The Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood began as two distinct communities, both founded in the 1870s — Brightwood in 1872 and Martindale in 1874.
Today, the communities are rolled into one vibrant neighborhood bordered to the west by the Monon Trail, north by 30th Street, east by Sherman Drive and south by Interstate 70.
The neighborhoods’ growth was bolstered by railroad lines and heavy industry, but the departure of railroads, construction of Interstates 65 and 70 and the expansion of suburban Indianapolis were detrimental to the area’s social and economic status post WWII.
From the start, the Martindale-Brightwood area was largely working class and comprised mostly of African-Americans and first-generation European-Americans.
The 2000 census found that 93 percent of the community’s residents are African-American, and the working-class fabric on which the area was built still remains today.
The communities featured prominently in Recorder coverage, from front page reports of daily activities in Brightwood, to deeper looks at the area’s growth and change over time.
