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An important chapter in Johnson County military history ended in 1938, when the last member of the 7th Indiana Infantry Company F passed away. Adolphus H. Smith was 96 years old when he peacefully died on June 10 in his home in Edinburgh. Prior to…

Lickspring Cemetery

Johnson County in what would become the state of Indiana was not an active battle site during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). No troops were mustered from among the early inhabitants of the area. When the American Revolution was fought…

Greenlawn Cemetery

Historic Greenlawn Cemetery in Franklin, Indiana was established in 1845. Today it has grown from its original three acres to approximately thirty acres and is on the National Registry of Historic Places. This serene park-like setting is the final…

Civil War Grave of Samuel Watson Van Nuys

One grave of particular interest here in Greenlawn Cemetery is that of Civil War Captain Van Nuys who is buried in the Pine Section of the cemetery. Imagine that it is 1861 and that you are a young white man just turned 21 in Indiana. You are…

Proctor Park

Courage in the face of danger is a trait shared by those who choose duties in the military or emergency services. They serve at home and abroad, protecting our freedoms and our lives from all kinds of destructive forces. These are the persons who go…

Franklin Courthouse Monuments

The courthouse square in Franklin, Indiana has been central to both commemoration and protest. For some residents, these monuments honor the many brave men and women whose lives have been cut short by the ravages of war. They testify to their…

Kokomo-Howard County Public Library South

Inside the south branch of the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library, you’ll find a drawing in marker of Clifford the Big Red Dog that author and illustrator Norman Bridwell signed. The drawing at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library South is…

Bridwell Childhood Home

Children’s book author and illustrator Norman Bridwell was born Feb. 15, 1928, to Vern Ray, a factory worker in this predominantly automotive town, and Leona Koontz Bridwell, a homemaker. He attended McKinley Elementary School (now McKinley…

Welcome to Kokomo

When you arrive in Kokomo, you’re greeted by the friendly, familiar face of Clifford the Big Red Dog on a sign on U.S. 931 right next to the Welcome to Kokomo sign. It’s one of many ways Kokomo has honored one of its favorite sons, Norman…

Indiana University Kokomo

Indiana University Kokomo is one of Indiana University’s regional campuses and is home to 32 Harris “Misch” Kohn’s works from 1932 to 2002, including “Bull Fight” (1949) and “Medea” (1950), both wood engravings on paper. After graduating from the…

Kokomo-Howard County Public Library

The Kokomo-Howard County Public Library has five pieces of Harris “Misch” Kohn’s work, including “Tiger,” a wood engraving (1949); “The Cello Player,” a lithograph (1940); “Dark Bird,” an etching (1970); “A Friend of the Family,” a lithograph…

Kokomo High School

Now known as Central Middle School , Kokomo High School was once attended by Harris “Misch” Kohn, who graduated in 1934. Kohn credited Kokomo as important to his development as an artist. His elementary and high school art teacher Bernice McKinley…

Temple B'Nai Israel

Temple B’Nai Israel, a small Reform Jewish Temple in Kokomo, owns and displays some of Harris “Misch” Kohn’s earliest work. Born Harris Kohn on March 26, 1916, he was a painter and printmaker. He believed that prints could be as beautiful and…

Church of God Headquarters

This is the headquarters of the Protestant denomination Church of God (Anderson, Indiana). It also houses the religious books publisher Warner Press. The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) is an evangelical Protestant fellowship founded in Anderson,…

Camp Chesterfield

Founded in Chesterfield, Indiana in 1891, Camp Chesterfield has served as the headquarters of the Indiana Association of Spiritualists. It is a gathering place for worship, recreation, and relaxation. It consists of 44 acres along the White River…

Carnegie Public Library

Built in 1905 and financed by a $50,000 donation by the steel manufacturer and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, a Beaux-Arts Neoclassical edifice served as the public library for the city of Anderson until 1987. In 1998, it was reopened as the…

Union Traction Company Shops

In 1891, Charles Henry, a prominent attorney and politician from Anderson, acquired the “mule car” streetcar system in Anderson. In the six years following, he developed eleven miles of track inside the city on which twenty-one electric streetcars…

The "Big Four" Passenger Depot

In 1851, the first railroad came to Anderson with depots at John Street and Madison Avenue and then at Jackson Street. It brought goods, people, and substantial growth to the community. Part of the Indianapolis and Bellfontaine Railroad, it was…

West 8th Street Historic District

Originally known as Anderson Street, this neighborhood and its historic homes were built on the coattails of the Anderson gas boom and the prosperity it brought. The neighborhood includes Elmo A. Funk Park, named after the founder of the Coca-Cola…

Lambert House

John W. Lambert invented the first gasoline-powered automobile in 1891. His home on Hendricks Street, as well as the myriad of homes on historic West 8th Street, stand as the fruits of the labors of the owners of the numerous businesses (e.g.,…

Better Tidings

The lives of local orphans were never all tragic. Happy memories and great achievements marked some of their lives, often because of the intervention of their extended families or the kindness of people in the community. From the beginnings of…

A Murdered Mother

In May of 1927, at the height of the Prohibition Era, twenty-six year-old Mary Catherine Kamer wed thirty-eight year-old Joseph O’Neill in Jeffersonville. O’Neill had immigrated to Jeffersonville from Ireland where he became the business partner of…

Unwelcome Children

Rather than run a local orphanage, Catholic churches in much of Southern Indiana sent children to large orphanages elsewhere. In America, Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish organizations vied to prevent people from leaving their flocks and to recruit…

Frankie "Polk" Moore

Unfortunately, some Clark County orphans ended up serving time in the the Indiana State Reformatory South, among them Belle Moore’s brother William Frank “Polk” Moore. Belle was a fiery, original individual who captured the interest of reporters…

Belle Moore

Belle Moore is an example of the incomplete, often contradictory evidence available about orphan’s lives. Born in 1867, Belle may have been surrendered sometime around 1875 by her biological mother, Sallie Crum Moore, a Jeffersonville native, due to…

Setbacks and Tragedies Among the Orphans of Jeffersonville

While most people think of orphans as children with no parents, most orphaned children had one or more living parents. The events that left children with in the custody of the orphanage included diseases and accidents that killed or disabled older…

Founding the Orphanage and Moving to Meigs Avenue