History Matters is a blog series where we’ll be talking about the things you’re not supposed to discuss at the dinner table – things that may make some people uncomfortable. These pieces of our history are there if you look but might not be top of mind or in a textbook. We often think of history on a larger scale, […]
When I wrote Indianapolis: A City of Immigrants in 2012, I had no idea how polarizing immigration politics would become. It was already a controversial issue, so I sought answers to questions swirling around it: Who were the most recent newcomers to Indiana? Why were they coming to Indianapolis and other towns in the state? […]
Dec. 11 was the 202nd anniversary of Indiana’s Statehood. On that day, we usually send out a “Happy Birthday” message. These posts on social media are lighthearted ways to recognize the day. One popular image in Statehood day posts is this 1819 map of Indiana. This map, prepared by John Melish, was originally published in […]
Something exciting has been happening for the IHS Press and the IHS Library. We’re doing a couple of new digitization projects that will bring out an amazing trove of primary sources. The first of these projects is being finished as I write this. William Henry Harrison is often looked upon as a curiosity – son […]
In our newest title for fourth through sixth graders – and beyond – author Peggy King Anderson tells the story of the Potawatomi removal from the perspective of young Simu-quah. Her story is full of tragedy but also of love and eventually forgiveness. Peggy Anderson took the time to answer a few questions about her […]
In the spring of 1938 a reporter for the Indianapolis Times newspaper, John Bartlow Martin, seeking to break away from the daily grind of journalism, used his experiences visiting the Dominican Republic to produce a freelance article on the brutal dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo for Ken, a national magazine edited by Arnold Gingrich. After a […]
Rebel Bulldog: The Story of One Family, Two States, and the Civil War tells the story of Preston Davidson, a Northerner who fought for the Confederacy, and his family who lived in Indiana and Virginia. It is a tale that examines antebellum religion, education, reform and politics, and how they affected the identity of not […]
Roger Lawton, a volunteer in the IHS Press, recently enlisted the help of his grandson, Lane, to help him photograph the Lawton family bible for publication with an article in Online Connections. The Bible was purchased for Alice Lawton in 1859 and has been owned by Roger, who acquired the Bible when he was 60, […]
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Indiana played a vital role in national politics, with Hoosiers often represented on national party tickets. Legend has it that the first words from an Indiana child were, taking off on William Tecumseh Sherman?s declaration, If nominated I will run and if elected I will serve.? IHS […]
Can you keep a secret? Or, are you like Lizzie, one of the characters in my new book, Giant Steps? I am going to share some secrets with you, and I don?t care if you pass them along. My book is classified as historical fiction, but I like to think of it as a truth […]
