Franklin Township Historical Society
Franklin Township history, Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana
Thanks to everyone who came by our booth at the Old Settlers Day street fair in Wanamaker yesterday! We had great weather for the festival and a successful day at the FTHS booth, with plenty of new memberships and book sales. Special congratulations…
Read more
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…
Read more
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…
Read more
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…
Read more
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…
Read more
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…
Read more
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…
Read more
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…
Read more
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…
Read more
Join us for our annual Harvest Dinner on Saturday, October 29 at 1:00 p.m. This year’s dinner will be held at New Bethel Baptist Church. Our guest speaker is Nan Hendrickson, who will share the poetry of Indiana’s own James…
Read more