Did You Know? Auto Polo
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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Franklin Township History: The Smith/Henricks Family
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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Did You Know? The History of Franklin Township, Part 2
(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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Did You Know? The History of Franklin Township, Part 1
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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Did You Know? Gallaudet
DID YOU KNOW? … that Gallaudet was a planned town along the route of the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Railroad tracks laid in 1852? Henry Brown, who owned land along Franklin Road, allowed the railroad to go through his property provided they…
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Ephemera: Pieces of History
Last week our Collection Spotlight featured a photo of a canceled 1943 check — a mundane slip of paper that might easily have been discarded. Something so common seems unimportant in the grand scheme of history. However, everyday artifacts such as…
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Collection Spotlight: Wanamaker State Bank
Previously, our Collection Spotlight focused on items from the Acton State Bank. Now let’s take a look at some of the many extant artifacts from its neighbor, the Wanamaker State Bank. Many of the promotional items distributed by the bank advertise its membership in…
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Happy Birthday to Marjorie Main
On this date in 1890, a girl named Mary Tomlinson was born in Acton, which was then a thriving community on the rail line in the corner of Franklin Township. The daughter of minister Samuel Tomlinson, Mary wasn’t content with small-town life, and…
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Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department
For many decades, until Franklin Township became part of the Indianapolis Fire Department’s coverage area, all fire emergencies were handled solely by township volunteers. There were four volunteer fire houses in the township. These photos are reminders of the well-organized and…
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Did You Know? Marion County Fair
DID YOU KNOW? …that the Marion County Fair had its beginning as a Harvest Festival sponsored by the members of the New Bethel Baptist Church, Wanamaker, Indiana, on July 30, 1931? The first year, the planners closed the main street…
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