Ed Fujawa
@edfujawa
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Attorney, author, Indianapolis history nerd, former BTNA President. Not in that order. Indianapolis history blog:
Indianapolis
Joined August 2014
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This has been a work in progress for the past year, but I’m happy to announce that my first book about Indianapolis history will be released on Sept. 4th from
@HistoryPress
. (1/2)
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Jetliner in flight over Broad Ripple caught on the satellite image in Google Maps.
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Monument Circle (f/k/a Governor’s Circle and Circle Park) as seen this morning from Market and Capitol.
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Lovely morning on the White River just upstream from Kessler Blvd.
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Dawn on the Central Canal as seen from the Illinois Street bridge in Indianapolis.
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Trying something new today…paddling to the polls. Broad Ripple to Rocky Ripple and vote at Rocky’s town hall.
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Picked up this amazing Indianapolis board game from a neighborhood Facebook Marketplace. Dates to 1982, and seems to be very sponsor oriented. Dimensions on the game board are a bit wild. (1/3)
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My contribution to the Indianapolis from above trend…a watercolor of the Mile Square by
@AshleeFujawa
.
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The confluence of the White River (left) and Fall Creek (right). No reason to post aside from thinking it was a neat photo.
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Probably going to be a lot of sunrise photos today, but here are a pair after getting off the bus at the statehouse at 7:30.
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Shameless self promotion, but in addition to local bookstores, and online, Vanished Indianapolis is available for purchase at the Chilly Water Taproom at 42nd and Boulevard in Butler-Tarkington. Considering it’s my second office, I’ll probably be lurking at the bar to sign it.
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Was tipped off about an auction on eBay for the postcard below, showing an image of one of two suspension bridges built at Riverside Park in Indianapolis in the early 1900’s. Both were eventually destroyed by ice flows, although their ruins are still onsite. (1/2)
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While flying back to Indianapolis following vacation, my plane's landing pattern took us over a site on the northwest side of the city that caught my attention (red arrow below). I thought I it looked like an old drive-in theater and an aerial image from 1966 confirmed this. 1/3
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A bit of a then and now following a run at the former Riverside Golf course. Postcard "then" image is dated Oct. 13, 1915 and is in the digital collections at the
@indylibrary
. Modern day image is courtesy of my fantastic photography skills.
#indyhistory
#indianapolishistory
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Then and now with the Central Canal in downtown Indianapolis, looking south from New York St. to Ohio St. and the State Office Building.
@IndianaHistory
on the right bank, future site of the
@IndianaArchives
on the left. Image from Historic American Eng. Record,
@librarycongress
.
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Fog on the canal during this morning’s run. This is looking south from the Butler stairway bridge.
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Relevant today with the
@IBJnews
story about the
@IndyEleven
development at the Diamond Chain site, below is a map of the area in 1866 versus 2021. I think others have also posted a ‘then and now’ of this site before, but it’s always good for a reminder.
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Happened to walk past the historical marker for the 1907 eugenics law this morning. Located a stone's throw away from the statehouse where the law was passed by the General Assembly, the law was an attack on individuals seen as undesirable by the state. (Thread 1/4)
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Picked up the newish
@BATTLETECH_Game
this week. Aside from being an addicting game, the cinematic scenes are fantastic. I have yet to skip through the opening sequence.
#battletech
#acerpredator
@WeBeHarebrained
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One last image from todays trip on the White River. A simply fantastic day considering we’re in November.
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Honored to receive the Hubert Hawkins local history award from
@IndianaHistory
. Looking forward to digging into more Indianapolis history in the coming years!
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A slightly better quality image of the moon about to pass in front of Mars, after a bit of enhancement.
#indianapolis
#astronomy
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A fairly obvious hint about the topic of a late December blog posting that I’m currently drafting, which will also close out the series of posts on the history of the Jungclaus Campbell Company on Mass Ave.
#indianapolis
#indyhistory
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An eBay find from over the holidays: A copy of the 1902 Handbook of Indianapolis. Lots of fantastic images from turn of the (last) century Indianapolis.
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Really liking this art from a 1939 Indianapolis promotional/souvenir pamphlet I ran across while researching this evening.
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Mayor Hudnut hugging a llama during the ribbon cutting for the new Washington Street bridge on July 22, 1985. The street was rerouted south to allow development in White River State Park, including the construction of the new Indianapolis Zoo, hence the llama being present.
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Not a traditional Indianapolis history post, but one seeking the preservation of a landmark in the Butler-Tarkington.
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Hey, it’s me.
Here's a snippet from
@edfujawa
's debut book, "Vanished Indianapolis," which came out this week!
If you want to hear more, catch Ed at SPARK on the Circle at noon today, when
@INHumanities
will be hosting its first Circle Side Chat with
@bigcar
. ✨
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Lunch hour then and now from the West Street bridge over the Central Canal, looking east. Quite a few changes since the ‘then’ photo was taken in 1934.
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Quite certain I have posted an image of this small footbridge before, but it’s a obligatory stop on the Fall Creek run from I-465 to Keystone.
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Alright, a date for the book launch party is set. We'll be kicking this thing off at
@HoagiesandHops
and
@chillywaterbrew
Taproom from 5 - 6:30 pm on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Food will be provided, so stop by and grab a beverage and let's chat about some Indianapolis history.
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As the title suggests, the book explores several sites in Indy and Marion County now lost to time. A few chapters are expanded versions of blog topics, while the rest are original research. I’m planning some launch events, so keep an eye on social media for more info. (2/2)
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Fall Creek has always played a major role in the history and development of Indianapolis. However the creek didn’t always join the White River near the 10th St. bridge. In this post, we explore the when and why behind the course change of Fall Creek.
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Thread time, and a mini blog post. Took the bus downtown to work Wed. morning and while walking along 9th Street, I passed an older brick building with “Amalgamated Auditorium” carved in limestone above the door. The image is not great, but I decided to investigate… (1/3)
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I think a photo of this same pothole was posted by someone else last week, but I happened across it while cutting across Mass Ave. last evening. Like many places in Indy, the streetcar lines are still there, just a few inches under the pavement.
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Not Indianapolis related, but a small part of my day job involves a state managed mine subsidence program for when property is damaged by the collapse of abandoned underground coal mines. This maps shows the sites of subsurface mining operations around Boonville. (1/2)
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When I was bike racing and commuting on the regular 10 years ago, I would ride by this section of the Monon and wonder what used to be there. Should have occurred to me then it was railroad related. Images are 1937 MapIndy aerial, 1938 Sanborn, and the area as it is today.
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5 years ago today I launched my Indianapolis history blog. To celebrate, here is part one of a two-part series on the history of the first modern Indianapolis Zoo at Washington Park. Thanks for reading!
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Some history about one of the jewels of the
@IndyParksandRec
system, the Marott Wood Nature Preserve.
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A professional update following the completion of my MLIS at
@iupui_lis
, with a concentration in archive management. Feels official with the diploma.
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View of what I believe is the oldest structure in Indianapolis. Unless anyone can identify something built prior to 1837-38.
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Lots of photos of the
@CrownHillCem
wall along 38th St. being wrecked by cars lately. For a change of pace, here is a very early image of the intact walls between Michigan and Clarendon (looking east), back when the boulevard system was being constructed in the early 1900's.
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Finally wrapped up a post about the construction of the iconic Circle Tower in Indianapolis. Included are interesting photos from Jungclaus-Campbell Company, and architectural plans from the Rubush and Hunter collection at the Indiana Historical Society.
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Kind of a bad photo, taken through my office window, but for a brief few minutes this a.m. the rising sun hit the JW Marriott just right to highlight the framing on the glass exterior. I’ve looked at this building for 7 of my 15 professional years and had never seen it like this.
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This post about the history of the Fall Creek aqueduct has been in the works for a while. I just needed nice weather, such as last weekend, for a quick trip down Fall Creek to get some additional photos.
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The condition of the White River is much better than in the past, but even 150 years ago Indy residents were worried about pollution. This clipping from the Indy News on March 7, 1872, complains about the slaughterhouse refuse in the river and the resulting “death-broth.”
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Despite researching boat travel on the Central Canal, it wasn't until this past week that I noticed all the boathouses along the canal in downtown Indianapolis in the 1887 Sanborn Map. The street crossings in these images are St. Clair, 9th St. (aka 1st St. here), and Walnut St.
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A ‘then and now’ looking west on Market Street towards the statehouse. The postcard is from around 1905-1910. Aside from the statehouse, the big landmark is the Traction Terminal building and adjacent car shed. Note the interurban cars outside the shed on Market Street.
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This past weekend I explored the remains of the two Riverside Park suspension bridges. It's been over 100 years since either was standing, but pieces of the bridges are still visible.
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A lunch time walk to an overlook I’ve been meaning to visit. This view shows Union Station (building with the clock tower, right side) and train shed, most of which has been redeveloped into office, hotel, and conference space.
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Thanks to everyone who stopped by the book launch last night. If you did not get a book before they sold out, I will have more copies in a few days! And for those who wanted to discuss Indy history or had questions that I could not get to, shoot me a DM.
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A random Sanborn, showing where Kentucky Ave. used to be, and what is there now. Map is a portion of Indianapolis Sanborn Map
#66
, 1898, from
@IUPUILibrary
.
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Finishing a post about what used to be on the block occupied by Hudnut Commons and the Simon building, and noticed that the design on what appear to be vents covers for the parking garage matches the old fountain that used to be in the park. (Aerial image from 2002)
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A Saturday morning then and now from Broad Ripple showing Broad Ripple Bank and J. S. Mustard Hall in 1922. No post with this one…just waiting on a bagel at Broad Ripple Deli and thought I’d see what historical photos were in the area.
#indianapolishistory
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I’ve walked past the statehouse every day for nearly half of my professional life, and never noticed the cornerstone on the northeast side of the building. And yes, those are ears of corn.
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Happy Thanksgiving everyone. To celebrate, here is Mayor Bill Hudnut in his office at the City County Building dressed as a turkey on Nov. 14, 1985.
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Exploring the still visible remains of the old zoo at
@IndyParksandRec
Washington Park for the third and final part of a blog series about the former zoo. 1/3
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A 🧵: Took a kayak trip today on the White River from Rocky Ripple to the remains of Emrichsville Dam and Belmont Beach at 16th Street. Lovely day for a paddle, so here is a play by play of the trip, with historical notes. The launching point was Rocky Ripple town hall. 1/12
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Cool to see Vanished Indianapolis on the shelf at Tomorrow Bookstore on Mass Ave. Even if you already have a copy of Vanished, make sure you stop by Tomorrow to check out a cool local bookstore.
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While the medals from the
@indymonumental
are nice, the amazing
@AshleeFujawa
presented me with this watercolor of the Indianapolis mile square, based on the original plat of the city.
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Kicking off 2023 with a then and now of Pogue’s Run looking upstream from the Commerce Dr. bridge across from
@KanKanCinema
. ‘Then’ photo is from 1912, and is part of a scrapbook kept by librarian Alice K. Griffith.
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Spent yesterday afternoon exploring a remarkably intact section of the Central Canal near Anderson with
@JordanRyanArch
. Something kind of amazing to be exploring a structure constructed approx. 185 years ago.
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Some history of a longstanding landmark in downtown Indianapolis: The lighthouse on top of Methodist Hospital.
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A preview image for an upcoming blog post about the elusive Governor's Island.
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Early morning bike ride down the Monon to downtown, Cultural Trail to White River Trail, to Central Canal Towpath.
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Wonder how many people badmouthing IndyGo and the Redline are just parroting what they’ve seen online versus actually ever using the mass transit system (Redline or standard lines) in this city.
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Happy 15 years of wedded bliss to
@AshleeFujawa
. Here’s to many more adventures! Maybe without these sunglasses.
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I was reminded from a social media post yesterday about how much of Midtown Indy was rural prior to the city pushing northward. This blog post, from 2018, looks at the large farms which once occupied the area that is now Butler-Tarkington.
@Butler_Tark
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Nice day for a White River paddle, from Broad Ripple to an exploratory take out at Newfields. Water was at 6.5 feet per the Nora gauge.
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Brighton Beach in Indianapolis was located on the banks of the canal north of downtown. The Beach had a checkered history, and was the scene of much gambling, drinking, and general debauchery.
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Waiting for the next bus home after grabbing a haircut, and my spot in Spark has a view of three of the most prominent projects constructed by Jungclaus-Campbell: The Columbia Club, Guaranty Building, and the iconic Circle Tower.
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Very excited about this!
@IUILibrary
has been processing the Jungclaus-Campbell archives and will be hosting an archive launch event at the Jungclaus-Campbell headquarters on Mass Ave on Friday Nov. 3.
Link to RSVP is available in my profile and in the post below. 1/3
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Enjoying lunch on the Circle, and thought it was a good time for a then and now of the Franklin Building, and the Circle Tower which replaced it starting in 1929. (1/3)
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The old 1835 Indiana statehouse is the subject of an upcoming project, so it’s a fitting focus for this ‘then and now’ of the building during President Lincoln’s funeral. Second image is from roughly the same vantage point today, with the 1888 statehouse.
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Indiana has a fascinating and complicated (and sad) Native America history, so much so that no mere blog post could cover it all. In this post, I take a narrow view and explore the Native American presence around Indianapolis at its founding in 1820/21.
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Might be some fog mixed in with the wildfire smoke this morning, but here is the view from Crown Hill at 6:15 am, versus a clearer few from last fall.
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A week ago at this time we made the difficult decision to put our dog Dora to sleep, and were with her at the end. We were lucky to have have had her for 15 great years, and we miss her immensely. We love you, Dora, and thank you.
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Almost exactly 3 years ago I waded across Fall Creek and spent an afternoon exploring Woollen's Gardens and enjoying the fall colors. This blog post features some images from the park, while diving into the history of William Woollen and his Gardens.
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Likely the final post in my long running series on the history of Jungclaus-Campbell General Contractors, this post looks at the history of the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant. (1/3)
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Morning run to
@NewfieldsToday
with a view of the pier for the old Indianapolis and Northwestern interurban bridge over the White River. (Michigan Rd. In the background)
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A view of the still under construction Fall Creek Trail bridge just upstream from 16th Street as seen last weekend.
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Fountain in Bicentennial Plaza is on today. First time since last year, I think.
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Pretty sure that the image posted by
@LiterateIndy
shows the Michigan Rd. (then known as Northwestern Ave.) bridge over the canal (near Newfields) with a water company shed on its banks. The image below shows the opposite view looking upstream with the shed in the foreground. 1/2
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As the two year bicentennial period for Indianapolis comes to a close, I wanted to recount the actual process of selecting the site for
#indy
as the permanent seat of government for Indiana.
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