April is Autism Acceptance Month, and April 2 was World Autism Awareness Day. In recognition, we wanted to examine how Indiana has approached and raised awareness for this condition which affects approximately 1 in 36 children in the U.S. today. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) defines Autism spectrum disorder as “a neurological and […]
A little over a year ago I sat in my office working when my coworker, archivist Barbara Quigley, appeared in my doorway. In her hand, she held several 5×7 photographs. She asked, “Do you know someone named Janice Steimel?” For a moment, my answer was no. I didn’t know Janice Steimel. And then it dawned […]
As Halloween looms closer, the IHS was abuzz with one of our favorite events of the year – Whodunit? This year was no exception as we celebrated the seventh live murder mystery event based on a real Indiana murder. We’ll share the details of the story on Halloween; for now, I wanted to share the […]
Expanding the narrative of Latino history in the Indiana might be called by some, “filling in the gap,” but really it is filling in what I call the in between. From my observation, the general perception of Latino history in the Midwest is that Latinos are either seen as foreigners or farmworkers, with nothing much […]
This is part one of a two-part series. Within the last few years scholars, and the like, have continued to reflect on the complicated history of the United States; the known and not-so-well known. One of those events is the Mexican Repatriation Movement of the 1930s. Publicly, much of this narrative is focused on western […]
The Indiana Historical Society is excited to announce that the National History Day in Indiana State Contest is in-person this year! After a couple of years of being virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic, students from across the state of Indiana will gather at Marian University (located on the near northwest side of Indianapolis). On […]
The son interested in filmmaking and the mother nurturing his interest approached Owen Hollander at the premiere. The son, an eighth-grade student, wanted to meet an established filmmaker. He wanted to know how Mr. Hollander became a director and shot the film during the late winter of 2020. The film that the aspiring director came […]
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and caused shutdowns in March 2020, the Education and Engagement department was busy travelling the state for National History Day in Indiana contests, running in-building programs, and planning for a full summer schedule. When our job centers on engaging Hoosiers around the state, and we’ve traditionally been doing that in […]
Redlining – the discriminatory practice by which banks refuse or limit mortgages to people of color, ethnic minorities, and low-income workers within specific geographic areas- still defines much of where we live or can live in Indianapolis. These federal government policies, established by the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation in 1933, reinforced segregation and disinvestment in […]
Probably unknown to most Hoosiers is Indiana’s rich history with cryptids, animals that claim to exist but have never been proven. With Halloween just around the corner, now is the best time to learn about the 3-foot-tall creature lurking in the forests near you. Many Indigenous people have legends of the Pukwudgies, but one of the most popular places to see […]
