Our Community's Story

Martindale-Brightwood: A Wealth Of Community

Martindale-Brightwood is a predominantly black community on the Eastside of Indianapolis, Indiana in the United States Of America. Many have called it a city within a city. Originally plotted as two distinct settlements, Martindale-Brightwood now encompasses 4 major neighborhoods and adjacent residential areas. Neighborhoods like Hillside, Oak Hill, Ralston Hovey, and Brightwood make up the core of the community.  We are a thriving and fruitful working class community full of rich history and a promising future, where neighbors live, work, play, and worship.

Martindale-Brightwood is happy to welcome new neighbors and new investment in our community. We believe in Hoosier hospitality. We also believe in fair wages for real work. Indiana needs to work for us too. Our community has already been planting the seeds, now we expect to reap the fruit of our labor.

Despite rampant disinvestment, our community has always found a way to continue producing the cultural and economic capital of this city. The true wealth of Martindale-Brightwood lies in the people that reside there. By connecting personal stories to the landscape and history, we are shedding light on the full spectrum of experiences that make up our city’s heart. Each story highlights a new perspective on what constitutes wealth, what home means, and who is community.

You can learn the history and hear our stories below. After hearing these stories, you realize that Martindale-Brightwood isn't rich because of investment, it’s rich because we made it home. 

A Brief Timeline Of Our Community

1870s: Two separate communities form. Brightwood was platted in 1872 by railroad developers. Martindale was established in 1873 around the Indianapolis Car Works. 

1872: Original plat for Brightwood was signed by manufacturers Clement A. Greenleaf and John L. Mothershead and merchants William D. Wiles. 

1873: Martindale makes up the western part of the neighborhood. Unlike Brightwood, the area was never an incorporated town. The neighborhood was originally a blue collar, majority Black community and many residents worked at companies along the Monon Railroad. 

1874: Plat of Brightwood is amended. New plat outlines plans for a residential community to surround industrial and commercial areas. 

1876: Brightwood incorporates as an independent town, serving as a major railway center for Bee Line Railroad workers.

1878: African-Americans make their homes and build churches in the area around Beeler St in Martindale. 

1892: Hillside Christian Church is organized. 

1895: Private waterworks are installed in Brightwood. 

1895: Beeler St. becomes Martindale Ave. 

1897: The city of Indianapolis officially annexes the town of Brightwood.

1898: St. John A.M.E. Church is founded. 

1899: FIre-engine house No.21 is established. 

1901: Indianapolis opens a branch library in Brightwood. 

1908: Mayor Charles Bookwalter calls Brightwood’s water-works “a joke.”  

1913: Hillside Christian Church opens a free Medical Clinic. 

1917: Ertel Manufacturing operated as a manufacturing facility until its closure in 2002. The abandoned site left contamination concerns.  

1921: Douglass Park opens, serving as a vital recreational and cultural hub for Indianapolis's Black residents.

1924: Trinity C.M.E. is established

1926: St. John Baptist Church, 17st and Martindale Ave., holds ground breaking. 

1935: The Brightwood Community Center is founded with headquarters at 2305 N. Rural St.  The center acts as a social and educational headquarters for many African- Americans. 

1940s: As railroads relocate, white residents begin to move out. Martindale-Brightwood transitions into a predominantly African American, working-class neighborhood. 

1945: Martindale Avenue Christian Church is organized. It is the second African American Christian Church in Indianapolis. 

1946-1965: The American Lead Corp. conducted smelting at their site near East 21st and Hillside Avenue.   

1957: Brightwood Methodist Church begins offering Sunday school classes for children with learning disabilities.

1960s: Residents from the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood associations as a result of the area’s participation in Model Cities, a federal urban renewal program.

1960: Brightwood loses the last of its railroad connections when the New York Central moves all operations to Avon. A Muslim mosque and mission are established at 2248 Yandes St. The Flanner House Homes project begins. Eventually the development will house 700 families. 

1970: Unigov was established in 1970 under Mayor Richard Lugar, it administratively merged the city and county to prevent an eroding tax base, combining their executive leadership, budgets, and certain departments.Brightwood loses a doctor’s office, accounting services and a drug store. Crime rises.

1971: The American Lead Corp. facility exploded, contaminating nearby soil, scattering toxic lead into the surrounding community.Indianapolis seeks 5.6 million in federal aid for urban renewal projects in Brightwood.

1972: Rev. Andrew J. Brown celebrates his 25th anniversary at St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church. 

1974: Dr. Edna M. Martin, Director of Eastside Baptist Center, dies.

1976: The construction of Interstates 65 and 70 is completed. The highways cut through the southern portion of the neighborhood, displacing residents and dividing the community.

1985: Merchants National Bank announces plan to leave Brightwood.

1986: City Zoo leaves Washington Park.

1987: Martin University opens a branch campus at 2171 Avodale Place.

1990: New Bethel Baptist Church, 1535 Dr. Andrew J Brown Ave celebrates its 115 year anniversary. 

1990s: Neighborhood Associations assemble the Greater Citizens Coalition of Martindale-Brightwood to organize residents and advance a unified vision for inclusive neighborhood growth and wellness.

1992: Martindale & Brightwood were joined in 1992 when the Martindale-Brightwood Community Development Corporation was formed.

1996: Clergy from 11 churches, The MBCDC & National CIty Bank form the community Resurrection Partnership “to enhance the lives of individuals and families.”

2000-2009: Marion County Health Department collected blood samples from Martindale Brightwood residents, finding that blood lead levels were two to four times higher for children in the rest of the city.  

2005: Greater Citizens Coalition of Martindale-Brightwood became a non-profit organization in 2005. Code Compliance and Environmental Justice become standing committees of GCCMB.

2005-2007: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supervised a sampling of soil for lead and cleanup efforts at 225 residential properties. Yards were excavated and soil and landscaping restored.  

2008: The first comprehensive Quality of Life plan was developed. 

2013: The City of Indianapolis officially adopts the 2013 Quality of Life Plan. 

2016: Greater Citizens Coalition of Martindale-Brightwood rebrands as One Voice and hires their first Community Builder to strengthen neighborhood connection and development.

2016-2018: The EPA conducted a second removal action at the American Lead Site. Residential and other properties were sampled for lead contamination. Properties exceeding levels were excavated, backfilled and re-seeded. EPA conducted an Integrated Site Assessment Area to determine whether the site was eligible for additional cleanup funding. It was not eligible.

2019: St. Rita’s celebrates its 100 year anniversary.

2020s: Efforts through the NAACP began initiatives to test mothers and young children for lead.

2021: Martindale-Brightwood is named a Lift Indy neighborhood, securing an anticipated $3.5 million in revitalization funding over three years.

2022-2024: Citizens initiated phase I of replacing lead pipes throughout Martindale Brightwood.

2025: The community celebrates its updated Quality of Life Plan, establishing a new five-year vision for neighborhood improvements.

2026: The city approves a controversial new data center in the area, leading local residents and environmental groups to file legal challenges citing pollution and quality-of-life concerns.

Today: Community partners like One Voice, Martindale Brightwood Environmental Justice Collaborative, Martindale Brightwood Code Compliance and Land Use, Hillside Neighborhood Association, Brightwood Concerned Citizens, Oakhill Civic Association and Ralston Hovey Neighborhood Association continue to expand initiatives, regulations and testing to aid residents and improve quality of life.