Unknown to most and surprising to many, Indiana is home to one of the most diverse and rich circus cultures in the country. Indiana?s connection with the industry dates back to the late 1800s, when businessmen from a number of Indiana cities assembled traveling mud shows? featuring exotic animals, performers, clowns and human oddities. These […]
The newest You Are There: That Ayres Look, is unlike any previous exhibition in the Indiana Experience. This exhibit dives into the multidimensional fashion- and business-infused influence the L.S. Ayres Department Store had on Indianapolis. I sat down recently with Eloise Batic, IHS director of exhibitions research and development, to discuss the newest experience, the […]
“I’ve lived in Columbus all my life,” says 92-year-old Robert Brown. He is sharply dressed and wearing a conductor’s hat. “This is an official punch.” Robert volunteered his time for two days at the Indiana Bicentennial Train’s Columbus stop. “I thought I could help with the train and give people a little knowledge,” he says. […]
Fourth grade was a long time ago, so here’s a refresher course in our state’s history including some things your teacher wouldn’t have taught you. 1. The Indiana Territory, which contained present-day Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and part of Minnesota, was formed in 1800 from the Northwest Territory. Indiana means “Land of the Indians.” 2. […]
Journalism in America experienced dramatic growth and development during the Civil War Era. It was the first time an American war had been covered by the press, and there was an extremely high demand for information throughout the country. In order to accommodate the public?s need for news regarding the war, journalists began to use […]
Each year, as I prepare for my family?s annual summer trip to Michigan, I pull up the 10-day extended forecast. Without it, I am powerless to pack, as the temperature can fluctuate more than 40 degrees from year to year. If it looks like a lot of rain is heading that way, we might even […]
I couldn’t help but tear up while watching the Sandy Hook Choir perform “America the Beautiful” on Super Bowl Sunday. I wasn’t alone. All I could think about was what those kids had gone through just weeks ago – losing friends and siblings, experiencing a tragedy we only hope our own children never have to […]
I came across this photo on a friend’s Facebook page. It’s a recent shot of her son posing by a 1970s car. She used Instagram’s 1977 filter on it. Looks cool, doesn’t it? But 50 years from now, what date would a photo expert assign to it? A little background: Instagram is a photo-sharing program […]
I used to believe that all a job took was passion. As long as I found a job I loved doing, then the rest of the work would do itself. But after two quick weeks at the Indiana Historical Society working as an intern, I can?t believe how naive that idea was. Just looking past […]
As a first-time visitor to Indiana, I discovered that the Indiana Historical Society delivers a surprisingly effective crash course in local history. Instead of reading a pamphlet and traipsing past display cases, I literally stepped into the past in the You Are There rooms. A fog curtain? created an almost magical screen between the present […]
