Feature image: Judge William E. Steckler, center, and staff, United States District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, circa 1950 (Gift of David Steckler, IHS) William Elwood Steckler was born on Oct. 18, 1913, in Mount Vernon, Indiana. He earned his law degree in 1937 from Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington. In […]
From The Hoosier Genealogist: Connections, Spring/Summer 2019. To receive Connections twice a year, join IHS and enjoy this and other member benefits. Back issues of Connections are available through the Basile History Market. My story begins when I took possession of my great-grandfather’s journal. William Henry Harrison Medsker was nineteen years old when he began recording in a journal his daily activities for […]
From The Hoosier Genealogist: Connections, Spring/Summer 2019. To receive Connections twice a year, join IHS and enjoy this and other member benefits. Back issues of Connections are available through the Basile History Market. Henry Smith Lane (1811–1881) of Crawfordsville, Indiana, was a lawyer, banker, and politician during the nineteenth century. First associating with the Whig Party upon entering politics, Lane became involved with […]
Father Boniface Hardin intended to call his autobiography Pickin’ Cotton on the Way to Church, referring to his experience as an African American Catholic. This biography uses his title to honor his intentions and insights. Excluded from the seminaries in Kentucky because of his race, he enrolled in Saint Meinrad Seminary in Spencer County, Indiana. […]
Albert Allen Moore arrived in Indianapolis around 1945 with a plan. Six years before, Flanner House – the African American community service center started in 1903 – recommitted itself to “helping people help themselves.” Newly hired as the agricultural director, Moore brought his extensive training as an agricultural educator to grow Flanner House’s food program. […]
IHS is proud to honor extraordinary Hoosiers each year for their contributions to our state and the nation. Join us at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center as we celebrate our 2019 Living Legends – retail executive Angela Ahrendts, Catholic education advocates Dan and Beth Elsener, Holocaust survivor Eva Kor and Indianapolis Colts […]
On May 30, 1992, Douglas Clanin, editor in the Indiana Historical Society Press, conducted an oral history interview with Charles J. Ritzler of Delphi. You likely don’t know Charles Ritzler. He was one of the 400,000 Hoosiers who served during World War II. His first combat mission? D-Day. Charles was born in Three Oaks, Michigan, […]
Hoosiers love their cars. In one digital image collection, the Hoosier Motorists Collection, you can find images from all over the state depicting people having fun in campers, auto company executives, road signs, travel photos and more. The items in the collection were once owned by Robert Hamilton Scrogin, an official in the Hoosier Motor […]
With millions of items in our collections, sometimes we “do history” with the help of our visitors. Recently in the William H. Smith Memorial Library, a concerned patron brought the fragile condition of a book about Crown Hill Cemetery to our attention. This 91-page, bound volume – titled The Origin, Organization and Management of Crown […]
SUMMER FUN! Thursdays | May 30 through July 18 | 6 to 8 p.m. Kruse Family Stardust Terrace Our Concerts on the Canal series is Indy’s favorite Thursday night summer hangout! This year, see your local favorites from Living Proof to Gordon Bonham to Jessie Brown. The Stardust Terrace Café, outdoor grill and cash bar, […]
