The Indiana Archives and Records Administration assists State and local governments in the cost-effective, efficient and secure management of governmental records, by providing services throughout the life cycle of records, including creation, use, storage, and disposition.

Archives Month is an annual observance of the agencies and people responsible for maintaining and making available the archival and historical records of our nation, state, communities and people.

The events are a celebration of the work that we and our organizations do, but it is also a time to raise public awareness. By holding exhibit openings, workshops, lectures, open houses, and other related events during Archives Month, Indiana's archives community can make a concerted effort to bring the importance of our profession to our state's citizenry and public leaders.

View 2017 Indiana Archives Month events, programs and projects >>

The Indiana Archives and Records Administration is proud to partner with the Indiana World War I Centennial Committee to commemorate the centennial of World War I in the state of Indiana. 

Over the coming years, the Committee will serve as the lead organizer for the state's commemorative events and will coordinate the activities of individuals and institutions to raise awareness of and give meaning to the events of a hundred years ago.

You are encouraged and invited to participate whether as an individual, an organization, municipal or educational group. 

Learn More About the Indiana World War I Centennial Commemoration

1917 Fort Benjamin Harrison Postcard

This postcard shows soldiers performing field maneuvers at Fort Benjamin Harrison in 1917. 

Thanks to the State Archives of Florida, the Indiana State Archives can add some Indiana postcards to our collection. While doing an assessment of their holdings, the State Archives of Florida discovered records that did not fit their collection policy. They identified institutions that would get better use of the items, and donated them to the appropriate place. 

The postcards, part of the Harold and Geraldine Haskins Postcard Collection, depict a wide range of Indiana life. One postcard shows soldiers performing field maneuvers at Fort Benjamin Harrison in 1917. Other Indiana landmarks and buildings featured include Union Station in Indianapolis, the Methodist Episcopal Hospital in Indianapolis, Abraham Lincoln’s Home, and the Wyandotte Cave. 

Archives use collection policies, also referred to as accession policies, to ensure that consistent decisions are made when forming the archives’ collection. Having a strong collection policy allows the archives to identify a clear mission and to focus resources on those records that will best serve the constituents. 

Here at the Indiana State Archives, our collection policy is to preserve and make accessible records of state and local governments that document public and private rights, actions of state and local government officials, and the institutional character of state and local governments. Exceptions are made for records that have permanent legal and research significance, or document the history of the state. In this case, the postcards, while not created by a government unit, document key Indiana landmarks and scenes.

Explore All Featured Treasures At the Archives