Near Southeast in Indianapolis in Marion County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Ada B. Harris
1866-1927
Photographed by Tom Bosse, June 14, 2026
1. Ada B. Harris Marker (Side 1)
Civic leader Ada Harris graduated from Indianapolis High School in 1888 and Butler College in 1926. An influential reformer in the Norwood neighborhood, she was a longtime teacher and principal at Harriet Beecher Stowe School, later located here. Harris established a boys' club to mentor youth in 1904 and later a gymnasium and the Norwood Library to serve Black patrons.
Harris organized health, education, and civic programs to benefit Norwood, building a strong sense of community. Through the Women's Improvement Club, she helped establish an open-air camp in 1905 for Black tuberculosis patients. She encouraged Black political participation through civic engagement and organized a citizenship school for newly-enfranchised women in 1920.
Erected 2025 by Indiana Historical Bureau, William G. Pomeroy Foundation, Indiana Women's History Association, and the Southside Descendant Community.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Charity & Public Work • Education • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1888.
Location. 39° 44.633′ N, 86° 7.025′ W. Marker is in Indianapolis, Indiana, in Marion County. It is in Near Southeast. It is on Bethel Avenue east of Zwingley
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Regionally, this marker is in Central Indiana. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Leedy Manufacturing Company (approx. 1.3 miles away); Cannon Ball Baker (approx. 1.6 miles away); Indianapolis Public Library Branch No. 3 (approx. 1.7 miles away); Willard Park (approx. 1.7 miles away); 28th Regiment USCT (approx. 1.7 miles away); Rosenbaum House (approx. 1.8 miles away); Hook's Drug Stores (approx. 1.8 miles away); Bates-Hendricks House (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Indianapolis.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Willard Park (was approx. 1.7 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Photographed by Tom Bosse, June 14, 2026
2. Ada B. Harris Marker (Side 2)
Photographed by Tom Bosse, June 14, 2026
3. Ada B. Harris Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 18, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 17, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 17, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
