“We are not a museum; we are alive and well.” Rev. Deborah Lightfoot Oats addressed her Terre Haute African Methodist Episcopal (AME) congregation with these words in 2009. For many of Indiana’s AME…
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2026 marks the 250th anniversary--also known as the Semiquincentennial-- of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, an observation recognized in fifty-year intervals in the United States since…
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Have you ever heard of Roberts Settlement or Lyles Station? Many people are unfamiliar with Indiana’s early-19th century Black history. These names are some of the many early Black settlements in…
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Vanderburgh County, located on the Ohio River at the southern tip of Indiana, is both one of the smallest counties in Indiana by land area and one of the largest by population. At the heart of every…
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This walking tour looks at how Indianapolis was built and grew before 1890. During this time, the city changed from a small frontier town into Indiana’s political and business center. The tour shows…
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Education in Indiana extends well beyond big-name universities like Purdue, IU, Notre Dame, Butler, Ball State, and Indiana State. From the collegiate level down to the elementary level, Indiana has a…
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The first Indiana State Fair was held back in 1852 in downtown Indianapolis’ Military Park. It moved to its current fairgrounds site forty years later in 1892. Although it initially began as an…
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Overlooking the Ohio River, the lands that became Clark County, Indiana were home to wetlands and forests that Natives of the Cahokia, Michigamea, Kaskaskia, and Peoria peoples used to support their…
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The town once called “Little Detroit” is full of reminders of its classic car past if you know where to look. Auburn, Indiana— Home of the Classics— was once a bustling center of manufacturing. Early…
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Have you heard of the idea of “Midwestern Nice”? It is the idea that Midwesterners are uniquely polite and gracious: greeting strangers on the street, overly apologizing for minor inconveniences,…
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Indianapolis experienced significant urban and philanthropic initiatives to promote the welfare of others by donating money and organizing assistance in the 19th century. Charitable initiatives…
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Goshen, Indiana, the county seat of Elkhart County, was platted in 1831. The area was home to Indigenous Miami and then Potawatomi band people before they were driven out of the region by expansionist…
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The Underground Railroad, a network of people, routes and safe houses that enslaved people used to escape to freedom, is a difficult history to document. This network did not look for recognition and…
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The American Midwest was a magnet for many German-American immigrants as hundreds of thousands made their journey to the United States in the mid-1800s. Indianapolis was no exception. As more German…
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The United States Steel Corporation acquired land at the southernmost tip of Lake Michigan in 1905 for the purposes of building a steel mill. The area that would become Gary was historically occupied…
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Every downtown had one. They were grand old opera houses and movie palaces, built in the bustle of the city center. In the late 1800s and the early 1900s, these venues served as the heart of…
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The “roaring twenties” were a decade of dramatic change and growth. World War I (1914-1918) had ended and the economy was booming as a result of all money paid to industry by the US government.…
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Activists have long paved the way forward into a brighter future for all those around them. This Discover Indiana tour introduces you to a group women women activists from Indiana who made significant…
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A place is nothing without its culture, and that holds true especially in Indiana. Hoosiers like Gene-Stratton Porter and James Whitcomb Riley have had huge influences on their respective fields.…
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Archaeology’s status as a popular social science has played an important role in providing a window into the past. Here in Indiana, archaeologists have been able to do extensive projects that allow…
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What do you think of when you think of art? Who is an artist? Over the course of Indiana’s 200-year statehood, individuals have created artistic works in many different forms. Fashion, sculpture,…
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History books are full of stories of the wealthy, the powerful, and the influential—the insiders. History has also taught us influence easily captured can be easily lost. Insiders can become outsiders…
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At the end of the nineteenth century, Hoosiers found themselves with more free time than ever before. Technological advances in industry allowed increased efficiency in manufacturing and farming while…
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A government is shaped by its people, and Indiana is a prime example of that. Throughout the state’s over 200 year history, Hoosiers have made this state their own, influencing what this state is and…
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The history of medicine is a popular branch of scientific history and that is very true in the State of Indiana. Across much of the 19th and 20th centuries, several prominent Hoosiers took part in…
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The Indiana State Parks system’s origin began in 1916 under the guidance of Colonel Richard Lieber. It has since grown and developed under the influence of visionaries like Lieber and Lucy Pitchler,…
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To explorer Christopher Columbus and other Europeans, the lands of North America were rich in resources and perfect for exploitation. Colonies would be set up to take the wealth of this “new”…
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Since Indianapolis became the Indiana state capital in 1825, issues of illness and health have had an impact on the city and its citizens, in part because of rapid population growth and density.…
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Long hidden behind closed doors, LGBT+ people and their histories in Indianapolis have become increasingly visible in recent decades. The history of this community is the story of the struggle for…
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What is a sacred space? For the following stories, “sacred” refers to places that have been (and continue to be) regarded with reverence by the people of Indianapolis. This includes traditional…
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Indianapolis had a history of engagement with professional and amateur sports long before hosting the 2012 Super Bowl. This tour will introduce you to some well-known stories and highlight some less…
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During the nineteenth century, the United States saw increased immigration, especially from European countries. Immigration is the term for when someone permanently moves from one country to another.…
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The Jackson County History Center (JCHC) is located in Brownstown, Indiana, the county seat. Located across the street from the county courthouse, the expansive JCHC campus includes three museums, a…
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Johnson County, established in 1823, has never had a war fought on its soil. Yet, the residents who have called this central Indiana county home throughout the generations, have been instrumental in…
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While visitors may see Kokomo as an industrial town with its gas extraction facilities and glass factories, locals highlight its innovation. It was the place where the first commercially successful,…
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Isaac Blackford was born in Bound Brook, New Jersey, on November 6, 1786. After graduating from Princeton University in 1806, he began to read law under the guidance of his mentor, and future…
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Moving into the 20th century, Indiana residents found themselves searching for ways to occupy their free time. Some were caught up in the chautauqua movement, others joined in on the growing wave of…
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The flow of history is preserved in this quaint river town. Via boats and barges along the Ohio River, migrants from Virginia, Kentucky, Germany, and Ireland arrived in Madison, Indiana—a narrow,…
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Music is everywhere. From the theme of your favorite show to the music you turn on in the car, we move through our lives with the musical memories we create. It can be hard to imagine the lives of…
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Black Americans, enslaved and free, had a presence in Floyd County from the beginnings of White settlement in the area. The 1830 census listed 265 Black residents. The population grew dramatically in…
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The Ohio River has been a constant in the history of New Albany and southern Indiana for centuries. Long before Europeans arrived, native peoples relied on the river for drinking water, for…
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Soon after its founding in 1813, New Albany became a leading center of trade and manufacturing. From the mid-1820s through the Civil War era, shipbuilding fueled the local economy. New Albany…
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Religious institutions have thrived in New Albany for nearly 200 years. This tour highlights several important congregations and other aspects of religious history. The sites featured illustrate the…
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December 11, 1816: one of the most integral days in Indiana history. This is the day that Indiana gained statehood in the United States of America. However, that date alone is meaningless without…
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This tour seeks to restore the histories of Clark County orphans, despite the loss of county orphanage records and damage to juvenile court records. Orphanages loom large in popular culture as homes…
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In the late nineteenth century, canned goods became a major part of the American food supply chain. As Anna Zeide writes in Canned: The Rise and Fall of Consumer Confidence in the American Food…
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Originally farmland known as Mule Crossing, Seymour, Indiana would not be a central crossroads for trains traveling north, south, east, and west without the efforts of Captain Meedy Shields. Elected…
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One of the key events of United States history in the 1800’s was the expansion of the railroad. It revolutionized transportation, the economy, population progression towards the West Coast, industry,…
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From rolling hills to flat stretches, Wayne County is home to a diverse topography. It contains Indiana’s highest point above sea level at the northern edge of the county which sits 1,257 feet above…
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In 2019, the city of South Bend garnered national attention due to a presidential bid by its mayor, Pete Buttigieg. The campaign brought attention to the city including its struggles with race…
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The discovery of natural gas in 1887 on present-day Meridian Street in Anderson, Indiana, became the catalyst for the development of the automobile industry. Industrial innovation spawned economic…
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The Civil War was a defining moment in our country’s history, and its ripple effects were undoubtedly felt in Indiana. Countless Hoosiers participated in the Underground Railroad. Numerous fought on…
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What better place could there be to embrace life’s joy and sorrow than right here in the Crossroads of America? In the space between sunlight and shadows live the stories of this little, big town. A…
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The history of Indiana’s gas boom is one of entrepreneurs, inventions, and squandered natural wealth. It is the story of the turning point that made Howard County, Kokomo, and many other communities…
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The "Golden Age of American Illustration," a term coined by art lovers to refer to the period from the 1890s to the 1920s, was driven by improvements in printing technology that allowed for accurate…
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“Few other phenomena can form and vanish so quickly, leave behind such misery, and still be seen as beautiful,” writes Thomas Grazulis, an American meteorologist and author. Tornadoes are a unique…
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Vincennes and the surrounding community are fortunate to have well-known historical sites and attractions including the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park; Grouseland, the Indiana…
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Join us on a captivating journey through time as we explore the evolution of labor in pre-1890 Indiana. This tour delves into the rich tapestry of work life during a pivotal era of transformation and…
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