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 […]
When I approached our department’s fearless leader, Suzanne, I had no idea that leadership and prominence ran in the family. She was kind enough to share with me a couple of surnames from her family lines which I could connect to our collections. One of those names was Goss. One of the most prominent Goss’ […]
As an introvert, I found myself reading books more than playing as I grew up. I have been a library user as far back as I can remember; I’d visit the library every Sunday with my dad growing up, borrowing a stack of books measuring from my hips to my chin, all to be finished […]
The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) invites book lovers of all ages to enjoy free admission and parking at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center as part of Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guests can also shop the Basile History Market’s brand-new product lines, get a […]
The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) proudly announces 375 students from 37 schools across the state took part in the 2024 National History Day in Indiana (NHDI) State Contest on Saturday, April 20 at Marian University in Indianapolis. NHDI is a yearlong program dedicated to enhancing history education in Indiana’s schools. Students in grades four through […]
Along with more popular holidays like April Fool’s Day and Earth Day, April also has some lesser-known, yet still noteworthy, National Days. To continue our National Days blog series, I’ve highlighted two of these intriguing holidays with images from the IHS digital collection. April 30th is National Hairstylist Appreciation Day. This holiday was established to […]
Though previously unaware of the Headwear Information Bureau (HIB) prior to finding out that April is National Straw Hat Month, I am glad to know of this organization’s existence now. Founded in 1989, HIB promotes hat making (or millinery) through contests and public relation promotions. National Straw Hat Month is just one of many celebrations […]
In 2021 I wrote about the history of Cinco de Mayo in the United States which led to my discovery of the first documented celebration in Indiana in the early 20th Century, decades before the American commercial popularization of this holiday that we all know of today. On May 9, 1910 the Indianapolis Star published […]
