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Block by Block: Our Indianapolis Bicentennial Project
In preparation for the City of Indianapolis’ 200th anniversary, the Indiana Historical Society has been curating collections already in the archive and acquiring new related materials. The goal of our Indianapolis History Collecting Initiative is to identify resources about the people, places and events that have shaped the city over the last two centuries. They are expected to range in scope from architectural and community histories to music, art, sports and more.
This ledger, spanning from 1819 to 1869, inventories the businesses of John W. McCormick and his family as they moved from Connersville to Indianapolis. It was at his cabin that commissioners planning the state capital came together to select the location and plat the original Mile Square. The record book describes business dealings of both John and Samuel McCormick related to a ferrying service, lumber mills, and tavern services and lodging. These pages include land purchases and business transactions that list pioneer family names.
Building upon the archive’s massive collection of built environment materials – architectural drawings and blueprints; building, streets and neighborhood photography collections; and individual, family and community histories – we hope to make connections between materials and add more collections related to the city, its neighborhoods and underrepresented communities. The new materials – documents, drawings, oral histories and photographs – will be highlighted in You are There 1920: Celebrate Indianapolis, opening September 2020, and in public programming, educational projects and events. Digitized materials will be available at images.indianahistory.org.
Interested in contributing to the collecting initiative? Contact Jordan Ryan, our coordinating archivist, at jryan@indianahistory.org for details.
Featured image at top: This photo shows the main hall of Union Station after renovation and is from Indianapolis Architecture Since 1975. (Gift of Lucille Anderson, IHS)
Indianapolis History Collecting Initiative is generously supported by Lilly Endowment Inc.
