Hoosier History Live

Buckle up to time travel to World War II and the post-war era as Hoosier History Live explores Indiana connections to the acclaimed  Tuskegee Airmen . There even are Indiana/Tuskegee links; such as  MOAA , to the aerial competition that eventually became known as "Top Gun", the inspiration for blockbuster movies. This show follows up a program in  2017  that delved into the lives of several Hoosie...

One persistent myth about  Strawtown  is that the village in  Hamilton County  near the  White River  came close to being designated the new state capital of Indiana more than 200 years ago. Other myths involve Chief Straw , the supposed namesake of the village who has been described as an early Native American leader in central Indiana. Even though a 10-foot monument to Chief Straw was built in t...

Excuse the creepy topics, but isn't it Halloween season? Appropriate, then, to time-travel to the late 19th and early 20th centuries when, as our guest puts it, "the city of  Indianapolis  had all the makings of a perfect horror movie set, the largest saw factory in the world, acres of stockyards and slaughterhouses, and the specter of ceilings dripping with something that appeared to be blood but...

Major landmarks in downtown Indianapolis today include  Lucas Oil Stadium , the home of the  Indianapolis Colts . During the early 1900s, though, the site was the home of Arab Americans. A thoroughfare in the neighborhood called Willard Street (which vanished in the 1920s as the area was repurposed) was the hub of what was known as the city's "Syrian colony" because most of the Arab Americans resi...

The IndyCar season has ended, but doesn't widespread interest continue year-around among many Hoosiers in all things related to the  Indianapolis Motor Speedway ? So rather than making a pit stop, Hoosier History Live will explore the evolution of the  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum , which has been located near the south entrance to the Speedway off W. 16th Street since 1976. About 20 years e...

Even by the spring of 2021, the  Covid-19 pandemic  had created enough medical and social history in Indiana for Hoosier History Live to explore it in a  show . Since then, additional history has unfolded, so we will follow up with another show that will touch on everything from the overwhelming challenges that confronted Indiana hospitals last fall and winter to the resistance to vaccinations. "V...

Just as cities and small towns in Indiana have evolved during more than 200 years of statehood, so have their cemeteries. Hoosier History Live will explore that evolution, particularly the changes in the ways cemeteries have been designed and landscaped. This will include a look at the  Rural Cemetery Movement  that began in the mid-1800s and involved creating professionally designed cemeteries in...

As many Hoosiers begin to focus on the picturesque county in far-western Indiana that touts itself as the " Covered Bridge Capital of the Country ", Hoosier History Live will spotlight colorful and trail-blazing historic men and women from  Parke County  and the nearby area. Our guest will be a popular author, storyteller and photographer based in Parke County, which hosts an annual  Covered Bridg...

You can find everything from the original  Indiana State Constitution  drafted in 1816 to casino applications for  Donald Trump  and a poster that cult TV personality  Sammy Terry  autographed to then- Gov. Ed Whitcomb  more than 45 years ago. For more than 20 years, the  Indiana Archives  have been housed in a warehouse on the eastside of Indianapolis that's long been described as inadequate. Ear...

Could the  White River  make the new city of  Indianapolis  a major center for shipping in the 1820s? Could a steamboat arrive and depart in the 1830s, or would it get stuck on a sandbar? And, nearly 200 years later, has the depth of the waterway changed in the Indy metro area? Hoosier History Live will plunge into these and other issues about the White River. Its west fork flows through Indianapo...

When the summer began in June, Hoosier History Live explored offbeat aspects of the corner of the state often called " The Region ". Now that the season is drawing to a close, we will return to Northwest Indiana to delve into a wealth of other sites, existing and bygone, including some in  Hammond , one of the largest cities in The Region. Our spotlight will be on one of the tallest of the  Indian...

How do you come up with a "voice" for a historic figure who has been dead for more than 150 years, and who lived before sound recordings? What if the character was taller than you? Where do you find appropriate clothing and props when recreating a famous person from the 19th century? And why would a classically-trained performer decide to devote his career to reenacting historic figures? Those are...

Even folks who complain about "bugs" are apt to say they love two insects.  Fireflies  and  Monarch butterflies  have captivated generations of Hoosiers, who swap anecdotes about memories of the insects dating to their childhoods. Lately, though, a different breed of anecdote is making the rounds: Observations that the number of fireflies and Monarch butterflies may be dwindling. "Where are all of...

Probably the best way to swoop in and do a show that explores birds of prey in Indiana is to invite, as a guest, a wildlife expert who travels across the state accompanied by an assortment of live birds for educational purposes.  Mark Booth , the director of Indianapolis-based  Take Flight! Wildlife Education , will be Nelson's guest to share insights about various species of birds of prey. And to...

Having lost a parent in what historians have described as the most cataclysmic event of the 20th century, they call themselves  World War II  orphans. Many were young children, under 12 years old, when their fathers were killed in action. Some were not even born yet when their fathers died. For another Hoosier History Live show in our continuing exploration of the impact of World War II, we will f...

During a  show  four years ago, Hoosier History Live explored the connections between Indiana and  Ellis Island , the gateway to America for generations of immigrants. The receiving center for aspiring Americans in New York Harbor opened in 1892 during the administration of  President Benjamin Harrison , the only president elected from Indiana. As a kind of prequel to that show, we will delve into...

Hard to believe, but many families are beginning to contemplate the upcoming school year. For some, a return to teachers and classrooms begins in just a few weeks. In celebration, or just acceptance of the inevitable, Hoosier History Live will take a look at some Hoosier educators who made an impact when our host, Nelson Price, is joined by a historian colleague for another of our call-in shows. I...

Buckle up for a bumpy expedition through an era of sports history and the life of a champion race driver that had been mostly forgotten for decades after the Great Depression. The Gold and Glory Sweepstakes  was, as our guest has written, "a freewheeling, dust-raising, 100-mile grind around a one-mile dirt track at the  Indiana State Fairgrounds  in Indianapolis . . . (It was) an annual sporting e...

A bushel of challenges have confronted family farmers in recent decades. At the same time, farmers markets have sprouted up in towns and neighborhoods across Indiana, the popularity of their "buy local" appeal undeniable. Nick Carter, 39, is knee-deep in both family farms and farmers markets. He grew up on a multi-generational family farm near  Russiaville ; today, he lives with his wife and three...

Dig this: More people gardened last year than at any time since the 1940s, according to recently released research. Our expert guest will describe reasons this boom is likely underway, how garden centers and growers are struggling to keep up with demand and other topics during a show that will explore a range of intriguing topics under the gardening umbrella. Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp, the Indianapoli...

" We are being bombed." Carmel resident  Svitlana Ramer , 35, received that frightening text message from her mother in February. Svitlana had immigrated to the United States in 2008 from  Ukraine . Her mother and her 91-year-old grandmother continue to live in  Kyiv , the capital city of the country that's been the focus of international attention since its brutal invasion by  Russia . Svitlana a...

Snicker if you must, because that's an understandable reaction to an annual tradition in Northwest Indiana. At the  Pierogi Drop  every New Year's Eve in the city of  Whiting , a 10-foot tall version of the dumpling associated with Polish cuisine is dropped into a boiling cooking pot at the stroke of midnight. And in the summer, the  Pierogi Fest  in Whiting sometimes draws more than 350,000 enthu...

On Memorial Day weekend, Hoosier History Live will follow up previous shows that featured  World War II  veterans. This time, we will focus on children and teenagers, now in their 80s and 90s, who dealt with special challenges during what many historians consider the most cataclysmic event of the 20th century. Nelson's guests will include a retired teacher in  Carmel  who spent World War II in an ...

Doctors, nurses and ambulances have been part of the scene at the  Indianapolis Motor Speedway  since the first auto race in 1909, a disastrous, five-mile competition that resulted in the deaths of drivers, mechanics and spectators. (The inaugural  Indianapolis 500  was not held until two years later, in 1911.) Medical, sports and social history began unfolding lickety-split at the world-famous ra...

For a deep dive into the histories of  Geist Reservoir  and  Morse Reservoir,  which supply much of the water for residents of the greater Indianapolis area,  Hoosier History Live  will plunge into several questions. Were you aware that a historic village called  Germantown , which was founded during the 1830s and flourished for more than 100 years, was subsumed to create Geist? Do some of Germant...