Part of my job as a catalog librarian involves tackling backlogged items. Bringing them out of the shadows and making them accessible to the public is always rewarding. I recently discovered an intriguing accession from 1958: a collection of mid- to late 19th century printed materials that belonged to Ephraim George Squier. Many were authored […]
I remember playing catch with my mother, not my father. My father, Gabriel Fraire, taught me plenty about sports. In the early 1960’s he ran the Biddy Basketball program for youth in Gary, Indiana, was President of the Elks Little League baseball organization, and coach of numerous youth teams. He was also a Boy Scout […]
Two years ago, the Indiana Historical Society received an unusual and distinctly unsettling gift. The real story would count among my favorites for compelling, compassionate reasons and among my bleakest for the all-too-obviously unresolved hurt and human degradation linked to its history. At the core of the acquisition: a travel document, legally required for an […]
You know how people have #relationshipgoals or #squadgoals? Well, I have #summergoals, and all my ideal summer dreams are thanks to the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller Family and their dreamy compound in Windermere, Muskoka, Canada. Clear blue waters, piney trees, cooler temperatures, picturesque homes, boating around Lake Rosseau on a wooden Runabout, and meals al fresco. It is […]
Through my years of service in the library, archival and museum profession, I’ve fielded a plethora of questions from visitors, researchers and the media. Invariably, among the most frequent of queries asked of curators and collection managers by audiences focused on superlatives—oldest, biggest, best—is: “What is your favorite thing in the collection?” The prompting of […]
Many have been taking greater advantage of opportunities recently presented at home to sift through cupboards, closets, attic storage spaces and other nooks and crannies to uncover what is there. Assessing memorabilia and the cumulative legacies of material boxed up, stuffed into corners and drawers, or placed on shelves for safekeeping is not a simple […]
Each year the Indiana Historical Society accepts nominations for several awards to be given to individuals and organizations throughout the state that are working in the fields of history. The emphasis is on excellent scholarship presented in engaging, public-facing ways. As managing editor of the IHS Press, I have enjoyed the honor of reviewing the […]
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 […]
Have you missed a vacation due to the pandemic? My family cancelled our trip, and recently I have been reflecting on missing out on this vacation. Getting to take a vacation is a privilege no matter the timing. Luckily, with the digital collection at the Indiana Historical Society, I was able to take my trip […]
Columbia City, Indiana is in the northeast part of the state in Whitley County, just west of the city of Fort Wayne. At a time when the Asian population would be heavily concentrated on either U.S. coasts and select major cities, who would have thought one of the nation’s few soy sauce manufacturers would be […]
