I drive around a lot, and one of my favorite games is is trying to guess what places used to be. The other day in Elwood, that instinct kicked in hard when I came across Tops TrueValue Home Center. One look was all it took: beneath the signage, it was unmistakably a former Marsh Supermarket.
Marsh opened its Elwood store on June 18, 1958. Built by Glaser Construction of Muncie, the 15,000-square-foot building was as modern as they came: the store’s interior featured pastel colors and Harold Hancock, a Greensburg artist, was responsible for food-themed murals that festooned the place1.
Marsh’s Elwood store underwent a sprucing up in 19722, then a complete remodel in 1986 which added a new exterior, thirty feet of new frontage, and enlarged produce displays3. After Marsh purchased Carter’s Supermarket in 20014, it relocated to a much larger store on State Road 37.
Anderson-based TOPS TrueValue Home Center opened in the former Marsh Supermarket in 20015.
Sources Cited
1 New Marsh Market Opens Wednesday (1958, June 16). The Elwood Call-Leader. p. 1.
2 Marsh Elwood…Completely Remodeled…You’ll Love The Change! (1972, October 4). The Elwood Call-Leader. p. 4.
3 New Look (1986, October 17). The Elwood Call-Leader. p. 1.
4 Marsh to purchase Carter’s (2001, June 29). The Elwood Call-Leader. p. 1.
5 New Look (1986, October 17). The Elwood Call-Leader. p. 1.
I remember that Ted, I visited that place regularly because I lived in Frankton for twenty years, between Elwood and Anderson,
You really get around! Anderson is where my brother and I were raised.
Tell ’em Pat Summerall sent you! I wondered how long it has been since that old sports broadcaster did the Tru Value ads. Turns out he died in 2013, so at least that long.