Summer Fun
Concerts on the Canal and Free Admission Thursdays are Back! Join us every Thursday from May 25 through July 27 at Indy's favorite hangout.
Learn MoreThe Harley Shop: Seventy Years of Indianapolis Southside Harley-Davidson
Visit our newest exhibition celebrating 70 years of Schulteti family ownership of Indianapolis Southside Harley-Davidson. Open July 22 through Sept. 9, 2017.
Learn MoreConserving a Civil War Print
Our Conservation Lab took on the challenge of treating a Civil War-era print of the 70th Regiment of the Indiana Volunteers at Camp Burgess in Bowling Green, Kentucky, dated approximately 1862 to 1865.
Learn MoreAll Aboard the Indiana History Train
When you visit the Indiana State Fair, from Aug. 4 through 20, hop on board the Indiana History Train to take in a new exhibit celebrating Hoosier inventions and innovations.
Learn MoreHistory on Wheels: Auto Indiana
Our one-of-a-kind history experience is hitting the road and bringing Indiana history to Hoosiers across the state. Find out where we're heading next!
Learn MoreYou Are There 1943: Italian POWs at Atterbury
In one of our most moving You Are There exhibits to date, talk to Italian prisoners of war in the chapel they built at Camp Atterbury – their home away from home.
Learn MoreYou Are There: Eli Lilly at the Beginning
Step back in time to Colonel Eli Lilly's original laboratory on Pearl Street, then a small, locally owned business just getting off the ground.
Learn MoreBlack Church History in the Archives
The Bethel A.M.E. Church digital collection features thousands of photographs, manuscript materials and artifacts from church records dating back to 1871.
Learn MoreYou Are There 1948: Communities Can!
Learn about the newest You Are There exhibit, meet one of the actors and get a behind-the-scenes look at the costumes.
Learn MoreIHS Seeks Nominations for Annual Awards
Each year, the Indiana Historical Society recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations whose efforts have enriched the lives of others by conveying awareness and appreciation of Indiana’s history on local, regional and statewide levels.
Learn MoreA Tale of Two Diaries
Two diaries, two sides of the Civil War, one man
Learn MoreNew Documents, Letters and Photos Round Out Gene Stratton-Porter Collection
One of the largest archival collections of Gene Stratton-Porter materials is available to researchers, online and in person, at the William H. Smith Memorial Library.
Learn MoreTen Years with John Herbst at the Helm
Happy Anniversary to our president and CEO!
Learn MoreA Billy the Kid Mystery Solved
A "new" Billy the Kid letter is discovered in the IHS collections.
Learn MoreWhat Is a Hoosier?
It’s safe to conclude the Hoosher and Hoosier nickname adopted by Indiana residents and for them by their nearby neighbors was derived from the dialect term (probably traceable from England) not uncommon among southern immigrants to Indiana and the ...
Learn MoreA Home in Our Keeping
Historic Twin Oaks serves as IHS's hospitality center.
Learn MoreGlamour in the Collection
Retired news anchor Howard Caldwell credits his grandmother and parents for instilling in him a love of movies and the theater, but the English Theatre holds a special place in his heart. “It was Broadway in Indianapolis,” he says.
Learn MoreFrom Our Blog
- MEET THE COUNTY HISTORIANS – July 3, 2017
- The people who work to preserve and share Indiana's history.
- EAT + DRINK – June 16, 2017
- Do you know what a "thrift barn" is? Do you even want to know? If so, all the evidence you'll need is here in the Indiana Historical Society's new library case exhibit EAT + DRINK.
- Beem Me Up, Larry! – June 14, 2017
- Sometimes our collections cause me to ask how we got to now. Others show me.
- The "Why?" Impacts the "How?" ... Preserving Heirlooms – June 12, 2017
- How you treat and store historic items can have a lot to do with your motivation for keeping it. Are you a historical society preserving for posterity or a family preserving for use?
What's Happening
- Concerts on the Canal – July 20
- Thursday nights are heating up in downtown Indy as we look forward to our summer tradition!
- U.S. History Teachers Association – July 21
- Genealogy 201: Rebuild Your Ancestor's Neighborhood – July 22
- Ride and Seek: Cycling Through Indianapolis History – July 23
- Grab your friends and sharpen your detective skills for a biking scavenger hunt through Indy's history!
- Back-to-School Festival – July 25
Basile History Market
Your one-stop shop for all things Indiana is downtown Indy's largest independent bookstore.