Author: Frank “Kin” Hubbard (1868-1930)

Born in Ohio, Hubbard grew up in a newspaper family. In 1891, he sent drawings to a friend who lived in Indianapolis. This resulted in Hubbard being hired to create illustrations for the Indianapolis News. Hubbard was chiefly a political caricaturist, furnishing the newspaper with drawings of Indiana legislators, lobbyists, and staff members.

In 1904, he introduced an “Agriculturalist from Brown County” to his newspaper political cartoons who quickly became so popular that he was dubbed “Abe Martin.” With his pithy sayings and friends, “Abe” became a regular feature not only in the paper but also books. The cartoons reached a wider newspaper audience in 1910 after Hubbard signed with the George Matthey Adams Syndicate. The syndicated Abe Martin cartoon series eventually appeared in approximately 200 cities. If the name Abe Martin rings a bell, it may be because the lodge at Brown County State Park bears this name. Hubbard was originally interred in Section 48, Lot 13, but was later moved to the Community Mausoleum. His first burial location still has his tombstone.