
Favorite Place: Irvington
My ancestors have lived many places. But, this week I need to name a favorite place. So, I will pick a place I know well. Irvington is a neighborhood on the east side of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is roughly defined west to east between Emerson Ave. and Arlington Ave. North to south from E. 10th St. to Brookville Rd. With Washington St. as the primary commercial artery. Irvington was originally developed in the late 19th century as a suburban community of 1 acre platted home sites. Over time, property owners subdivided their parcels and now the lots are all sizes and shapes. Also, many of the streets were designed in a romantic style to wind their way through the neighborhood. So, unlike most of Indianapolis, not all the streets run strictly north/south or east/west.
My Family and Irvington
A few years ago I wrote a post about the various addresses my great grandfather David L. Osborne lived at in Indianapolis. [1] A subset of those addresses are in Irvington, and the homes are still standing! My great grandfather, grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings and I have all called Irvington “home” at some point. See the slider below.
5730
5703
26 N
115 S
36 S
27 N
105
5929
348
The Disciples of Christ had their missionary administrative building in Irvington for many years. That is where my parents met in 1947. My father worked in the mail room. My mother worked in the publicity department with my father’s sister. And, they were married in the Missions Building by my mother’s boss, an ordained minister in addition to being the publicity manager.
Conclusion
Irvington as a favorite place runs in the family. My father wrote a blog post about Irvington more than 20 years ago. He included many photos, view it on his website BobsCrafts. [2]
EPILOGUE
To learn more about Irvington visit the Irvington Historical Society at their museum and offices in the Bona Thompson Memorial Center at 5350 University Ave. and also online. [3] Read more about Irvington on the National Parks website where they describe the historic district. [4] Another great resource to learn more about Irvington is the “Visit Indy” website. [5]
SOURCES
- Blog post, Family Finds: David L. Osborne: His Indianapolis Homes; https://barblafara.com/indianapolis-addresses-for-david-l-osborne/
- Blog post, Bob’s Crafts: Irvington; https://bobscrafts.com/irvingto/index.htm
- Irvington Historical Society; http://www.irvingtonhistorical.info/
- National Park Service: Irvington Historic District; https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/indianapolis/irvington.htm
- Visit Indy: Historic Irvington; https://www.visitindy.com/indianapolis-historic-irvington
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What an interesting post. You’re fortunate that many of your ancestral homes are still standing; that is a real bonus.
Wonderful articles! I didn’t know the Kingsburys had a family farm. I am assuming this was the family of Dr. John Kingsbury, our family doctor in the 1950s-1960s. Is this correct?
I grew up at 315 S Ritter from 1955-1971. My mother sold that house in 1989 after my stepfather passed away. (He worked at International Harvester for 44 yrs.) Prior to living on Ritter, my parents moved from Kokomo to the apartments at Washington and Audubon in 1953. Great to see that the apartments were refurbished. Irvington was a lovely place to grow up. ❤️
Yes, this is the same Kingsbury family. One of the daughters was in school with my dad at IPS #57 and Howe. I think portions of the IH building are still standing, although repurposed. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a note!