Indiana Magazine of History

Before Roe v Wade, access & barriers to terminating pregnancy varied. Midwestern women confided in friends & family to be “fixed up” via folk remedies, relied on doctors to covertly perform abortions, & visited the Midwest Abortion Counseling Service at IU blog.history.in.gov/subversion-and…

We're excited to introduce you to our next 2023 Wilma Gibbs Moore fellow, Jo Otremba! Otremba will be researching Bloomington's segregated student teaching in the 1930s & how it impacted K-12 education for Indiana’s Black community. Get details here: bit.ly/3rIj1O7

The lady circled in the photo was Lucy Higgs Nichols. She was born into slavery in Tennessee, but during the Civil War she managed to escape and found her way to 23rd Indiana Infantry Regiment which was encamped nearby. She stayed with the regiment and worked as a nurse throughout the war. After the war, she moved north with the regiment and settled in Indiana, where she found work with some of the veterans of the 23rd. She applied for a pension after Congress passed the Army Nurses Pension Act of 1892 which allowed Civil War nurses to draw pensions for their service. The War Department had no record of her, so her pension was denied. Fifty-five surviving veterans of the 23rd petitioned Congress for the pension they felt she had rightfully earned, and it was granted. The photograph shows Nichols and other veterans of the Indiana regiment at a reunion in 1898. Beloved by the troops who referred to her as “Aunt Lucy,” Nichols was the only woman to receive an honorary induction into the Grand Army of the Republic, and she was buried in an unmarked grave in New Albany with full military honors in 1915.

It's #JAHM! DYK Rabbi Maurice Davis, leader of the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation, worked for desegregation, housing equality, & civil rights locally before joining Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1965 march in Selma? talkinghoosierhistory.libsyn.com/i-did-not-walk…

Join us May 17 for the public dedication ceremony for our newest Indiana state historical marker commemorating Mary Harris “Mother” Jones. The marker examines midwestern labor history & Mother Jones's advocacy for workers in Indiana & across the US events.in.gov/event/ihb-isl_…

Congratulations @EdwardECurtisIV! Well-deserved!

Today the @IndianaMuseum & @in_bureau dedicated a historical marker at Crispus Attucks High School honoring abstract painter Felrath Hines Jr, who was born in Indianapolis in 1913 & graduated from Attucks in 1931. Read the marker text here: bit.ly/3AxcQ0v

Join the @sjcplib tonight at 7pm ET to hear @EGonzaba, Assistant Professor of American Studies @CSUF, discuss his digital public history projects that aids in visualizing LGBTQ history in America. RSVP to attend in person or virtually here: bit.ly/41nFrkv

Join us April 27th at Crispus Attucks High School for a marker dedication ceremony commemorating Attucks alum Felrath Hines, Jr. The marker examines his contributions as an abstract artist and conservator, and his activism during the Civil Rights Movement events.in.gov/event/ihb-isl_…

Hilbert Circle Theater was once the site of Shaheen Oriental Rug. Syrian shop proprietor Nicholas Shaheen dressed in “costume more associated with desert Bedouins than urban Syrian merchants,” generating public interest & a “passport” to social inclusion arabindianapolis.com/juliadavidandn…

I'm so excited to share the cover of my forthcoming book w/y'all! The backdrop is from a photo I took of a family heirloom. Julia's grandson slept under this quilt, & my editor & I had long hoped it would be used on the cover. Thx @UNC_Press @DGershenowitz @agent_ayesha @drjmil

In 1925, Syrian immigrants & their American-born kids raised funds for a Syrian Orthodox church in Indianapolis. They found aid in an unlikely place. Mayor Duvall & Gov. Jackson, both Klansmen, publicly supported their efforts, hoping to draw more voters bit.ly/3kTt7bP

DYK a marker will be installed for a vibrant Syrian community that lived where Lucas Oil Stadium stands? On a small section of Willard Street these immigrants resided in an integrated neighborhood that also included Polish, Greek, Italian, & Black Hoosiers bit.ly/3IWVSwp

#OTD 1945, Tuskegee Airmen of the 477th Bombardment Group protested discrimination by trying to enter the white officers’ club. 100+ Black officers were then arrested for refusing to sign an order entrenching segregation. Their resistance helped desegregate the military in 1948

Happy #ArabAmericanHeritageMonth! When did immigrants of Arab origin begin arriving in Indianapolis? What countries and conditions were they leaving behind? How did Hoosiers welcome (or not welcome) them? Find out via Arab Indianapolis's blog post: bit.ly/41QoVKI

#NationalHistoricMarkerDay is on April 28th! Consider volunteering to survey, clean, or repaint markers in your community! Let IHB know if you're interested and consider registering with @wgpfoundation at bit.ly/42NVWHI by 4/14 to receive a cleaning cloth and brush.

#OTD 92 years ago: Famed Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne was killed in a plane crash in Bazaar Township, Kansas. He was 43 years old. archives.nd.edu/Scholastic/VOL…

Wes Montgomery at the Rhumboogie club, 536 ½ Indiana Avenue, November, 1944. A history of Wes and the Montgomery family in Indianapolis: invisibleindianapolis.wordpress.com/2018/05/07/the… #WesMontgomery100

Tomorrow 👊🏽✊🏽