100 Years Ago: Dec. 20-Jan. 2

From The Indianapolis News, Monday, December 22, 1919: Butler College will be enlarged and placed on a university status by September 1923. Alumni have joined committees appointed by the college trustees to select a new location for the Irvington school. Possible sites include the vacant Hibben land along East Washington St between Emerson Av and Hawthorne Lane and Ellenberger Park. Another proposal is to acquire land from Washington St south to the Pennsylvania Railroad and from the old Streight Estate east to Pleasant Run. Other sites under consideration include a tract east of Irvington between Washington and Tenth Streets, the extreme north districts of Indianapolis around Mapleton, Meridian Heights or Broad Ripple, and University Heights on the far south side of the city. Plans are proceeding on a building fund campaign to raise several million dollars toward the new university.

From The Indianapolis News, Saturday, December 27, 1919: Whether Indianapolis will celebrate its centennial in 1920 or 1921 has been left to a subcommittee of the centennial committee to decide following yesterday’s committee meeting. John Holliday, centennial committee chair, favors a 1921 date since that was the year the legislature ratified the site selected for the location of the Hoosier state’s capital city. Jacob Dunn, subcommittee chair, advocates June 7, 1920, the date one hundred years ago that commissioners met in the McCormick cabin and selected the site. February 26, the date the McCormick family, the first to arrive on the future site of the city, has been proposed by others. However, that date would provide little time to arrange a proper celebration. In addition to Dunn, the subcommittee members are Amos Butler, Laura Hodges, Eliza Browning and Charles Moores.