The Indiana History Blog – Presented by the Indiana Historical Bureau
Presented by the Indiana Historical Bureau| The Indiana History Blog
Presented by the Indiana Historical Bureau| The Indiana History Blog
Agnes Szabo came of age in South Bend in the early 1920s, when the Volstead Act had driven liquor sales underground and bootlegging routes became as common as postal deliveries. The post-World War I years were marked by economic volatility—wartime industries contracted, inflation soared, and many working-class families, especially immigrants, scrambled for new forms of … Continue reading "The Case of Agnes Szabo: Bootlegger, Entrepreneur, Whistleblower"| The Indiana History Blog
On a muggy September afternoon, gregarious Congressman Charles A. Halleck, flanked by wife Blanche and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, blinked back tears. Known for his oratorical prowess, R…| The Indiana History Blog
A version of this post was published in the Indiana Historical Society’s Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History 34, no. 4 (Fall 2022). On the first Monday in November 1801, a landowner name…| The Indiana History Blog
The Indiana Historical Bureau would not be what it is today without the vision and leadership of Director Pamela J. Bennett. Known to us simply as Pam, she passed away earlier this year, prompting …| The Indiana History Blog
Her name might not be in Who’s Who Among African Americans, or have household recognition like Madam C.J. Walker, but Ida Hagan broke barriers not only for her race, but her gender. From a young ag…| The Indiana History Blog
“West Hammond has been electrified of late by what a woman—a woman of intelligence, of action and indomitable courage—can accomplish.” -Munster Times, 1911 The woman described by the Ti…| The Indiana History Blog
In addition to the struggles of daily life, Black Americans had to wage an often losing battle to secure suitable education for their children. They had historically been deprived of that which affords an understanding of one’s rights and enables one to secure a livelihood. Crawfordsville’s Lincoln School embodied this decades-long fight. However, like other … Continue reading "Lincoln School: “Laying Before the Body Our Grievance”"| The Indiana History Blog
At the turn of the twentieth century, the man who called himself Herman Billik (also Billick) was “plying his trade as a charmer, palm reader and hypnotist in Whiting,” according to th…| The Indiana History Blog
Though you won’t become a millionaire panning for gold in Indiana, today’s recreational gold hunters have a lot of fun sloshing around Hoosier creeks in search of the shiny metal that led many a conquistador to his doom. Around 1900, however, Indiana farmers and geologists explored the possibility that the hills of Brown, Monroe, and Morgan … Continue reading "Indiana’s “Pot of Gold”"| The Indiana History Blog
During the Progressive Era, Black women were often excluded from both white reform initiatives and male-dominated Black organizations. In response, Black women across the nation formed local clubs …| The Indiana History Blog
In the latter days of the summer of 1904, the decision of a local doctor and postmaster caused an uproar in Ferdinand, Indiana and even caught attention across the country. “People in the vicinity …| The Indiana History Blog
When we look at statues and oil paintings of Civil War leaders today, it’s easy to see them all as career military men trained in strategy and combat tactics with a lifetime of professional e…| The Indiana History Blog
Summer is upon us, and one of the staples of American summers is fast food. It’s always a blast to roll down the windows, crank up the tunes, and head on over to your favorite drive-thru. Now, we a…| The Indiana History Blog
