New IHS Exhibit Digs into Indiana’s Past

INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) invites guests to dig into the past with the opening of its latest exhibit, You Are There 1939: Exploring Angel Mounds. The new exhibit will take guests back in time to an archaeological dig at Angel Mounds in Southern Indiana, where workers are on the brink of uncovering a once-thriving Mississippian town.

As guests enter a recreation of the excavation site, they will meet actors portraying trailblazer and lead archaeologist Glenn Black, as well as his wife Ida, who assisted with digs. Other characters will include workers from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), an American New Deal agency started at the height of the Great Depression to hire millions of people for public works projects.

Inside the space, guests will learn how archaeologists and workers surveyed the site, excavated artifacts and processed their findings. Visitors will discover the tools and processes used to unearth more than two million artifacts in just a few years, while also hearing the experiences of workers who lived through the Great Depression.

Another section of the exhibit will feature original artifacts and tools, a recreation of a Mississippian home, and several multimedia activities, including one that allows guests to explore their own theories of what became of the settlement.

You Are There 1939: Exploring Angel Mounds opens March 9 and runs through Aug. 8, 2020, at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, located at 450 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis. The exhibit is included with admission to the Indiana Experience, which is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for kids (ages 5-17). IHS members and children younger than 5 receive free admission.

For more information about this exhibit and other IHS offerings, call (317) 232-1882 or visit www.indianahistory.org.

About Angel Mounds
Angel Mounds was the site of a thriving Mississippian town that lasted for hundreds of years, leaving rather suddenly between 1400 and 1450 A.D. Today, it is recognized as one of the most significant archaeological sites in Indiana, but for generations, it was left unprotected.

In 1938, a coalition of federal and state governments, along with the Indiana Historical Society and Eli Lilly, turned their attention to the site. Glenn Albert Black led the archaeological effort, with the support of hundreds of Works Progress Administration workers, dozens of archaeology students from Indiana University, and many others.

Angel Mounds is now preserved as a historic site under the care of the Indiana State Museum, which operates a museum and visitors center dedicated to telling the story of Mississippian people and their culture.

About the Indiana Historical Society
Since 1830, the Indiana Historical Society has been Indiana’s Storyteller™, connecting people to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing the state’s history. A private, nonprofit membership organization, IHS maintains the nation’s premier research library and archives on the history of Indiana and the Old Northwest and presents a unique set of visitor experiences called the Indiana Experience. IHS also provides support and assistance to local museums and historical groups; publishes books and periodicals; sponsors teacher workshops; produces and hosts art exhibitions, museum theater and outside performance groups; and provides youth, adult and family programs. IHS is a Smithsonian Affiliate and a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience.

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