( MIRROR INDY ) — The east side of Indianapolis has beautiful green spaces, passionate residents and some of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. I’ve lived on the east side my entire life, but know very little about the history of the neighborhoods on this side of the city. And I want to change that.
Irvington’s spooky past
Irvington was created as a suburban town east of Indianapolis. Sylvester Johnson and Jacob Julian founded the neighborhood in 1870. Believing the area resembled the village in Washington Irving’s gothic horror short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” the founders named the town after the author. From 1875 to 1928, the neighborhood was home to Butler University. The town was eventually annexed by Indianapolis in 1902 and the original plat was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
To this day, the neighborhood continues to pay homage to its spooky namesake. The neighborhood’s annual weeklong Halloween festival features readings of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” ghost tours and a street fair attended by thousands .