Hoosier History Live

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. Earlier this year, state leaders announced a site for a new, $35 million building downtown for the archives.

So Hoosier History Live will follow up a show from seven years ago, when officials were hoping that a new home for the archives collection of historical records would be built as part of the 2016 celebrations of Indiana's bicentennial. The project never happened then, but now that a new state archives building finally is about to become a reality (construction is set to begin in spring 2023), we will revisit the topic to spotlight the details.

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 Indianapolis, which was created in the wilderness of the 1820s to be the new state capital city. Many historic accounts discuss how state leaders assumed the White River would be navigable for a range of watercraft. When a steamboat called the "General Hanna" (its owner was Robert Hanna, a military commander) got stuck in 1831 on a sandbar just south of the city, where it remained for six weeks and became an object of ridicule, the challenges with navigability were obvious.

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 Indiana Dunes, which was the site of a near-tragedy in 2013; shipwrecks beneath Lake Michigan, and a beloved, bygone department store with a connection to a classic movie. In fact, we will salute another site (a quirky one) in Hammond that pays tribute to the city's link to "A Christmas Story" (1983), the movie based on the writings of Jean Shepherd, who grew up in the city.

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 among the topics that Hoosier History Live will explore with acclaimed, Indiana-based historic reenactor Danny Russel, who is well known for his portrayals of Abraham Lincoln, "Hoosier Poet" James Whitcomb Riley and frontiersman Daniel Boone. Danny will join Nelson for a show that "pulls back the curtain" on historic reenactors, including insights about how they develop their characters who, as in Danny's case, have appeared at festivals, schools, museums, bicentennial galas, historic homes, parks and an array of other sites and events across the country.

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 the Fireflies?" was the headline atop an article in the Indianapolis Star last month that featured a swarm of anecdotal accounts that the numbers may be dwindling of the beloved insect, which often is called a "lightning bug".

To address this and other issues related to fireflies and Monarch butterflies, a nationally known entomologist (who happens to be based on Hoosier turf) will be Nelson's guest. Dr. Tom Turpin, a professor emeritus at Purdue University and founder of its annual "Bug Bowl" competition, will share insights about the two popular insects.

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 dispel misconceptions about them.

Hawks, falcons, owls and vultures will be among the birds that we spotlight during our show with Mark, who does outreach programs at schools, museums, clubs and nature centers. This month he has been making appearances, along with some of his birds of prey, at the Indiana State Fair.

"Are they in a bad mood?" Mark asked his audience during a recent presentation, referring to the glaring stare that's often associated with hawks. As Mark spoke, he was accompanied by a red-tailed hawk, which did seem to be, well, glaring. "No, it's not a bad mood. Hawks find food by their eyesight. They look like that (glare) to keep the sun out of their eyes."

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 focus on these children, now men and women in the 70s and 80s. Some are members of a national, non-profit organization, American WWII Orphans Network, known as AWON.

It's president, Indianapolis resident Walt Linne, a retired U.S. Air Force command pilot, will join Nelson to share insights about the impact of losing a parent during the war. Walt, who also is retired from a career in telecommunications at IUPUI, was just 2 years old when his father, Walter John Linne of Indianapolis, was killed six weeks before the end of the war in Europe.

Walt's father was 32 years old and a tank commander for the U.S. Army's 14th armored division when he was shot by a German sniper while loading wounded soldiers on his tank to take to a medical station. Having been wounded himself in an earlier battle, he was awarded two Purple Hearts, one posthumously.

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 the immigration scenario that led the federal government to open Ellis Island, including controversies at its predecessor, Castle Garden on lower Manhattan in New York City. The country's first official immigration center, Castle Garden was operated by New York officials.

We also will explore the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which Harrison opposed as a U.S. senator from Indiana. The Chinese Exclusion Act, which suspended the immigration of skilled and unskilled Chinese laborers, passed without Harrison's support. According to Nelson's guest, Harrison was labeled the "pro-Chinese candidate" of the Republican Party in his presidential campaign of 1888.

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.

It so happens that Nelson's co-host, Ray Boomhower of the Indiana Historical Society, had an unlikely driver's ed teacher during a summer session at Mishawaka High School in the late 1970s. More than 20 years earlier, Marvin Wood had been in the spotlight as the coach of Milan High School, the tiny school in southeastern Indiana that captivated the country by winning the state high school basketball championship. The 1954 victory, known as the "Milan Miracle", involved a legendary, buzzer-beating shot by one of Coach Wood's players, Bobby Plump; it served as the inspiration for the classic movie Hoosiers (1986).

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 event so grand it attracted the attention of national news agencies as well as thousands of spectators."

During the 1920s and '30s, the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes was the showcase event of an Indianapolis-based professional racing circuit for African American drivers and mechanics with events in Chicago, Detroit, Dayton and other Midwestern cities. During an era of racial segregation, the circuit showcased competitors who were not welcomed by the American Automobile Association, the national sanctioning body of auto races that included the Indianapolis 500.