By Hamilton East Public Library
The northwest section of the Noblesville City Hall is the former Carnegie Library building built in 1912. It was used as the city library until 1986. Carnegie libraries were funded by industrialist Andrew Carnegie across the United States between…

By Hamilton East Public Library
Granville Bishop (1831-1902) could be considered the patriarch of the Hamilton County illustrator group. Bishop was born in Fayette County, Indiana. His family moved to Hamilton County in 1836. Bishop was a self-taught artist who taught penmanship,…

By Hamilton East Public Library
The Hamilton East Public Library has acquired an interesting collection of artwork over the last eighty years. Beginning with its first Brehm works donated in the 1930s, the Hamilton East Public Library now has a number of works by the Brehm…

By Volunteers of the Jackson County History Center
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was created in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of his New Deal to spark economic growth during the Great Depression. Headed by Harry Hopkins, a dedicated social worker, the WPA built or…

By Volunteers of the Jackson County History Center
The Clark and Walters circus wagon was built during the 1930s. It was owned by the Timberlake family, who had performed in circuses for three generations. During the winter months the family lived in Jackson County, and the rest of the year they…

By Volunteers of Jackson County History Center
The Nentrup trading post served as an economic center for Jackson County in the early 19th century. It has  been tentatively dated to around 1827 and was in use until 1857.  Its owner, who we believe was either named Joseph Henry or Joseph Herman…

By Volunteers of the Jackson County History Center
Initially built as a horse stable, the Livery Barn at the Jackson County History Center, has been used for a variety of purposes for more than a hundred years. In this stop, you'll learn a bit about the uses of the Barn throughout its history.The…

By Monroe County History Center
Howard Hoagland Carmichael died in Rancho Mirage, California, on December 27, 1981. Although he had lived first in New York City and then in California since 1929, he chose to be buried next to his mother, father, and little sister Joanne in…

By Monroe County History Center
Hoagy learned of Black life through socializing with Black communities in Indianapolis and Bloomington. He told a story in his autobiography The Stardust Road about spending many of those spring afternoons with friends out at Granny Campbell’s…

By Monroe County History Center
Hoagy attended Indiana University from 1920-1926. His mother and grandmother encouraged him to study law as a more practical and reliable career than music. Hoagy obliged, but as a student at IU he put most of his time and energy into playing at…

By Monroe County History Center
The Book Nook played a major role in Hoagy’s social life and musical career.  A  soda and sandwich shop popular among Indiana University students, the Book Nook was frequented by campus musicians who kept strict control over who was allowed to play…

By Monroe County History Center
Robert Harris’s Princess Theatre opened on June 23, 1913, with the photoplay Mlle. Coquette accompanied by a six piece orchestra. The program also featured chimes playing Ethelbert Nevin’s “The Rosary.” As the first built-from-the-ground-up-movie…

By Monroe County History Center
The house on Dunn Street is one of several homes where the Carmichael family lived during Hoagy’s childhood. Born in Bloomington on November 22, 1899, Howard Hoagland was the first child and only son of Howard Clyde (“Cyclone”) and Mary Lida Robison…

By Jacqueline Lopez
Independent Invention Mishawaka-born Wallace Harlow Dodge earned his reputation as an inventor when he patented the Magic Jack in 1878, which became the leading jack for performing wagon maintenance. With the help of his younger brother, William,…

By Michael Moriconi
Sitting just south of downtown South Bend, the Bowman Creek area has been a business magnet since the 1860s. The creek supplying water and proximity to the river and rail lines made it an attractive location for local entrepreneurs including a power…

By Jacqueline Lopez
Wilson Branches Out to South BendThe Wilson Brothers menswear business was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio by the four Wilson brothers, John, E. Crane, Hugh, and Milton, in 1864. They moved their headquarters to Chicago four years later, where they…

By Jacqueline Lopez
Origin of the Mills Although South Bend citizens remembers the Stephenson Underwear Mills as men’s and women’s underwear makers, the company started as a wool mill. In 1855, Alexander C. “A.C.” Staley and Jeremiah Sowry started milling wool --…

By Jacqueline Lopez
Singer: a Better Machine 1850-1868Isaac Merritt Singer refined existing sewing machines in 1850 by adding a presser-foot system. The system surrounds the needle with a foot-like part that forces the fabric to lay flat when being fed into the machine…

By Jacqueline Lopez
J.D. Oliver’s inspiration for CopshaholmJoseph Doty “J.D.” Oliver managed the finances for Oliver Chilled Plow Works, the business his father founded in 1857. J.D. Oliver’s mind for business was key to the company’s lasting success. He landmarked…

By Jacqueline Lopez
Oliver Chilled Plow Works - 1835-1855 South Bend’s Oliver Chilled Plow Works manufactured some of the world’s most popular plows, calling themselves “Plowmakers to the World.” Immigrant and inventor James Oliver’s patented method of chilling the…

By Jacqueline Lopez
Clement Studebaker, co-founder and first President of the Studebaker company, chose to build a home that reflected his financial success. Chicago architect Henry Ives Cobb was chosen to design the Romanesque style mansion in 1885. Lavish New Home,…

By Jacqueline Lopez
By the 20th century, Studebaker began producing cars, competing against the top manufacturers in the country. In order to keep up, Studebaker hired employees to run huge factories, like the one where “Assembly 84” is located. The massive assembly…