By ANDREA NEAL Like an heirloom jewel passed down through generations, covered bridges are Hoosiers’ most threatened inheritance. From 1835 through the 1920s, more than 600 covered bridges were built in Indiana. “Only 89 are still standing today,” according to the Indiana Covered Bridge Society, which works to … Read More
By ANDREA NEAL Though his name is not nearly as familiar as John Deere’s, James Oliver of South Bend revolutionized agriculture with his invention of a new type of plow. An 1878 advertisement for the Oliver Chilled Plow boasted: “Buy no other. Will last for years, and no … Read More
By ANDREA NEAL Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, John Burroughs. To this list of famous American naturalists, add the name Gene Stratton-Porter of Indiana. Decades before the modern environmental movement began, Stratton-Porter warned against human activities that could lead to climate change. Also a best-selling fiction author, Stratton-Porter … Read More
By ANDREA NEAL Study a map from the late 19th century, and it’s easy to see how Indiana became known as the Crossroads of America. Like spokes on a bicycle wheel, railroad lines extended from Indianapolis in 12 directions. Tracks crossed the state from Lake Michigan to the … Read More
By ANDREA NEAL Upon the death of Lew Wallace, The New York Times struggled to sum up — in a single headline — the 77-year-old Hoosier’s accomplishments. “Won fame in many ways,” it declared. Wallace, his 1905 obituary noted, “achieved widespread distinction as a lawyer, legislator, soldier, author … Read More
By ANDREA NEAL It is the nation’s third largest cemetery and a “Who’s Who” of Hoosier heroes. One president, three vice presidents and 11 governors are buried there. The grave of poet James Whitcomb Riley occupies the highest point — the “crown hill” — and is one of … Read More
By ANDREA NEAL From the time he was a youngster, Eli Lilly was fascinated by pharmaceuticals. At 16, he served as an apprentice at the Good Samaritan Drugstore in Lafayette. During the day, he stocked shelves, washed bottles and ran errands. At night, he pored over the United … Read More
By ANDREA NEAL Purdue Boilermakers can thank the Morrill Land Grant Act for their highly regarded college diploma. The law, signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, gave federal land to states if they agreed to use the land-sale proceeds to start colleges of agriculture and mechanic arts … Read More
By ANDREA NEAL Not much has changed since the first Indiana State Fair in October 1852. Farmers showed off their finest specimens of cows, hogs, horses and chickens. A “Mechanics Hall” displayed the newest reapers and plows. Corn growers competed for a silver cup for the heartiest ears. … Read More
By ANDREA NEAL Even before Indiana began recruiting them, African-American Hoosiers volunteered to fight in the Civil War. An 1862 act of Congress allowed President Abraham Lincoln “to employ as many persons of African descent as he may deem necessary and proper for the suppression of this rebellion.” … Read More
By ANDREA NEAL Left camp at 9 o’clock. Rained all last night. Bad roads, slavish traveling today. Snowed all day, stalled several times … Traveled 10 miles. Private Albert S. Underwood of Parke County wrote those words on Jan. 18, 1864, as he moved south toward Tennessee with … Read More
By ANDREA NEAL Ask historians to name Indiana’s greatest governor, and most will answer: Oliver P. Morton. He was the first governor born on Hoosier soil. He played a critical role during the Civil War backing the policies of President Abraham Lincoln and supplying troops for the Union … Read More
By ANDREA NEAL The infirm frequented French Lick for its miraculous Pluto water. The rich and famous came to golf — and gamble. Since the 1830s, the rolling hills and springs around the small town of French Lick have drawn tourists to remote southern Indiana. They still do, … Read More
Drive along the Ohio River in Jeffersonville, and you can’t miss the 68-acre Jeffboat plant where workers make the ships that transport so much of the nation’s grain, coal and chemicals to market.
Read MoreBy ANDREA NEAL He was educated in Europe and trained to emulate the brushstrokes of the Great Masters, yet Theodore Clement Steele’s greatest gift was in depicting and interpreting the Indiana countryside. T.C. Steele — Indiana’s most famous painter — was born in Gosport in 1847, raised in … Read More
By ANDREA NEAL Hoosier women have come a long way since the mid-19th century when a proposal for women’s suffrage generated more scorn than acceptance. One political leader summed up the views of the day when he noted that women already enjoyed “the rights which the Bible designed … Read More
