Often when I visit museums, I overhear bits and pieces of conversations and random comments. Frequently I hear people complaining about kids walking around museums, holding their phones and texting. Those kids are not paying any attention.? They?re being disrespectful and not listening.? How can they be in a museum and not be completely absorbed […]
One of the things that I enjoy about my work at the Indiana Historical Society is the interrelatedness of our collections and, through those collections, my introduction to ordinary people the common men and women of history, many who have done extraordinary things. Though we have much material at the William H. Smith Library dating […]
The Indiana Digital Archives has made available new materials for researchers interested in Indiana?s heritage. The Marion County Court Records Index includes information on nearly 130,000 court records created between 1822 and 1930. The database includes case files, bonds and licenses, summonses, subpoenas, jury lists and coroner?s inquests. This index encompasses most of the records […]
The Indiana Bicentennial Train will make its debut this fall in northern Indiana. An exhibit on the train will look at pieces of Indiana’s 200 years of history while tents outside the train will contain hands-on activities, a first-person interpreter, and a community art space. It will be free to visit, and school groups are […]
This is my favorite part of exhibit design. It’s that time in the process when all the planning and designing starts to come together. Well, as you can see from how it looks this week, our fabricators, Roger and Jim, are well on their way to completely transforming the space: After removing all the brick […]
Each year, as I prepare for my family?s annual summer trip to Michigan, I pull up the 10-day extended forecast. Without it, I am powerless to pack, as the temperature can fluctuate more than 40 degrees from year to year. If it looks like a lot of rain is heading that way, we might even […]
At a recent In Your Neighborhood meeting, Erin Kelley (our director of Education and Community Engagement) noticed an interesting collection of costumes and props from a secret society on display at the Dearborn County Historical Society. She compared the way people would dress up and take on a role in those secret societies to what […]
In her call for improving history education in the US, Cathy Gorn, executive director of National History Day argues, The media, policy makers, and pundits are quick to point out the negative and report on what is not working. But where are the discussions on the demand for evidence-based, wide-ranging, effective, innovative approaches to teaching […]
Ourlatest You Are There exhibitwill take visitors back in time to experience an Indianapolis relief station in the midst of the 1913 floods that ravaged the Midwest. The flood exhibit is being installed in the space that once was You Are There 1920: Busted! Prohibition Enforced. While it is sad to see an exhibit go, […]
Last week I had the honor of joining President and CEO John Herbst and Vice President of Development Andrew Halter on their annual trip to Florida to meet with our members that are lucky enough to winter in the Sunshine State. What a wonderful opportunity to not only attend some incredible events, but also to […]
