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Christmas trees were first used to decorate Monument Circle in 1918, and the practice expanded after World War II. But it wasn’t until 1962 that the Soldiers & Sailors Monument itself was strung with lights, and the first Circle of Lights celebration took place. This photo of the north side of the Circle was taken Dec. 8, 1952, and shows workers wrapping one of the monument’s bronze candelabras with evergreen boughs. At the time, a J.C. Penney store was in the northwest quadrant of the Circle in a building that has since been renovated with a new facade and served until last year as Anthem Inc.’s headquarters.
Sources: Indiana Historical Society, Indiana War Memorial
Credit: This photo is courtesy of the Indiana Historical Society and is part of the Larry Foster Collection. More images are available at images.indianahistory.org.
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