The DHPA received a grant from the National Park Service’s Underrepresented Communities Grant Program to recognize Green Book Sites in Indiana. The Negro Motorist Green-Book (also known as The Negro Travelers' Green Book or Green Book) was a guidebook for African American travelers published from the 1930s through the 1960s. Victor Hugo Green, an African American New York City postal worker, his wife, Alma Green, and a small staff managed the subscription service. The Green Book included information about businesses and services open to African American patrons, initially in Harlem, then nationally and internationally. At a time when African Americans faced ongoing discrimination, the Green Book provided information that was essential for safer travel.
Nearly 200 businesses in Indiana were listed over the years of publication: tourist homes, motels, hotels, resorts, taverns, restaurants, night clubs, liquor stores, gas stations, autobody shops, dry cleaners, drug stores, tailors, beauty parlors, and barbers. Green Book sites were listed in 20 Indiana cities: Fort Wayne, Jeffersonville, Muncie, Elkhart, New Albany, Marion, Kokomo, Franklin, Vincennes, Gary, Michigan City, Anderson, Indianapolis, French Lick, West Baden Springs, Chesterton, Furnessville, South Bend, Angola, Lafayette, Evansville, and Terre Haute. Fewer than 20% of Green Book sites in Indiana remain standing. Funding supported efforts to research and document Green Book sites throughout Indiana.
The Mapping the Green Book in Indiana project was produced with assistance from the Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior under Grant Number P24AP00193. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.
