Revisiting the Neighborhood of Saturdays
The original “Neighborhood of Saturdays” project was a collaborative research endeavor undertaken on the near southside by the Department of Anthropology at IUPUI between 2010-2013 in partnership with several southside institutions. Through oral history interviews and archival research, students reconstructed a portrait of this unique Indianapolis neighborhood, that was once home to a range of immigrant groups as well as to significant populations of African-Americans and Appalachians. The students focused primarily on documenting the experiences of two of the many communities who once lived on the Southside: Sephardic Jews, who came to Indianapolis in the early decades of the 20th century from what was then the Ottoman Empire, and African Americans, who migrated up from the south and from other Midwestern industrial cities. These two communities lived side-by-side in the neighborhood from the 1920s up to the 1960s when the Jewish residents began to migrate north. The remaining residents, many of whom were African-American, were then displaced ten years later by the construction of I-70.
The culmination of this project resulted in the publication of The Neighborhood of Saturdays: Memories of a Multi-Ethnic Community on Indianapolis' South Side. You can learn more about this project and download a copy of the book at our Neighborhood of Saturdays website.
And Since Then...
In Spring 2020, students enrolled in our community research class set out to update the story of the near Southside ten years after we began the original work. Despite the fact that our fieldwork that semester was cut short by the pandemic, students completed several digital projects. They created a website about the Old Southside and two videos featuring walking tours of different areas in the community. The Old Southside Neighborhood Video Tour recounts the stories of many of the fondly remembered landmarks that we learned about from community residents. The other video covers the history of the South Meridian Street Business District from McCarty St. to Morris St.
The students also created a webpage with old maps and photos and other artifacts documenting the history of South Meridian St., and a website on the history of the Concord Neighborhood Center, the oldest continuously operating community center in Indianapolis. In fall 2021, we unveiled an exhibit about the history of the Concord Center that was installed at the center, itself. The exhibit was designed by students in our Museum Studies course, under the direction of Professor Elizabeth Kryder-Reid. The Museum Studies students used much of the research that had been compiled by the Anthropology students in designing the displays. You can visit the Concord Neighborhood Center History Exhibit at 1310 S. Meridian Street.
In 2022, we returned to the Southside with a new group of students. Again, our work was constrained by concerns provoked by the on-going pandemic. We did not begin fieldwork in the community until March 2022 when mask and social distancing policies were lifted on campus. Nonetheless, students completed some interesting projects, including a long overdue history of Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ Parish, a southside institution since 1875 and originally a German-speaking congregation. Two of the students in the class made a film about Sacred Heart. Another student produced a video about public art and two students recorded a podcast on current developments in the plans to revitalize South Meridian Street. We also investigated the impact of pollution and disturbing odors emitting from some of the industries on the near southside.
We hope you enjoy viewing this work! The near Southside has a fascinating history and based on our ongoing research, we also believe it has a very bright future. We have been honored to hear its many stories and feel privileged to share them with larger audiences.
