IHS Seeks Award Nominations
Each year, the Indiana Historical Society recognizes outstanding individuals whose efforts have enriched the lives of others by conveying awareness and appreciation of Indiana’s history on local, regional and statewide levels.
> moreConcerts on the Canal
There's no better way to spend a summer evening than at Indy's Thursday night hangout – Concerts on the Canal. Check out the 2013 lineup!
> moreMember Trip: Civil War Crossroads at Chattanooga
Join us Oct. 8 through 11 as we explore Chattanooga battlefields and other notable war sites.
> moreIHS Launches Online Access to Historic Newspaper Pages
You can now easily search more than 700 historic Indiana newspapers and newspapers from all 50 states online in our library for free.
> moreYou Are There 1939: Healing Bodies, Changing Minds
In the latest of our You Are There series, join African-American physician Dr. Harvey Middleton on June 24, 1939, in his office at 2101 Boulevard Place for an open house.
> moreA Billy the Kid Mystery Solved
A "new" Billy the Kid letter is discovered in the IHS collections.
> moreHot Off the IHS Press
New release The People's Choice: Congressman Jim Jontz of Indiana examines a remarkable long-shot political career and lifetime involvement in local, state and national environmental issues. Read an interview with author Ray Boomhower.
> moreA Home in Our Keeping
Historic Twin Oaks serves as IHS's hospitality center.
> moreA Life in Public History: A Conversation with John Herbst
John talks to the Indiana Magazine of History in the June 2011 issue.
> moreFair Culture: Images of Indiana Fairs
Photographer Harold Lee Miller presents a beautiful and quirky glimpse of summer in Indiana.
> moreCivil War Home Front Collections Now Online
A digital Civil War Home Front collection of more than 1,200 documents provides insight to the feelings of both Indiana soldiers and their loved ones as they dealt with both the major events of the Civil War and more mundane activities such as ...
> moreMeet Marianne Doyle
Longtime member Marianne Doyle is the Boone County historian and serves on the IHS Public Programs and Outreach Committee
> moreExtensive Hoosier Family Collection Lands at IHS
Bartholomew County has seen eight generations of the Irwin, Sweeney and Miller families – families who trace their roots in this country to before the American Revolution and in Indiana to before it was a state.
> moreHarrison Letter Added to Extensive IHS Collection
A rare Sept. 23, 1812, letter signed by “Willm. Henry Harrison” as Commander of the Army of the Northwest is our newest find.
> moreA Glimpse of Carthage on Glass
Last summer, two Collections staff members drove to northern Indiana to retrieve some real treasures.
> moreA Peek into the Big Four Shops of Beech Grove
Black-and-white photographs capture the lives of railroad employees in 1919 and 1923.
> moreCanal Collection Returns to Indiana
An East Coast dealer acquired the White Water Valley Canal Co. papers when they went up for auction in Ohio last year.
> moreRiley's Image Comes Home
Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley is best known for his characters such as Little Orphant Annie and for writing in a country dialect. Karen Celestino-Horseman of Indianapolis donated a rare collection of James Whitcomb Riley images to IHS last year. ...
> 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 ...
> morePostcards Send Glimpse of Past
A collection of 41 postcards from 1909 to 1953 joins the approximately 15,000 postcards in the IHS collection.
> moreOur 180th Year
Charged as a steward of the past, our 180th year brings a new way to live history.
> moreThe Native Americans
Native American ancestors inhabited the land of Indiana from around 9500 B.C.
> 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.
> moreOne-of-a-Kind WWII Collection
In early 1945, Master Sgt. Robert J. (Bob) Kennedy was in an area south of Manila awaiting reassignment after his unit was nearly wiped out in the retaking of Philippines.
> moreLew Wallace Letters Go West
The 96,000-square-foot New Mexico History Museum opened its doors for the very first time Memorial Day Weekend, and while taking a comprehensive look at the Western state’s past, it includes some Hoosier history as well.
> moreDid You Know Uneeda Biscuit?
Included in the Indiana Historical Society’s collection is a cache of historical advertising material.
> moreFrom Our Blog
- Collaboration Conversation – May 9, 2013
- Decatur Township learners delve into the Indiana Bicentennial Train project.
- The Civil War from Gettysburg to Appomattox – May 8, 2013
- President Lincoln visits the new exhibition.
- Using Social Media for Your Museum – Is it Worth It? – May 2, 2013
- (Yes!)
- Beekeepers and Bank Robbers – April 12, 2013
- We are discovering some interesting stories with our new newspaper database!
What's Happening
- Concerts on the Canal – May 23
- Cathy Morris
- Behind the Indiana Experience – Designing a You Are There – May 29
- Concerts on the Canal – May 30
- Tad Robinson
- Liviu Prunaru, 1998 Silver Medalist and Chih-Yi Chen, Pianist – June 4
- IVCI
- Grave Matters Cemetery Tour – June 6
- Member trip
Basile History Market

Pick up that perfect something at the Basile History Market, featuring Indiana art, jewelry, literature, music and more.

