April may be the cruelest month, but August is surely the sunniest! Warm days and clear azure skies make me think of two seemingly unrelated subjects that reach great heights: aviation and rollercoasters. Perhaps by coincidence, perhaps by intention, two days in August celebrate these wildly different marvels of human engineering. August 19th is National […]
I am not an avid golfer. I do have a set of clubs. I’ve played a few rounds of 9 holes and one or two of 18. I enjoy the driving range when I get a chance, which, admittedly, it hasn’t been in a LONG time. However, I can still enjoy the game, and I […]
Many family historians are thrilled when they can connect famous people to their own genealogy. This month I attempted to tie my 4x great-grandmother with a presidential surname to Grover Cleveland (trivia: His first name was actually Stephen). The president in question had several Hoosier connections. Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president, uniquely he […]
Have you ever wished for the ability to shop online for images depicting Hoosier History? Well, now you can! Just this month the Indiana Historical Society has made over 90,000 digital assets more accessible by launching our high-resolution image ordering system. Previously, if you wanted to order a high-resolution image from our digital image site […]
Sunday, September 15, 2024, will be the 100th anniversary of the Fiestas Patrias parade in Indiana Harbor (East Chicago). One hundred years ago, this Mexican American community, coupled with the smaller community in Gary, gathered to celebrate Mexico’s Independence from Spain (1821). However, this inaugural Indiana parade had a deeper meaning. The early Mexican American […]
Director of Collections Management Maire Gurevitz (aka my supervisor) and I have spent most of 2024 processing the records of the Junior League of Indianapolis, or JLI. The JLI is a women’s service organization that uses the power of voluntarism to affect positive change in our community. The Junior League has its roots in the […]
The Women’s Department Club was started in Indianapolis in 1912 by Mrs. Luella McWhirter. While still presently active, this club and its members focus their efforts on community service, arts, and education related causes and projects. This club was and still is presently known to host a public lecture series. On October 10, 1945, the […]
July’s best-known celebration day is likely Independence Day, which commemorates the founding of the United States of America. But even before the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776, the Post Office of the United States (a precursor to the U.S. Postal Service) was established in 1775 with Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General. […]
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 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 […]
