Author Archives: Adam Harness

New Documents, Letters and Photos Round Out Gene Stratton-Porter Collection

One of the largest archival collections of Gene Stratton-Porter materials is available to researchers, online and in person, at the William H. Smith Memorial Library. The newly processed collection includes documents, letters and photographs that offer more details about the life of the Indiana author and naturalist. “As we celebrate our Bicentennial, we are thrilled […]

Korean War Collections Tell a Story

Byford Lee Reed was born in 1929 in Lamar, Ind. He attended Dale High School and received his bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University. Reed was drafted into the U.S. Army at 23. He was stationed in Korea with the 15th Field Artillery Battalion during the Korean War from 1952 to 1953. “When I first […]

New Technology Reveals Document Secrets

New photographic technology is allowing the Indiana Historical Society to find undiscovered details hidden in historical documents. The process is called reflective transforming imaging – a simple concept with a complicated method. RTI combines multiple photographs and lighting methods of a single piece to create one blended image conservators can simultaneously view from all lighting […]

Meet Jenna Wachtmann

What role does Ball Brothers Foundation play in Indiana history? Ball Brothers Foundation is one of the state’s oldest and largest private family foundations. Edmund B. Ball, one of the five Ball brothers, provided the initial gift that created the foundation in 1926. Over the years, other gifts from Ball family members have added to […]

Meet Marianne Doyle

Longtime member Marianne Doyle is the Boone County historian and serves on the IHS Public Programs and Outreach Committee. For 15 years, she was first genealogy librarian and then museum director for the P.H. Sullivan Museum and Genealogy Library in Zionsville. She lives in Zionsville with her husband of 43 years, Guinn, who grew up […]

Meet Michael Thrall

If you’ve been to an event at the History Center, you’ve likely seen Michael Thrall, a legislative assistant with the Democratic Caucus Staff at the Indiana House of Representatives. He talks to us about his life and why he is a longtime and active member of the Indiana Historical Society. What made you join IHS […]

Meet Cheryl Engber

Retired professor Cheryl Engber is a longtime IHS supporter. Born in East Chicago, she was raised on a farm near Pendleton and graduated from Anderson High School and Indiana University. She has two master’s degrees from Ball State and a Ph.D. from IU. She taught Spanish at Anderson University, English as a Second Language at […]

Meet Dianne Cartmel

Dianne Cartmel is a native Hoosier. She grew up in Indianapolis, but now makes her home in Brownstown in Jackson County. Mrs. Cartmel served on the IHS Board of Trustees for 11 years and was president when the History Center building was finished in 1999. What did you enjoy about being a board member? I […]

Indiana LGBTQ Collecting Initiative

As Indiana’s Storyteller™, the Indiana Historical Society actively works to preserve historical narratives from Indiana’s diverse population. In 2014, IHS began collecting and preserving the rich history, tradition and culture of the LGBTQ community through the Indiana LGBTQ Collecting Initiative. Since then, it has become one of the largest collections documenting Indiana LGBTQ-related materials and […]

Indy’s Iconic Architecture: A History

The newly processed D.A. Bohlen Architectural Firm Records span four generations of the Bohlen family – 111 years from 1867 to 1978. The phrase, “A Bohlen on every block,” referring to their popularity in Indianapolis, is reflected in the sheer scope of this collection, which covers roughly 175 separate buildings and multibuilding campus projects. It […]