M. Sablosky Company, incorporated from October 30, 1906 to 1919, at 806 Massachusetts Ave. After 1919 this home furnishings store was  also located in Fountain Square at the intersection of Virginia Ave., Prospect and Shelby Streets; “to engage in the business of buying and selling merchandise, both wholesale and retail, and conducting mercantile operations”.  The owners were Michael S. Sablosky, b. 1871 in Russia; Tillie Sablosky, b. 1875 in Russia; and David Sablosky, b. 1895 in New Jersey. This  popular, family-owned department store stayed in business until the late 1970s.

Metropolitan School of Music, incorporated from April 13, 1907 to 1930; “to establish a school and institution for the education of males and females in all branches of music, including piano, vocal, cornet, pipe organ and other instruments and forms of music; to conduct such other departments of music and of expression and dramatic art”. The incorporators were: Edward Nell – b. 1867, voice teacher; Flora Hunter – b. 1851, piano teacher; Leslie E. Peck – b. 1865, cornet and trumpet teacher. This school was originally located at the northeast corner of North and Ft. Wayne Streets. In 1929 the school was incorporated into the Arthur Jordan Conservatory of Music, located at 1204 N. Delaware St., formerly the Lyman S. Ayres mansion. The directors in 1930 were: Edward Nell – President; Arthur Jordan – b. 1855, businessman and philanthropist, Vice-President; Leslie E. Peck – Sec-Treasurer; and Hugh McGibeny – b. 1865, violin teacher. The Conservatory became part of Butler University in 1951.

Meteor Motor Car Company, incorporated on July 12, 1909; “to manufacture, buy, sell, export and generally deal in…self-propelling cars, carriages, wagons, trucks and vehicles”. The incorporators were: Leonard Carter – President of the Henderson Motor Sales Company, located at 742 E. Washington St, Indianapolis; Arthur B. Lathrup – b.1857, physician in Fulton, Ohio; Charles P. Henderson – b.1869, lived in Woodruff Place (an early Indianapolis planned neighborhood), he was the manager of the Henderson Motor Sales Company; Ransom P. Henderson – b.1873, sales manager of the Parry Manufacturing Company that manufactured carriages in Indianapolis; Joseph J. Cole – he began working for the Parry Manufacturing Company in 1888 and in 1904 he opened the Cole Carriage Company. Besides making and selling carriages, he also made motor buggies. In June, 1909, his carriage company was reorganized as the Cole Motor Car Company where he manufactured a small auto named the Cole Model 30. According to a Wikipedia article only 100 of these vehicles were manufactured. The Henderson Motor Sales Company advertised that they were “General Distributors” of the “Cole 30” in 1910. Its interesting that Cole and the Henderson brothers would incorporate the Meteor Motor Car Company a month after Cole incorporated his own automobile company, and that they never manufactured a Meteor Motor Car. But, a Meteor car was manufactured in Shelbyville, Indiana, in 1912 by Maurice Wolfe who continued to manufacture the Meteor in Piqua, Ohio to 1916. Also, the Henderson brothers manufactured their own automobile, the Henderson, in Indianapolis from 1912 to 1915 (a photo of a Henderson car is on p. 45 of the “Traces” IHS magazine, Summer, 2016). And, Joseph J. Cole continued to manufacture very popular luxury cars in his factory located at 742-750 E. Washington St. until 1925. So, even with all this early automobile manufacturing activity and competition, I think its really unusual that Cole and the Hendersons went to the trouble of incorporating their Meteor Company when they did.

My Own Company, 202 S. East Street, incorporated from June14, 1922 to 1927; “to manufacture, pack, purchase and sell foods and food products”. Thomas E. Brick – b.1880,manager, Van Camp Packing Co.; Robert L. Lemon – b. 1886, asst. manager, Van Camp Packing Co.; Henry C. Peachey, b.1888, manager, Van Camp Packing Co. While I understand why these three employees of the Van Camp Company would want to name their packing enterprise “My Own Company”, I think its funny that two of the last names, Lemon and Peachey, were related to food products.