June 6, 1944, is certainly a date the world remembers when 73,000 Americans joined the Allied forces for one of the greatest military missions ever. On that night 80 years ago, President Roosevelt asked the Nation for prayers as these men “set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and […]
This month we explore the potential connection between my colleague Kathy’s Shank ancestors and those of Indianapolis Mayor, Samuel Lewis ‘Lew’ Shank. Lew Shank was elected mayor twice, non-consecutively and served from 1910-1913 and 1922-1925. He was an interesting political figure, decrying and combatting what he saw as high cost of living by selling products […]
From 1892 until 1948, Monument Circle supported several Asian businesses: a Japanese master jeweler and artisan, Chinese American restaurants, and a rug and fine furnishing store owned by a Syrian immigrant. This blog is a guide to some of our city’s earliest Asian entrepreneurial pioneers. Indianapolis, although a major U.S. city, does not have a […]
From the Indy 500 to Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, May contains many celebratory days. In addition, the Tuesday of the first full week in May marks National Teacher Appreciation Day, or National Teacher Day. The National Education Association says that National Teacher Day is for honoring teachers and recognizing the lasting contributions they make […]
As I continue this monthly blog series, I have expanded my surname reach beyond the Indiana Historical Society’s Archives and Library department. I reached out to my good friend, Dan, in our Exhibits department to see if he had any surnames about which he was interested in learning more. He kindly provided me with several […]
As we continue our series exploring fun celebratory months noted within the National Day Calendar, I couldn’t help but pick this one. It’s National Get Caught Reading Month! As a librarian, I get caught reading all the time: at work, at home, at the doctor’s office, etc., etc. It can be difficult to find a […]
INDIANAPOLIS (May 7, 2024) – The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) commemorates Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month with a variety of events, activities and celebrations throughout the month of May at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center. For more than three weeks, visitors can celebrate Asian cultures through IHS’s traveling exhibit Be […]
Hopefully, you’ve read my previous blog about the Rosie Books and what they mean to me. So, let’s explore who Eliot Rosewater was! …or rather, who he wasn’t. Eliot Rosewater wasn’t exactly an Indiana resident, but rather a fictional character created by Hoosier author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis on November 12, […]
A good map provides an understanding of a place or region that words cannot convey. Added to deep research and compelling writing, maps can help us see where long-gone forts, Indigenous villages, and early settler farms were located. They can show us how people moved from one place to another through forests, over mountains and […]
The newest book from the Indiana Historical Society (IHS) Press, “Creating the Crossroads: 100 Years of Civil Construction in Indiana” by Sara A. Marshall, offers a unique perspective about Indiana’s civil construction history. For those who have wondered how Indiana transformed from unsettled woodlands to adapting the moniker Crossroads of America, “Creating the Crossroads: 100 […]
