Vanished Indianapolis

by Edward Fujawa

Uncover lost gems of Circle City history More than two centuries removed from its founding, Indianapolis has seen its share of landmarks and landscapes pass into memory. Some have totally vanished, such as the National Road covered bridge over the White River, the Marion County courthouse , the 1835 Indiana statehouse, and the previous headquarters for the long-standing Flanner House organization. Others still exist, but not in their original location or form, like Pogue's Run, the Central Canal through downtown, and the remnants of structures at Riverside Park. Indianapolis historian Edward Fujawa explores the history of lost sites, how they appear today, and how some are still used or repurposed.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

Published September 4, 2023

Reviews

[Jay C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book, from which I significantly increased my knowledge of Indianapolis history. Living in downtown Indy, I especially enjoyed the chapters on the Circle, the Statehouse, and Pogues Run, which meanders by my Alma mater on the way to its underground shortcut to white river. 🙂

[Tommy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve followed Ed on Twitter for a while and read some of his blog posts, so it’s been cool to read a (signed! Thanks Anna!) copy of his first book.

While each chapter is about something lost, there’s so much in here about how the city is now and the remnants of these lost pieces that can be spotted today. Like, I’ve walked by ‘Mercury and Two Allegorical Figures’ a dozen times and never knew that used to be on the bank at 3 Virginia Ave, which is now a plaza I’ve biked by at least a hundred times.

As a geography and history nerd - and an Indy resident - this book really did it for me.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very, very interesting book on Indianapolis history. It really scratches an itch I have for learning about old buildings and places that are no longer there. I feel like your enjoyment of this book is dependent on how familiar you are with the city, to the extent that if you're not from Indiana you might not find it all that special but at the same time I'm going to recommend this so hard to everyone I know who lives in the area. This stuff is so neat. I spent the whole time reading this with a google maps tab open seeing what these look like today, and I've certainly kept this book in mind when I've been in the circle or been passing by what are now Stadium Lofts. I'll probably go out of my way to visit some of the other sites here in person and I'd recommend to any reader to try and do that too.

I don't know if there's a good through-line to the book, rather it's more of some disjointed stories of different sites, so it just kind of ends, but really that's just me wanting more. The author put a lot of love and research into this and his photos of current day Indianapolis are just as interesting as the historical ones. It is black-and-white but I'm sure most of the historical photos are b&w anyways so I get why, beyond cost, it's not color. The storytelling is very well done too, which is most of what this book is. Even growing up in the area there were only bits and pieces of information here that I already knew before picking this up. Even if you're a huge local history buff and you've lived here your whole life there's surely something in here that'll expand your knowledge. I really learned a lot and I would think this is required reading for anyone living in and around Indianapolis.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this book up at IHS’s Author Fair (a signed copy!) - As a fourth generation Hoosier and history buff, I really enjoyed the history of what used to be in Indianapolis. I appreciated Ed including pictures from his personal collection and some he had taken himself. I would frequently pull up google maps to reference the different places he described. The black and white pictures of remnants left were haunting and made me a little sad. Ed has a blog Class 900: Indianapolis that I will now delve into since I’ve finished his book!

[Mike Clay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book tells the stories of a number of Indianapolis locations: Marion County Courthouse, Oscar McCulloch School #5, Bush/Victory Field, the old Indiana Statehouse, Fairview Park/Butler U, IN National Bank on 3 Virginia, Flanner House, National Road covered bridge, Interurbans, Army Airfields of the 20s 30s, County poor farm/cemetery, Circle, Central Canal, Riverside Park, Pogue's Run. Along the way, we come to understand the many changes of the city of Indianapolis, and how many treasures were lost, especially in the last half of the 20th century (eg Oscar McCulloch School, now only a facade at the state museum). The book has a number of historic photographs to better illustrate the stories. Any history buff will want to pick up this book. The stories are fascinating, such as the covered bridge over Washington St/US40/National Road, which stood from 1833 until 1902. In 1898, to show the bridge was still safe after repairs made, a 20 ton steam roller was driven over the 60 year old bridge. A rededication was held, and the bridge outlived an iron bridge built in 1871 downstream. This bridge collapsed in Jan 1902 and the covered bridge was used briefly and a new bridge finally replaced the covered bridge in 1903. McCormick Rock marks the site where the covered bridge stood (and also the cabin where state commissioners met). In 1904, a massive flood struck, and in 1913 the greatest flood in the history of Indy swept through the city, wiping out the 1903 bridge.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and informative read about Indianapolis history. I appreciated several things about this book, including numerous photographs depicting structures then and now, as well as the author's conscientious style of writing about certain vulnerable groups of Hoosiers, including the unhoused and students in special education.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has completely changed the way I walk and ride around Indianapolis. Expertly written with highly entertaining anecdotes throughout, I'd recommend this book to anyone seeking to learn more about this capital city!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read for anyone interested in historical architecture in Indianapolis, most of which has disappeared. The author's detailed research is quite impressive.

[Robbi C]

Skimmed this and only read chunks I was interested in. Interesting info written with a slightly more academic bent, IMO. It made me want to go exploring, though! 😊