Our online digital photo collections always serve as inspiration for research pursuits of all sorts, including blog posts. While researching trivia question ideas in our W.H. Bass Photo Company collection, I came across a photo from 1926 of a group of people standing in front of the Circle Theatre building (now known as the Hilbert […]
One of the best parts of my job at IHS is that I get to do a lot of reference work helping folks access the behemoth that is the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller Family Collection. Mostly, I spend a lot of time with J. Irwin and Xenia Miller’s papers and with Cummins Engine Co. items that relate to […]
When I was younger, I was lucky to go on vacations with my family which many times included stops at historic sites. As an adult, I have continued that tradition. My husband’s love of the Civil War often leads us to sites related to that topic. Using a sample of the Civil War collections at […]
During this time of social distancing, isolation and solitude, I find myself fantasizing about magical creatures and far off places. So, I’ve returned to watch the Harry Potter series for what is probably the millionth time. My means of escape continues to bring me to my work with researching everyday people, the wealth of information […]
When IHS began the collecting initiative, Telling Your Story: Documenting COVID-19 in Indiana, our hope was to capture the experiences of Hoosiers during this historic time so their stories would be documented and preserved for future generations. Within the first week of collecting material, the response has been incredible as people from all over the […]
Until about six months ago, the walls of the west freight elevator at the Indiana Historical Society were depressingly blank. Then a photo of a puppy appeared on the wall. Soon, each of the sides were dotted with a parade of staff pets: dogs, cats and even the occasional fluffy white rabbit, each accompanied by […]
On the last day we were in our offices at IHS before Gov. Holcomb issued a Stay At Home order for the state of Indiana in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, I took the opportunity to dip into the stacks (the secure area where we keep our collections) and snap some images from a few […]
Once the first cases of COVID-19 left China, I gradually began stocking up on basic supplies. I knew it would end up here in Indianapolis eventually, and wanted to leave more diapers and toilet paper on the shelves for others once the panic-buying began. My husband and I also mentally prepared for the possibility of […]
What is a Barrio and why is it lost? First, Barrio is the Spanish word for neighborhood. It is typically a neighborhood where most of the folks are from Spanish speaking families. And why is it lost? I will later explain. First, the Latino community is not necessarily a “new Hoosier community” in the State […]
I recently cataloged a charming miniature book, Whatever Happened to Valley Mills, Indiana? According to the Miniature Book Society, “In the United States, a miniature book is usually considered to be one which is no more than three inches in height, width, or thickness.” This newest miniature in the collection measures in well under three inches […]
