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Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center 450 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202
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Indiana Experience Admission $15 Adults$14 Seniors (60 and over)$5 Youth (ages 5 through 17)$2 Access Pass HoldersFree Children under 5Free IHS MembersFree Educators and Military Free parking with admission in IHS lot off New York Street.
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Chuck Taylor All Star, Indiana Legend

In March 2023, the Indiana Historical Society opened an exciting new exhibit featuring a Virtual Reality experience that allows visitors to meet Chuck Taylor. As an Indiana native, Chuck Taylor is more than a name on a pair of basketball shoes. He was an innovator, coach, player and helped solidify Indiana as the home of basketball in the United States.

Chuck Taylor All Star Exhibit

Courtesy of Converse

Indiana is the heart of basketball in the United States, and its history has no shortage of iconic moments or people who are famous for changing or contributing to the game, such as Oscar Robertson, John Wooden and Larry Bird.

Charles Hollis Taylor devoted his life to the game whose name nearly every basketball fan in the United States knows, with his fame extending beyond the bounds of basketball. Though few know much about him, the man is better known as “Chuck” Taylor — the man behind the name on that famous shoe — the Converse All Star.

Learn more about the Chuck Taylor interactive exhibit, open now:

Courtesy of Converse


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Looking for more inspiration?

Visit the William H. Smith Memorial Library on the second level of the History Center to learn more about Chuck Taylor and Indiana Basketball. Ask the library staff to pull these collections containing relevant materials:

  • Charles H. “Chuck” Taylor Collection, ca. 1917-1974, M1506. Contains materials donated by Abe Aamidor, biographer of Chuck Taylor. It includes photographs and documents that belonged to Taylor, and catalogs his professional and personal life.
  • Crispus Attucks High School scrapbook, 1950-1996, BV3469, SC2697. Contains newspaper articles, tickets, score cards, and more related to the basketball teams at Crispus Attucks High School including their history making state championships.
  • Indiana Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women records, 1971-1982, M0648. Contains information about the organization including their basketball tournaments.
  • Edward M. Moss Jr. Sports Photograph Collection, 1975-2007, P0585. Collection contains photographs of a variety of sports activities in Indianapolis including basketball at various levels of play.
  • William B. Palmer Collection, 1951-1990, P0206. Collection includes newspaper clippings, photographs, and negatives showing notable sporting events from Indiana including basketball games at Bush Stadium, Crispus Attucks High School, and more.
  • Rebuilding Indianapolis: the sports initiative oral histories project, 2010-2011, M1025. Collection consists of twelve oral history interviews including people associated with the Indiana Pacers.

Destination Indiana

Check out Destination Indiana at the Indiana Historical Society to explore related subject matter through various photographic journeys as part of your Indiana Experience visit. Ask a facilitator to help you locate these specific journeys:

Find these and other Destination Indiana journeys online at www.destination-indiana.com.

 

Learn More

 

What to know more about Chuck Taylor or Indiana basketball? We recommend the sources below to expand your knowledge.

Books
Aamidor, Abe, Chuck Taylor, All Star: The True Story of the Man Behind the Most Famous Athletic Shoe in History, Indiana University Press, 2006

Peterson, Hal, Chucks: The Phenomenon of Converse: Chuck Taylor All Stars, Skyhorse Press, 2007

Morrow, Barbara Olenyik, Hardwood Glory: A Life of John Wooden, Indiana Historical Society Press, 2015

Keating, Michael, Smith, Chris, Chasing Indiana’s Game: The Hoosier Hardwood Project, Indiana University Press, 2020

Angevine, Eric, Hinkle Fieldhouse: Indiana’s Basketball Cathedral, Arcadia Publishing, 2015

Hoose, Phillip, Attucks!: Oscar Robertson and the Basketball Team That Awakened a City, Farrar, Starus, and Giroux, 2018

Gould, Todd, Pioneers of the Hardwood: Indiana and the Birth of Professional Basketball, Indiana University Press, 1998

Documentaries

 

Online Resources

Hoosier basketball history resources from IHS: https://indianahistory.org/basketball/

Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame inductees – https://hoopshall.com/inductees/

Augmented reality (AR) experience at Hinkle Fieldhouse via the Celebrate Indianapolis mobile app- https://indianahistory.org/events/you-are-there-1920-celebrate-indianapolis/

 

Connect with Others

  • Visit indianahistory.org for information about the full calendar of programs and events tied to this exhibition at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center.
  • Learn about Indiana Basketball, participate in interactive experiences, and see rare historic artifacts at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame: https://hoopshall.com/
  • Experience basketball as it was in the era of the film “Hoosiers” at the location the film was made, The Hoosier Gym in Knightstown, Indiana: http://www.thehoosiergym.com/
  • Learn about the history making Crispus Attucks team at the Crispus Attucks Museum at 1140 Doctor M.L.K. Jr St, Indianapolis, IN 46202.
  • Learn about McMillan Athletic Goods and more about the history of Vigo county at the Vigo County Historical Museum in Terre Haute: https://www.vchsmuseum.org/

What’s New, Get Your Chucks

  1. Check out what’s new with the Pacers and Fever
  2. Want to purchase a pair of Chuck Taylor shoes? Pick up a pair online at: https://www.converse.com/

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