Moment of Indiana History
shows Archive
October 1, 2007
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Casket Manufacturing
During the late 19 th century, southeastern Indiana came to specialize in an industry it still dominates. Its forests supplying the raw materials and a concentration of German immigrant artisans providing the craftsmanship, the area became known for furniture manufacture.
September 24, 2007
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“Doc” Counsilman
When considering people with Indiana ties who hold a record for having crossed a body of water, Amelia Earhart’s is one name that comes up. The first woman to make a trans-Atlantic trip by plane taught for a time at Purdue, which also financed the Lockheed Electra in which the aviatrix ultimately vanished.
September 17, 2007
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Stone Age Institute
When reflecting on Indiana history, we most often consider the last two centuries—only occasionally delving into the century or two prior to that. In 2003, however, Indiana distinguished itself as a preeminent location for the study of pre -history.
September 10, 2007
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Amelia Earhart and Purdue
The year after Charles Lindbergh made the first flight across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart followed suit. Although she’d had a pilot’s license for five years by 1928, Earhart lacked the training necessary to fly the plane herself during that maiden voyage; but made history nonetheless as the first woman to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger.
September 3, 2007
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Coal Mining
In August 2007, amidst hourly updates on the fate of six coal miners trapped by a Utah mine collapse, word of another mine accident emerged—this time from the Hoosier State. Three workers in the Gibson Mine descending into an air shaft they were building fell more than 500 feet to their death when the bucket lowering them was somehow upset.
August 27, 2007
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“Big Dave” Van Buskirk
A family graveyard in the northwest corner of Monroe County, Indiana serves as the final resting place for two veterans of the American Revolution. While their legacy endures, their physical presence would almost certainly have been overshadowed by that of a Civil War soldier also buried in the Buskirk/Abel/Wampler cemetery. David Van Buskirk, better known as “Big Dave” or the “Big Lieutenant,” was reportedly the tallest man in the Union Army.
August 20, 2007
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John Birch Society
The anti-communist climate that prevailed during the post-war period in the United States may be most vividly represented by the investigations of the House Un-American Activities Committee. A somewhat less familiar manifestation of Cold War uneasiness was the John Birch Society. The still-active conservative political advocacy group had its start in Indiana.
August 13, 2007
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Indiana’s Carnegie Libraries
A philanthropic campaign undertaken a century ago left a permanent mark on the American urban landscape. From 1890 to1917, steel magnate Andrew Carnegie donated funds for the construction of 1679 public libraries in towns and cities across the country—not to mention 830 others around the world.
August 6, 2007
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Brazil Concert Bands
Formed just before the Civil War, the Brazil Concert Band is the oldest continuously performing concert band in Indiana. The collection of amateur and professional musicians that brings the Forest Park Bandshell to life Sunday evenings each summer got its start in 1858.
July 30, 2007
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Tell City Schweitzerfest
To commemorate the bicentennial of the United States Library of Congress, Congress launched a project that would provide a time capsule of American culture in the year 2000 . Local Legacies documented and celebrated more than 1300 festivals, gatherings and observances taking place in diverse communities across the country.
