Language Translation
  Close Menu

Indiana Heritage Research Grants abstracts 1992

The Indiana Heritage Research Grant program was jointly sponsored by the
Indiana Historical Society and the Indiana Humanities Council. from 1986 to 2001.

The Indiana History Bulletin, Volume 63, Numbers 5/6 and 9/10 contained the first and second year abstracts from the Indiana Heritage Research Grant Program; The following abstracts were published in Volume 67, number 1 of the Bulletin.

The grants are awarded annually by the Indiana Historical Society and the
Indiana Humanities Council (1500 North Delaware Street/Indianapolis, IN 46202/317-638-1500.) From 1986 through 2000, the program has awarded $937,363 to fund 337 projects. The abstracts provide interesting models for local history projects and make available resources for research.

For further information about projects, please contact the entity listed in each entry.

Fort Wayne Land Office Entries, 1823-1852 (92-3005); Indiana Friends of the Archives, Inc., Room 117, 140 North Senate Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

 

Records of the federal land offices in Indiana comprise the most detailed history of the settlement of the state, providing information on Indiana pioneers and their origins, legal descriptions of land purchases, and economic development. In order to make the use of these records more expeditious and efficient, the State Archives has used an Indiana Heritage Research Grant to compile a computerized and indexed database of land purchases from the records of the Fort Wayne land office.
The office opened at Fort Wayne in 1822; the records provide names and residences of the purchaser, date of purchase, and legal description of the tract for the settlement of twenty-three counties. This information was entered onto a computerized database of 73,250 records, in twelve fields documenting the details of a sale of land.
Because of the enormous amount of data involved, a complete printout is not feasible, but an alphabetized list of the names of purchasers of land is available at the Genealogy Division of the State Library. The Archives will make other copies of the name index upon request.

 

Sites and Sounds of Potato Creek (92-3007); Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks, Room W298, 402 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204 and Northern Indiana Historical Society, 808 West Washington, South Bend, IN 46601.

 

Thirty oral history interviews were compiled on audiotape from long-time landowners and residents, who lived in what is now Potato Creek State Park in Liberty Township, St. Joseph County. The interviews are filled with stories and anecdotes about farm life and growing up in a rural setting during the first half of the twentieth century. These tapes preserve some of this rural community's memories and heritage for generations to come.

Supplementing the audiotapes are slides of over 400 family photographs, approximately 350 photographs of the park area before construction began in the 1960s and 1970s, and twenty-seven maps and drawings of the area from 1875 to the present. In addition, the collection includes 192 artifacts which people have donated to the park.

The cataloged collection is available to researchers as a permanent archive in the Nature Center at Potato Creek State Park. A multi-projection slide program highlighting the local history of Liberty Township and Potato Creek State Park, and an audiotape history walking tour on Trail #1 in the park are also available to visitors and park patrons.

 

An Oral History of Westfield from 1900 to Present (92-3008); Westfield Streetscape Committee, and West-field Kiwanis, Inc., P.O. Box 322, Westfield, IN 46074.

 

Sixteen hours of oral history interviews focusing on Westfield's Quaker heritage, transportation development, education, agriculture, and Westfield's involvement in the Underground Railroad have been compiled.
Six hours of tape were professionally transcribed and served as a model for the other ten hours, which were transcribed under the direction of the Streetscape Historical Subcommittee.
Copies of tapes and transcriptions are located at the University Library, IUPUI and in the safe at the Westfield City Building. Copies are also available to the public through the Westfield Library.

 

Funeral Home Records of Plymouth, Indiana, 1887-1950 (92-3011); Plymouth Public Library, 201 North Center Street, Plymouth, IN 46563 and Marshall County Genealogical Society, 123 North Michigan Street, Plymouth, IN 46563.

 

Genealogists are often frustrated by the fact that they may know only the year of death of their ancestor or that the ancestor died in Plymouth. We have extracted information from the records of the two local funeral homes. Now either the exact death date, or at least an approximation of time of death, will be available.

There are over 4,600 death records. Many other names can be found in the indexes which follow each section. This two-volume work will be available for use at the Plymouth Public Library, Marshall County Historical Museum in Plymouth, Indiana Humanities Council, and Indiana Historical Society Library.

 

Art By and For Hoosiers (92-3012); Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, 340 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202, and Morris-Butler House, 1204 North Park Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46202.

 

The Morris-Butler House collection of two- and three-dimensional works is a significant addition to the archives of Indiana's art history. A collection of fifty-two pieces was documented for this project. Whether created by Indiana artists, purchased by Indiana residents, or brought to Indiana, the art collection represents the social and art histories of the nineteenth century in Indiana.

The majority of the painting collection is by Jacob Cox. The majority of the three-dimensional pieces are of European manufacture.
An in-house source of photographs and descriptive text is available for researchers. Each piece of the collection is described in its period context, and biographical information is also available. This large collection is available for in-house research.

Martin Photograph Collection: Preserving a University's Portrait (92-3014); University Archives, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809.

Phase two of the Martin Photograph Collection continued the work begun with an Indiana Heritage Research Grant awarded in 1991. The Martin Collection was donated to Indiana State University in 1976. The collection contains photographs taken at or for the University by the Martin Studio, circa 1920 to 1975. The collection contains an estimated 35,000 photographic prints and negatives housed in 9,000 to 10,000 "job packets." The photographs were placed in archival quality, acid-free sleeves, envelopes, and folders.
The project surveyed and arranged the collection in numerical order and item level. The University Archives created an automated catalog structure for the Martin Collection. Employing a database management system (MARCON), a format was developed, which permits access to the collection by date, title, and subject terms.

 

The Golden Troupe Collection (92-3015); New Harmony Workingmen's Institute, 407 West Tavern Street, New Harmony, IN 47631.

 

One of the largest, and most important collections ever given to the New Harmony Working-men's Institute has been processed. Seventy-two manuscript boxes and containers filled with the papers of New Harmony's premiere theatrical family, the Goldens, have been preserved. Approximately 6,713 items were processed.

The collection consists of personal and professional papers of the six members of the Golden family, the Golden Theatrical Troupe, and their friends and associates. Correspondence, personal and business papers, diaries and journals, ledgers and account books, scrapbooks and clippings, and photographs are in the personal papers category. The professional papers are equally numerous, and comprise several small valuable groups: the manuscript plays, printed plays, playbills and programs, and music collection.

The Golden family's professional and personal involvement are an integral part of local history. For the larger community of scholars interested in American theatrical history, a remarkable segment of information is finally accessible.

 

Margaret Robbins Oral History Project (92-3018); Marion County/Indianapolis Historical Society, Indianapolis, IN.

 

The Margaret Robbins Oral History project produced over five hours of tape and ninety-seven pages of transcript about Margaret Schricker Robbins' life, from her birth until her time in Vietnam in the 1950s.

Begun as a life story, these tapes and transcripts chronicle Robbins' life as a child in Starke County, her experiences as the daughter of Governor Henry Schricker (1941-1945; 1949-1953), and her early working career.

The tapes and transcripts are deposited at the Indiana Historical Society Library (317-232-1879) and at the Indiana State Museum (317-232-1637).

 

Schroeder Saddletree Project Collection Management (92-3019); Historic Madison Foundation, Inc., 500 West Street, Madison, IN 47250.

 

The Schroeder Saddletree Project Collection Management effort has resulted in a partial inventory of small artifacts found in the bench room and blacksmith shop of the Ben Schroeder Saddletree Factory. Saddletrees are the internal wooden frames of saddles. The Schroeder site includes the last known saddletree factory dating to the nineteenth century in the United States. Its significance is enhanced by the completely intact nature of the factory complex.

The project has resulted in the inventory of over 2,000 small artifacts from one factory building. The major groupings of artifacts inventoried include hand tools, blacksmith tools, currier's tools, saddletree parts, and over one half ton of fasteners, such as nails, tacks, brads, screws, and rivets. Another major grouping of artifacts includes patterns for casting metal parts, patterns used in the mass production of wooden side bars for saddletrees, and domestic objects found in the factory.

To make an appointment to review the inventory, contact the Schroeder Saddletree Project Director, Historic Madison Foundation, Inc., 812-265-3426 or 265-2967.

 

Hoosier German Customs, Beliefs, and Traditions (92-3020); Indiana German Heritage Society, 401 East Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

 

The research focused on the customs, beliefs, and traditions that German-speaking immigrants brought with them, modified, or developed in Indiana. Focus was placed on holidays, worship, arts and crafts, songs and music, tales, dances, games, place names, food and recipes.

According to the 1990 Census of Population, over two million Hoosiers (37.6 percent) claim some German ancestry. This makes them the largest ancestry group in Indiana and a formative element of Hoosier mainstream culture.

Our research revealed that some German cultural elements have become part of the Indiana mainstream; others are maintained locally or as family traditions, and many have vanished.

The research produced a loose-leaf collection for public use; it is to be expanded and published at a later date.

 

"Listening In": Indianapolis Radio in Its Formative Years, 1920-1950s (92-3021); POLIS Research Center, IUPUI, 425 University Boulevard, Cavanaugh Hall 301, Indianapolis, IN 46202.

 

"Listening In" examined the history and development of the radio broadcasting industry in Indianapolis from its beginning in the 1920s through the 1950s, the period when television began to offer new competition. The research focused on the histories of the pioneer stations, the changing programming, and the impact of radio on the city and its culture.

The most valuable collections used in the project were those located at the Broadcasting Pioneers Hall of Fame at the Indiana State Museum and the newspaper clipping files at the Indiana State Library. Unfortunately, none of the stations contacted for this project possessed research materials for the time period under consideration.

A final research report is available from the POLIS Research Center at IUPUI. Portions of the research have been incorporated into the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, published by Indiana University Press.

 

Mapping Metropolitan Development in Marion County, 1830-1990 (92-3022); POLIS Research Center, IUPUI, 425 University Boulevard, Cavanaugh Hall 301, Indianapolis, IN 46202.

 

This project applied new technologies of electronic geographic information systems to translate information from documentary and visual sources into computer maps showing urban and suburban development in Indianapolis for each decade since 1820. New research extended the finding of a previous IHRG project by documenting the physical expansion of Indiana's capital city in two key eras, the 1930s and the period, 1948-1957. Maps illustrate developments through 1993.

Hard copies of the maps have been deposited in the Indiana Historical Society Library in both color and black-and-white formats. The map-based data will also provide the basis for a computerized geographic information system (GIS) on Indianapolis, past and present, under construction at the POLIS Research Center. Computer storage of this database is to be located at the POLIS office on the IUPUI campus. For more information, contact: Lamont Hulse, POLIS Research Center, 317-274-2458.

 

Knox County Court Records Microfilm Project (92-3023); Northwest Territory Genealogical Society, Lewis Library, Vincennes University, Vincennes, IN 47591.

 

The Knox County Court Records, 1790-1860, consist of 60,000 documents, contained in 170 Hollinger boxes. Phase two of this project provided for the microfilming of the materials. They were copied onto fifty-two rolls of microfilm. The master copies of film were deposited at the Indiana State Archives, Archives and Records Administration. Working copies are in the Knox County Public Library and the Lewis Historical Collections Library at Vincennes University.

 

We Are One: A Community of Cultures (92-3025); Floyd County Museum, 201 East Spring Street, New Albany, IN 47150.

 

Our oral history project was designed to recognize the existence of continuing immigration to Floyd County, and to place current immigration within the context of the country's larger, historical immigration experience. A video production and exhibit were the results of the project.

We selected people from Southeast Asia and Japan, South or Central America, and Europe. Many of the reasons people offered for immigration are the same as they have been for generations; however, we found many variations in the individual stories. The ways in which people deal with cultural differences seem to be a balance of assimilation and retention of traditional values. The video explores this theme in a variety of ways through several questions, and is, possibly, the most significant part of the project.

We Are One: A Community of Cultures can be borrowed from the New Albany/Floyd County Public Library or the Floyd County Museum. Copies are also permanently housed at the Indiana Humanities Council.

 

The Minerva Society Collection: A Preservation and Indexing Project (92-3026); New Harmony State Historic Site, P.O. Box 607, New Harmony, IN 47631.

 

The Minerva Society of New Harmony (1859-1863) was one of the earliest women's clubs in Indiana. Mary Emily Fauntleroy, whose mother was a charter member of the Society, vigorously located and gathered photographs of the Minervas, the club's original constitution, by-laws, a complete set of minutes, and a substantial number of literary works and speeches that the Minervas composed specifically for their meetings.

Although the bulk of this collection became the property of the New Harmony State Historic Site when the state of Indiana assumed ownership of the Fauntleroy Home in 1939, other items were apparently dispersed after Miss Fauntleroy died in 1954.
The project produced copies of an index that will be placed in the New Harmony State Historic Site files, the Workingmen's Institute, and the archives at the University of Southern Indiana, Evansville; a synopsis of the Minerva Society (including a bibliography); a set of slides documenting the project exhibition; a videotape of the exhibition prepared by the Evansville Public Broadcasting System affiliate; and a permanent file of research materials, which focus on the education of women and formation of women's clubs in the nineteenth century. Detailed biographical information on each Minerva is also included in this file. The file will supplement the material in the State Historic Site Collection at the Workingmen's Institute.

Inquiries about any of these items should be directed to the New Harmony State Historic Site, 812-682-3271.

 

Conserving Our Past: An Indexing and Microfilming Project Covering Early Harrison County Probate Records (92-3028); The Hoosier Elm Chapter, D.A.R., 1449 Roberts Street, Corydon, IN 47112.

 

The probate records of Harrison County date back to 1809. The preservation project involved sorting through the records housed in the courthouse, cataloging and indexing the records, and creating a microfiche copy and an updated index of the microfiche product for public use.
Researchers now have new access to these probate records detailing the belongings of early pioneers. Duplicate copies of the microfiche are in the courthouse and the Corydon Public Library.

 

Looking Backward: An Indexing Project of Early Corydon Newspapers (92-3029); Corydon Public Library, 117 West Beaver Street, Corydon, IN 47112.

 

The goal of the project was to index the information contained in the early newspapers published in Corydon, the first state capital of Indiana. Using a computer and database software, an index was made giving the name of the headline (if available), subject, name of the newspaper, date, section, page, and column of the story.
Any individuals or organizations interested in obtaining a copy of this index may contact the Corydon Public Library.

 

Catch Up-Cataloging After Building New Museum and Round Barn Museum (92-3031); Fulton County Historical Society, Inc., 37 East 375 North, Rochester, IN 46975.

 

An old-time general store was created in the Fulton County Museum. An exhibit of old farm tools was constructed in the Round Barn Museum beside it. Both are on the grounds of the Fulton County Historical Society four miles north of Rochester on U.S. 31.
The goal of this project was to catalog donated artifacts so they would be accessible to the public and to make exhibits that would educate and stimulate school children touring the museum.

Having built a new museum in 1987-1988 and moved a tornado-damaged round barn to the museum grounds in 1990-1991, FCHS was nearly five years behind in cataloging its accessions. Approximately 5,000 items needed to be described on accession checklists, and subject and donor cards needed to be typed for each.

During this project, approximately 2,000 items were accessioned, new donations were kept current, and two public programs were given. Approximately 20,000 people toured the two museums during the twelve-month period.

 

Old Photos of Indiana's Newest Town (92-3033); Delaware County Historical Alliance, P.O. Box 1266, Muncie, IN 47308, and Daleville Christian Church, P.O. Box 571, Daleville, IN 47334.

 

This project collected the photographic, printed, and published documents of Daleville from circa 1860-1920. There were over one hundred items collected including more than seventy-five photographs, twenty-five printed items, and eleven Daleville newspapers heretofore unknown.

The project provided that archival negatives of the photographs be made, cataloged, and deposited with Bracken Library, Ball State University, Muncie. This project also provided for microfilming the printed items, including the Daleville newspapers. An exhibit of many of these photographs and artifacts was mounted. Sixteen panels were produced with copies of original items.

 

Seymour, A Look Back At Community Development (92-3035); Seymour Heritage Foundation, P.O. Box 31, Seymour, IN 47274.

 

The Seymour Heritage Foundation researched and developed educational packets targeted to fourth grade teachers and their students, which presented a historical and pictorial overview of the community's and county's development.
The educational project produced two types of packets-one for students and one for teachers. The student packet is a coloring book, which contains a historical text to accompany drawings of several governmental and business buildings in the community. Some of the buildings included in the book no longer exist. Also included is an 1878 map of the city and a page describing architectural elements.
The teacher packet includes an expanded historical text accompanied by several teaching aids.
Teaching aids include trivia sheets, coloring sheets, and transparencies. In addition, an 1886 birdseye view map of the city will be provided for each classroom. A poster of significant structures in the community is also provided.
The educational packets are available for public viewing. Two complete packets have been placed at the Seymour Branch of the Jackson County Public Library. In addition, the two packets are available at the Indiana Humanities Council and the Brownstown library. Packets have been given to each fourth grade teacher in Seymour and the director of curriculum for the Seymour schools. A packet will be maintained by the Seymour Heritage Foundation.

 

Morgan County Historical Records Conservation Project (92-3036); Morgan County Public Library, 110 South Jefferson Street, Martinsville, IN 46151.

 

Valuable nineteenth and twentieth century county records were preserved on microfilm. The records were inventoried and prioritized by their value to historical research. Unrestricted public access was provided by depositing microfilm in public research libraries. The records include tax duplicates, 1842-1919 (143 vols.), assessor's plat books, 1903-1925 (71 vols.), assessor's books, 1898-1953 (710 vols.), and record of statistical statements, 187?-1911 (15 vols.).

Other products include the complete inventory and prioritized list of the records; a collection of color slides and overhead transparencies; extensive project notes; and archived records, which were not microfilmed.

The film and other products have been deposited in the Morgan County Public Library, Martinsville. Additional collections can be found in the Genealogy Divisions of the Indiana State Library and the Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne.

 

The End of An Era . . .The Changing of an Economic Base from Farming to Industry (92-3037); Northern Indiana Historical Society, 808 West Washington, South Bend, IN 46601, and Historic New Carlisle, Inc., P.O. Box 107, New Carlisle, IN 46552.

 

Research findings indicate that the transition of Olive Township, St. Joseph County from farming to industry is in progress. Government belief that manufacturing industry would increase the tax base to a higher level than that provided by agriculture is forcing a change in Olive Township.

Project research focused on oral interviews with area farmers to trace the development of family farms and corporate farms. The hardships and history of area farming, government intervention, and the beginning of heavy industry arriving to replace agriculture were documented.

The primary product of this research is a videotape, Olive Township in Transition . . . The Changing of an Economic Base from Agriculture to Industry.

Products of the research include oral interviews of area farmers, duplication of original photographs depicting farm life from family farms to corporate farms, and documentation of the development of industry.
Videotapes are available from Historic New Carlisle. Photographs and transcripts will be available from Historic New Carlisle and the Northern Indiana Historical Society.

 

Always a People (92-3040); Minnetrista Cultural Center, P.O. Box 1527, Muncie, IN 47308; telephone, 317-282-4848; FAX, 317-288-5520.

 

The five oral histories collected for the Always a People project place the lives of members of three Indiana-related tribes within the context of the history of the United States and Canada. While emphasizing the current vibrancy of the Miami, Pokagon Pottawatomi, and Delaware peoples, each narrator indicates that official government policies since the eighteenth century have been directed toward undermining continuation of tribal culture.

Each tape, individually, provides significant personal and tribal insights; taken together, the five tapes provide a pattern of historic understanding concerning living as a tribal member in an Anglo-dominated political, social, and cultural milieu.

Audio tapes and transcriptions are housed at the Minnetrista Cultural Center. A bibliography and resource list on Woodland Culture is available.

 

John Huddleston's Family in Their Community, 1840-1860 (92-3043); Huddleston Farmhouse Inn Museum/Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, P.O. Box 284, Cambridge City, IN 47327.

 

This project produced a research file, which relates to John Huddleston family members and their lives in western Wayne County during the period 1840-1860. The materials were collected from various repositories. The materials are organized according to themes identified as central to the interpretation of the museum, such as transportation, economy, religion, agriculture, and Huddleston family history.

A narrative paper was compiled using the materials in the research file. The paper tells the interpretive story of the museum, placing the Huddleston family within the historical context of western Wayne County, 1840-1860.
Copies of the listing of the research file holdings and of the narrative paper can be obtained from the museum.

 

A Parish Life of the Swedish Immigrant Community in South Bend (92-3046); Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 225 Haney Avenue, South Bend, IN 46613.

 

This project researched the Swedish Lutheran community in South Bend, and resulted in the creation of the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Archive of Swedish-American History at the Northern Indiana Historical Society. The archive contains historic church records, including written volumes of liturgical materials and books, and immigration records of nearly five hundred Swedes.
In addition, more than twenty hours of oral history interviews and photographs documenting the lives of Swedish immigrant families have been collected.

An annotated bibliography of research sources on Swedish immigration history is available at the Northern Indiana Historical Society and the St. Joseph County Public Library Local History Room.

 

Broadening Community Heritage: Photographs That Capture History (92-3047); Hammond Public Library, 564 State Street, Hammond, IN 46320.

 

The Hammond Public Library organized and made accessible 10,000 negatives from the Hammond Times. Subject headings were developed and entered into the library's online catalog. Users of the catalog are directed to the Calumet Room to use the collection. Programs about the project were presented to historical and school groups, and Calumet Room materials were displayed at three library locations. A floor-standing display of printed negatives will be developed.