New Indiana County Historian Appointed in Wayne County

Thomas D. Hamm has been appointed the new county historian in Wayne County. Hamm is a native of New Castle, Ind., where he graduated from Chrysler High School in 1975. He attended Butler University on a debate team scholarship. There he studied with the eminent Indiana historian Emma Lou Thornbrough. He then did graduate work at Indiana University in Bloomington, studying with another eminent Indiana historian, James H. Madison.

After receiving his Ph.D. in history in 1985, Hamm taught for two years at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). He has been on the faculty of Earlham College since 1987, serving as director of special collections while teaching courses in U.S., British and Quaker history. Currently, he is Professor of History and Quaker Scholar in Residence and will retire at the end of the spring 2023 semester.

Hamm is the author of several books and numerous articles on Quaker and Indiana history, and he is past president of the Society of Indiana Archivists and the Indiana Association of Historians. He served on the Indiana Library and Historical Board from 1995 to 2013 and was its president from 1999 to 2009.

He also serves on the boards of the Wayne County Historical Museum and the Union Literary Institute Preservation Society. He and his wife, Mary Louise Reynolds, renovated the National Register of Historic Places Dennis House in Richmond, Ind. — their home since 2015.

The Indiana Historical Society and the Indiana Historical Bureau thank all Indiana county historians for their service and dedication to local history.

In 1981, through an effort to improve the historical communication network in the state, the Indiana Historical Society and the Indiana Historical Bureau established the Indiana County Historian Program.

County historians serve as volunteers appointed by the Indiana Historical Society and Indiana Historical Bureau to promote local history in their counties, connect individuals and groups with history resources, promote collaboration between local history organizations and maintain connections with the Indiana Historical Society and Indiana Historical Bureau.

For information about the Indiana county historians, visit https://indianahistory.org/across-indiana/hometown-resources/find-who-you-need-by-county/.

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