Order Book of the U.S. District Court for the District of Indiana (DC 017)

This is the initial Order Book of the court, comprising the record of the first cases and proceedings from its inception to 1833. The book reveals the history of the organization of the federal district court for Indiana, listing names of judges, attorneys, court clerks, justices of the peace, plaintiffs, defendants, and those who served as jurors. Cases regarding land transactions and bankruptcies are recorded, along with a few naturalizations, criminal cases, contempt and divorce proceedings. Access to the book is provided through this digital copy only. Benjamin Parke described as the Court’s first judge on page 1 in 1817 would also later become the first president of the Indiana Historical Society in 1830.

Karl Bodmer Prints (FF29-a - FF29-e)

Prince Maxmilian of Wied hired artist, Karl Bodmer, to accompany him and paint some of the sights of his expedition of the American West from 1832-1834. Bodmer painted the American landscape, indigenous animals, and native Americans. The images showcased in this digital collection are selections from Bodmer’s labors.

Madam C.J. Walker (M 0399)

Madam C.J. Walker was a self-made businesswoman who became a national figure and philanthropist. In 1910 she moved to Indianapolis, setting up a factory and beauty school. The collection contains the personal and business papers of Madam Walker, A’Lelia Walker, Freeman B. Ransom, and others who worked for the company, company records relating to operations and the beauty schools and agents, and materials from businesses located in the Walker Building in Indianapolis. This digital collection is a sample of the materials found in the collection.

Indiana has more claims to fame than David Letterman and John Mellencamp. Explore this collection to learn more about Hoosiers, past and present, who have contributed to the world at large. Included here are digital images and brief biographical information for Indiana entertainers, authors, athletes, musicians, scientists, and more. For an extensive list of notable Hoosiers, click here.

Treasures from the Indiana Historical Society (DC 014)

For 175 years, the Indiana Historical Society has been Indiana’s storyteller, connecting people to the past by collecting, preserving, interpreting, and disseminating the state’s history. During its anniversary year in 2005, the Society will display Treasures from the Collections featuring a glimpse at some of the “jewels” that make the collection unique. The items will be on display in the Lacy Gallery through December 31, 2005 and will feature three major rotations. All items displayed in the exhibit will eventually be included in this digital collection. Images currently available are from the first rotation: “Hoosier,” Civil War, Families, and the World Wars.

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Jack Smith Lincoln Graphics Collection
(P 0406)

The Jack Smith Lincoln Graphics Collection consists of over 750 original photographs, lithographs, engravings, and busts of Lincoln. These items were collected for over forty years by South Bend, Indiana, Lincoln collector Jack Smith. The collection includes contemporary and later images of Lincoln with his family, generals and cabinet members. Also included are political cartoons, illustrated sheet music, and book and newspaper illustrations of the period. Taken together, they comprise one of the most significant collections of historical Lincoln images. Lincoln was the first President to be extensively photographed and, due in large part to his assassination at the close of the Civil War, the subject of extensive graphic illustration and artwork.

Use the list below to search this collection by subject or you can view the entire collection using the link to the left.

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Daniel R. Weinberg Lincoln Conspirators Collection
(P 0409)

The Daniel R. Weinberg Lincoln Conspirators Collection consists of ninety photographs, manuscripts, books, pamphlets, and newspapers relating to the trial and execution or imprisonment of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. Included are such items as the handwritten execution order read at the execution by General John Hartranft; original sequential photographs of the execution taken by Alexander Gardner, and original carte-de-visite photographs of conspirators John Wilkes Booth, David Herold, and John Surratt.

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Alexander Gardner Lincoln Glass Plate Negative (P 0420)

The Alexander Gardner Lincoln Glass Plate Negative, the striking centerpiece of the IHS Lincoln Collections, is the original collodion wet-plate negative of the portrait of Abraham Lincoln made by Alexander Gardner. Lincoln sat for this photograph on 8 November 1863, just eleven days before delivering the Gettysburg Address. It is one of the best-known photographs of Lincoln and was used by sculptor Daniel Chester French as the model for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The collection includes a modern positive print of the image and the period envelope in which the glass plate negative was originally stored.

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Other Lincoln-Related Manuscripts in the Collections
(DC 006)

Other Lincoln-related Manuscripts and Visuals in the IHS Collections were joined by the above three new collections. Among these items is a leaf from the sum book used by Lincoln as a boy in southern Indiana to record his arithmetic exercises; several of Lincoln's endorsements of miltary and political appointments during the Civil War; letters from Indiana governor Oliver P. Morton regarding Indiana troops in the war; letters regarding the visits of both Lincoln's inaugural train stop and his funeral train in Indianapolis; written reminiscences of Lincoln by those who knew him as a boy in Indiana; and drawings by Hoosier General Lew Wallace of the conspirators, created as Wallace sat on the military commission trying the conspirators.

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The Indianapolis Recorder (P 0303)

The Indianapolis Recorder is the longest continuously operated African-American newspaper in Indiana, and it regularly carried articles of interest to the African-American community statewide. The collection dates from circa 1900 to 1987. The digitization of this collection is a work in progress.

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James Whitcomb Riley--Hoosier Poet (DC 003)

This digital collection contains images from our manuscript and visual collections. Photographs show Riley, his family, friends, and events in his life. Correspondence between family members gives information about their everyday lives. Additional letters between Riley and friends, such as artist T. C. Steele and author Bill Nye, are included. Holiday postcards from 1911 reveal the poets popularity throughout the country. To view transcriptions of the manuscripts click on the documents’ thumbnail, then scroll to the bottom and click on Show Image and Page Text Side by Side.

W. H. Bass Photo Company (P 0130)

The W. H. Bass Photo Company Collection comprises approximately 200,000 items, including more than 144,000 black-and-white negatives and 20,000 photographic prints. Perhaps the company's 1906 city directory advertisement best describes the surviving collection: "Photos of Any Thing, Any Where, Any Time." These historic pictures of Indianapolis were made between 1903 and 1971. The collection is strong in architectural images, street scenes, aerial views, and transportation. The digitization of this collection is a work in progress.

W.H. Bass Photo Company--Indiana Rail Transportation Images (P 0130)

This online collection's focus is the history of public transportation in Indiana, from mule-drawn streetcars and steam trains to electric buses and diesel trains. Union Station, the Traction Terminal, small-town depots, and other facilities are also depicted.

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Nineteen’s 19: Documents from Indiana History (DC 007)

The Indiana Historical Society, Indiana State Archives, Indiana Historical Bureau and the Indiana State Library have partnered to create three collections of historical documents representing Hoosier life, culture, politics, and economics. Volume I covers the territorial period to 1850, and includes excerpts from a travel account, early maps, personal letters, and government documents. Volume II spans Indiana history from 1851 to 1920.

Panoramic Photograph Images (DC 013)

Cirkut cameras were invented in the late 19th/early 20th centuries to enable photographers to take panoramic photographs of scenery and large groups of people. Indiana photographers were hired to take pictures of family reunions, the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, military encampments, company picnics, conventions, church congregations, etc. This is a growing collection of panoramic images taken by different Indiana photographers.

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Indiana Sheet Music Collection (DC011)

The works of Hoosier composers, publishers, lyricists, and artists are displayed in this collection along with songs about the state. It includes songs from the Civil War, WWI and WWII, songs based on literary works of Indiana authors such as James Whitcomb Riley, music by the Von Tilzers, and Paul Dresser, and songs with lyrics by Sarah T. Bolton, Robert Dale Owen, and other Hoosiers.

Click on the PDF link in the record to view the entire score. The music is provided for educational purposes only. It should not be used for commercial purposes without the permission of the copyright owner. It is the responsibility of the patron to obtain permission. IHS cannot sell scans of post 1922 music.

This collection is a work in progress as part of the IN Harmony National Leadership Grant provided by the Institute of Museum and Libraries Services. http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/projects/inharmony/

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Robert F. Kennedy's Visit to Indianapolis, 4 May 1968 (DC 019)

U.S. Senator (D-NY) Robert F. Kennedy of New York declared his candidacy for President on 16 March 1968. In April and early May he made many campaign stops throughout Indiana. On 4 May he attended an event at the Hotel Sheridan-Lincoln and then visited several Indianapolis neighborhoods including one at 21st and Harding Streets depicted in these images. Katherine “Katie” Palmer was a resident of the neighborhood and took these pictures. This visit is exactly midway between the dates of two tragic events in American history: a month earlier on 4 April, Kennedy spoke to an Indianapolis crowd that had just learned of the assassination and death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Kennedy himself would fall to an assassin’s bullet a month later on 5 June.

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Civil War Materials Collection (DC008)

When President Lincoln issued a “call to arms” in April, 1861, Indiana men responded immediately, and in great numbers. Drastic changes were made in the everyday lives of the new soldiers and the Hoosiers back at home. In this collection items illustrate the lives of the soldiers and major events in the war, along with items that show Hoosiers struggling to support the war and maintain their farms, businesses, and home state. This is a collection in progress.

To view the 61 Indiana Historical Society Collections items shown in the History Train exhibit: Faces of the Civil War, click here.

To view the 16 Indiana Historical Society Collections items included in the Civil War Educator Curriculum Packet, click here.

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Flanner House Collection

Flanner House, a social service agency, was founded in 1898. It was the first agency in Indianapolis devoted solely to meeting the social service needs of the African American population in Indianapolis and is nationally recognized for developing groundbreaking programs that foster a spirit of self-reliance among those served. The collection provides insight into this historic organization and its important role in shaping the social and economic landscape of Indianapolis. This collection is part of an LSTA 2006 Digitization Grant in which IHS partnered with Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. Their Flanner House collection can be viewed at this link: http://indiamond6.ulib.iupui.edu/Flanner/

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WWII Materials

World War II changed everything in Indiana, either temporarily, or permanently. Men and women joined the military to face the uncertainty of war. Those at home planted Victory Gardens, contributed to scrap drives, bought war bonds, and worked in factories. This growing collection illustrates the Hoosier story of WWII.

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