History of Ben Davis
Ben Davis marker gets new
homearticle appearing in the
Indianapolis Star By Brad Johnston on May 11, 2002
Keith Tharpe, past president of the Ben Davis Lions Club, was instrumental in getting the Ben Davis monument and plaque refurbished and moved from near the airport.
A 3-ton block of limestone commemorating the origins of the Ben Davis community is now perched in the front yard of Ben Davis Junior High School, a move that local educators say will equip them for local history lessons.
"Ben Davis. A Man. A Community. A Spirit," reads the monument, which was cut from Indiana limestone in the late 1970s. Moved to the school at 1155 S. High School Road last summer, the monument was installed and dedicated in April.
It now sits on newly poured footers alongside a historical plaque that tells the story of Ben Davis Station.
Within a month, volunteers plan to plant a time capsule containing historical documents that were recovered from a previous capsule under the old site.
"The monument originally sat beside the CSX line over by the airport," said Keith Tharpe, the past president of the Ben Davis Lions Club, who was instrumental in getting the limestone block moved.
"It was originally erected in 1979 as part of the Ben Davis centennial celebration but had been totally overcome by the airport growth."
The small park at Ben Davis Junior High was a collaborative effort of the Ben Davis Lions Club, Wayne Township school district and the Wayne Township Historical Society.
The monument preserves the history of the old freight depot, a stop along the old Pennsylvania Railroad line that originally sparked economic growth in the area.
According to Beuford Hall, a local historian, the station was named after a kindly but enigmatic railroad supervisor who made arrangements for the new freight depot.
"After the centennial celebration in '79, there was a reawakening in our local history," said Hall, president of the Wayne Township Historical Society. "People were really pleased with the monument, but for many years it was apparent the monument needed to be featured. When the Airport Authority moved (part of) Minnesota Street, the monument was virtually cut off, and the only people to visit it were vandals."
After the monument's sign had been knocked down and the
monument itself was covered with graffiti, things began to happen. Members of
the Lions Club and the Historical Society approached officials of Wayne
Township Schools.
“We had looked at having the monument moved several years ago but ran into local government problems," said Larry Cordray, principal at Ben Davis Junior High.
"However, we were able to work with the Lions Club and get it moved exactly where we wanted it. It is now on school property, and students can easily learn about the local community of Ben Davis."
Area residents say the original site was probably more historically relevant, but the monument now sits right in the center of the Ben Davis area. When workers moved the stone, they found an unrecorded time capsule that had been damaged
“There were newspaper articles and copies of some official documents we found that were in very poor shape," said Tharpe, who also repainted the historical plaque.
"It took us some time to recover what we could. Our plan is to replant a new capsule at the new site."
School officials hope the area will eventually include shade trees and benches where students can wait for parents.
"That station was critical to Ben Davis growing," said Tharpe, a local history enthusiast.
"The connection with Indianapolis allowed farmers to ship their grains and freight by rail and brought prosperity to the community.
"However, the new site at High School and Morris Street was the site of the first high school and original Ben Davis neighborhoods. We are hopeful that this monument will inspire the local community to learn about its history."
According to school officials, students in the public schools study Indiana and Wayne Township history in fourth grade, and local geography in seventh grade.
"This has always been a close-knit community," said Cordray, who has worked at the school for 25 years.
"We plan for our students to visit that monument and to learn about where this local community called Ben Davis came from."
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