The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-28
OLD RITTER HOMESTEAD
FIRST HOUSE BUILT AFTER ESTAB-
LISHMENT OF lRvINGTON.
The Site Will Be Used for Public
school building, and the Old House
VIII BE Moved.

ter from its foundation. The old Ritter
homestead that has stood for over thirty
years at the corner of Washington street
and Ritter avenue will be moved from its
present site to a lot on Elm avenue. about
500 feet to the west. 1t will be a gigantic
undertaking to shift this great, roomy
dwelling from its stone setting through
ranks of heavy shade trees, over none too
level land. to the west corner of the old
Ritter orchard. 1t will be no work of
single night as was the wheeling Of the
huge wooden horse of the Greeks into the
walls of Troy. but for many days men will
tug and teams will strain and slowly the
ponderous structure will advance, amid
the creaking of rollers, the rattle of der
ricks and the shouts of negroes. foot by
foot to its future surroundings.
The property where now stands the Rit-
ter homestead has been bought by the city
for the site of the Irvington public school,
which will be built this fall. The former
school grounds have been just south of the
depot, where twice within the last few
years the building burned to the ground
and the already large debt has been in
creased. The transfer of the school site
was mainly because of the advantages of
the site of the Ritter-avenue property.
Formerly the depot around which was the
meat market, the postoffice, the drug store
ban activity. The postoffice brought the
people together every evening and gave
the little business center half Of its trade.
But naturely the town built up toward the
city and with the dawn of Tree delivery
the postoffice was given the go-by and lost
its spirit of congeniality. Its business
neighbors also suffered from lack Of live
ma nd of a: he
schoolhouse in way answered the calling
of the postoffice, in that it brought to the
storekeepers the sundry trade of the school
children.
TRANSFER OF sCHOOLHoUSE.
The transfer Of the public school to an
other part of town is another blow to those
pioneer tradesmen who have stuck to their
old crafts. Already there has been de-
mand for lots and buildings in the prox-
unity Of the future school, which is evil
dence of the activity that will accompany
the move. The new fire engine house is OPP
posite the Ritter property and the Smith
block stands diagonally across the street,
so the center Of business is already marked.
Preparations are now being made by George
Russell and William !. Coons to move their
postoffice and drug store from Central ave-
nue. to the corner of Ritter and Washington
, street. And the price Of stOreroOms in the
is plenty of objection by residents Of the
neighborhood to the establishment of the
public school in the midst of the dwelling
district, but their kicks were of no avail
in keeping out the Smith block. so their
voices are not raised to very angry pitch.
The moving of the Ritter homestead brings
to mind recollections of old Irvington days
and days even before its time, when the
present site was dense woods and commons
of waving giant iron weeds and red-topped
thistles. In 1870 DR.. Levi Ritter came to
Ind 10 lie 10 nd in, loclx inc
over the ground bought lightweight acres
of land, which is encompassed now by the
line of Irvington on the north, Ritter ave-
nue. on the east, the railroad on the south
and Dillon avenue on the west. Mr.. Ritter's
object was to establish large Jersey stock
farm. Later in the same year George w.
Julian and Sylvester Johnson purchased 800
acres just north of Mr. Ritter land. Their
plan was to establish a residence suburb
and they had the land surveyed accordingly
into large lots and winding streets. DR.. Ritz
ter also fell in with their plans and gave
up the stock-farm idea. He laid off his
land into lots between winding avenues for
which IrvingtOn Is now so noted. Dr. Ritter
began the building of his country home at
| once and 1t was finished during February
of the following year. in which month he
IN with MS b family he Mr. and
their ideal residences in 1870, but they were
not completed until about year after the
Ritter home, as they were built of brick
pletion.
LAND WAS WOODED.
When Ritter built his home his land was
| mostly wooded. Many of the old forest
trees are still standing on thelawn Theland
was cleared and put to agricultural use.
Life was much as it was on the old manor
farms. The large orchard, many of whose
fruit trees are now standing in the neigh
bors' yards TO the west, was planted by
Mr. Ritter. The shade trees that line so
many of the Irvington streets were the
work Of Mr.. Ritter. The lots were sold
slowly at first, but with the establishment
OF Butler College in the vicinity the pulse
of country life was Quickened and houses
began to dot the waving commons, grad
ually closing Ia until the Ritter property
was reduced to about one-twentieth its
original area. Now homes stand in its or
| chards and on nearly every lot laid out by
Mr.. Ritter. Many Of the lots, originally
large and sweeping, have been cut into
there are now about three times as many
| homes on the tract as Mr.. Ritter intended
when he planned for an ideal residence
suburb.
The Ritter homestead is now the oldest
| dwelling in Irvington. All other landmarks
| have crumbled away or been torn down.
| The former site of the house. when Mr.
Ritter bought the land, was occupied by an
| old log cabin, made of hewn logs and plas-
tered with yellow clay The story is told
by some OF the h early S, settlers that the oScu
| in the clump of trees that now throw their
| shade over the Ritter lawn. In Irvington S
| embryonic days the only connection with
| Indianapolis was by stage coach, and this
| was DR.. Ritters property. 1t the old
| fashioned stage coach that rumbled over
the rough roads behind four horses. On the
| corner opposite DR.. Ritters house was built
| the stage house, where the stage and horses
/ were kept. Each of the trio of pioneers
Mr.. Julian. Mr.. Johnson and Mr.. Ritter
| contributed to the maintenance of the
| coach, as Ii was made the property of all.
| Ing at Danville, Ind. The stagehouse was
| afterward used as a blacksmith shop. and
| about five years ago was torn down and the
| site graded. A few rods further north on
| Washington street stood dilapidated inn
| where weary travellers stopped and re-
| freshed themselves with cool drinks. This
| too was torn down many years ago and a
| residence built on its site.
BEAUTIFUL RESIDENCES
The homes of Mr.. Johnson and Mr. Julian
/ were completed the year following Mr.. Rit-
ter's occupancy. These residences are Irv-
ington's two most beautiful homes The
Julian house is now Improperly of James
Layman and Sylvester Johnson is still liv-
ing in the home built by him in 1871 His
yard is celebrated meeting ground of the
State Horticultural Society, and his fruits
and the vegetables from his garden have
| won many prizes at the state fair The
| original Irvington as laid out by Mr. Julian
| of what Is now Ritter avenue. The name OF
| Irvington originated with Mr.. Julian He
| was a great lover and admirer of Washing
| ton Irvings writings and suggested tina,