Yesterday's Indianapolis

In this episode of Yesterday's Indianapolis, we speak to Dennis Bodgen, a former photographer for the city of Indianapolis, Dennis grew up on the westside, and after service in the Navy, became a photographer for the city, and was on scene of the November 5, 1973, Grant Building Fire documenting the event and the response of the Indianapolis Fire Department. Cover image is the photo taken by Denni...

In 1866 the United States Congress passed the country's first Civil Rights Act, which in addition to establishing rights of citizenship, it also reinforced many basic rights for African Americans, including being able to provide testimony in court, and to sue a white person. In 1866, using this law, two men, Mumford Harris and William Nichols, challenged a policy of the Indianapolis streetcar comp...

This episode of Yesterday's Indianapolis explores a bit about the extensive history of the interurban electric trains in Indianapolis, and explores a tragic accident which occurred on the Honey Bee interurban line just west of downtown Indianapolis in 1927. Honey Bee Line Blog Post: Tragedy on the Honey Bee Line: The Sahara Grotto Interurban Crash of 1927 Another blog post covering interurbans in...

A plaque along Washington Street in downtown Indianapolis memorializes president-elect Abraham Lincoln's stop in the city while on his way to assume the presidency in February of 1861, on the eve of the Civil War. This podcast explores Lincoln's visit and speech, and the history behind how the plaque was established. Close-up of the plaque on the side of the Claypool Hotel: Abraham Lincoln Plaque...

GenCon, the largest convention hosted by Indianapolis, recently ended its 2026 run. Indianapolis has a long history of hosting conventions as a "convention city" well before GenCon arrived on the scene. This episode of Yesterday's Indianapolis looks at this convention history, and how the city worked to attract new conventions with the construction of a dedicated convention center in the city. Con...

Indianapolis has used various slogans over the years. The "Circle City" is perhaps the most prominent, while "The Pivot City" had its moment in the sun. The slogan "No Mean City" has a long history of being associated with Indianapolis, and continues to be used to promote the city today. In this podcast we will explore some of the history behind these three slogans, and take a more in depth look a...

Pogue's Run has been a part of the history of Indianapolis since the city's founding over 200 years ago. Often known for its tendency to flood the eastside of the city, and for the excessive amounts of human and industrial waste once dumped into its waters, in June of 1882 it became known as the source of tragedy. This episode explores that tragedy and the general history of Pogue's Run. Blog post...

Roselyn Bakeries was founded in Indianapolis in 1943 and over the course of the next several decades, became a local staple for baked goods with locations all around Indianapolis and the surrounding suburbs. However, in 1999, a brief closure of the chain due to unsanitary conditions at their production facility contributed to the company's eventual closure, and their transition to a wholesaler onl...

The Union Depot consolidated passenger rail traffic in Indianapolis to one location. Opened in 1853, the depot served the city until 1888 when it was replaced by the present-day Union Station. Union Depot Architectural Drawing: https://images.indianahistory.org/digital/collection/V0002/id/3969/rec/30 Union Depot as seen from the East: https://cdm15155.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/coll6/id...

Ron-D-Vu Blog Post: https://www.class900indy.com/post/meet-me-at-the-vu-the-history-of-the-ron-d-vu-drive-in-restaurant-in-butler-tarkington History of the Marion County Poor Farm Lecture Preregistration: https://attend.indypl.org/event/16102953 Want to help offset the hosting costs for the blog and podcast? Leave a donation here: https://ko-fi.com/class900indyhistory . Also, Venmo can be accessed...

This episode explores the history of the Fall Creek aqueduct, which carries the Central Canal over that creek just north of downtown Indianapolis. First constructed in the late 1830s, the current aqueduct was constructed in 1904-05 and still serves the city to this day. Blog post about the aqueduct: Water Over Water: The History of the Fall Creek Aqueduct Murder on the Central Canal Podcast: https...

The tradition of hanging a pickle ornament on Christmas trees inspired this podcast about the W.D. Huffman Pickle Company, which operated on St. Clair Street near downtown Indianapolis. The company produced a variety of food items beyond their top billed product, and at times had run ins with state health authorities with concerns about the purity of the products they produced. Companion Blog Post...

This episode of Yesterday's Indianapolis explores the reputed first Christmas tree farm in Indianapolis, operated by Edward Eickhoff, a southside farmer who sold the trees at his stand on the west side of the old Marion County courthouse. Companion Blog Post: Edward Eickhoff and the Pioneering of the Christmas Tree Farm in Indianapolis Want to help offset the hosting costs for the blog and podcast...

This episode explores the November 5, 1973, fire at the old Grant Building located on Washington Street in Indianapolis. NOTE: This episode contains excerpts of radio dispatches which may contain some colorful language, which considering the scope of this fire, is not unexpected. But a heads up, nonetheless. Blog Post: Indianapolis Fire Department and the 1973 Grant Fire: “The finest moment this d...

This podcast explores the final flight and death of Karl Schoen, an Indianapolis native who flew fighter aircraft over the Western Front during World War I. Class900Indy blog post about Karl Schoen: Armistice Day Connection: Karl Schoen of the Army Air Service. This is not the first time Karl Schoen has appeared in a Class900Indy blog post, This post details a 522-mile bike ride he and two friends...

In this episode of Yesterday's Indianapolis, I am joined by local historian DeeDee Davis to discuss an exhibit at the Irvington Historical Society which explores the photography of Indianapolis resident Osbert Sumner. The glass negatives for the photos were discovered under a stairway in a basement at Sumner's former home in Irvington and depict hundreds of scenes from around Indianapolis at the t...

More than anything, Indianapolis sprang forth from the stroke of a pen versus being an already established population center or crossroads. This podcast explores the efforts of a state mandated commission to select of the state's new seat of government, which would later become Indianapolis. Note: While I refer to Indianapolis throughout the podcast, that name was not selected by the General Assem...

Exploring the history of the 1934 strike at the Real Silk hosiery mills in downtown Indianapolis. Note: I realized I was speaking a bit faster for this episode, so you may need to slow things down to .75x speed. Companion Blog Post: Silk and Explosives: The Real Silk Strike of 1934 Want to help offset the hosting costs for the blog and podcast? Leave a donation here: https://ko-fi.com/class900indy...

Exploring the May 18, 1927, tornado which swept through the heart of downtown Indianapolis and caused serious damage on the near eastside. Companion Blog Post: "Like the Roar and Hum of a Fast Speeding Railway Locomotive" - The Eastside Tornado of 1927 Note: All sources listed in the above blog post. Most images are the Indiana Historical Society's Bass Photo Collection. The full collection can be...

This episode explores a proposal in the early 1920s to construct a dam on the White River at present day 38th Street in Indianapolis in order to create a large lake in the river valley north of that point, The proposed lake would have flooded the town of Rocky Ripple and made Butler University a lakeside campus. This podcast is based on one of the first blogposts I published on Class900Indy.com ba...

Yesterday’s Indianapolis Episode 3: “A Veritable Fire Trap”: The National Surgical Institute Fire of 1892 Companion Blog Post: https://www.class900indy.com/post/a-veritable-fire-trap-the-national-surgical-institute-fire-of-1892 As a heads up, this episode contains some graphic descriptions of fire victims. Also, some of the quoted sources use outdated and offensive language when referring to the p...

Yesterday’s Indianapolis Episode 2: The Minister and the Klan: The Resignation of Earl N. Griggs of Butler-Tarkington Class900Indy Companion Blogpost (which was published in 2024, not 2023 as stated in the podcast): https://www.class900indy.com/post/an-indianapolis-pastor-his-church-and-the-klan-the-resignation-of-earl-n-griggs-of-butler-tarkin "Exposure of 12,208 Ku Klux in Marion County, Indiana...

Check out https://www.class900indy.com/ for the companion blog post for this episode. This podcast references the book 'Murder in Their Hearts: The Fall Creek Massacre' which is available from the Indiana Historical Society at this link: https://shop.indianahistory.org/products/murder-in-their-hearts This is the inaugural episode of 'Yesterday's Indianapolis' so some things may be a little rough....