Two new training opportunities for Indiana library staff and trustees

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Two new professional development training opportunities have been added to the Indiana State Library’s Find Training page.

LiFT – Library Foundational Training

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LiFT courses were created to address the training needs of predominantly non-degreed library staff who are new to their current position, or new to working in libraries. Through a 2024 IMLS grant – and a partnership with the Idaho Commission for Public Libraries – WebJunction’s foundational ABLE and SABLE courses have been reimagined into these new courses:

  • “Public Library Fundamentals.”
  • “Introduction to the Library Catalog.”
  • “The Reference Interview.”

The Collection Management Series:

  • “Introduction to Library Collections.”
  • “Introduction to Collection Policies.
  • “Selection and Acquisitions”.
  • “Organizing and Maintaining a Collection.”
  • “Collection Assessment.”
  • “Weeding the Collection.”

The courses are geared toward non-MLS staff and would be great refreshers for all library staff. They are all one hour and worth one LEU for Indiana library staff. These courses build core library skills and would be great for onboarding new staff or advancing skills for current library staff. Once a course is completed, a short quiz must be taken in order to receive the learning certificate. Attendees need to get 80% correct to pass, and then the certificate can be printed or saved. They also provide badges that you can add to LinkedIn profiles for achieved skills.

United for Libraries – Short Takes for Trustees

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The Indiana Library Federation, through a grant from the Herbert Simon Family Foundation, has provided free statewide access to the American Library Association’s United for Libraries Short Takes for Trustees training series. Indiana is a current statewide training partner, and free statewide access is available to Indiana trustees and library staff through 2027.

The training includes quick, professionally produced videos designed to help trustees better understand their role.

To access the videos, visit the United for Libraries state access page, select Indiana and then select either “Register” or “Access” (individuals will need to register for an ALA account if they do not already have one).

Some topics in the Short Takes series include:

  • What it means to be a trustee.
  • Board meetings and ethics.
  • Advocacy and communications.
  • Intellectual freedom.
  • Library policies.
  • Strategic planning.
  • Working with friends.
  • Evaluation of the library director and board.
  • Succession planning and new board orientations.

A certificate worth two LEUs is available after the completion of the series.

This post was written by North regional coordinator Paula Newcom of the Indiana State Library Professional Development Office.

PS Magazine

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At their core, federal government publications seek to provide information and don’t exactly exist for entertainment purposes. They are not known to have aesthetically pleasing covers or particularly exciting content. Publications are often austere in appearance and the information contained within is both useful and concise. Illustrations exist only if absolutely necessary and when they do, the images are rarely in color.

Pages from an Army technical manual with text and drawing.

The cover and inside of a typical Army Technical Manual from 1958 (ISLM p.d. 355 Un58tma TM-11 no. 6665).

One publication that famously resisted the trend of dull and dry content was the magazine known as PS: The Preventative Maintenance Monthly, more commonly known as PS Magazine, or just PS. A publication of the Department of the Army “for the information of all soldiers assigned to combat and combat support units, and all soldiers with organizational maintenance and supply duties,” the magazine was essentially a supplement to the usual Army technical manuals. However, unlike the manuals, PS delivered information in a comic book format, complete with recurring characters, story arcs and full color illustrations.

cover of PS Magazine, resembling a comic book.

The eye-catching cover of this issue was drawn by Murphy Anderson and closely resembles that of a superhero comic. (ISLM D 101.87:323).

PS began in 1951 during the Korean War and featured the artwork of former Army Corporal Will Eisner. Prior to his military work in World War II, Eisner had created The Spirit, a popular comic series. Eisner later would write many influential long-form comic books and is credited with coining the term “graphic novel.” The comic book industry’s most prestigious annual awards are named after him.

Eisner helmed PS for many years. In the 1970s-1980s, another well-known artist named Murphy Anderson provided artwork. Like Eisner, Anderson had served during World War II and went on to have a successful comics career, creating artwork for many different titles published by DC Comics.

Back covers of PS Magazine in comic book style.

The back covers of each issue featured a full-color preventative maintenance reminder. (Left to right: ISLM D 301.87:341, ISLM D 301.87:545).

The main message conveyed in each issue of PS was to remind soldiers they had a duty to properly maintain military equipment. Readers were gently chastised on correct procedures by an attractive female civilian character named Connie. In the 1970s, an African American woman named Bonnie was added.

Two-page spread in comic book style.

“Joe’s Dope Sheet” was a two-page spread in the center of each issue often featuring one of the comic’s recurring characters. In this example, Connie reminds soldiers to take care of vehicle batteries in cold weather. (ISLM D 101.87:347).

Comic book style page featuring woman giving gun cleaning tips.

Issues contained short vignettes with illustrated instructions. Here Bonnie demonstrates how to correctly clean an M60 machine gun. (ISLM D 101.87:342).

The military equipment itself became another character in each issue. Military machinery such as tanks and machine guns were often depicted with human physical characteristics like arms and legs and even demonstrated human emotions, to underscore the importance of following proper preventative maintenance.

Anthropomorphic military equipment in comic book style.

Anthropomorphizing military equipment was a common component of each issue. In these examples, a bulldozer is sad because its operator doesn’t shift properly and causes unnecessary wear and tear on the transmission while in the accompanying image, an air filter suffers from freezing cold weather. (Left to right: ISLM D 101.87:471, ISLM D 101.87:576).

PS Magazine went completely digital in 2019, and officially ended in 2024 after 73 years of continuous publication. The Indiana State Library has scattered issues from the 1980s through 1999. Digitized versions of back issues are available from several sources, including the University of North Texas Digital Library, the Virginia Commonwealth University Digital Collections and the Internet Archive (1999-2013 only).

This blog post was written by Jocelyn Lewis, Catalog Division supervisor, Indiana State Library. For more information, contact the Indiana State Library at 317-232-3678 or “Ask-A-Librarian.”

Indiana State Library welcomes newest hosted digital collection

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The Indiana State Library hosts many digital collections beyond its own collections. The items come from libraries, museums and historical societies across Indiana and can be searched in Indiana Memory.

One of the newest collections is “Cornerstone of Columbus, Indiana — 301 Washington Street.”

Black and white photo of bank with the words Irwin's Bank.

A late-19th century brick building adorned with the words Irwin’s Bank, located at 301 Washington St. in Columbus, tells the story of the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller family in Bartholomew County. For the last 200 years, the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller family has contributed to shaping Columbus with much involvement in the city’s business, religion, politics, art and philanthropy.

Beginning as a digital exhibit in 2017, the new collection was created by the Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives (CIAA). In 2018, the CIAA became part of the Bartholomew County Public Library.

Picture of material swatch.

Samples for the office within the Irwin Management Company offices at 301 Washington St.

The digital exhibit and the digital collection have more than 300 items, which are held by the CIAA, the Bartholomew County Public Library and the Bartholomew County Historical Society. Included in the collections are photographs featuring the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller family and the interior and exterior of the building; postcards of Columbus; material sample cards; pamphlets; documents relating to the building’s history; ephemera; and artifacts. They all tell the story of an important Columbus family and building.

This post was written by Christopher Marshall, digital collections coordinator for the Indiana Division at the Indiana State Library.

The Grand Army of the Republic

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After the end of Civil War, many veterans formed various state and local fraternal organizations in order to keep in touch with each other. The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) emerged as most influential, being founded on April 6, 1866, in Decatur, Illinois. It was founded on the principles of “fraternity, charity and loyalty.” At its peak in 1890, the GAR. had about 410,000 members. In Indiana, the last survivor of the GAR was John Christian Adams, who died in 1949 in Jonesboro, at the age of 101. The national group lasted until 1956 when it was dissolved after the last veteran died.

Morton Post No. 1, in Terre Haute, created its charter in 1879, with many others following shortly thereafter: Gen. Joe Canby Post 2, Brazil; Logan Post No. 3, Lafayette; John C. Fremont Post No. 4, Covington; Pap Thomas Post 5, Greensburg; James H, Emmett Post No. 6, Wabash; McPherson Post No. 7, Crawfordsville; Auten Post No. 8, South Bend; Gen. Steele Post No. 9, Rockville; Captain Floyd Post 10, Annapolis; Greencastle Post No. 11; and Sugar Greek Post No. 12; Macksville. After these 12 posts, many followed and spread across Indiana until all counties were represented. Eventually, there were a total of 592 posts at their peak.

Cover of Grand Army of the Republic pamphlet.For many years, the GAR held annual encampments. These gatherings occurred at various locations across the state. They would have sham battles, receptions, parades and a variety of entertainment.

Cover of 20th Annual Encampment pamphlet.The Woman’s Relief Corps (WRC) was originally founded as the official women’s auxiliary to the GAR in 1883. The WRC was designed to assist and provide post-war relief to the veterans.

Cover of Women's Relief Corps pamphlet.We have materials about the GAR and the WRC throughout our collections. Over the past year, we have gathered many more materials about both from our Indiana Division collection. The materials that we have added can be found in the State Library’s Indiana Trade, Association and Club Publications digital collection.

This post was written by Christopher Marshall, digital collections coordinator for the Indiana Division at the Indiana State Library.

Further Reading
“History of the Grand Army of the Republic in Indiana”
“Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) 1866-1956”
Woman’s Relief Corps
“Regimental reunions of Civil War veterans”

2025 Indiana State Library end-of-year reflection

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As we close out the Indiana State Library’s Bicentennial year, a huge thank you goes to all our hard working staff, not only for their persistent diligence and dedication throughout the year, without which our programs and services would not be as successful, but also for their extra effort on our Bicentennial projects and events.

We went about our regular business of Vision Expo, Discovery to Delivery, the Different is You conference, DNA workshops, Genealogy for Night Owls, Evergreen Indiana library migrations and updates (and everything that goes along with those), summer lecture and lunch and learn series, web archiving born digital state publications, digitizing and uploading collections to the Indiana State Library Digital Collections, assisting other libraries with creating their own collections hosted by the Indiana State Library, etc. In addition to that, we celebrated the Indiana State Library’s Bicentennial with multiple programs and even a publication!

As part of our Bicentennial festivities, the library published “Laying the Foundation,” a book showcasing 100 items from the library’s vast and remarkable collection. The items featured cover a wide array of topics and span centuries.

Picture of Laying the Foundation book. In addition to the publication that the library’s staff worked on, the Indiana State Library also hosted a Bicentennial reception on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 200 years to the day that the General Assembly established the Indiana State Library. The reception was a celebratory reflection on the collections, history and services of the Indiana State Library. A festive occasion was held with refreshments, music by a string duet from the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, tours of the library, exhibit displays and a talk by Lisa Hendrickson, the granddaughter of Edward Pierre of Pierre and Wright, the architects of the Indiana State Library and Historical Building.

Picture of Bicentennial celebration attendees in Great Hall of Indiana State Library. Several other Bicentennial programs were held, including escape rooms and trivia games during the lunch hour; a “Ghostly Gathering” that, along with fun stuff for the kids, also provided a chilling peek at spooky and creepy items from our collections; and a Bicentennial Lunch and Learn followed by a marker dedication. Capping off a year of programming related to the Bicentennial, the library held a marker dedication, dedicating a new state historical marker commemorating the Indiana State Library.

Picture of historical marker outside of Indiana State Library. While these are only a sprinkling and highlights from a year full of programs and services well-done, the staff at the Indiana State Library pulled together to ensure the year of the library’s Bicentennial was both commemorated and would be remembered as we celebrated 200 years in 2025. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication!

This blog post was written by Stephanie Asberry, deputy director of public and statewide services at the Indiana State Library.

2025 Indiana Library Federation Annual Conference recap

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The Indiana Library Federation (ILF) Annual Conference was held Nov. 9-11, 2025 at Union Station in Indianapolis. ILF is the statewide nonprofit organization serving all library types: academic, public, school, special and library supporters/trustees. ILF provides educational opportunities for library staff and trustees year-round with the annual conference being their premier event.

Two exhibitor booths at a conference.The theme of the 2025 conference was “On Track for the Future of Libraries.” This theme correlated with both the conference location (a former train station with active tracks occasionally rumbling throughout the day) and the 2025 legislative session, which resulted in changes to property taxes in Indiana (taxes which comprise approximately 90% of public library budgets) and a reduction of the Indiana State Library’s agency budget.

Decorative. While there were captivating keynotes and many general educational sessions, including readers advisory and staff safety, there were a number of sessions geared toward library directors and trustees to help them understand the potential effects of SEA 1 and other legislative updates on their future library budgets.

A Q&A with legislators was held which included Senator Greg Goode (Terre Haute) and Representative Danny Lopez (Carmel). Both shared their personal interest in library matters and provided recommendations for library staff in fostering relationships with their representatives and local government, a strategy that will be more necessary as public libraries fight to keep their piece of the local property tax pie.

Additional sessions were held including budgeting in uncertain times and legislative changes to municipal bonds.

Indiana State Library staff also presented sessions at the conference. Public library consultant Hayley Trefun presented “Teamwork makes the Dreamwork,” which covered the topic of library mergers, along with Liz Schoettle (Indianapolis Public Library) and Fonda Owens (La Porte County Public Library). Suzanne Walker, in the interim of her transition to the Library of Congress, presented tips and tricks for borrowing and using the ISL’S Escape Experiences in a box. Additionally, Meg Adams Pool and former ISL regional consultant Lacey Klemm provided an early morning session on “Facilitating Positive Conversations,” which was well attended for it’s 8 a.m. start time.

Despite the impending budget changes that will affect the future of libraries, the conference was an excellent opportunity to convene library champions statewide and to learn from each other.

This blog post was written by Jen Clifton, Library Development Office.

Interning and volunteering in the Rare Books and Manuscript Department at the Indiana State Library

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Hello! My name is Shannon! I’m a volunteer at the Rare Books and Manuscript Department at the Indiana State Library. I got my start here as an intern as part of my final semester for my Archives Management Certification program through IU Indianapolis. I interned from January to May 2025 and came back to volunteer starting in June 2025. My background is in public libraries; I earned my Master’s in Library Science from IUPUI in 2016 and currently work as a teen-focused public librarian at The Indianapolis Public Library’s Central Library. I decided to make a career change and was drawn toward archival work.

By choosing to do an internship, I gained a general working knowledge of what it was like in an archives setting compared to the public library. One of the biggest differences between the two was how materials were processed. Therefore, my internship focused mainly on archival processing, specifically writing finding aids, the majority of which were single-item collections. Other work included digitizing photographs and creating metadata in CONTENTdm, as well as arranging and describing one large, complex collection.

With the bulk of my work writing single-item finding aids, I was able to understand how to evaluate and summarize research succinctly, gaining an understanding on how to budget my time per collection. My tasks included mainly drafting the scope and content notes, the historical/biographical notes, and the subject headings for each finding aid. I worked exclusively in Archives Space (my coursework had us working in Access to Memory or AtoM) which gave me the opportunity to familiarize myself with the application’s ins and outs.

Black card with gold text. Paper reading "Ballad of Gene Debs."

I also got to learn about digitization, with a focus on scanning photographs of Indianapolis streets taken during the earlier decades of the 20th century. Once digitized, I wrote metadata and descriptions for each photo in CONTENTdm. These photos could then be found online as part of the Rare Books and Manuscript Department’s general photograph collection. Another digitization project included digitizing photos from the Berne Witness Newspaper as part of a donor request. One of the key takeaways I learned from this work was how much labor and time go into digitization. As a result, I learned the importance of tempering patron expectations when it came to digitization, making sure to address what is and isn’t feasible with the staff you have on hand.

Scanner with photo in it. Photo of girls riding bike on bridge.

Lastly, I got to tackle one large collection: the Edythe Fitzhugh papers. Edythe Fitzhugh had been a huge supporter of the local Indianapolis jazz scene. She played multiple instruments, edited the Indy Jazz Scene newsletter, served as the Secretary of the Board for the Jazz Action Coalition and was a regular patron to many jazz clubs on Indiana Avenue. The collection was about five cubic feet and included a complex array of items including personal documents, family photographs, jazz periodicals, sheet music, songbooks, artwork and miscellaneous jazz ephemera. My work included sorting, foldering and arranging the collections, making notes of any items deaccessioned. Once arranged, I created the finding aid in Archives Space. I learned a lot about balancing the intellectual arrangement of the collection with the limited space and supplies available to me. While my work on the collection wasn’t finished by the end of my internship, when I came back to volunteer, I had the opportunity to complete the finding aid and get the collection boxes properly labeled to ensure accessibility to patrons.

Photo of books. Photo of books.

Now, as a volunteer, my archival processing work continues, but I have also had the opportunity to tackle other areas. For example, I have had the chance to handle more patron reference questions. This has included pulling materials for patron requests, scanning documents, and running the reference desk when patrons book an appointment to view a collection. I am also helping to take inventory of the oral history collection in preparation for a large digitization project. I’m excited to see what new projects I get to tackle in the New Year! I also want to thank everyone I have met and worked with in the Rare Books and Manuscript Department, the Indiana Historical Bureau and the State Library for making me feel so welcomed!

This post was submitted by Shannon O’Donnell, intern at the Indiana State Library. 

Weather data resources in Indiana

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After this season’s early snowfall – followed by a long 10-day stretch of temperatures below 30 degrees – I thought it would be a good time to remind people of the weather data resources that we have right here in Indiana.

Let’s start with the Indiana State Climate Office at Purdue University. It has been in operation since the 1950s and is currently led by Dr. Beth Hall, the state climatologist. We frequently refer patrons to the office when they are searching for historical weather data for a certain geographic area in the state. Visit the website, and it immediately points you to several different places to start your search for current weather conditions and trends throughout Indiana. View current seven, 30 and 90-day Climate Maps for the state. You can find the monthly e-newsletter of Indiana’s CoCoRaHS, the Hoosier Observer, here as well. CoCoRaHS stands for Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, & Snow network, an organization made up of community volunteers who observe and report precipitation across the U.S., U.S. territories and Canada. View a slideshow about its history here. The office also allows you to submit a data request via the website if you are looking for specific weather data.

Picture of tire tracks on a snowy ground.

An affiliate of the State Climate Office is the Midwestern Regional Climate Center (MRCC), also at Purdue University. MRCC maintains data for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. Its online data portal is called CliMATE. The interface has been updated and it is full of data tools for the region. Compare today’s data with the weather for the last 10 years – the precipitation, snowfall, snow depth and high/low temperatures for each day, or choose a date in history and compare the data for each year. Compare the snowfall on this date for your county for the last 20 years! Brown County had 7.2 inches of snow on Dec. 9, 2005.

The MRCC provides an Ag Climate Dashboard, in cooperation with the United Soybean Board, for agricultural research into current precipitation, temperature, soil, environmental and crop conditions. It also points to tools that predict the probability of a freeze or extreme heat. View the MRCC Snowfall Climatology Toolbox, an interactive map that allows you to see snowfall data back to 1880. Additional GIS-based tools from the Midwest Climate Watch include the Tornado Tracks tool (1950-2024), showing touchdown points and tracks by magnitude across the Midwest and the Climate Perspectives Tool which displays max/min/mean temperatures and precipitation in real time.

The Indiana State Data Center resource Statistics by Topic will lead you to federal and state sources for authoritative weather data such as NOAA’s National Weather Service (Weather.gov) and Climate.gov. Ball State University’s Bracken Library also has an excellent LibGuide on Meteorology & Climatology that points to resources from NASA and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Indiana travel advisory map.

Travel advisory map.

Don’t forget to check your local news by phone, TV or radio before you leave home or the office. In Indiana, the weather can change at the drop of a hat, so to stay safe on the roads, you can check the DHS Travel Advisory Map for your county. INDOT TrafficWise 511.org also has the latest live road images of your area of the state. NWS provides links to road conditions for the surrounding states.

Stay prepared for Indiana weather in the new year!

This blog post was written by Katie Springer, reference librarian and director of the Indiana State Data Center. For more information, contact the Reference and Government Services Division at 317-232-3678, or submit an Ask-A-Librarian request.

Resources for teaching media and news literacy

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Educating young people on how media works, and giving them the tools to critically evaluate information, is critical. Luckily, libraries can help! Whether you’re integrating games and tools into existing interactions and programs or want to create an event centered on the topic, there are a number of resources library staff can turn to for help.

Wonder Media
Wonder Media is a free resource created for and in consultation with librarians. Originally created as an interactive exhibition at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum in Michigan by Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo Valley Community College, it has been further developed into a website thanks to an IMLS grant by Western Michigan University and the Library of Michigan.

Decorative. The website features a suite of interactive games and activities to help children better understand both media literacy and news literacy. Students can view technology through the year in “Media History in Your Hand,” learn about algorithms in “Algo the Robot,” test their ability to spot fake media posts in “Escape the Fake” and more. Each activity has a set of resources that accompany it.

News Literacy Project
News Literacy Project was started by a Pulitzer Award winning journalist, Alan C. Miller, with a vision that all students would become skilled in news literacy before graduation. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan, and its free resource, Checkology, provides education and entertaining content that will teach youth how to identify credible information, spot misinformation and seek out reliable sources.

Decorative. Media Literacy & Youth Services Moodle Course
If you’re seeking information on how to integrate media literacy into your work with youth, the Indiana State Library offers a self-paced Moodle course titled “Media Literacy & Youth Services.” This course is adapted from a webinar workshop I did with partners at the Maryland State Library Agency and Lisa Guernsey from New America, and it focuses on media mentorship.

To access the course, go to the Indiana State Library’s Moodle website. From there, go to “Login” in the top right corner and follow the steps to create a free account if you are a first-time user. You should see the course title in the list of offerings. The course walks you through the “Three C’s” to consider (content, context and child) when advising youth and families, and the “Three M’s,” or three ways to be a media mentor (media mechanics, media management and media literacy).

Two people sharing a computer. Text reads "Media Literacy and Youth Services."Whether media instruction is explicit or incorporated into other programming or reference questions, these tools should help you begin to address media literacy in your community. How will you reach the children and families in your area?

Submitted by Beth Yates, Indiana State Library children’s consultant.

Marion County birth return: Stegemeier

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The Genealogy Division of the Indiana State Library has digitized early Marion County, Indiana birth returns. Doctors and midwives filled out the returns and sent them to the Marion County Health Department, which would issue a birth certificate. The dates for these returns range from 1882 to 1907. Recording births wasn’t mandatory at the time, so not every birth is included. This makes the returns that are in this collection even more valuable for research.

These cards enrich our understanding of early Indianapolis families. In many cases, the location of both the child’s and parent’s birth, their names, address, age and father’s occupation are listed. Some cards even ask for aspects of the birth itself, such as whether it was easy or difficult, and a reason. These birth returns give us a glimpse into the lives of early Indianapolis residents and even tell the story of the city itself.

Picture of birth return with the name Stegemeier.As the holiday season – a time filled with food and festivities – is upon us, it’s the perfect opportunity to feature the birth return for the child of a well-known Indianapolis restaurateur. Restaurant owner, Richard Stegemeier married Minnie Schmidt on Nov. 22, 1900. They had their first child, Richard Jr., on Sep. 10, 1901. Later sons, Karl, whose birth return is pictured here, and Henry, as well as daughters, Alma and Marie, were born into the family. According to the birth return pictured above, Karl was born at the Protestant Deaconess Hospital, which once stood on the spot that is now the parking garage on Ohio Street and Senate Avenue across the street from the Indiana State Library.

Screenshot of Indianapolis Baist Atlas Plan.

Indianapolis Baist Atlas Plan # 5, 1908.

Photo of Stegemeier's from newspaper.

Indianapolis Times, March 19, 1931.

Richard Stegemeier was the proprietor of Stegemeier’s Cafeteria, a beloved institution in Indianapolis. Housed at one time in the basement of the Occidental Building – and other locations, including 17 N. Illinois St. and later 114 N. Pennsylvania St. – Stegemeier’s was known for its hearty German fare, beer and as the meeting place of local movers and shakers. The Illinois St. location was in the basement of the Apollo Theater Building, attracting theater-goers to the restaurant before and after the shows.

Newspaper ad for Stegemeier's.

Indianapolis Times, June 29, 1922.

The Stegemeier family likely rubbed elbows with various big shots and stars during its years in operation. Famous Indianapolis residents such as Booth Tarkington, James Whitcomb Riley, Dr. Meredith Nicholson, members of the Vonnegut family and more were known to frequent the restaurant. Author, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., even wrote about a visit to Stegemeier’s in the prologue of his work, “Jailbird.”

Scan of newspaper article.

Indianapolis Times, Feb. 18, 1951.

Richard Stegemeier immigrated to Indianapolis from Hannover, Germany in 1891 and opened his first restaurant in 1892 with his brother, Henry. Many of those that visited the restaurant remembered it for its substantial meals such as sauerbraten, wiener schnitzel, potato pancakes and bean soup.

On Nov. 25, 1924, an advertisement for the Thanksgiving menu included, “Roast Spring Turkey with Giblet Gravy, Oyster Dressing, Candied Sweet Potatoes and Cranberry Sauce.” Now, over a hundred years later, these items continue to be popular dishes for Thanksgiving dinners around the country.

Scan of ad for Stegemeier's Cafeteria.

Indianapolis News, Nov. 25, 1924.

While most of the food served at Stegemeier’s is still enjoyed today, like chicken and dumplings, beef prime rib, mashed potatoes and apple pie, they also advertised dishes that would make some modern diners’ stomachs churn. Oxtail julienne, boiled ox tongue and calf brains with eggs were all popular enough to be advertised in the April 13, 1911 issue of the Indianapolis Star.

Newspaper ad for Stegemeier's.

Indianapolis Star, Sep. 3, 1921.

Newspaper ad for Stegemeier's Grille.

Indianapolis Times, Feb. 20, 1937.

In 1951, Richard Stegemeier retired and sold the business. Over the next few years, the restaurant changed hands three times. It’s likely none of the new owners had the heart for the business that Stegemeier had for his namesake. In 1953, it was reported that the current owner had plans to eventually drop the Stegemeier name. The restaurant was also undergoing major renovations, which involved the removal of the large, ornate bar which was a trademark of Stegemeier’s. A few years later, after the dust had settled from the renovation, Stegemeier’s restaurant closed for good.

Newspaper picture showing woman outside of Stegemeier's Cafeteria.

Indianapolis News, July 29, 1955.

After his restaurant days were over, the Sep. 21, 1956 Indianapolis Star caught readers up on Stegemeier’s life in retirement.

“RICHARD STEGEMEIER, retired restaurateur, sat at the counter at Merrill’s, downtown, obviously as much interested in the way food is electronically ordered by the waitresses and conveyed from kitchen to counter as in his noonday snack … Mr. Stegemeier is seen daily about the streets, his mounting years resting lightly on his stalwart shoulders, wearing a cane which he does not need and greeting old friends with booming, resonant voice. It wouldn’t be quite so dreary here in winter if this grand, old man didn’t take off – and by bus too – for Florida to add to the already abundant sunshine down there.”

Richard Stegemeier died in 1961, leaving his mark on Indianapolis through memories of good times, great food and the consequential decisions made at his restaurant by the round table of writers, politicians and leaders who dined there.

This blog post is by Dagny Villegas, Genealogy Division librarian, wishing you the happiest of holidays!

Sources:
“Indiana, Marriages, 1780-1992”, , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XF8H-V5V : 13 January 2020), Richard Stegemeier, 1900.

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

“United States, Census, 1910”, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKPB-HPC?lang=enFri Jul 05 19:47:10 UTC 2024), Entry for Detrick Stegemier and Minnie Stegemier, 1910.

“Stegemeier’s: More than an eating place — an institution.” Indianapolis Star, 09/03/1921, p. 23

“Richard Stegemeier, Restaurateur Dies.” Indianapolis Star, 11/27/1961, p. 25

Henn, Carl. “Stegemeier’s – Hoosier Tradition with ‘Old Country’ Touch.” Indianapolis Times, 02/18/1951, p.37

Dreyer, Gerald. “Stegemeier Bar Removal Means ‘Passing of an Era’.” Indianapolis News, 05/06/1953. P. 39

George, Larry. “Landmark Gives Up.” Indianapolis News 07/29/1955, p. 10