Irish immigrants have a long history with Indianapolis and the surrounding areas. Throughout the nineteenth century, Indianapolis provided an urban environment for Irish Americans seeking opportunity in the Midwest. Many working-class Irish immigrants who came to Indianapolis found homes just southeast of the city center. So many Irish people lived in the neighborhood that it became known as Irish Hill. Researchers in the 1930s found that around 90% of Irish people living in Marion County at the time had once lived in Irish Hill. There was also a large Irish population in Fountain Square to the south.
Most of the Irish living in these neighborhoods came to the United States to escape famine and poverty. They did not have very much money and needed to work hard to support themselves. Some men found work building canals, roads, and railways in and around the city. Others worked in factories like the nearby Kingan and Company meat-packing plant. Unmarried workers often stayed at boarding houses operated by other Irish immigrants in the community. Hannah O’Connor, an Irish woman living on Georgia Avenue, had twelve railroad workers staying in her boarding house in 1880, most of them Irish. Like many women in the neighborhood, Hannah made a living doing domestic work. There were plenty of jobs for women around immigrant labor hubs. However, they had very few choices for what type of work they could do.
In addition to having jobs, the Irish neighborhoods in Indianapolis had a strong sense of community. This was largely built around religion. Most Irish immigrants were devout Catholics, and the church was central to their social and spiritual life. In the 1830s, there were very few Catholics and no Catholic churches in the city. Early Irish immigrants had to celebrate Mass in bars and rented rooms. The Irish community helped establish Indianapolis’s first Catholic parish, Holy Cross, in 1837. St. John the Evangelist Church was built in Irish Hill in 1850, and St. Patrick’s Catholic Church opened in Fountain Square in 1865. These churches started schools, hosted social events, and supported the needs of the Irish community.
In Irish Hill and Fountain Square, Irish immigrants worked hard to support themselves and each other. They created strong community bonds in their places of work, worship, and rest. Over time, Indianapolis’s Irish population spread throughout the city, and Irish Hill and Fountain Square welcomed diverse new residents. The neighborhoods still hold the memory of the Irish immigrants who built them.
]]>The glass manufacturing capitol of the United States, Dunkirk, Indiana, contributed to the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial with the production of patriotic memorabilia. Dunkirk’s Indiana Glass Company produced stylish and affordable carnival glass, which is highly collectible today. For the Bicentennial, patriotic images including the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and bald eagles were imprinted into the pressed glass.
During the 1880s, a number of gas wells were established in East Central Indiana after the discovery of a large reserve of natural gas in the region. This Indiana gas boom had a major impact on industry, including growth in glass production. One of the companies to benefit was Indiana Glass, which produced pressed glass décor. Differing from cut glass with its sharp edges, pressed glass was known for having flattened and rounded features. Carnival glass, a type of pressed glass, has a finish that makes it look similar to prestigious companies like Tiffany’s. Indiana Glass was one of only a few manufacturers of these products.
Throughout the twentieth century, the company was one of the largest glass makers in the world. They were renowned for their glassware, especially Depression glass, which was known for being a low cost option for Americans between 1929 and 1939. During World War II, Indiana Glass switched to the production of “war materials, particularly lenses and specialized windshield glass for airplanes and ships.” After WWII, they reverted to the peacetime production of home products and added in home parties to compete with other manufacturers. Indiana Glass ceased operations in 2002 due to rising costs and overseas manufacturing. Although the company is now defunct, Indiana’s rich history of glass production continues to be celebrated with the Indiana Glass Trail and the Glass Museum of Dunkirk.
]]>