Author Archives: Charlie McAtee

Are We Related?: Johns

Trying to search for a surname like Johns proved to be interesting. I had to work to determine the best terms and ways to remove terms to get the best search possible. In this instance, I ran a search for: Johns -Johnson -Johnston. This weeded out the more common surnames Johnson and Johnston and made […]

Indiana Historical Society Receives $48K+ Grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. for America 250 in Indiana Project

The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is pleased to announce it is the recipient of a $48,653 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., which will directly fund a planning framework for the United States’ 250th anniversary in Indiana. The grant will help Indiana’s commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence by enabling the IHS to […]

Once Upon A Tie: National Tie Month

According to National Day Calendar, December is National Tie Month. Though the origin of the celebration is unknown, I have a guess. As neckties are often given as gifts, especially for Father’s Day and Christmas, it seems fitting that we should celebrate in one of those prime gift-giving months. While ties are more often thought […]

Indiana Historical Society Receives $48K+ Grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. for America 250 in Indiana Project

INDIANAPOLIS (Dec. 3, 2024) – The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is pleased to announce it is the recipient of a $48,653 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., which will directly fund a planning framework for the United States’ 250th anniversary in Indiana. The grant will help Indiana’s commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence […]

Celebration Days in November

I love November – it’s one of my favorite months of the year. The temperature is starting to cool down meanwhile some people are preparing for Thanksgiving and observing National Indigenous Peoples Day. November has many fun and interesting holidays like Saxophone Day. Saxophones are popular for use in jazz music. Indiana has produced many […]

Are We Related?: Maxwell

My colleague Suzanne shared another surname with me, Maxwell. I started digging and quickly found several references to that name in the IHS collections. The search took a little longer because this surname is also a fairly common given name. I found 13 unique Maxwells pictured within the collections, a selection of those available in […]

Instead of Moving Mountains, They Moved a Building

Did you know that between October and November 1930, architects and engineers rotated a building in downtown Indianapolis without disrupting business inside? What is historically known as the Indiana Bell Building has gone through quite a few name changes throughout its history. Established in 1883, the Central Union Telephone Company of Indianapolis was one of […]

Flying High: Aviation History Month

While Aviation has a much longer history than many consider (think balloons, gliders, and other ‘flying machines’), the most common vehicle in aviation history is probably the airplane. I could certainly look at the IHS collections and pull up images of some of those other forms, but in looking at the digital collection, planes, planes, […]