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Historic Preservation Month Photo Contest Winners
This year, 74 photographers submitted 167 photos to this year’s Historic Preservation Month photo contest. DHPA & DNR staff voted, and we are pleased to announce the winners in the following categories:
Altered: Michael Sears of Newburgh. Photo of August Rosenberger Building in Evansville.
Black & White: Wilhelmina Leach of Georgetown. Photo at O'Bannon Woods State Park.
Color: Thomas Adams of Evansville. Photo at George Rogers Clark Memorial in Vincennes.
Kids: Grace White of Hanna. Photo at University of Notre Dame.
Preservation Month Theme (Faces of Architecture): Jennifer Minnis of Paris, IL. Photo at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College.
May is Historic Preservation Month – Faces of Architecture
The next time you walk past a historic building, be sure to look up. In some cases, you just might find someone or something looking back at you. Faces of animals, people, or mythical creatures can be seen carved into stone pediments and keystones, while others extend from the buildings themselves. While some are simply decorative, others are symbolic, as they were installed to serve as ‘building guardians.’ Read more about these faces of architecture, the focus of this year’s Historic Preservation Month.
The Historic Preservation Fund
There has been much news lately about the federal administration’s directives to pause and examine all federal grant fund programs, so here’s a look at how federal preservation grant funds have been used in Indiana. Read more
Historic Preservation Fund Grants in Action:
Archaeological monitoring occurred at the Cora Dale House in Elkhart County as part of their HPF grant project to replace the back porch:
https://goshennews-cnhi.newsmemory.com/?publink=4addafdb7_134f8ec
Are you Bungalowing?
Paul Diebold writes about the Bungalow craze of the early twentieth century using the Carlos and Anne Butler Recker House in Indianapolis. Read more
PHP Conference – Registration opens in June
Registration opens in June for Preserving Historic Places, Indiana’s statewide historic preservation conference, which will be Sept. 30 – Oct. 3, in Fort Wayne, Indiana’s second largest city. During the conference, we’ll explore the Electric Works, a visionary adaptive reuse of a former industrial campus transformed into a dynamic mixed-use facility. We’ll also visit the iconic National Historic Landmark Allen County Courthouse and experience the grandeur of the Embassy Theatre.
Note: Conference organizers sincerely apologize to our speakers and attendees for the overlap of Preserving Historic Place 2025 with Yom Kippur. This significant scheduling oversight, though unintentional, is one we recognize as counterproductive to hosting this event. Unfortunately, the 2025 dates, which were chosen several months ago based on facility availability, could no longer be changed when the oversight was brought to our attention.
Behind the Surface: Mid-Century Façade Renovations
As an alternative to building replacement and to update what was perceived as outdated building blocks in the mid-20th century, some building facades were altered with streamlined building materials or complete architectural slipcovers.
Structures reviewer Caitlin Lehman highlights examples of different alteration treatments and, in some cases, the reversals of these to recover the original structure. Read more
A Statewide Celebration of Archaeology Three Decades and Counting
If you received our email blast, we omitted our announcement of the upcoming celebrations of Indiana Archaeology Week. In 1996, Indiana celebrated the first Indiana Archaeology Week to share information about archaeology and the laws that protect them.
In 2002, the celebration expanded to Indiana Archaeology Month, and each year, many events occur, including open houses, excavations, presentations, training, and artifact identifications throughout the state. Read more about this annual celebration to highlight and recognize archaeology in the state. Read more
Recent Listings on the National Register
In March 2025, Indiana added seven (7) listings to the National Register of Historic Places. These listings—a house, commercial buildings, a fraternal building, a church, and bridges—have added approximately 16 historic 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, go to on.IN.gov/SHAARD. Read more
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. In each newsletter issue, we’ll highlight something we’ve found or used. We asked our two interns, Sarah Johnson-Taylor and Claire Matney, what they recommend!
Sarah enjoys the Instagram account: @HistoryMadeByUs. To learn more, you can also visit their website: https://historymadebyus.org
Claire follows a few podcasts from science correspondent Alie Ward, who interviews ‘-ology’ scientists about their field of study:
Taphology (GRAVESITES) with Robyn S. Lacy — alie ward
Maritime Archaeology (SHIPWRECKS) with Chanelle Zaphiropoulos — alie ward
Space Archaeology (SPACE JUNK) with Alice Gorman — alie ward
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.