Ice Cream Social at Meeting House

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).


The Franklin Township Historical Society celebrated the cooler weather at its Open Hours on  Sunday, August 19 with an Ice-cream Social on the grounds, and recognizing new members to the Society. The names of 27 new members and those renewing their first year memberships, were placed in an old-fashioned glass churn base, with a name to be drawn later in the afternoon. That person would receive one of the Society’s woven coverlets showing historic buildings in Franklin Township.

Twenty or so membes and guests enjoyed the frozen-yoghurt “ice-cream” with a variety of toppings, and cookies, served in the shade of the building by Program Chair, Diana Hipple and her committee. Other members and guests in the Meeting House looked at a genealogy chart for Sue Winton, including many generations, and several recent gifts to the Society. One of these was a large wooden wheel upon which the bell to the original New Bethel Baptist Church had been attached, the gift of Oren Schilling.

At the close of the afternoon the name of the lucky winner of the coverlet was drawn, new member Mary L. Lovell.

Those present were reminded of the Open Hours on Sunday, September 16, when Dana Crapo will give a Big Run Cemetery Tour. That afternoon will also include at its conclusion, a book signing session for the Societiy’s new publication, “Humble but Historic, the Surviving WPA Outhouses in Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana”, by Sylvia. The owners of these structures, and those who helped with information will be recognized and presented with a book. The publication will then be “officially” on sale for $7.00. (Open Hours at the Meeting House are held on the first Saturday and the third Sunday of March through October, from 1 to 4 p.m.)

 Members enjoying frozen yoghurt.

Winner of drawing for the woven coverlet, Mary L. Lovell, center. On left Diana Hipple, on

right, society president John Kanouse.

Membership Outing to Indiana History Center

Join us Wednesday, July 11 for a group tour and lunch the Indiana History Center! Meet at the Meeting House (6510 S. Franklin Rd.) at 10AM for carpooling, if desired, or to caravan with the group so we all arrive at one time. Special exhibits on Prohibition, a 1950s Jewish home, the polio vaccine and more will be open at the IHC during our visit. Lunch will be at the museum cafeteria, beside the canal. Admission to the museum will be between $5 and $7, depending on how many people attend (group rates at a discount).

Save The Date - IHS Outing

Join us July 11 for a membership outing to the Indiana Historical Society in downtown Indianapolis on the canal.  The outing includes lunch.  More info to come!

2012 Special Events

Open Hours have begun for 2012! We held our first Open Hours at the Meeting House this past Saturday and welcomed several new guests. Open Hours are from 1 to 4 p.m. on the first Saturday and third Sunday of each month from March through October.

We also have a full year of events planned! Some are even scheduled at the Meeting House during Open Hours, so in addition to touring the Meeting House or Big Run Cemetery, you can enjoy special exhibits.

Here's a list of some of the special events we'll be hosting and community events we'll be participating in this year:

April 15 - Vintage Toy Display at Open Hours

May 20 - Croquet Tournament on Meeting House lawn

June 2 - Antique Postcard Display at Open Hours

June 24 - Old Settlers Day in Wanamaker

July 7 - Outsider Art Show at Open Hours

August 19 - Membership Open House and Ice Cream Social

September 16 - Big Run Cemetery Tour

October 21 - Ghost Stories at Open Hours

October 27 - Harvest Dinner and Annual Meeting

November 3 - Acton United Methodist Church craft fair

December 1 - Christmas in Wanamaker community fair

December 16 - Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration at Meeting House

There are three or four more big events in the works, and we'll announce dates for those as soon as we have confirmation. Check your membership newsletter for updates!

And if you're not a member -- or if you haven't yet renewed your membership for 2012 -- you can be a part of all this and more for only $10 per year! For more information on joining the FTHS, please visit this page.

Members' Lunch at the Propylaeum

submitted by president emerita Sylvia Henricks

A day-trip is always fun, and the Society members who drove into Indianapolis in early July to visit the Propylaeum on Delaware Street for a tour and lunch had a good time. The big “Queen Anne style” mansion is the headquarters for a woman’s organization to “encourage the appreciation of the arts for the public, and especially for women." The name itself means “Gateway.”

It was organized in 1888, under the guidance of May Wright Sewell -- a painting of her by T.C. Steele is in the entrance hall – who became the first president. The group built an imposing stone clubhouse on North Street where they remained, sponsoring many groups for women, until the building of the World War Memorial in 1922 forced them to move. (Our member Joe Seiter brought a postcard of that first building to show us.)

The ladies purchased the house and lot at 1410 N. Delaware in 1923. The house had been built in the 1880s by a brewer whose wife wanted to live on the near north side, known as “the Gold Coast” area. It has many fine details – 12 foot ceilings, “pocket-doors.” A broad, carpeted staircase ascending three floors. A ballroom is on the third floor, along with the servants’ quarters. Six bedrooms and baths are on the second floor. Downstairs, the fireplace fronts are decorated with tile, believed to be Rookwood.

Later owners were George McCulloch, owner of the Indianapolis Star, and President and General Manager of the Indiana Transit Co. Another brewer, with many financial interests became the third owner, In the 1920s the College of Music and Fine Arts, a forerunner to the Jordan College of Fine Arts at Butler University, bought the property, but “decided to free itself from the financial burden, and the house was purchased with Liberty Bonds by the Propylaeum for $65,000. (Most of the above information is from a brochure given guests.)

As funds have allowed the house has been restored. It is a beautiful example of elegant living in a bygone era. We –14 of us—enjoyed a lovely meal in one of the formal parlors, the table set with stemmed glasses, china and

flowers.

It was Evelyn’s birthday, and the hostess put her at the head of the table, with a tiara on her head. Our meals enjoyed and finished, our thank-you’s expressed to the hostess and the servers, we left through the “Georgian Style” front door with its hand-wrought iron grill, to return to our humbler, but no less treasured, Southside homes.

Lunch at the Propylaeum

Join us Wednesday, July 6 for an exclusive FTHS Membership event! We'll have a private tour of the historic Propylaeum, followed by a delicious lunch. (A donation of $1 is requested for the tour, and the full menu can be viewed here.)

For more information on the Propylaeum, visit thepropylaeum.org.

If your FTHS membership is not current, don't worry -- an annual membership is only $10, and you can renew it at any time! Visit our website's membership page for more information.

To RSVP to this event, email Nancy at nanvana@gmail.com.

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

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!

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.