What do you give to the person who loves history? Give a gift that supports local efforts to record it. Consider a certificate for birthdays or anniversaries, or for any reason!

Visitors will be able to view a selection of books written by the Hoosiers as well as photos and documents that display the careers of the Indiana authors. More information HERE.

With more than 1,550 items, the collection contains historic manuscripts, books, and publications that encompass subjects such as religion, philosophy, politics, mathematics, science, and economics. Public access to these important items is made available to promote conversations on topics such as liberty and human dignity. More information HERE.

Link for the full article HERE.

As organizations look for ways to tell the stories of African American heritage in their communities, they might find inspiration in the work of one highly successful nonprofit group.

Since 1923, the Roberts Chapel Homecoming and Burial Association, Inc., has been sharing the story of one of the oldest historically Black rural communities in the state. Now, the group is preparing to launch a public campaign to secure funds for a new “Legacy Walk,” an accessible path for self-guided exploration of the site’s rich history.

In the nineteenth century, free Blacks established farm settlements in states throughout the Midwest, including in Indiana. In 1835, the founders of Roberts Settlement migrated from northeastern North Carolina and bought land near abolitionist Quaker and Wesleyan communities in northern Hamilton County.

Settlement life centered around the church, and in 1858 residents of the community built the current chapel to serve as a church and social center. In addition to weekly religious services, the chapel hosted quarterly meetings and interracial revivals for the Wesleyan church.

Today, Roberts Chapel houses a non-denominational congregation that is working to secure the building’s future.

Link for the full article HERE.

After living in Germany and historic Midwestern communities, Mary Ellen O’Connell and Pete Bauer appreciate quality craftsmanship and walkable cities. So, in 2005, when Mary Ellen accepted a teaching position at the University of Notre Dame’s law school in South Bend, the couple made finding a historic home within biking distance of the university a top priority. They found it in the city’s West North Shore Drive Historic District: a 1905 Neoclassical Revival-style house with views of the Saint Joseph River and nearby Leeper Park.

They came to the property with some knowledge of old houses, earned while serving with the U.S. military and living in a fifteenth-century farmhouse in Germany and a nineteenth-century residence in Columbus’s German Village. Since moving in on their house’s 100th anniversary, Mary Ellen and Pete have restored nearly every inch, from the foundation to the roof, working with Buccellato Design, LLC, on the design. ....