On May 30, 1992, Douglas Clanin, editor in the Indiana Historical Society Press, conducted an oral history interview with Charles J. Ritzler of Delphi. You likely don’t know Charles Ritzler. He was one of the 400,000 Hoosiers who served during World War II. His first combat mission? D-Day. Charles was born in Three Oaks, Michigan, […]
Yesterday, around 80 organizations across the United States are sharing stories about the passage of the 19th amendment that gave women the right to vote. I polled some of our Collections staff members about interesting items that talk about women’s right to vote. We have what you might expect – great images of like the […]
In the midst of National History Day in Indiana contests and preparations for the national contest, it can be hard to remember that winning isn’t everything. While it is great to earn a medal for their projects, I remind students that the skills they learn through creating a project are the most important part of […]
INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is proud to announce Angela Ahrendts, Dan and Beth Elsener, Eva Kor, and Peyton Manning are being recognized as its 2019 Indiana Living Legends. This year’s class of Living Legends will be honored at the annual gala on Thursday, July 25, at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, […]
Mayday. Mayday. You never want to hear that international distress signal. But when you do, you want to have a plan already in place and have experience putting the plan into action. This morning, our Archives and Library staff took part in the MAYDAY initiative begun by the Society of American Archivists and Heritage Preservation […]
INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is issuing a call to action to neighborhoods, community groups and individuals ahead of the Indianapolis Bicentennial. IHS is seeking new historical resources about the city to be included in its Indianapolis History Collecting Initiative, generously supported by a $100,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. The initiative is the first […]
May 7, 2019 marks a centennial some people may not observe. Indianapolis hosted Welcome Home Day for returning WWI soldiers on this date in 1919. The day-long celebration included a huge parade, boxed lunches served by the Salvation Army and Eastern Star and many tearful reunions with family members. They had every reason to celebrate, […]
History Matters is a blog series where we’ll be talking about the things you’re not supposed to discuss at the dinner table – things that may make some people uncomfortable. These pieces of our history are there if you look but might not be top of mind or in a textbook. We often think of history on a larger scale, […]
Hoosiers love their cars. In one digital image collection, the Hoosier Motorists Collection, you can find images from all over the state depicting people having fun in campers, auto company executives, road signs, travel photos and more. The items in the collection were once owned by Robert Hamilton Scrogin, an official in the Hoosier Motor […]
With millions of items in our collections, sometimes we “do history” with the help of our visitors. Recently in the William H. Smith Memorial Library, a concerned patron brought the fragile condition of a book about Crown Hill Cemetery to our attention. This 91-page, bound volume – titled The Origin, Organization and Management of Crown […]
