Canada Dry Bottling Company; July 13,1939 – 1945 Tom Joyce, President. He also owned the local 7-UP franchise. Frank J. McCarthy Vice-President. G.F. Joyce, Sec-treasurer. Robert Joyce, General Manager. E.H. Peck. Operations were at 123 West 22nd Street, Indianapolis.

Boston Systems Dentists (Originally Taft’s Dental Parlors) March 2, 1917 – May 31, 1943             “engaging in & carrying on the business of dentistry & every branch thereof; the manufacture, buying, selling and dealing in dental supplies, artificial dentists’ crowns & bridgework, porcelain inlays, and other merchandise.” Directors were C.A. Cash, J. Dan Moschelle, Omar O’Horrow. In Indianapolis the business was known as Taft’s Dental Parlors and was located at 25 1/2 West Washington Street. On December 7, 1929, the business was bought & the name changed to the Boston System Dentists, and was moved to 800 Broadway, Gary, Indiana. The new owners were Elizabeth Scott – President, C. H. Lietzman – Treasurer, and G. B. Gardner – Secretary.

The Kelloniemi Manufacturing Co. February 14, 1918. “to manufacture barn door locks, buy, sell, import, export and generally deal in barn door locks and machinery for the purpose of manufacturing barn door locks.” The directors were W. Kelloniemi, Victor Viiki, and Walter Anderson, all from Lead, South Dakota.

Kelvinator Indianapolis, Inc. August 11, 1927 – 1929. “engaging in the business of buying, selling, and generally dealing in mechanical, electrical, and other refrigeration and cooling appliances and products, particularly Kelvinator Refrigerators.” The Kelvinator Company was founded in 1914 and was manufactured in Detroit, Michigan. The Kelvinator brand of refrigeration systems is still being manufactured in different locations around the world. The owners of this Indianapolis franchise were Charles L. Bieler, Maria F. Bieler, and Charles W. Richardson.

The Indiana Macaroni and Noodle Co., incorporated on May 14, 1923. “To manufacture and produce, buy and sell food products of all kinds, including macaroni, noodles, and other wheat products.” The directors were Philip Purport – a fruit salesman, probably at the City Market. He was born in Wisconsin but his parents were Italian; Sol M. Teresi – attorney and counselor-at-law; Vincent H. Mercurio – lawyer: in the 1930s he lived in Miami Beach, Florida.

Indiana Melo-Cola Co, incorporated on October 11, 1912. The objective was “to manufacture, compound, prepare, bottle and otherwise pack and sell at wholesale or retail, a non-intoxicating beverage and drink called and known as Melo-Cola”. The directors were Charles F. Skehan – an auto insurance salesman; J. Edwin Stein – an insurance salesman; M.J. Moreland – insurance agent; James M. Crume – President of the Majestic Life Insurance Co.; M.A. Hamilton – a bookkeeper. I wonder how a bunch of insurance guys became interested in the soft drink business.

Old Reliable Paint Co., incorporated from August 24, 1909 to 1936. The objective was “to buy and sell paints, varnishes and all kinds of painters supplies, at wholesale and retail”. This store was located at 366 S. Meridian St., and then at 505 S. Meridian St. The first incorporators were Sol Wile- originally a house painter; Samuel Wile – originally a carpenter; Clarence E. Utely – possibly an accountant. It is interesting that a retail paint store would be located in what we now consider as “downtown”, and that it stayed in business for about 26 Years. Also, I like the name of the store!

Styx Realty and Finance Co., incorporated from May 9, 1925 to 1936. The objective was “to buy, own, and sell real estate, and to act as a holding company for the Sahara Grotto, M.O.V.P.E.R. (Mystic Order Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm).” Its office was at 1236 Park Ave., Indianapolis. The original directors were Oliver R. Wald – undertaker; Charles O. Martin – clothing store salesman; Lawrence Drapier – advertising salesman;  Samuel A. Johnson – paper company salesman; Charles C. Brautigan – salesman; Othneil Hitch – lawyer; Lewis Nowlin – paper company salesman; Winston E. Pedlow – bookkeeper; Ralph R. Reeder – tinner; Oscar Lee – paper hanger; Elihah H. Hughes – Marion County State Bank Cashier. Certainly a diverse set of investors in the organization. I imagine this company was set up as supplemental income for the Sahara Grotto. Also, does the term “Styx” refer to the River Styx in Hell?

Ex-Servicemen’s Purchasing Association, incorporated in 1924. The purpose was to buy and sell merchandise and obtain discounts from merchants “upon purchases made by men who have been in the military or naval service of the United States”. Directors were Homer K. Wiley – retail merchant; Oscar E. Scruggs – a salesman, and H. Earl Brown.

Ewald Spring Service Co., incorporated on May 22, 1923. The objective was “particularly the replacing of springs and spring parts for automobiles”. The directors were Louis C. Ewald – and employee of the Studebaker Corporation in South Bend, IN; Norman J. Bolton – a machinist; Anne E. Miller – bookkeeper.

Exlo Products Co., incorporated on February 28, 1923. The objective was “the manufacture and sale of a device relating to steering post controls for Ford Motor Cars”, at 10-12 N. Oriental. The directors were A. Hough Adams – president of Adams-McCullough Co.: an auto parts manufacturer; Roscoe R. Mills – purchasing agent for an auto company; Cressah L. Hindbaugh – bookkeeper.

Excel Film Co., incorporated on December 21, 1915. The objective was “to manufacture, lease, rent, buy, sell and distribute films for moving picture shows”. The directors were Cecil A. Patrick -salesman; Mildred Patrick – bookkeeper; Harry J. Brooks – motion picture film distributor (Harry did this work through the 1950s).

The Exhibitors Service Co., incorporated on February 8, 1912. The objective was “to buy sell, rent, lease and deal in theatres, moving picture shows, films, slides & supplies; to illustrate songs, to book plays, vaudeville sets”. The directors were William H. Cleveland and Glen O. Dixon – salesmen.

Indiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co., incorporated on June 19, 1902. The objective was the “buying and selling of Coca-Cola and other liquids. The said liquids to be bought in bulk, bottled in convenient bottles and sold in that form”. The directors were S.B. Tinsley – a teacher in Louisville; Louis K. Webb – a telephone company manager in Louisville; S.B. Overton – a teacher in Louisville; E.C. Toner – a newspaper reporter in Anderson, IN.
The first City Directory listing of a Coca-Cola Bottling Works in Indianapolis was in 1905 at 724 E. Washington St., with J. Bornscheim as manager; in 1910 it was located at 101 S. Cruse St. In 1934 an art-deco style Coca-Cola Bottling Plant was built in Indianapolis at 858-862 Massachusetts Ave; this building is still standing and has had different uses.

Charles Edison’s Auto Laundry, incorporated on April 13, 1938, at 1134 N. Meridian St. The objective was the “washing, polishing, servicing and storage of all kinds of motor vehicles”.

Em-Ten Tavern, Inc., incorporated on July 9, 1934 at 5108 E. 10th Street. The owners were William E., Ada & George Youngman : all of Indianapolis. This building is still at the southeast corner of 10th Street and Emerson Avenue, and is now known as Greene’s Pub.

Casmire Manufactory Co., incorporated from 1912 to 1922, “to manufacture ice cream freezers”. Directors were William C. Bobbs – President of the Bobbs-Merrill Co., a famous Indianapolis publisher of many bestseller books in the first half of the 20th Century: his company started as a bookstore in 1850; C.B. McCulloch – a general practice physician; Bert A. Casmire – an attorney and manufacturer. Their office was at 316 Board of Trade Building.

Cher-ee Cola Co., incorporated in 1908 at 129 W. Market St. Henry D. Tutewiler, an undertaker, was the owner. This drink did not sell!

Dunes Highway Realty Co., incorporated on November 7, 1927, by E.C. Doering, an optician located in Gary, Lake County, Indiana, at 692 Broadway. This company was formed two years after the Dunes Indiana State Park was established, and 21 years after the city of Gary was founded by the U.S. Steel Company.

Chemical Products Co., incorporated in 1911. The objective was “to manufacture polish”. Its vice-president was Meredith Nicholson. This Hoosier author had best-selling books in the early 1900s and later had diplomatic posts in Paraguay, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.

Electric Machine Corp., incorporated from 1921 to 1928, at 236 E. 15th St. The objective was “to manufacture electric parts for automobiles and appliances”, and was part of the W.J. Holliday & Co. According to the historical sketch for the W.J. Holliday & Co. Records at the Indiana Historical Society, “Holliday & Co. had entered the auto accessory business, but the focus was dropped when the company began wholesaling mill, mine, and industrial supplies”. Maybe they had contracts with local auto manufacturers like Stutz, Duesenberg, and Cole, whose sales were dwindling by the late 1920s.
The directors were Joseph C. Schaf, Jr. – he was earlier a realtor, but he then became vice-president of this company; his father owned an Indianapolis brewing company; Burrell Wright – an Indianapolis attorney; William J. Holliday – secretary of the W.J.Holliday Co: he succeeded his father in this company which was originally a hardware store.

Excelsior Manufacturing Co., incorporated from 1912 to 1914, at 526 E. Washington St. The objective was “to manufacture horseshoes and non-slip attachments for horseshoes”. The directors were Frank F. Jacobs – an Indianapolis veterinarian; J. Frank Young – owned a livery stable; Robert E. Woods – hardware store; George V. Coffin – the Sheriff of Marion County; William H. Kershner – manager of the American Engineering Company. I’m not sure why they would form a company to make horseshoes when automobiles were becoming so popular, unless they had a specific contract with someone like the Sheriff Department.

Indianapolis Old-Mill Co., incorporated from September 16, 1920 to 1924. The objective was “to maintain and operate buildings and grounds containing water devices and apparatus, for presenting amusements and entertainments…in the town of Broad Ripple, Indiana”. Incorporators were H.S. Burpee – Banker in Rockford, Illinois; Charles Otto Breinig – Manager and Director of Amusements at the Wintergarden Amusement Co.: lived in Terre Haute, Indiana; George E. Christina – movie house projectionist and lived in Broad Ripple at 1810 E. 62nd Street.

Columbia Creosoting Co., incorporated in 1904. The investors were W.A. Hughes – and Indianapolis lawyer; Stoughton Fletcher – a prominent Indianapolis banker; it’s interesting that Fletcher would invest in creosoting.

Colored Men’s Business Association, incorporated in 1904. The African-American organizers were Mathew B. Allen – a gardener; William H. Clayton – a servant; William Sherry Clayton – a laborer; Aaron Gann – a laborer; Samuel D. Williams – a janitor; Hazzard Wood – a coachman; J.O. Corley – a porter.

Chandler & Taylor Co., incorporated in 1888. They built engines, boilers, and saw mills. According to the Indianapolis Illustrated, published in 1893, this firm was preceded in 1858 by Wiggins & Chandler and organized in 1868 as Chandler & Taylor. Their manufacturing plant and office was located at 370 W. Washington St. and covered three acres. The 1888 directors were Thomas E. Chandler – President; William M. Taylor – secretary; Franklin Taylor – treasurer; George M. Chandler – purchasing agent; Henry G. Werbe – bookkeeper.(I believe Werbe was the son of an early Indianapolis grocer.)

Colfax Refining Corp.,incorporated in 1927. The investor was Schuyler C.(Colfax) Mowrer, an Indianapolis attorney who lived at 728 Middle Drive, Woodruff Place. He was named after a Vice President of the United States from Indiana, Schuyler Colfax, but I’m not sure if he was related to him. Incidentally, Mowrer was overcome by poison gas during WWI and almost died.

County Investment Co., incorporated from1925 to 1927. Their investments were real estate, insurance, stocks, bonds, etc. The directors were J.Voris Tobin, an insurance agent, president; Estes Duncan – a farm manager; F.C. Tucker – president of the F.C. Tucker Real Eastate Co., which was founded in 1918 and is still in business.

College of Musical Art, incorporated from 1907 to 1920, located at 824 N. Pennsylvania. The purpose was to teach “Piano, Voice,Violin, Harp, and Cornet. The directors were Grace Pierce & Oliver Willard Pierce -piano teacher and former President of the Metropolitan School of Music, room 8, 131 W. Market St.

Carriage Builder Publication Co. Incorporated in 1901 by John F. Wood and Labant Wood, printers at 40 1/2 E. Washington St. I wouldn’t think this would be very popular at the beginning of the Automobile Age.

Colored Union Oil Co , incorporated in 1907. The objective was to drill for oil and mining. The African-American stockholders were Elwood C. Knox – secretary and treasurer of the Freeman Publishing Co.; Joseph H. Ballard -a physician; John J. Buckner – a porter; John B. Goins – a waiter; H.L. Sanders – manufactured clothing, mainly uniforms; and Rev. C.H. Johnson.

Indianapolis Athletic Club, Incorporated from June 21, 1920 to 1939, located at 350 N. Meridian St. The objective was “to advance & encourage physical culture and manly sports; to promote social intercourse among its members; to provide for them the convenience of club houses, golf grounds, aviation & athletic fields , trap shooting , tennis and all other out door and indoor sports and amusements”. The original signers were: Henry C. Campbell – President of the Club and V.P of the Charles E. Stutz Sales Co.; Herbert L. Bass- architect located in Suite 801 of the Hume-Mansur Building; Lucius M. Wainwright – First V.P. of the Club and President of the Diamond Chain Co; Soughton A. Fletcher – Treasurer of the Club and President of the Fletcher American National Bank; William H. Oakes – Secretary & Treasurer of the Oakes Co., a manufacturer automobile parts; Harry A. Stutz – founder of the Stutz Motor Car Co.; Arthur B. Baxter – owner of the Keyless Lock Co.; Almus G. Ruddell – President of the Central Rubber and Supply Co.; Charles L. Bushman – V.P. and General Manager of the Lewis Meir & Co.: clothing manufacturers.

By 1939 the officers of the Indianapolis Athletic Club were: Joseph W. Stickney – President of the Club and owner of an insurance agency; Roy W. Adams – First V.P. of the Club and Chairman of the Board of the J.D. Adams Co.: manufactures of road graders; Ralph Reahard – Second V.P. of the Club and Director of the Pharmacy Division of Eli Lilly & Co.; Bowman Elder – Treasurer of the Club and owner of the Bowman Real Estate Agency. Bowman was the great-grandson of John R.Elder, editor of the early Indianapolis newspaper: the Locomotive.

Grocers’ Supply Co., incorporated from February 28, 1898 to 1924. The purpose was “the preparing, compounding and selling fluid extracts, vinegars, mustards, spices and all other condiments, baking powders, pancake & breakfast flours, coffees, ammonia & bluing mixtures and all other Grocers’, Bakers’ & Butchers’ Supplies”. The Company’s different addresses were 240 Virginia Ave., 214-216 McCarty St., and 128 South Meridian St. The Directors were Horace E. Hadley – Secretary & Treasurer; Anson B. Conkle – President; and Charles A. Ross.

Hacker Brothers’ Bakeries, incorporated from June 9, 1921 to 1924, at 1365 Madison Ave. The objective was “the partnership of Hacker Brothers’ Bakeries, consisting of senses of six retail stores with cases, cash registers, furniture, ovens & machinery for conducting the business of the bakeries with trucks for distributing the products of such ovens to various stores”. The incorporators were Charles, Christian, Walter J., Harry, Frank and John Hacker. In 1890 their father, Charles Hacker, ran a bakery at 353 E.Market Street, where he also lived.

Hamilton Manufacturing Co., incorporated from July 13, 1916 to 1918. The objective was “to manufacture & sell Fuel Feed Systems for internal combustion motors”. The incorporators were H.F. Rust – machinist; Charles O. Roemler – lawyer; Harold Butcher – a manufacturer’s agent from Detroit, Michigan, and Bert Brown.

Columbia Meter Co., incorporated in 1909. The officers were Charles Test – President, and Skiles Test – Secretary & Treasurer. At the time, Charles Test was President of the National Motor Vehicle Co. and his son, Skiles Test, had just graduated from High School. They both lived at 795 Middle Drive, Woodruff Place, Indianapolis. Later, Skiles became an eccentric farmer/inventor who became famous for his home on the northeast side of Indianapolis: The House of Blue Lights.

Central City Realty Co., incorporated in 1911 by Ralph S. Norwood. Ralph might be related to George Norwood, a wagon maker and owner of the “Norwood Block” in early Indianapolis.

Central Amusement Co., incorporated from 1910 to 1927; theater owners with an office at 133-135 N. Illinois St. Directors were Max Flaskamp, born in Germany in 1879, and seems to have been a professional wrestler and promoter in Chicago in the early 1900s; Benjamin V. Barton – theater manager; and Martin Hugg – general practice lawyer. In 1910 they owned the Lyric Theater and two 5-cent moving picture shows in Indianapolis.

German-American Boating Club of Indianapolis, incorporated on February 2, 1906. Its purpose was “to promote friendly and social relations among its members and their associates, and to build and maintain boating facilities for its members”.  They didn’t say where these boating facilities were to be built. Incorporators were Ernest A. Kottlowski – a general contractor & builder; Gus Breuminger – a department manager at Vonnegut Hardware; and William E. Krieger – an undertaker.

Frank Bird Transfer Co., incorporated from June 24, 1890 to April 30, 1929. (Its unusual to find a company in business for this many years in these incorporation papers). Its purpose was “to carry & transmit freight, passengers and baggage to & from the railroads & other points in said city {Indianapolis}”; with their office on Union Street, 319 E. New York Street, and later at 23 W. Henry Street. The officers were Frank Bird – proprietor; Francis L. Golibart – bookkeeper; and Charles Gilliland. The original incorporation papers were notarized by John S. Tarkington, who in 1890 was the manager of Fletcher’s Safe Deposit Co. He was the father of the future author Booth Tarkington and they lived at 598 N. Pennsylvania St.

Coliseum-Hotel Corp., incorporated in 1914. The idea for this was a convention center-type building, I believe at the NW corner of Meridian and Ohio Streets. The idea was never constructed. The local Indianapolis businessmen directors were: George C. Brooks – President of the Red River Valley Land & Livestock Co and he lived at 835 Woodruff Place Middle Dr.;  Robert S. Fletcher – V.P. of the Hackedorn Contracting Co. and V.P. of the State Exchange Bank; Raymond P. Van Camp – V.P. of the Van Camp Hardware and Iron Co. located at 401-425 W. Maryland St.; Robert Martindale – real estate agent; and George Haugh – insurance agent.

Columbia Securities Co., incorporated in 1925 at 162 N. Delaware St. They dealt in mortgage loans, real estate, rentals & property management. The directors were : Bennet E. Sagalowsky – President; Morris Horowitz – treasurer; and Dr. Goethe Link. Dr. Link was a well-known surgeon in Indianapolis, and an amateur astronomer. In 1909 he won a silver cup for winning the balloon race at the opening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  In 1948 he donated his private observatory to Indiana University, and the observatory grounds is popular for its extensive daffodil gardens.

Columbia Voting Machine Co., incorporated in 1907 at 616 N. Davidson. The directors were H.B. Smith – manager of the company; Albert Lieber – President & General Manager of the Indianapolis Brewing Co.; John B. Cockrum – Secretary and General Attorney of the L.E. & W. Railroad; and Ernest H. Tripp – President of the Union Transfer & Storage Co.

English Hotel Co., incorporated on April 3, 1901. The purpose of the company was “building, owning and carrying on hotels”.  I’m not sure how this company was connected with the extensive English Hotel and Opera House on the Monument Circle. Maybe the owner of the English Hotel, William E. English, was so busy in politics and other interests at the time that he turned over its management to this group of directors: A.A. Barnes -VP of the Columbian National Bank and President of the Udell Works, a furniture manufacturer; Louis G. Deschler – wholesale and retail cigars and tobacco; F.W. Hays – a physician; Henry W. Lawrence – President and Manager of the Claypool Hotel and Proprietor of the Spencer House; Albert Lieber – President and General Manager of the Indianapolis Brewing Co.; George G. Tanner – owner of Tanner & Company: wholesale tinner supplies, sheet iron and metals; Ernest H. Tripp – a contractor and President of the Union Transfer and Storage Co.: he lived at the English Hotel.

Central Music Co., incorporated from 1919 to 1930 by W.E. and A.E. Slingerland. This music store was located at 128 Pembroke Arcade, 135 E. Washington St. The Pembroke Arcade was  built in 1895 and designed by Vonnegut & Bonn, architects. The Arcade was a two-story building situated between East Washington Street and the diagonal Virginia Ave. According to an Indianapolis Star article it had “an assortment of shops and eateries, with a leaded glass atrium in the middle”. It really sounds like an earlier version of our downtown shopping mall. The Pembroke Arcade was demolished in 1943.

C.B. Reynolds & Co., incorporated in 1918. This company manufactured airless tire-cores for automobiles. The Dayton Tire Company advertised airless tires in 1918.

Automatic Hydro-Gravity Motor, incorporated in 1912. A hydro-gravity motor was “a submersible motor pump, which can be used for sewage”. Its directors were H.N. McKee – Secretary of the American Bankers’ Security Co.; W.A. Orwen – drug store owner; R.G. Hendricks – a medical surgeon; and J.H. Vaught – a physician.

City Hall Realty Co. incorporated from 1923 to 1933. Its directors were Felix McWhirter – the President of the Peoples State Bank, located at 130-136 E. Market St.; H.C. Snick – a lawyer whose office was at 601 Peoples Bank; and L.R. Zapf – another lawyer located at 601 Peoples Bank.

Cole Carriage Co., incorporated in 1905 by Joseph J. Cole. According to Wikipedia, Cole bought out a carriage company, renamed it, and was manufacturing about 3,000 carriages and coaches a year. But his main interest was automobiles and in 1909 he changed the company’s name to the Cole Car Co. which was in business till 1925. His factory building was at 730-738 E. Washington St., which is still standing.