Elkhart, LaGrange County On IHS Bicentennial Road Trip
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Historical Society Press is planning a literary Bicentennial road trip and both Elkhart and LaGrange Counties made the short list.
Nappanee’s Amish Acres and Shipshewana’s Menno-Hof are among the historic sites and landmarks recognized with the release of, “Road Trip: A Pocket History of Indiana,” by Andrea Neal.
The book is a compilation of 100 historical essays with a twist. Each article on Indiana events and figures has a destination attached: a marker, monument, museum, park or annual event that Hoosiers could attend or visit to make history come alive.
“As a teacher of U.S. history, I appreciate road trips,” Neal said. “It is one thing to read about the War of 1812 in a textbook; it is another to walk across the field where William Henry Harrison’s troops defeated The Prophet’s forces at the Battle of Tippecanoe.”
Other essay topics include famous Hoosiers such as Benjamin Harrison, Little Turtle and Madam C.J. Walker and important events such as Robert F. Kennedy’s famous 1968 speech and the impact of 9/11 on the state.
Readers who intend to use this book as a travel guide will find the accompanying historic sites and landmarks in chronological order, starting with the impact of the Ice Age on Indiana and ending with the bicentennial itself.
For more information about the book, or other IHS programs and resources, call (317) 232-1882 or visit IHS online.