Tag: indiana

Indiana History Series, Sample Chapter

Sample Chapter – Indiana’s First Railroad

The Indiana Sesquicentennial Commission dedicated a marker on July 3 1966 in Shelbyville, Indiana, on the site of the first railroad built west of the Allegheny Mountains. Judge W. J. Peasley, one of the early settlers in Shelby County, during the early part of the year 1834, built a road one and one-half miles long just east of Shelbyville, consisting of wooden ties and rails, on which the cars were drawn by horse power. Continue reading Sample Chapter – Indiana’s First Railroad

Indiana History Series, Sample Chapter

Sample Chapter – Carnegie Libraries in Indiana

Construction on the Goshen Carnegie Library commenced after the approval of the grant of $15,000 was announced in January 1901. After interviewing five architectural firms, Goshen officials chose the firm of Patton, Fisher & Miller from Chicago. The firm designed a Beaux-Arts style building and used Bedford limestone to cover the 1 1/2 story building. It has a red tile roof. Goshen officials managed to convince the Carnegie Foundation to increase the grant to $25,000, which was the final cost of construction. Local citizens dedicated the building at the corner of Washington and Fifth Streets on January 15, 1903. The National Register of Historic Places listed the building on January 2, 1983. the Indiana Historic Commission has placed an historic marker at the building’s location. Continue reading Sample Chapter – Carnegie Libraries in Indiana

Podcast - Indiana Places and History

Podcast – History of the Indiana State Park Nature Centers

Centers
Description:
The naturalist program at Indiana State Parks evolved from an early program established at Bear Mountain State Park in New York state. A visiting dentist from Illinois, inspired by the program at Turkey Run State Park in 1936, helped develop the fledgling nature museum program. Indianapolis artist Lucy Pitschler in began taking park guests on nature hikes in the 1920’s, which led to the development of the naturalist program in the state parks. The contributions of these, and many others, has led to the wonderful naturalist programs that park guests enjoy at most of the Indiana State Parks today. Continue reading Podcast – History of the Indiana State Park Nature Centers

Indiana County Short History Series

A History of Dearborn County, Indiana

A History of Dearborn County serves as a great historical resource for home school students and Indiana history buffs. It includes information on museums, historical markers, National Register of Historic Sites and other areas of historical interest in Dearborn County, Indiana. The guide is a great help in planning field trips as local parks and nature preserves are included in the book, as well. Readers will discover historical information on Dearborn County cities and towns like Aurora, Lawrenceburg, Greendale the smaller communities in the county. Home schooling parents and local history buffs can use the book as a guide to finding Dearborn County’s historical treasure for fun and educational field trips. Continue reading A History of Dearborn County, Indiana

Indiana County Short History Series

Sample Chapter – Dearborn County Thumbnail History

Thumbnail History
1798 – Israel Ludlow Surveys True Meridian That Became Indiana/Ohio State Line
By October 1798 Ludlow had completed surveying the Greenville Treaty line and was ready to begin surveying the Symmes tract in the region of the Great Miami River. Before he could begin surveying this, he needed to have a true north/south meridian from which he could base the remainder of the survey. The Northwest Territory Act had mandated that 5, and not more than 7, states be created from the vast territory. It had stated that the border between an “eastern state,” and a “middle,” state consist of a true meridian that proceeded due north from a point where the Great Miami River enters the Ohio River. thus, Ludlow began surveying the true meridian that would become the line between the new Indiana Territory and the old Northwest Territory in 1800. In 1803 Ohio would become a state. The meridian survives today as the border between Ohio and Indiana. Continue reading Sample Chapter – Dearborn County Thumbnail History

Blog, Exploring Indiana Series

Blog Post – Exploring Indiana’s Museums

One of the things we like to do when traveling about the state is to visit one of Indiana’s 348 museums or state historic sites. Scattered about in just about every county in the state, these museums range from local historical museums to themed museums like Dr. Ted’s Musical Marvels in Dale, Indiana, which features restored musical instruments from around the world. Continue reading Blog Post – Exploring Indiana’s Museums

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Sample Chapter – Indiana State Museum History

Indiana State Librarian R. Deloss Brown began a collection of minerals and curiosities that that he displayed in a cabinet. His goal was to try to preserve some artifacts from the state’s earliest history. This “Cabinet of Wonders,” grew as Civil War veterans and others gave him items to keep. The contents of the collection were varied and soon needed organizing and labeling. Continue reading Sample Chapter – Indiana State Museum History