Speakman-Miller-Kittle Farm, Ohio County
Chicago Mica Co., Porter County
Baptisttown Historic District, Vanderburgh County
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Preservation Month Photo Contest
As part of Historic Preservation Month 2024, the annual DHPA Photo Contest is open for submissions. We have added a new category this year, pertaining to the annual theme. This year, the theme is scholastic gymnasiums in Indiana. We welcome submissions of exterior and interior shots of gyms showcasing how popular basketball is within the state. The digital photo contest must be of resources at least 50 years old in Indiana. Watermarks and/or signatures are not permitted on entries and will not be included in the judging.
Use the registration form for each picture submitted (up to three per photograph) and mail entries to DHPAConnect@dnr.IN.gov by Friday, April 5.
Historic Preservation Fund Grant Priorities Available for Public Comment
Every year the DNR-DHPA revises the priorities by which the federally-funded Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) grant applications are evaluated. The priorities are established within the parameters of the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund Grant Manual and represent the types of projects that the DHPA views as important to its mission to identify, document, investigate, preserve, and interpret cultural resources in Indiana. The HPF Program Guidelines and the evaluation criteria for Administrative, Architectural & Historical, Archaeology, Acquisition & Development are being provided for public review and comment. Please provide any comments to the DHPA Grants Staff by Monday, April 8. All public comments must be received in writing. Send comments by fax to 317-232-0693, by e-mail to skennedy@dnr.IN.gov, or by mail to DHPA Grants Staff, 402 W. Washington St., Room W274, Indianapolis, IN 46204. All public comments received will be presented at the meeting of the State Historic Preservation Review Board on April 17, 2024.
Review the HPF grant guidelines and priorities for FY2025.
Please note that the priorities are only one part of HPF grant applications, and the DHPA is not accepting proposals at this time. Complete packets with application instructions will be available on the DHPA website around August 1.
Exploring Indiana’s Presidential Heritage
Since its inception in 1789, the Office of the President of the United States of America has been filled by 45 men in 46 presidencies.
Although no U.S. president was born in the State of Indiana, Indiana is home to three National Historic Landmark properties with presidential ties: William Henry Harrison’s Mansion “Grouseland” (Knox County), Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial (Spencer County), and Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site (Marion County).
Read more about these properties that tie to three of our nation’s presidents.
March Posts on Facebook
In the spirit of Indiana basketball, DHPA holds a bracket challenge throughout March to determine your favorite historic Indiana resource on our Facebook page! Brackets will begin on Friday, March 1 and the category winners will face-off starting March 28. All you have to do is like the image you are rooting for in each contest.
Images with the greatest number of likes after each day move on to the next round.
Last year, the Clinton County Courthouse was the overall favorite historic resource, with over 6,000 votes across all rounds!
Total Solar Eclipse
Get ready for an afternoon of darkness on April 8, 2024, when most of Indiana will be in the path of a total solar eclipse. The moon blocks the view of the sun as the moon orbits around the earth. Humans have documented eclipses throughout thousands of years. Recently, we have had a chance to see partial eclipses, but April 2024 is expected to be a moment to remember.
Please check out our eclipse page for more information at on.IN.gov/eclipse.
Solar Eclipse Alignment
On April 8, 2024, most of Indiana will experience a total solar eclipse. While total solar eclipses are rare and depend on location, there are other solar observations that can be observed in Indiana annually.
Read more about some of these earthwork sites that have a history of celestial alignments.
Preservation Month Teddy Bear Camp
Teddy Bear Camp is back for its fourth year and is available to children age 5-12 in Boone, Hamilton, Madison, Hancock, Shelby, Johnson, Morgan, Hendricks, or Marion counties. Stuffed animals can be dropped off at one of our partner locations and DHPA staff will take the stuffies to various locations in central Indiana to learn about Indiana history, architecture, archaeology, and historic preservation. Be sure to follow our Facebook page to get updates about the stuffies’ adventures.
Dates, locations, and other details are being finalized and will be shared on Facebook and our website.
Preserving Historic Places Conference 2024
This year, the annual statewide preservation conference will visit Madison, a town rich in nineteenth-century architecture and heritage that provided a hub for industry, commerce, the Underground Railroad, and transportation. As a pilot community for the national Main Street program in 1979, Madison remains a living laboratory in the use of historic preservation for community revitalization and economic development.
For more information about registration, sessions, and updates, visit indianalandmarks.org/tours-events/preserving-historic-places-conference.
Seeing “Old School” Value
The framers of the Northwest Ordinance of 1785 included a radical statement in their document: “Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools, and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.” Although applied unequally to the states’ minorities, Hoosiers developed a substantial free public school system that was thriving by the 1870s. If you know where to look, you can explore many surviving historic schoolhouses throughout the state.
Read more about some of these Indiana resources.
From Malls to Main Street: Retail Lessons from L.S. Ayres
Many Hoosiers remember L.S. Ayres as a quintessential example of they might call Indiana’s “Good Ole’ Days.” During these times local businesses would hire cheery girls to help you shop and serve you chicken velvet soup at the end of your visit. Ayres is one of the most fondly remembered department stores in Indiana, which makes its closing confusing in hindsight. But in the ever-shifting world of retain, the closing of Ayres reveals a broader truth: the future of the department store is bound to the preferences of the middle class.
Recent Listings on the National Register
In December 2023, Indiana added six listings to the National Register of Historic Places. These listings – residential districts; a farm; a school, church, and cemetery site; an industrial complex; and a mid-19th century house – have added approximately 977 resources to the National and State Registers.
For information on Indiana properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures, visit our website at on.IN.gov/SHAARD.
Read more about the latest listings.
Listening to and Reading about History, Archaeology, and Historic Preservation
The DHPA staff loves podcasts, social media, and resources related to history, archaeology, and historic preservation. So, we thought we’d share with you our favorite finds. Each newsletter issue, we’ll highlight something we’ve found or use.
- The Center for French Colonial Studies is an educational organization dedicated to the research and understanding of the Midwest’s French history and heritage: frenchcolonialstudies.org.
- Preservationdirectory.com is an online resource for all things historic preservation including building restoration, cultural resource management and heritage tourism in the US and Canada. They also offer HistoricFunding.com which provides funding sources opportunities, programs, and educational resources through membership.
- Instagram: @afieldguidetoamericanhouses – an account dedicated to Virginia Savage McAlester’s field guide that is a must have for preservationists!
- Podcast: The Ordinary, Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast, for cemetery lovers, preservationists, and more.
What archaeology, architecture, or preservation pages do you follow? We want to know at DHPAConnect@dnr.IN.gov.
Follow DHPA on Facebook
The Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology is on Facebook. Follow us at www.facebook.com/INdhpa to find out about upcoming events, participate in trivia, find out about things to see and do throughout the state, and learn interesting facts about preservation and archaeology in Indiana. If you have suggestions for topics or questions for future discussions let us know at DHPAConnect@dnr.IN.gov.
Tell us what you think
We are always interested in your ideas. If there is a topic you would like to see in an upcoming issue of Preservation at the Crossroads, email us at DHPAConnect@dnr.IN.gov.