, May Jamison, Barbara Rowe, Carol Waterman, Sandy Weber, Phyllis Reasoner, Iona Wise, Eleanor Radcliffe, Beulah Rabourn, Juanita Wilson, and Jan Schildmeier. Eight additional members are inactive due to health issues.

A brief meeting with a speaker from Franklin Township Historical Society allowed time for the soup to cook. A relish tray was assembled and a tempting pretzel salad dessert with cherry topping was placed on the counter. One could tell that this group of women knew all about homemaking and hostessing at its finest.

article by FTHS president Diana Stevenson

"Indiana Experience" at IHS

Nothing FTHS-specific today, but if you're interested in local or state history, you might want to check out the new "Indiana Experience" at the Indiana Historical Society.

Follow this link for more information.

2010 Open Hours Begin!

Join us this Saturday for our first Open Hours of 2010! The Meeting House (located at 6510 S. Franklin Road) will be open for visitation from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

The Meeting House is open to the public on the first Saturday and third Sunday of the month from March through October. During open hours, visitors may tour the Meeting House and Big Run Cemetery, read and purchase FTHS publications, research their family's local history, view our collection of artifacts, period photographs, vintage clothing, township school yearbooks and athletic records, and more.

Remembrances: Acton Camp Ground

Today, we bring you one of Sylvia Henricks' "Remembrances." You can read more of Sylvia's columns weekly in The Franklin Township Informer, or in her book From The Ash Grove (available directly from the FTHS, and via the web site).



At right is a photograph of the “lake” on the Acton Camp Ground. You can see it is a more modest expanse of water than last week’s photo. (If you can identify the lake shown last week, please call the Informer or me.) This lake originated when, in the late 1800s, the directors of the camp ground decided to construct it as a means of fire protection and for recreation. They dammed up the creek that runs through the grounds near the corner of Southport and Acton Roads. The camp ground papers include a list of cottage holders who made $5 and $10 contributions toward the cost.

The Society has two photos of the lake, about 6 x 8 inches in size, sepia toned and mounted, similar, but taken from slightly different angles. They are the work of amateur Acton photographer Oscar Meacham (1871-1944). The late David Meacham, Oscar’s son, was one of our long-time Society members. He gave us many of his father’s photographs, a few of his glass plate negatives, and some of the film processing equipment he used..

David also wrote a biography of his father of which the Society has a copy. Oscar became head of the family when his father, a medical doctor in Acton, became ill and died at age 53. Oscar was 17. “He dropped out of the Acton Academy and went to work for the New York Central Railroad as a telegrapher at the Acton station. Later he was an operator of Dix Tower (Dix Road, Acton), and of a tower near Cincinnati, and was the Station Master of the Acton Depot.”

Oscar Meacham was also an amateur photographer. “He built a studio or ‘gallery’ behind the family home at 7735 Swails Street (then Washington Street). He attended photography school and photographers’ conventions at Winona Lake. He made many portraits. He took pictures of people, places and things using his studio camera mounted on a folding tripod. He took ‘trick pictures’ of himself as well… He traveled around the countryside on his bicycle with his camera, taking pictures of people lying in their coffins as requested by their families. (This was a custom of that time.)”

We have Oscar Meacham – and his son David -- to thank for many of our early photos of the Acton area. A favorite is one of a Big Four engine standing in front of the Acton Depot. Oscar is in that photo, David told us, standing at the front, with his hands on his hips.

New Mailing List!

There's a new way to stay up to date with the Franklin Township Historical Society! Sign up for our e-mail list at our website.

We won't e-mail you very often, and we will NEVER sell your address to advertisers or spammers. We just want to make it easier for you to keep in touch!

Remembrances: County Institute School Teachers

Today, we bring you one of Sylvia Henricks' "Remembrances." You can read more of Sylvia's columns weekly in The Franklin Township Informer, or in her book From The Ash Grove (available directly from the FTHS, or via the web site).

On the back of this old photo is written "County Institute, Court House front. School teachers." Given to the Franklin Township Historical Society in "9-1992" it originally belonged to Paul Copeland, a Franklin Township school teacher.

The photo is undated, but the clothing of the persons shown appears to be the late 1800s. The "Court House" is the building on east Washington Street replaced quite a few years ago now by the City County Building. The "County Institute" was a progam adopted by professional educators to encourage and instruct school teachers, especially those in rural schools, in their methods and content of their teaching.

The Indiana State Teachers Association was organized in 1854, but it was not until 1865 that the state began to require annual teacher institutes, later supplemented by monthly township institutes. (The idea was widespread that anyone could teach, especially in a country school.)

The first state normal school was opened on January 6, 1865, in Terre Haute. Other such schools followed. Historian Logan Esary stated in A History of Indiana from 1850 to 1920, "Besides these, there have been hundreds of temporary 'summer normals,' holding usually ten weeks in which a modicum of methods have been taught" One of these summer normal schools was held at Acton for several years. (See our Society's publication. Readin', Writin', and Rememberin' [1988]).

Among our possessions is a Xerox copy of a journal kept for a few years by William T. Maze, a local farmer-school teacher who attended the Acton Normal School, and also, on occasion, went to the County Institute in Indianapolis.

Interesting to note in the photo, is the number of women. What was once considered a man's profession became increasingly one for women. James Madison in his book, The Indiana Way (1986), quotes Caleb Mills, an Indiana educator who said on hiring women teachers, "the expenses might be materially diminished while the character of the schools might be essentially improved." The author continued, "Only 1/5 of the teachers were women in 1860, more than half by 1900, and two-thirds by World War I."

As Seen On TV!*

Finances have weighed heavily on the public mind for the past couple of years. One of the most common -- and perhaps the most overused -- phrases in all of 2009 was, "In this economy..." We've all fretted over the rising prices of gasoline and other amenities, and many consumers have cut back on spending in an attempt to stretch their dollars a bit more.

In 1953, when this photo of Ault's Service Station (8602 Southeastern Ave.; now Randy's Pizza) was taken, a gallon of gasoline cost less than a quarter. At times, when stations were in competition, the price dipped as low as 15 cents per gallon. Oh, for those days again...!

Of course, inflation ran its course. As the millennium drew to a close, a gallon of gas cost closer to a dollar -- though, again, at times the price wars dropped it to 78 or 80 cents.

The last time I filled my tank, I paid $2.79 per gallon -- a full two dollars more than I might have paid only a decade ago.

Thinking about those two dollars makes you long for a really good bargain, doesn't it?

...For example, something that would cost you less than a dollar per month -- but would give you priceless benefits in return?

Yes, yes, you know where I'm going now, because this entire post is a shameless bait-and-switch! This is the part in the script where you say, "Tell me where I can find such a great value!" and I reply, "A membership in the Franklin Township Historical Society costs only ten dollars per year." That's only 83 cents per month!

"But wait, there's more!"


For your donation, you'll receive a host of benefits. In addition to the Society's newsletter, you'll be invited to attend Membership Dinners and other events. You'll also be supporting educational presentations in local schools, walking tours of Wanamaker and Acton, cemetery tours, quilt and antiques shows, historic preservation and archiving, and many other community programs sponsored or contributed to by the Franklin Township Historical Society. You'll even be supporting this blog, and all the photos and articles that appear herein.

All that, and more, for just 83 cents per month. That's so little money, I can't even convert it to the obligatory cups-of-coffee scale.

Or, if you've an inclination to long-term planning, you can join as a Life Member for a one-time $100 donation! That's right -- full membership benefits, every year for the rest of your life, and you'll never need to send another check! It's an even better deal than the low, low price of $10/year!

Okay, enough of the infomercial script; since we're a nonprofit organization, we don't really have operators standing by. To join the Society, or to renew your membership, please mail your check (made out to Franklin Township Historical Society) to:

FTHS Membership
c/o Virginia Compton
8103 Mathews Road
Indianapolis, IN 46259

The Franklin Township Historical Society is a not-for-profit organization, and relies on donations to operate. All contributions to the Franklin Township Historical Society are tax-deductible.


* The title of this post is in fact accurate, as the Franklin Township Historical Society has been featured on no fewer than three national television programs. We're famous! Kinda.

Remembrances: Paris Plaiter

Today, we bring you one of Sylvia Henricks' "Remembrances." You can read more of Sylvia's columns weekly in The Franklin Township Informer, or in her book From The Ash Grove (available directly from the FTHS, and via the web site).



"We found this in an old trunk in an upstairs bedroom of the house my daughter and her husband bought," Nancy VanArendonk said, showing us a strange object, a wooden board covered on one side with narrow metal strips hinged at one end and clamping to the board at the other.

What could it be? We at the Meeting House, gathered for a board meeting, had no idea. Faded printed directions on the back of the board gave us a suggestion, calling it a "Paris Plaiter." "Plaiting," to our group, meant a braiding-like process, but as we deciphered the instructions, we learned they referred to what we call "pleating." The device was apparently an aid to producing evenly spaced pleats in a dress or blouse.

I took the Paris Plaiter home, cleaned it up a bit -- it was both rusty and dirty, but apparently in working order. As I read the directions (with a magnifying glass, I must admit), I learned you needed a cardboard gauge to properly pleat the fabric, which lay under some of the metal strips, and on top of others. But how did you keep the pleats in place so you could sew them down.? A final sentence in the directions suggested the answer. "If you are working with wool, use a damp cloth." Of course! You ironed them in -- that was why the thing was on a heavy board!

While I didn't succeed in making a set of plaits/pleats, I could see it might be done by a nimble-fingered persistent seamstress. I found a 1906 copy of a women's magazine, and sure enough, there was an article about making tucks, gathers and pleats. But who today makes pleated bodices, which would also surely have to be carefully ironed?

One wonders if the seamstress of a century ago who lived on a farm on Vandergriff Road and who bought a Paris Plaiter found it useful. Perhaps she tried it out, decided her "old way" was easier, and put her new purchase away for a future day...

Bring-An-Item Antiques Showcase

While it's cold and snowy and dark outside, it's best to think back to warm times... like last August, when the FTHS sponsored its second "Bring-An-Item" Antiques Showcase! If you missed the event, here's a recap:

It just goes to show that often it's right to hang on to those old things.

The "Bring-An-Item" antiques showcase, sponsored by the Franklin Township Historical Society and held August 2, 2009 at the Zion United Church of Christ, drew a wide variety of items to be evaluated. Attendees arrived with china, a Civil War sword, an autographed baseball, old artwork, silver and statuary, among other things. But the focus of the event turned out to be a set of toys that were originally paid for with chickens.

Harold Prange brought farming toys that were originally purchased for him in 1938 when he was a boy. At that time, he says, the toys were paid for with two chickens, and he played with the toys quite a bit. But when Antique Week editor Connie Swaim examined the toys and looked up the prices at which the same items had recently sold at auction, Mr. Prange learned that his three toys are now worth $1,500.00.

It's the hope for that sort of news that draws many of the people who attend events such as this one. Some come with a cherished family heirloom; others attend just hoping that that old item they stored all these years might turn out to be worth something.

This was the second year that the Franklin Township Historical Society has offered the "Bring An Item" event. This year, as last, those attending were able to enjoy complimentary refreshments while they waited to have their items examined, and were also able to browse the collection of Historical Society publications for sale.

This year's event was again made possible with the assistance of Antique Week editor Connie Swaim and a group of evaluators from the Exit 76 Antique Mall. The Franklin Township Historical Society greatly appreciates the work done by each of these individuals, all of whom came at their own expense, making it possible for the Society to again offer this event to the public free of charge.

The Historical Society also wishes to thank Zion United Church of Christ for graciously allowing the use of its facilities.

Remembrances: Post Cards

Today, we bring you one of Sylvia Henricks' "Remembrances." You can read more of Sylvia's columns weekly in The Franklin Township Informer, or in her book From The Ash Grove (available directly from the FTHS, or via the web site).



“Everyone ought to have a hobby, and it ought to be something he can share,” says Joe Seiter, a postcard collector and new member of the Franklin Township Historical Society. Joe has collected Indiana postcards for 35 years, and still finds cards to add to his favorite subjects, interurban, small town street scenes, and Santa Claus cards.

“I think we are all collectors by nature,” he says. Born and raised on Indianapolis east side, Joe remembers as a boy collecting balls of string to sell to a dealer who came through the neighborhood. Then he and a friend picked up discarded cigarette packages and took out the tinfoil, squeezing it into a ball. That, too, found a market as did match book covers, used stamps, and all kinds of Christmas memorabilia.

“And then,” he continues, “sometime in my twenties, I saw an ad for 100 postcards for $1.00. I asked for as many Indianapolis cards as possible, getting about 40 such cards in the package.” During Army service in the Korean War, marriage and a 35 year career at Western Electric, Joe’s love of Indiana postcards has grown and remains his favorite activity.

His cards are carefully arranged in albums. A special album holds his 350-plus interurban cards, showing the big electric “tractions” stopping at intersections for passengers, rolling through the countryside, crossing bridges, in city traffic with horse drawn wagons and automobiles, and at stations. Some cards show groups ready for an outing posing in front of cars. Other cards show the buildings which produced the electricity that powered the interurbans. Several show the Interurban Terminal on Market Street in downtown Indianapolis, with its nine tracks, the largest such station in the country. (Only Ohio had more miles of track than Indiana.)

Joe values all postcards for their historic and sentimental value. “Sometimes a postcard is the only proof that a house or building really stood somewhere,” he says. The monetary value of individual postcards depends on its rarity, and its condition. “Most valuable,” he says, “are the ‘real photos,’ actual black and white photographs printed on postcard stock. ‘Views’ are often colored and are printed by a different process, often with a white border.”

Joe, who lives in Perry Township, is a charter member of the Indianapolis Postcard Club, organized in 1975, and has served as president for some 20 years. He also has 17 postcards of Acton, of which he has given us copies. He enjoyed looking at our Society’s postcard collection, commenting, “I’m always intrigued to see a “new” card I haven’t seen before.”

Welcome to the FTHS blog!

Hello, and welcome to the blog of the Franklin Township Historical Society! Here you'll find reports and photos of our member gatherings, special events, educational seminars and more. If you're in or near Indianapolis and interested in your community's history, we encourage you to get involved!

If you're not currently a member of the FTHS, click over to our website and learn more about our organization!

You can also visit us on Facebook and become a fan.