Franklin Township Historical Society
Autumn 2025 Newsletter
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WE GOT IT!!!
Thanks to the generous donations of our supporters and a large gift from the Russell Flagle Charitable Trust in Wanamaker, the Historical Society was able to purchase the 1930s house and property located immediately south of our Meeting House! This purchase will allow us to expand our museum displays into this adjacent building, will give us room to offer seminars and workshops, will provide a nice garage for storage, and will finally give us BATHROOMS! 😊
Work needs to be done to make the house suitable for the public (adding a ramp for those who can’t climb steps, for instance), and we are still raising funds to cover the costs of making these necessary changes. But the property is now ours.
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Spooky Stories & S’mores!
October 15 @ 6:00 PM
Come in costume or come as you are! Toast a marshmallow over a fire while hearing spooky stories and strange happenings from Franklin Township — including the tale associated with our famous Black Dress. Weather and traffic permitting, we’ll also take an educational walk through Big Run Cemetery to learn the significance of tombstone symbols and hear about the mourning traditions of centuries past. This is a free event.
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Our annual Harvest Dinner is November 1st!
Sponsored this year by The Auto Center
Join us for our annual Harvest Dinner, featuring a turkey dinner, a Silent Auction, a Chamber Choir performance, a history presentation, door prizes, and more. The event will be Saturday, November 1 at 12:00 p.m. at Grace Church, 5605 S. Franklin Rd., Indianapolis.
This year’s catered dinner includes a turkey entrée with two vegetables, salad, dinner rolls, dessert, and beverages. We will again enjoy a concert by the much-lauded Franklin Central Chamber Choir, and piano music by Jim Kemp. Attendees can get a jump on their holiday shopping by bidding on gift baskets and local specialties in the Silent Auction.
Seating for this event is limited and advance ticket purchase is required. Tickets can be purchased via credit card, PayPal, or Venmo at FTHS.org, or can be purchased by mail by sending a check for $25 per attendee to FTHS, P.O. Box 39015, Indianapolis, IN 46239. Please include the name of each person for whom you are purchasing a ticket. ALL ORDERS MUST BE RECEIVED BY OCTOBER 25. Have questions? Email us at [email protected].
This year’s Harvest Dinner is generously sponsored by The Auto Center, located at 7006 Southeastern Avenue. We are grateful for their support!
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Christmas at the Meeting House
Join us December 14 at 6:00 PM at 6510 S. Franklin Road for our annual holiday celebration at the Meeting House. Sing carols accompanied by the building’s original Victorian pump organ, learn a bit of Christmas tradition history, and enjoy punch and cookies while exploring our recently added exhibits.
For this event only, the Meeting House lot is reserved for handicapped-accessible parking. General parking is next door at the south end of The Creek’s parking lot.
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Did you know…
…that Acton once had a tomato canning factory? That a horse once jumped through a window of the Acton blacksmith shop? That Acton and Wanamaker each had their own State Bank? That Acton was the site of an armed bank robbery on July 7, 1924? (The robbers were never caught and escaped with $3,000.)
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Don’t forget our Open Hours!
- September 6, 2:00 to 4:00 PM
- September 21, 2:00 to 4:00 PM
- October 4, 2:00 to 4:00 PM
- October 19, 2:00 to 4:00 PM
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