The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-07
A PEW FIRST THINGS.
The First Heir to an English Estatein Indian
apolis-The First Restaurant and Garden.

apolis-The First Restaurant and Garden.
The recent current item about one of the
mythical big English estates. in which some In
dianians are interested. recalls to an old resident
some points of city history that may not be
wholly uninteresting Forty-fve years or more
agosa man by the name of John Hodgkins kept
what was probably the first regular restaurant in
the little town of that remote era. TWAS called
restaurant" too, and the Journals reminiscent
well recoliects his puzzle, as school-boy at the
queer name. This John Hodgkins made ice
cream and candy. and kept picked oysters, as
he could not get fresh ones, that had to come
from tidewater by wagon or canal boat to the
Ohio, and then by wagon again here His res
taurant was the corner of Meridian. on
Washington street, on the site of the Blackford
Block
Well, Mr.. John Hodgkins was one day noticed
by one of bis intimate acquaintance in very
nervous and excited condition, and on question
ing him, learned that he lad just received in
formation from England of his joint heirship.
with good many others. of an estate valued at
several millions of pounds sterling. He was con-
fdent of getting his share of 1t and returning to
his English home a rich man. Not long after he
SOlU out MS business TO OlQ JODn CfoWQ9r anu
left here. Three or four years ago he came back
an old man. poor and peddllng some patent medi-
cine or baking washing powder, the remnis-
cent does not know what, exactly, and his big
hopes, like all hopes of big estates were as far
away as they were when born in the last genera
ton. His was the first case of an IndianiSa fed
on the prospect of getting fortune from one of
those huge, unappropriated properties that are
turning up in England every few years to bedevil
a lot of credulous dupes of Eastern swindlers.
he vvhi la RI in
with the name of Mr.. Hodgkins, that be not only
established the first restaurant" by that name.
but he also opened the first garden for popular
resort It was called pleasure Garden" and
for time did good business. But it was too
far in advance of the luxurious and dissipating
tastes of the primitive people of that time to
command continuous success, and it was aban-
doned in two or three years. 1t occupied the
dral and the former school OF the
Sisters of Providence stand, north cor
of Georgia and Tennessee streets.
Here was an apple orchard planted by
George Smith, partner of the late Nathaniel Boil
ton in establishing the Gazette in January,
1922, the first paper published in indianapolis
Here he lived in a two-storv frame house, 'front.'
ing on Georgia street. which burned thirty
more years ago. and replaced by the present
brick building, erected by the Catholic Church.
The trees in this orchard HodgKins had arbors
of lattice-work frame about, inside Of which
seats and tables surrounding the trees for
the convenience of ice-cream eaters. He sold no
liquor, and beer as a popular drink was ur-
known. little was steadily brewed in the old
John Young brewery on Maryland, west of the
canal, by Mr.. Laux, but it was not 'lager,"
and it was not sold in groceries, as they were
then called generally, used in families.
Cakes, and ice cream, and Spruce beer" were
the means of fashionable dissipation then. The
old Smith residence was converted into confec-
tionery.
One of the first ice houses, if not the very first.
was excavated by Hodgkns on the northeast cor
ner of this ground, about where the rear of the
Cathedral stands. Near it, and on the border Of
u strawberry patch, covering the east half of the
site, he constructed miniature circular railway,
on which he ran little locomotive, worked by a
spirit lamp. Very few of our people had much
idea of locomotive in those days. In this gar
den orr first brass band played on gala" occa-
sions This band was organized somewhere near
1910, probably before, and a soap-maker by the
name of Protzman was the leader Three mem
bers of il still survive in good health and social
standing. Edward S. Tyler, then book binder.
who blew the bugle. James McCreary. then
tailor, now in the Indiana National Bank, from
bonst, and Emanuel Haugh blacksmith, also
tromoon This band, however did not eniven
the Pleasure Garden" as regular engagement.
The resort was left ordinarily to its attrac-
tions, and they soon faded, as already intimated.
John Crowder succeeded Hodgkins in the
Blackford Block restaurant, and probably added
whisky to its allurements. He gave the name
to the farm the Charlottesville road bridge
long known as the "Crowder farm, and then as
the Carver farm" He had son Bill a tail,
well-formed. athletic half-blood. as pucky as a
wildcat, and ready with his fists as the Bos-
ton sugger. Bill Crowder was the terror of the
Waterloo crowd" the Stevenses, and Shows,
and Fancillers who were sure to make fight on
Saturday afternoon at ''Jerre Collinss corner
Hubbard Block site-and in some of these Bill
Crowder got mixed up dsastrously to the fellows
fromj"Waterloo bottom" five or six miles south,
in Perry township On one ludicrous occasion re-
called by the Journals reminiscent, Bill appeared
hero TO the admiring crowd Some of the
Collins corner crowd had set upon poor fellow,
and were using him roughly just in the rear Of
the Crowder restaurant near Van Blaricums
blacksmith shop, north side of the alley. Bill
interfered for their victim and they turned on
him. with a speedy wish they hadn't. One of
them had big black-snake whip the butt of
which he tried to use on Bills head, while the
others were hitting and kicking all around him.
He jerked the whip from the fellows hand.
knocked one down with it, upset one or two
more with his fist. and two three took to their
heels down Meridian street, with Bill following
and cutting them with the whip at every jump
1t was funny show. Bill came back laughing
and left ike whip in at Sulgrove's saddle and
harness shop where it was made, for the owner,
when he should come after it. But he never