All Stories: 449
Stories
Loop Island Wetlands
Loop Island Wetlands is a walking and nature park southeast of downtown New Albany. Located on the Ohio River west of Silver Creek, the site supported industrialization during the late nineteenth century. In 1878, George Moser, a German immigrant,…
Holy Trinity Heritage Court
Dedicated in October 1977, the Holy Trinity Heritage Court commemorates the history of Roman Catholics in southern Indiana. The court marks the site of the former Holy Trinity Church. The court includes portions of the original brick foundation of…
¡Bienvenido a Gary! Mexicans in the Steel City
The Mexican Experience in Gary
Thousands of Mexican immigrants first migrated to Indiana to work as strikebreakers for United States Steel during the Great Steel Strike of 1919. In the following decades, the Mexican population survived…
Buffalo Trace
Early settlers to southern Indiana encountered American Bison in large numbers. The most prominent overland path through the area was the Buffalo Trace, a cluster of trails running from the prairies of Illinois to salt licks in northern and central…
Cardinal Joseph Ritter Childhood Home
Born in New Albany on July 20, 1892, Joseph Elmer Ritter is the best known of the religious leaders with roots in New Albany. Ritter served as Archbishop of St. Louis from 1946-1962 and as a Cardinal from 1962-1965. During that time, he advocated…
Women's Seminaries
During the nineteenth-century, residents of New Albany made strong commitments to religious education. Two women’s seminaries, DePauw College for Young Ladies and Anderson Female Seminary, illustrate the importance that citizens ascribed to the…
Lytle's Ferry
Ferries played a crucial role in moving people and goods across the Ohio River throughout much of New Albany’s history. Although the river could be crossed on foot at the Falls of the Ohio during period of drought or solid ice, ferries were needed…
Old Pike Inn
The Old Pike Inn is one of the best-recognized buildings in New Albany. Built about 1840, it is served as the home of the “Old Pike Inn,” a tavern operated by the Kreutzner family, from 1945 to 1995. A full-scale restoration returned the building…
Prophetstown
At the site of today's Prophetstown State Park, the great Shawnee warrior Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa (the Prophet) established Prophetstown as a gathering place for like-minded Native peoples seeking to resist the impact of Europeans in…
Eiteljorg Contemporary Gallery
The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art is located in downtown Indianapolis. Commissioned by Harrison Eiteljorg, the museum opened its doors in 1989. It is still the only one of its kind in the Midwest and one of only two museums of…
Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Dreiser is one of Indiana’s most well-known writers. Dreiser’s novels explored pressing early 20th century societal concerns such as poverty, income inequality, and prostitution. Early Life Theodore Dreiser was born in Terre Haute, Indiana…
Gene Stratton-Porter
Indiana is home to many natural wonders like Wildflower Woods, located outside of Rome City (northwest of Fort Wayne), Indiana at the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site. Indiana author, photographer, and naturalist, Gene Stratton-Porter shared…
Kentucky and Indiana Terminal Bridge
As New Albany and Louisville grew as industrial centers after the Civil War, transportation connections became vital for efficient movement of raw materials and finished goods. The first bridge across the Ohio at Louisville opened in 1870. …
Scribner High School
Before the Civil War, African Americans had limited educational opportunities. White children had access to tutors, private academies, and, in some areas, public schools. By contrast, black children, whether enslaved or free, rarely received…
Gregs: A Bar and Community Hub
Located at 231 E. 16th Street, Gregs is one of the most popular gay bars in Indianapolis and is a frequent stage for drag performances. Indianapolis has had roughly fifty gay bars in the last few decades, according to new information gathered by…
Division Street School
After the Civil War, African Americans strived to become full participants in society. Many saw education as crucial for advancement. In 1869, the Indiana General Assembly passed legislation encouraging local school districts to provide black…
Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church
Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church traces its roots to the first Methodist congregation founded in New Albany. In October 1816, several settlers began meeting for prayers in a cake shop owned by Harriet Reynolds on the east side of Pearl Street.…
New Albany National Cemetery
During the Civil War, New Albany became a strategic supply and training center for the Union Army. Federal officials turned the Floyd County Fairgrounds into Camp Noble and converted local schools into hospitals. As casualties mounted, a burial…
Second Presbyterian Church/Second Baptist Church
Before the Civil War, New Albany was the largest city in Indiana. It also had the largest population of black residents in the state. At least eight percent of Indiana blacks lived in Floyd County. Runaway slaves routinely fled the South by crossing…
Paul Reising Brewery
Brewing played a significant role in the commercial landscape of New Albany for most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The arrival of large numbers of German immigrants during the 1840s and 1850s created strong demand for beverages enjoyed…
New Albany and Salem Railroad
The New Albany and Salem Railroad played a crucial role in the commercial and industrial development of southern Indiana for more than a century. Organized in 1847, the railroad linked New Albany with Salem, Indiana, the seat of Washington County. …
The Economic Panic of 1873 and Labor Relations in New Albany
By the early 1870s, New Albany became a bustling river town with extensive commercial activity and a large number of industrial facilities. Nationwide economic trends disrupted New Albany’s economic prosperity. The Great Panic of 1873 swept across…
History as a Business
The business of history is a relatively recent addition to New Albany’s commercial landscape. Not until the era of the New Albany sesquicentennial in 1963 did citizens show significant interest in historic preservation. Early activists saved…
Furniture Corner
The Schmitt Furniture Company is one of New Albany’s oldest businesses. Founded in 1936 by Charles Schmitt, Sr., the company opened for business in a store at State and Market Streets. In 1944, it moved to its present location at “furniture…
St. Mark’s United Church of Christ
St. Mark’s United Church of Christ reflects New Albany’s European immigrant heritage and the destruction caused by the devastating flood of 1937. During the early nineteenth century, political upheaval in what is now Germany led to massive…
Presbyterians in New Albany
Presbyterians have been active in New Albany since its beginnings in 1813. The Scribner family, which founded the town, brought their Presbyterian faith with them from New England. Presbyterians in New Albany and the neighboring town of…
Wedding Bands and Bans: The Fight For and Against Same Sex Marriage in Indiana(polis)
Bands
You are standing in front of the City-County Building at 200 E. Washington Street. On June 25, 2014, it was witness to a historic moment in Indiana history. After news broke that a federal court judge ruled Indiana’s ban on same-sex…
Hoosiers Go to Battle: Indiana War Memorial Plaza Historic District
Imposing Policies Until 1993, every potential soldier from Indiana or anywhere else in the United States who wanted to serve his or her country would have to answer question No. 27 on the Department of Defense enlistment form, which sought to…
Carving Out a Community Space: Herron-Morton Neighborhood
HistoryBetween the mid-1970s and late 1980s, the Herron-Morton Neighborhood located between Talbott Street and 22nd Street, was a center of the LGBT+ community in Indianapolis. The Herron-Morton neighborhood takes its name from the John Herron…
Anita Bryant: The Catalyst
The Christian RightIn the late 1970s, conservative political voices began to push against what they saw as an unraveling of America’s moral fiber, arising from liberal political gains in the 1960s. Eventually, this conservative push grew into the…