Category Archives: Indiana Division

Exploring the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen

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Dive into the inspiring history of the Tuskegee Airmen, America’s pioneering Black aviators who broke barriers during World War II. In our reference guide, you’ll find a curated selection of books and electronic resources from the Indiana State Library’s collection.

If you want to learn more about the history of the Tuskegee Airmen, be sure to check out the free panel discussion being held at the Indiana State Museum as part of their Juneteenth Saturday Celebration on Saturday, June 20.

“History of the Tuskegee Airmen” will take place at the Indiana State Museum from 1-2 p.m., and will feature modern-day pilots from the Indianapolis Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, joined by Kisha Tandy, curator of social history. Join in as these contemporary aviators discuss the enduring legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen and how their bravery continues to inspire new generations.

We invite you to explore this important history through our curated reference guide and then continue your learning by attending the “History of the Tuskegee Airmen” panel at the Indiana State Museum’s Juneteenth Celebration. Together, these resources and community conversations help bring the powerful legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen to life.

Indiana State Library Tuskegee Airmen Reference Guide

“The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s over Germany”
Ambrose, Stephen
ISLM D790 .A786 2001
General book collection

“The Tuskegee Airmen: The story of the Negro in the U.S. Air Force”
Francis, Charles E.
ISLM D810.N4 F76
General book collection

“Tuskegee Airmen Chronology”
Haulman, Daniel L.
ISLM D 301.82/7:T 87
Electronic resource

“Black Knights: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen”
Homan, Lynn M.
ISLM UG834.A37 H64 2001
Browsing collection

“United States Army Aeromedical Support to African American Fliers, 1941-1949: The Tuskegee Flight Surgeons”
Jones, David Randolph
ISLM D 301.2:AE 8/11
Electronic resource

“Invisible Generals: Rediscovering Family Legacy, and a Quest to Honor America’s First Black Generals”
Melville, Doug
ISLM U53.D38 M45 2024d
Large type collection

“Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, Alabama”
National Park Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior
ISLM I 29.6/6:T 87
General federal documents collection

“Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen”
United States
ISLM AE 2.110:109-213
General federal documents collection
Electronic resource: Text version
Electronic resource: PDF version

“An Act to Designate the Facility of the United States Postal Service Located at 99 Macombs Place in New York, New Yor, as the ‘Tuskegee Airmen Post Office Building’.”
U.S. Government Publishing Office
ISLM AE 2.110:115-211
Electronic resource: PDF version
Electronic resource: Text version

“The Freemen Field Mutiny”
Warren, James C. Lt. Col
ISLI 940.54 W289F
Indiana collection

You can read more on the Freeman Field Uprising on the Indiana Historical Bureau blog.

“Tuskegee: A Retrospect and Prospect”
Washington, Booker T.
Electronic resource

“Indiana Aviation Escape Experience Kit,” Bilingual: English/Spanish
Included in this kit is (almost) everything you need to host escape experiences at your library based on Indiana history and featuring primary source documents.

*Escape Experience Kits are available to Indiana librarians and teachers.

Picture of aviation-themed escape room kit.

This blog post was submitted by Michelle Frost, collections and outreach manager at the Indiana State Library.

‘The Lost Photographs of Osbert Sumner’ now at the Indiana State Library

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Steven J. Schmidt and Danita L. Davis have generously donated two copies of their latest book, “The Lost Photographs of Osbert Sumner 1898-1903, Irvington Historical Society Edition,” to the Indiana State Library’s Indiana collection. The book chronicles an extraordinary discovery made in an Irvington home: a box filled with old glass negatives. Many of the negatives were damaged, but a handful remained intact, just enough to begin unraveling the mystery of who took the photographs, and what stories they captured.

Book cover in black and white showing man sitting down. In addition to presenting the recovered photographs, the book explores the life of Osbert Sumner, the man behind the lens. Readers will learn about the camera he used, and some of his family history.

You can now explore the results of this fascinating exploration in the Indiana State Library’s collection.

This blog post was submitted by Michelle Frost, collections and outreach manager at the Indiana State Library.

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”

Indiana Division of Forestry

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In 1901, the Indiana State Legislature created the Division of Forestry with its mission to restore Indiana’s woodlands. After the early settlement period of the state, large areas were abandoned, leaving behind eroding hillsides stripped clear of trees and small farms that eventually failed. With the heavy use of timber for construction, these vacant farms – and large areas of forest – had been depleted, mostly in the southern Indiana counties. Recognizing these issues, the Indiana State Legislature created the division. Some early laws are still in existence today that help regulate and conserve our forests.

The first state forest was Clark State Forest, established in 1903 on 2,000 acres. It has grown to more than 24,000 acres since its creation. For several years, it served as an experimental forest during the early development of forestry into a science and profession. More than 150 of the trees that were planted in the early 1900s can still be seen in many areas of Clark State Forest.

Pamphlet shows black and white picture of trees with text reading "Planting forest trees in Indiana."

Many of our state forests were created in the 1930s, with the help of the Federal program, Civilian Conservation Corps. These included the Harrison–Crawford State Forest, the Morgan–Monroe State Forest, the Yellowwood State Forest and the Ferdinand State Forest to name a few. Today, you can visit many of our state forests. In total, there are 435 miles of hiking trails, 536 camping opportunities and 159 lakes.

The Division of Forestry under the Department of Natural Resources now oversees 15 properties around the state, with most in southern Indiana. All together they encompass more than 160,000 acres with an estimated 61.3 million trees. You can learn more about the Division of Forestry on their website.

You can learn more about the early development of our state forests in our digital collection, Open Spaces Historic Places.

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

Indiana newspapers: Where to get statistics and titles

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Before you embark on newspaper research, take a moment to assess which publication titles will be helpful to you. Start by discovering which newspaper titles were available in the place and time of your topic. As you go back into the past, you will often run into the following scenarios:

  • In the same town, two or three newspaper publishers will print the exact same title, each of them printed by different people in different periods. Common titles like News, Times and Tribune are examples.
  • Titles often merge over time, resulting in new titles with completely different names, but with an updated coverage area.
  • Titles were often published for less than a decade before disappearing. Although some newspapers have survived for centuries, this is rare.
  • At any given moment during the lifespan of a title, the editor or manager could be replaced many times, with no announcement except for a theme change.
  • A title’s readership or circulation is often not included in the copy either, although publishers typically track this information for their business.

Knowing these roadblocks in advance can give you an idea of where to search. It can also inform you whether the information you desire can be found in a neighborhood newspaper or if you need to expand your circle of research. Where can you find the newspaper data to clear this fog? The Indiana State Library is here to help! Here are two sources that supply the backstory and statistics for local newspaper titles. Together, these two indexes provide information regarding management, editorship and circulation numbers for every Indiana title – and for every calendar year.

“Indiana Newspaper Bibliography” by John W. Miller

Published by the Indiana Historical Society in 1982, this book furnishes the beginning and ending dates of every Indiana title up to that time, the founders and editors over different periods and the places where preserved copies existed in 1982. The book was also designed to tell the stories of publishing staff and title histories, conveying the themes on which they were based and the reasons why changes were made over time. Obviously, this source won’t help much if you are looking into the recent past. For searching newspapers printed from 50 years ago and beyond, it addresses mergers, title founders and even awkward moments when an owner grabbed the printing press and hightailed it to another community. County sections in the book are subdivided by town. At the end of each county section, an index of local titles lays out where prints and microfilms could be found in 1982.

“Indiana Newspaper Directory” by the Hoosier State Press Association

Published annually, these softback books are packed with statistical information for every Indiana title, broken down by daily or weekly categories. The titles in each category are presented in alphabetical order. For each one, the yearly circulation is listed, as well as names of managers and editors. More recent annual issues include each title’s birth year and the weekday publication schedule. Each title is listed as a morning or evening paper as well. Analyzing these statistics over a period of years, the researcher can discover the exact dates and times when papers changed publication strategies and ownership. You can also track a title’s popularity over time. The yearly population of each title’s town or county is provided, so that circulation can be calculated as a percentage. The data was originally shared by publishers statewide to focus efforts and bolster local support for the HSPA and the legacy of titles it represents. The Indiana State Library currently holds issues of the newspaper directory published from 1948 through 2006.

When you are comfortable with the locations, dates and titles that will inform your project, the Indiana State Library Legacy database can help.

This newspaper microfilm index is searchable by town, county or title name. Once you have opened a list of titles that will work for you, check the available date range by clicking on ones of interest. Repeated, merged and closed titles are documented along with the date ranges available in the microfilm cabinets, to help guide you along the way.

This post was submitted by David Pleiss, newspaper librarian with the Indiana Division of the Indiana State Library. 

What is the Internet Archive?

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For the past 16 years, the Indiana State Library has had a very active digitization program between its Indiana, Genealogy and Manuscripts Divisions. The collection has grown to 32 individual collections, with each having sub-collections, and with all collections having a total of 337,093 items as of January 2025. In 2024, the Indiana Division alone added more than 700 items, consisting of more than 20,000 scans of materials from our digital collections. We added maps, newspapers and pamphlets from our county history collection. We also added state documents.

For the most part, we add materials to our digital collections management system, ContentDM. It was created by the Online Computer Library Center and is great for smaller items that are less than about 50 pages, such as maps, pamphlets, posters, photographs, etc. However, for larger books with heavy text, we use the Internet Archive, a digital content management system that is free and makes using these larger volumes far easier to use. It also offers better search capabilities than ContentDM.

The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has been building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts online since 1996 with their “mission is to provide universal access to all knowledge.” They offer free access to researchers, students, historians, genealogists and the general public.

Here at the Indiana State Library, we use the Internet Archive for larger periodicals and materials more than 50 pages in length with lots of text. Why? Because they are far easier to use and search. Among our Internet Archive collection, you will find the Indiana Acts from 1817 to 1850, the House and Senate Journals, the documentary journals, a few county and civil war histories and a few periodicals. As of the writing of this blog, we have 327 items.

One great example is the Indiana Construction Recorder, a periodical published by the Society of Indiana Architects in the 1920s and early 1930s. They are great if you are trying to find out when a building was built during that time period. However, each volume is well over 1,000 pages and can be difficult to search when using the actual book. The Internet Archive does an awesome job of making them searchable. We scan the materials, create a pdf and upload it into the Internet Archive and they do the rest. They offer a great optical character recognition program that makes these 1,000+ page volumes easier to search, in turn making your luck greater in find out what you are seeking.

We are continually adding more materials, so be sure to check out the Indiana State Library’s Internet Archive Collection on a regular basis.

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

Access state agency publications past and present online

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The Indiana State Library continues to collect publications created by state agencies. Whether born-digital or digitized from historical copies, there are ways to access them.

The Indiana State Library uses Archive-It to preserve copies of born-digital publications that are hosted on the websites of Indiana State Government departments and agencies.

Archive-It collection page for Indiana State Library.

The Archive-It collection started in March 2020 and now contains nearly five years’ worth of captures of state agency web pages and online publications such as annual reports, brochures, fact sheets and more. One can browse the state agency listings or search the collection. To find versions of agency websites before March 2020, use the general web archive, known as the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

The Indiana State Agency Documents online collection contains digitized copies of a wide variety of historical publications. This collection continues to grow and is often updated based on reference inquiries. Examples include:

Highways of Indiana.

Indiana Civil Rights Commission: The First 25 Years.

Indiana Celebrates: The Bicentennial in Review, 1971-1977.

Keep in mind that there are many more printed documents published by state agencies that are listed in Indiana State Library’s online catalog. Additionally, this online guide to Locating Indiana Government Documents is a frequently consulted resource. For assistance tracking down state publications past or present, please send in questions to Ask-a-Librarian or contact the Indiana Collection at 317-232-3670.

This post was written by Andrea Glenn, Indiana Division librarian and state documents coordinator at the Indiana State Library.

1867 Asher and Adams map of Indianapolis

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Asher and Adams are noteworthy mapmakers for their contribution to 19th century county and city mapping. They are known for their detailed state atlases of New York in 1869, 1870 and 1871. Some Asher and Adams maps were published in New York City, and others were published in Indianapolis. Sometimes, they publish as Asher, Adams and Higgins.

The Indiana State Library wishes to share an 1867 map of Indianapolis, published by Asher and Adams in Indianapolis, and printed in Buffalo, New York. It has now been made available online. The map is large and detailed. Railroads are drawn with detail and clearly name the depots. There is an extensive business directory in the margins.

If you’re an Indianapolis map enthusiast, you’re likely familiar with the 1866 Warner map of Marion County, published by Titus. However, you may not have seen the Asher and Adams map; at least not the Indiana State Library’s copy. Why wouldn’t you have seen this map before? It’s rare and it’s massive. It was dissected, and when unfolded its large size makes it difficult to handle. It was also horribly dirty. It had been on “preservation status” in our catalog, essentially hiding it from the online public access catalog.

This is where Seth Irwin comes in. Irwin has been the Indiana State Library’s conservator since 2019. He, and his rotating crew of interns, with a grant-funded conservator, have worked wonders with the map collection. You may have seen their blogs about some other map treatments here and here. Sadly, he is leaving his position here at the Indiana State Library. He has made a huge impact on the future of the State Library’s Indiana map collection. His knowledge and tenacity made him an incredible friend to the map collection. I am deeply grateful for the time he spent time with us.

Here are some photos from his most recent treatment of the Asher and Adams Indianapolis map:

Washing of the map.

Dirty silk – once used to protect the map – removed.

Before and after, side by side.

Now, go spend some time with our maps!

This post was written by Monique Howell, Indiana Collection supervisor.

Angelina Collins, Indiana’s first cookbook writer

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Born on May 26, 1805, in Petersburg, Virginia, Angelina Maria Lorain – or Lorraine – was raised as a Methodist and instilled with ideas of abolitionism. After marrying James Collins – and taking his name – in 1830, the couple moved to Paoli, Indiana, where they lived for a few years before settling in New Albany in Floyd County.

Painting titled “Mrs. A. Collins, aged thirty-six.”

In 1851, Angelina Collins, with the help of John R. Nunemacher, printer and book seller in New Albany, published her volume of table receipts – known today as recipes – titled “Mrs. Collins’ Table Receipts: Adapted to Western Housewifery.”

In the preface of the book, she explains “…my object has been to simplify the culinary art, and adapt it to every capacity and condition of life, and in preparing the receipts, I have endeavored to select and combine such ingredients as may be easily obtained in any section of our country, but especially have I desired to render them serviceable to the housekeepers of the West.” In other words, “Here’s what you can find at local markets and groceries in late 1840s southern Indiana.” Being on the Ohio River, many of the river towns would have access to a far greater variety of imported goods from the eastern coast, with grocers and merchants being among the first businesses to be established.

Collins ends her preface with “To the ladies of the West, I offer this little volume with full confidence that it will be properly appreciated and well received, and should it in any manner add to their comfort or convenience, I shall be fully compensated for the employment of my leisure home.” And her little volume must have added a large amount of comfort and convenience because in 1857, her cookbook was republished after somehow making its way to A. S. Barnes & Company in New York, where it experienced a name change to the title “The Great Western Cookbook, Or Table Receipts Adapted to Western Housewifery” with the same number of pages. By this time, 1850s southern and middle Indiana would have been well settled, but the upper part still remained as open territory for settlers. These types of publications, such as Mrs. Collins’ cookbook, were meant to encourage immigration to those areas and further west, by showing that there is an abundance of resources.

Here at the Indiana State Library, we have the original 1851 volume and have added it to our digital collections. You can view it here.

Cover of “Mrs. Collins’ Table Receipts: Adapted to Western Housewifery.”

The 1857 version is available online to be researched in Indiana University’s digital collection, “Service through Sponge Cake”. Here is a link to that version.

So, if you love trying our historic recipes, there are 140-plus pages for you to sample. Collins organized her book by topics, including fish, boiling, pickling, pies and fancy dishes to name a few. And of course, no cookbook would be complete with tidbits of information or advice. On page 15, “Observation – In preparing soups, always cut the pieces of meat you send in the tureen small enough to be eaten with introducing a knife and fork into the soup plate.”

Her recipes include corn pone, hominy, “Succotash a la Tecumseh,” mock turtle soup, “California soup,” Mrs. Collins’ batter cake and brain balls. Collins also includes a recipe for mangoes, or in today’s language, stuffed bell peppers. Also included is an interesting recipe for “Indiana sauce.”

Indiana sauce, as featured in “Mrs. Collins’ Table Receipts: Adapted to Western Housewifery.”

Although Angelina Maria Collins died on Sept. 28,1885 in Salem, Indiana, her cookbook is still being researched and used by historians.

Are you interested in historic cookbooks? If so, here are some digital collections of historic cookbooks available from libraries around the country:

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