Hoosier History Live

Originally aired 06/06/2026. Did you know that Abraham Lincoln's private secretary and uncredited speechwriter was a native Hoosier? John Hay (1838-1905) was born in Salem, Ind., where there's a John Hay Center. As a cultured, Ivy League educated teenager, Hay developed a nearly father son relationship with Lincoln beginning in Springfield, Ill. Hay, a gifted poet, went on to have a significant im...

Originally aired 05/30/2026. Following the opening in Indianapolis of a new Gurdwara, a house of worship for the Sikh faith, which originated in India, Hoosier History Live learns about the heritage that has been flourishing locally in recent decades. About nine Gurdwaras are in the Indy metro area, with dozens more across the state. Nelson's guests are well-known artist and civic leader K.P. Sing...

Originally aired 05/23/2026. Counties, towns, rivers, lakes and other sites have names inspired by Revolutionary War heroes, Founding Fathers, Native Americans terms and tribes, and even countries in South America. Nelson and his guest, Charles Braun, share their knowledge about the origins of place names ranging from the town of Wakarusa in far-northern Indiana to Rising Sun on the Ohio River. Ch...

Originally aired 05/02/2026. As an acclaimed journalist primarily based in Paris beginning in the 1920s, Indianapolis native Janet Flanner profiled and befriended notables including Hemingway, Picasso and Matisse. Flanner also reported on the rise of Hitler. A one-woman play about her remarkable life (1892-1978) was presented the summer of 2026, and a new biography of her has been published. Nelso...

​Originally aired 4/25/2026.  During the early 1920s, Hammond had a pro football team. In Valparaiso, a restaurant popular for many generations specialized in turkey dinners all year, not just at Thanksgiving. And in Fort Wayne, an elegant French restaurant consistently received four-star ratings in national guides. All are among bygone "treasures" in northern Indiana that Hoosier History Live hig...

Originally aired 4/18/2026. The Indiana Medical History Museum is located in a historic building that was part of Central State Hospital in Indianapolis, where, for 150 years, patients received treatment for mental health issues. Sarah Halter, the executive director of the museum, and Danielle Thomas, the operations manager, join Nelson to share an array of stories involving Central State, includi...

Originally aired 04/11/2026. Streetcar strikes in 1892 and 1913 were initiated by workers frustrated by low pay and long hours. The 1913 strike even involved what was described as a "police mutiny". Nelson's guest, award-winning author Ed Fujawa, and the creator of the  class900indy blog, shares insights about the streetcar strikes and a strike in 1934 at the Real Silk Factory, which had reports o...

Originally aired on 03/28/2026. Listeners were invited to call and ask any questions about Indiana's heritage of Nelson and his guest, Ron May. In between the calls, Ron and Nelson will be interviewing each other, primarily about World War II topics connected to Indiana. In addition to being a WW II historian, Ron is a chaplain and a Carmel-based author who interviewed Hoosiers who served as Marin...

Originally aired 03/21/2026. In the wake of an extensive initiative to pull them together from 45 city, county and quasi-governmental agencies, Hoosier History Live delves into the archives. The archives include everything from jail registries dating to the 1880s to artifacts discovered during recent excavations. City Archivist Jordan Ryan and Dee Dee Davis, the reference archivist, describe their...

Originally aired on 03/14/2026. The show reflects on how Hoosiers celebrated previous milestone anniversaries such as the Bicentennial in 1976 with a look at a historic cottage in the then-evolving Lockerbie neighborhood in Indianapolis, and fire hydrants in South Bend, which had distinctive decorations. Nelson'g guest, Libby Cierzniak, a retired Indianapolis attorney who writes a city history blo...

Originally aired 03/07/2026. The show spotlights the first woman faculty member at Purdue University as well as other trail-blazing women affiliated with Purdue. They  include a Latin professor who became a legendary mountain climber in the 1880s and the first female professor in the Department of Entomology. These women are featured in a new book, "Purdue's Female Founders" by Lafayette-based his...

Originally aired 02/28/2026.  Indianapolis-based historians Jeff Stroebel and Eunice Trotter will join Nelson to share insights about  the little-remembered but historically significant political movement known unofficially as "Garvey-ism."  The movement peaked during the 1920s and early 1930s and had a presence in cities across Indiana. It stressed racial pride and economic self-sufficiency along...

Originally aired 02/21/2026.  Content awareness for listeners: This show contains discussion about violence and may not be suitable for listeners that are senstive to this subject matter.   For many decades after Carol Jenkins, a young Black woman, was murdered in Martinsville in 1968, the killing remained unsolved and a "cold case". Then a series of revelations began to unfold, including a chilli...

Originally aired 02/14/2026. Hoosier History Live salutes Valentines Day and spotlights the marriages of people who lived to be 100 years old (or older) and, in some cases, were wed for 70 or even 80 years. Some of the stories are romantic and  some are heart-breaking or quirky. Nelson's returning guest is Gerry Justice, an Indianapolis author who interviewed centenarians for his book, "My 100-Yea...

Originally aired 02/07/2026. Benjamin Harrison V was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the great-grandfather (and namesake) of the only U.S. president elected from Indiana. Nelson and his guest explore other Revolutionary War-related aspects associated with the Harrison political dynasty. Benjamin V became the first person to read the Declaration of Independence out loud but voted no...

Originally aired 01/31/2026. Genealogy for people with Native American ancestry can be challenging because of several factors, including the way the U.S. Census categorized (or did not categorize) Indigenous Peoples, particularly during the 1800s. Sarah Pfundstein, a genealogy librarian at the Indiana State Library, is Nelson's guest to offer advice and suggestions for resources.

Originally aired 01/17/2026. The Indiana World War Memorial, Circle Theatre on Monument Circle, the Indiana Statehouse, the Birch Bayh U.S. Courthouse and other buildings all have classical elements of Greek and Roman design. Nelson's guest is distinguished architectural historian James Glass, the author of two books that explore Indianapolis architecture during the 1800s and early 1900s. 

Originally aired 01/10/2026. Nelson and guests, Michael and Jamie Snyder, native Hoosiers who moved separately to Pasadena in the mid 1970s as teenagers  explore the unlikely, but extensive, historic connections between Pasadena and Indiana. The California city was founded in the 1870s by Hoosiers who were tired of bitter winters. They initially called their settlement "The Indiana Colony" before...

Originally aired 01/03/2026. Previous guest and antiques dealer, Charles Alexander,  discusses his collection of historic Indianapolis memorabilia and ephemera. He has postcards, photos, artifacts and souvenirs connected to Indianapolis landmarks, high schools, and bygone department stores, businesses and banks. Charles shares insights about the history of garage sales, plus advice for collectors....

Originally aired 12/13/2025. An all call-in program was aired with co-host and  prolific author Ray Boomhower of the Indiana Historical Society. Listeners are invited to call WICR-FM with any questions or comments about our Indiana heritage throughout the show. In between phone calls from listeners, Nelson and Ray interview each other about topics related to the holiday season and "America 250".  ...

Originally aired 12/06/2025.  Nelson and his guests explore the histories of the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood on the eastside of Indy as well as Polk's Dairy, the state's largest milk distributor during the early 1900s. The only remaining structure of the dairy complex is its stable for delivery horses, which today houses the Polklore Micro-Museum that highlights neighborhood history. Nelson...

Originally aired 11/15/2025. An outstanding rower from Bloomington became the only organ donor to win an Olympic medal. A runner from Westfield was struck by a car, but recovered to become an All-American athlete. And an Indianapolis native who lost both of her twin sons, then took a long break from running, returned to set an Indiana record in the marathon. These women and others are featured in...

Originally aired 10/25/2025. There have been six official, state-owned houses since 1816, but also long stretches when Governors and First Ladies lived in private residences for various reasons. In Indianapolis, the first governor's mansion constructed on the eventual site of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument was never occupied. A subsequent Governor's mansion was blamed for making family members...

Originally aired 10/18/2025. Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp , the Hoosier Gardener, is Nelson's guest. She is well-known garden writer and coach who recently was inducted into the Garden Communicators Hall of Fame. During this episode she shares insights about the spotted lantern fly and other invasive insects as well as the plants and trees that host them. Jo Ellen also discusses a crusade to replace the...

Originally aired 10/11/2025. Hoosier History Live spotlights the colorful return to the country of Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette after more than 40 years. Gen. Lafayette traveled thousands of miles and visited all of the 24 states in the nation in 1824-25, including Indiana. The tour, which was both triumphant and rugged, is described in "The Last Adieu", a book by Bloomington ba...