Franklin Township Historical Society
Franklin Township history, Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana
Just a reminder that there will be no Open Hours during the month of June. This Saturday, June 6, is our Indoor Yard Sale, held at the Civic League building in Wanamaker (8822 Southeastern Avenue). Come by and find some great deals! The…
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The Franklin Township Historical Society is requesting donations for its upcoming “indoor yard sale,” to be held June 6th at the Franklin Township Civic League, 8822 Southeastern Ave. Proceeds from the sale will be used to help repair and maintain…
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Our building, the former Big Run Baptist Church, was constructed in 1871 and needs continual maintenance and preservation work — from simple repairs like painting and tuckpointing, to big, expensive projects like replacing the roof, improving lot drainage, and replacing support…
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We have previously shared a bit about the township’s volunteer fire department, which was comprised of four stations. Today we present a gallery of a few of the honors they received in the years shortly before Franklin Township came under the umbrella of the…
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During the late 19th and first half of the 20th century, postcards were an extremely popular form of communication. From purchased souvenir cards to custom photos printed on postcard-backed paper, postcards were the Instagram of their day — a quick snapshot and short message shared…
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Did You Know? …That the first of the Big Run Baptist Church’s buildings was a frame structure, built in the fall of 1849, shortly after the church was organized in 1848? It was 28 by 40 feet, and cost $1,000….
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Did You Know? …That Auto Polo was once a popular spectator sport, and for at least one man who later lived in Franklin Township, a sport in which he participated. The game was said to have been invented around 1912…
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In the 1820s, before the town of New Bethel had even been platted, settlers were arriving in other parts of the township. In 1825 Nehemiah Smith was an original patentee of 80 acres on Southport Road, and he also held…
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(This article is continued from The History of Franklin Township, Part 1.) Part 2: Acton We’ve mentioned New Bethel; the other town in Franklin Township, now known as Acton, was not laid out until 1852. In its early years, Acton…
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It is always a challenge, when recounting the history of an area, to know where to begin. There are long stretches of our land’s past of which we have little or no historic record, including the hundreds of years that Native Americans inhabited…
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