The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-23
EARLY DAYS In INDIANAPOLIS.
Attract Of Land Now Worth a Million Dollars
Which Once Sold for $3.50.

Gen. T. A. Morris, State-house Commissioners
talks entertaininsly of early days in Indianapo-
lis. The other day he CHANGED to speak of the
cheapness of land hereabouts. "The square
upon which the Union Depot is built he said
belonged to James Blake. My father owned a
bay horse, blind in eye. that paced remark
ably well. All of us boys We're very fond Of
that pacing horse. Father met Mr.. Blake up in
town one day and a trade was made of that
square for the horse. In the evening. after the
trade, Mr.. Blake sent man to our place to get
the horse. We boys were at home, indignant at
the sale, of which we then heard for the first
time, and we wouldn't let the pacing horse go.
Father bad to give in to us. We kept the
horse. Indeed, we wouldn't have allowed that
horse to go for any four acres in Indianapolis
That" said the General, rehectively. "must
have been in 1923 or 1924 Mr. Blake sold the
north half to the Union Depot Company after
wards, about 1S49, for between &c. 900 and ST. GEO.
1t was all woods, low and swampy Pogue's run
being thickly fringed with willows. There was
a good swimming hole there where the boys
used to co." And the General looked back over
three score years to the time when he went in
swimming under the willows.
1.-The four acres between Georgia, Louisiana,
Tennessee and Illinois streets were owned by
my father, and sold By him to Baptist preacher
for flower garden. He sold those four acres
for So and made the purchaser deed. He was
paid 1878 cash-the remainder was to have
been paid IN a year, but was never paid. so that
all of that valuable property once sold for
$751; 90. That was in 1928. I suppose that
property is now worth more than a million
dollars.
when the National road was being built
was stationed at Richmond, this State as an
SnDerlutendeDt
My division ran from Richmond to Indianap-
oils. While | was at Richmond my brother
Austin Morris, wrote to me that he could buy
that block of ground fronting on Meridian
street, north of Georgia, 200 feet front, now
occupied by Murphy, Hibben & Co. and others,
years credit one half, the other
half to be cash down, and advised me
TO let him buy it for me. l wrote
to HIM that hoped never would be poor enough
to own any property in Indianapolis. He wrote
back to me that he had bought it, had received
the deed in my name and would thank me to
send him the money. which / had to do. That
was in 1885. Property was not considered worth
anything here then. had to take that piece and
have it to-day. Austin Morris always had an
opinion that indianapolis was going to be great
place-an OPTION certainly did not have
"A man from Madison. Ind, named Helm,
was probably the first reaestate man or first
man with the real estate operators methods that
ever appeared here. The first rise in property
that ever occurred here was through him. He
came here about 1886 and bought large amount
of property, giving about twice as much as the
people here thought 1t YVES worth. They began
to open their eyes and pretty soon quite little
real estate fever got up year two later
Helm sold out everything he had bought, at a
considerable rise He was rather shrewd.
how to make it profitable after he had started
it.