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Beech Grove Information
Beech Grove Marion County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the
city population was 14,880.
By the turn of the 20th Century, the Beech Grove area was a rural section of
Indiana's Marion County. Notable residents included poet and women's-rights
activist Sarah Tittle (Barrett) Bolton (1814–1893), and Indianapolis financier
Francis McClintock Churchman (1833–1891).
Bolton's farm, "Beech Bank" and Churchman's cattle farm, "Beech Grove Farm",
both reflected the abundance of beech trees in this area. This would eventually
provide the reason for the city's name, although an early railroad stop in the
area was known as "Ingallstown". The city's Sarah T. Bolton Park, situated on
some of the former Beech Bank farmland, still contains several large beech trees
along its southern boundary.
The actual City came into existence as a 'company town' for a new railroad
repair facility constructed by the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis
Railroad (nicknamed the "Big Four"). Through acquisitions and mergers over the
years, the railroad "shops" have been run by the New York Central, Penn Central
and, presently, Amtrak rail systems. Although Beech Grove was incorporated in
late 1906, it did not see rapid growth until the completion of the railroad
facility in 1908; by July 1907, for example, there were only four homes and two
businesses in place.
Beech Grove grew with two annexations after World War II, with the final one
(1967) taking place just before the Uni-Gov legislation which merged
Indianapolis with most of the rest of Marion County, preventing future
annexation.
Two famous actors have listed Beech Grove as their birthplace—Clifton Webb
(November 19, 1889–1966) and Steve McQueen (March 24, 1930–1980). Webb was born
before Beech Grove came into existence as a separate entity, while McQueen was
born at the City's St. Francis Hospital. Both moved away from the area while
they were still infants; neither one grew up or lived in Beech Grove.
On October 15, 1948, Beech Grove received the honor of a visit by a sitting
President of the United States. Harry S. Truman, a Mason, came to the City's
Masonic Lodge during his legendary 'whistle stop' re-election campaign to
participate in a ceremony involving a member of his staff who was one of its
members.
Within the traditional focus in Indiana on high-school basketball, the Beech
Grove Hornets have earned one IHSAA State Championship--that of its girls' team,
in Class 3A of the 2003 tournament. From that team, senior Katie Gearlds won
both the IHSAA's Patricia Roy Mental Attitude Award (for Class 3A) and the "Miss
Basketball" honor for the entire State. During the single-class years before
1996, the school had earned only three "Sectional" (first-round) titles (two by
the boys' team, one by the girls' team).
The Hornets' most consistent State-level athletic success has come in wrestling,
in which five students have won a total of seven Individual State titles (Ralph
Edwards and Gary Pierson in 1972, Ethan Harris in 2005, Danny Coyne in 2006, and
a three-year unbeaten run by Steven Bradley from 1996 to 1998). The 1972
wrestling team endured the closest-ever runner-up finish in IHSAA wrestling
history, ending up a half-point behind Bloomington. 58 Hornet wrestlers have
qualified for the IHSAA State Finals (with several appearing two, three or four
times), winning 54 placement medals. Also, in swimming, Andy McVey won two IHSAA
individual titles in 1986, setting State records for that time; he had come back
from being "false-started" out of the 1985 finals, in which he had been favored
to win.
Beech Grove High School's "Marching Hornets" band program has earned two Indiana
State Music Association (ISMA) State Band Finals berths in its history, during
the long service of former director James Williams. The present band, directed
by alumnus Cory Wynn, has sought to return to that level of success, earning
their first ISMA Regional Gold rating in nine years in 2005.
Some Beech Grove streets have been named in honor of notable citizens, such as
Byland Drive (Mayor Richard Byland); Fletcher Lane (former Fire Chief, City
Councilman and business owner Robert Fletcher); Killian Drive (Father Peter
Killian); Newcomer Lane (Town Board member and businessman W. S. Newcomer); and
Ticen Street (Town Board member Willard Ticen). A quartet of parallel streets in
the northern part are named, in alphabetical order from south to north, for the
cities of Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland and Detroit. No one has yet made widely
known, however, the story of the naming of two connected cul-de-sacs in the far
south part--Rodney Court and Dangerfield Drive, presumably someone's tribute to
the comedian.
The City has its own school district, the Beech Grove City Schools, consisting
of five facilities (Hornet Park; Central Elementary; South Grove Intermediate;
Beech Grove Middle; and Beech Grove High). Its high-school athletic teams, the
"Hornets" (colors: orange and black) participate as members of the statewide
Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA), the Marion County Athletic
Association and the Indiana Crossroads Conference.
The City's first school was opened in 1907 in the upstairs of the Wheat Grocery
Store at 423 Main Street. Between 1909 and 1929, a series of school buildings
and additions were built on the 1000 block of Main; only the original Gymnasium
remains from these structures. The High School was begun in 1917 and its first
graduating class was in 1922.
A new combined Junior-High/High School was built in 1955 at 1248 Buffalo Street,
just northwest of the existing school site. The previous complex became Central
Elementary. The new facility operated on a split-day schedule, with High School
students attending in the morning and Junior High School students attending in
the afternoon.
By 1960, the City's growth to the south prompted the building of South Grove
Elementary (later Intermediate) at the 800 block of South 9th Avenue. With the
population growth, the present High School was built in 1966 just east of the
4000 block of South Emerson Avenue and the 1955 facility remained as the Junior
High (later Middle) School.
Before the 1990s, the Kindergarten education experience was only offered in the
City by private specialty schools (past examples being Cassidy's and Happy
Time). As part of the State trend to incorporate this age level within the
public schools, the City Schools joined with the City's Parks Department in the
development of Hornet Park, a dual-use facility built on the grounds of the
former Olympia Club (a private swimming/recreation club). Kindergarten (and,
added recently, 1st-Grade) classes are held in the south part, while the City
offers meeting rooms and exercise facilities in the north part.
At different times in the City Schools' history, certain grade-levels have been
moved between schools. 9th-graders were moved from High School to Junior High
School from 1964 to 1973. 6th-graders were in Elementary School until 1977, when
they were moved to Middle School level, but were returned to the Elementary
level in 2004.
Also within the City limits are the Holy Name Of Jesus School (Roman Catholic,
grades 1 to 8 only), built in 1922, and the Nazarene Christian School
(independent Nazarene). Many students from Holy Name Of Jesus continue their
high-school studies at Beech Grove High School or the nearby Roncalli High
School.