Posted in: Historic Miscellania 100 Years of Allison

September 14, 2015 is a special 100th anniversary day in the history of Indianapolis.  It was on September 14, 1915 that Frank Wheeler, Theodore Myers, Arthur Newby, James Allison, and Carl Fisher, filed the Articles...

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Posted in: Misc Mondays Misc Monday: Preservation One Artifact at a Time

Ever wonder the worth of that old painting collecting dust in the depths of your attic? Or have you always had the feeling that your grandmother’s heirloom necklace is more valuable than the eye beholds?...

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Posted in: Misc Mondays Misc. Monday: Indy’s Most Famous Funeral Train

Abraham Lincoln was shot on Good Friday 1865, and died the following morning.  For three days, the fallen leader’s remains lay in state in the White House as a vast host of mourners filed past. ...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Indiana during the Holidays: Celebrating through Trees

Three Indiana women and two children with a Christmas tree, circa 1900. Courtesy of the Indiana Historical Society. The holiday spirit is in the air.  All over Indianapolis, people are preparing for the upcoming holiday...

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Posted in: Misc Mondays Misc. Monday: Reminisces of an Ayres Christmas

Guest Author: Mary Jane Teeters-Eichacher For seventy years, from 1922 to 1992, the place to celebrate holiday traditions in Indianapolis was L. S. Ayres & Co. Animated window displays drew crowds of fascinated onlookers to...

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Posted in: Misc Mondays Misc. Monday: William J. Forsyth’s Irvington Connections

Forsyth Irvington House ca. 1914, photo courtesy of Susan Forsyth Selby Sklar Guest Author: Rachel Berenson Perry Hoosier Group artist William J. Forsyth (1854 – 1935) lived in Indianapolis for most of his life. In...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania An Indiana History of Craft Beer

Beer—drinking the frothy beverage has been a part of the Hoosier identity for generations. From pre-prohibition production to the rise of craft beer in the 2000’s, the beer industry has been prevalent in Indiana. The...

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Posted in: Misc Mondays The Courtroom Where Jack Daniels “Got Served”

During the height of 1920’s Prohibition, the Federal Courthouse in downtown Indianapolis was home to a trial that exemplified many of the issues surrounding prohibition. It was dubbed “The Jack Daniels Whiskey case.” At the...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Baseball of Yesteryear

Did you know that the Indianapolis Indians have been around for over 100 years?  Or that Indianapolis hosted the Toledo Blues, a team with two African American players, all the way back in 1884, 60...

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Posted in: Misc Mondays Misc Monday: Twin Oaks Home & Garden Tour

At 555 Kessler Boulevard, West Drive, Lyman S. Ayres II and his wife, Isabel, built a Colonial Revival style home named “Twin Oaks” in 1941. The Ayres family moved into the house in January 1942,...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Early Indianapolis and Indiana Photography

With the help of smart phones, people have the ability to take decent quality photographs at a moment’s notice–quite different than 100 or so years ago. In today’s technologically advanced environment, it can be difficult to understand...

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Posted in: What’s in a Name? What’s in a Name: Charlotte Place

We are delighted to have a first person account and guest contribution from former neighbor and artist, Dick Lutin, relaying the details of how Charlotte Place in Herron-Morton Place got its name. Editor’s note: When...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Discovering Alfred M. Glossbrenner

When my great grandfather, Alfred M. Glossbrenner, died on November 13, 1938, at the age of 69, The Indianapolis Star ran his obituary the very next day. The obit was on the front page, above the...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Indianapolis, Lilly Played Key Role in Ending U.S. Polio Epidemics

You Are There 1955: Ending Polio will be open at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, located at 450 W. Ohio St. in Indianapolis until Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013.  Mention you read this...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania A Brief History of Downtown Indy’s Canal

In the early 1800s, transportation and trade in Indiana and the United States as a whole was extremely limited.  People mainly traveled by foot, horseback, wagons pulled by animals or by water when possible.  Hoosiers...

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Posted in: IndyView Revisited IndyView Revisited: 15th & College

IndyView Revisited should be returning on a regular basis, with many thanks to our new contributor, Carol Titus. This picture shows looks northwest towards 15th & College circa 1960s, found at IHPC....

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania A Personal Indianapolis Story of Love, Survival and Inspiration- Part II

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to feature this moving account from one of our readers. To read Part I of this story, featured yesterday, click here.  Again, many thanks to Janie Hensley. By Janie...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania A Personal Indianapolis Story of Love, Survival and Inspiration- Part I

This is the first first-person account written by an Historic Indianapolis.com reader–I hope the first of many. This story is deeply touching and is divided into two parts. The conclusion will run tomorrow, in honor...

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