Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau

Last updated
Indiana State Library and Historical Building
Indiana State Library.JPG
Location map Indianapolis central.png
Red pog.svg
Location map Indianapolis.png
Red pog.svg
USA Indiana location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Indianapolis, Indiana
Coordinates 39°46′10.55″N86°9′49.66″W / 39.7695972°N 86.1637944°W / 39.7695972; -86.1637944
Built1934
ArchitectPierre, Edward Dienhart Joseph; Wright, George Caleb
Architectural styleClassical Revival, Art Deco
Website www.in.gov/library/ OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
NRHP reference No. 95000207 [1]
Added to NRHPMarch 3, 1995

The Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau is a public library building, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the largest public library in the state of Indiana, housing over 60,000 manuscripts. Established in 1934, the library has gathered a large collection of books on a vast variety of topics.

Contents

History

The Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau has been open to the public since 1934.

The first attempts to have a state library started when Indiana was still a territory with its capital in Corydon, making it the oldest agency of the Indiana government. [2] However, the first actual Indiana state library would not be opened until the capital had moved to Indianapolis, starting on February 11, 1825, with the secretary of state acting as librarian. In 1867, the library's law books were transferred to the Supreme Court to begin the Supreme Court Law Library, which has grown to 70,000 volumes. [3] The library became its own institution in 1841. The State Board of Education gained control of the library in 1895, with the Department of Education gaining control in 1933. Between 1895 and 1933, the library amassed more material than it had in all its previous existence. Originally, the Library was only for the use of state employees and government officials. After assigning a two-cent tax to attain funds in 1929, and having architects send proposals for a new building in 1931, it was built to designs by Pierre & Wright Architects.

In 1945 the library was directed by Howard Henry Peckham, an early American historian who was the first to publish the Revolutionary War journals of Henry Dearborn, a revolutionary war officer and Secretary of War under President Thomas Jefferson. [4] [lower-alpha 1]

The building is made of Indiana limestone, sandstone, and walnut. Interior features include brass accents, fanciful murals, walnut-paneled walls, stained glass windows, and woodcarvings. The external architectural sculpture was created by Leon Hermant and carved by Adolph Wolter. [5]

The library has seven main divisions: Talking Book and Braille Library, Genealogy, Indiana Collection, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Reference and Government Services, Professional Development, and Library Development. [6] [7]

A 1993 inventory of the library's holdings included 60,000 books and pamphlets, 3,500 collected manuscripts, 1.5 million images, and 1,000 maps. Some of this included not only the history of Indiana, but that of the Old Northwest as well. [8]

It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1995.

The Indiana Historical Bureau has a home at the library. Founded in 1915 as the Indiana Historical Commission, its initial purpose was to prepare for the centennial of Indiana's statehood. The bureau largely concentrates on the placement of new historical markers across Indiana and encourages education in Indiana history. The bureau runs a gift shop at the library.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montgomery County, Indiana</span> County in Indiana, United States

Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 37,936. Its county seat is Crawfordsville. The county is divided into eleven townships which provide local services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crawfordsville, Indiana</span> City in Indiana, United States

Crawfordsville is a city in Montgomery County in west central Indiana, United States, 49 miles (79 km) west by northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,306. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County, the only chartered city and the largest populated place in the county. It is the principal city of the Crawfordsville, IN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Montgomery County. The city is also part of the Indianapolis–Carmel–Muncie, IN Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Rogers Clark</span> American military officer and surveyor (1752–1818)

George Rogers Clark was an American military officer and surveyor from Virginia who became the highest-ranking Patriot military officer on the northwestern frontier during the Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Virginia militia in Kentucky throughout much of the war. He is best known for his captures of Kaskaskia in 1778 and Vincennes in 1779 during the Illinois campaign, which greatly weakened British influence in the Northwest Territory and earned Clark the nickname of "Conqueror of the Old Northwest". The British ceded the entire Northwest Territory to the United States in the 1783 Treaty of Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethan Allen Brown</span> American judge

Ethan Allen Brown was a Democratic-Republican politician. He served as the seventh governor of Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albany Rural Cemetery</span> Historic cemetery in New York, United States

The Albany Rural Cemetery was established October 7, 1844, in Menands, New York, United States, just outside the city of Albany, New York. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful, pastoral cemeteries in the U.S., at over 400 acres (1.6 km2). Many historical American figures are buried there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Indianapolis)</span> Monument and historic site in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

The Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a 284 ft 6 in (86.72 m) tall neoclassical monument built on Monument Circle, a circular, brick-paved street that intersects Meridian and Market streets in the center of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. In the years since its public dedication on May 15, 1902, the monument has become an iconic symbol of Indianapolis, the state capital of Indiana. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 1973 and was included in an expansion of the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza National Historic Landmark District in December 2016. It is located in the Washington Street-Monument Circle Historic District. It is also the largest outdoor memorial and the largest of its kind in Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana Statehouse</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Indiana

The Indiana Statehouse is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of Indiana. It houses the Indiana General Assembly, the office of the Governor of Indiana, the Indiana Supreme Court, and other state officials. The Statehouse is located in the capital city of Indianapolis at 200 West Washington Street. Built in 1888, it is the fifth building to house the state government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corydon Historic District</span> Historic district in Indiana, United States

The Corydon Historic District is a national historic district located in Corydon, Indiana, United States. The town of Corydon is also known as Indiana's First State Capital and as Historic Corydon. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, but the listing was amended in 1988 to expand the district's geographical boundaries and include additional sites. The district includes numerous historical structures, most notably the Old Capitol, the Old Treasury Building, Governor Hendricks' Headquarters, the Constitution Elm Memorial, the Posey House, the Kintner-McGrain House, and The Kintner House Inn, as well as other residential and commercial sites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana Medical History Museum</span> History museum and historic building in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

The Indiana Medical History Museum is an Indianapolis monument to the beginning of psychiatric medical research. It is located on the grounds of what was formerly Central Indiana Hospital for the Insane, later shortened to Central State Hospital. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 25, 1972, as the Old Pathology Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana Historical Society</span> State historical society in Indiana, United States

The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is one of the United States' oldest and largest historical societies and describes itself as "Indiana's Storyteller".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana World War Memorial Plaza</span> Historic district in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

The Indiana World War Memorial Plaza is an urban feature and war memorial located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, originally built to honor the veterans of World War I. It was conceived in 1919 as a location for the national headquarters of the American Legion and a memorial to the state's and nation's veterans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Coburn (Indiana politician)</span> American politician

John Coburn was a United States Representative from Indiana and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Gibson County, Indiana</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Gibson County, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Birch Bayh Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, formerly known as the U.S. Courthouse and Post Office and as the Federal Building, is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, located in Indianapolis. It is a distinguished example of Beaux-Arts architecture, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Constructed from 1902 to 1905, the United States District Court for the District of Indiana met here until it was subdivided in 1928; the United States Circuit Court for the District of Indiana met here until that court was abolished in 1912. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as "U.S. Courthouse and Post Office" in 1974. The courthouse was renamed in honor of Senator Birch Bayh in 2003.

<i>Peirce Geodetic Monument</i>

The Peirce Geodetic Monument is a marker honoring the late American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce. It is located on Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, and was installed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. National Geodetic Survey.

<i>Abraham Lincoln</i> (relief by Schwarz)

The Abraham Lincoln commemorative plaque is a work of public art designed by Marie Stewart in 1906, created by Rudolph Schwarz, and dedicated on 12 February 1907.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackford County Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Blackford County Courthouse is a historic building located in Hartford City, Indiana, the county seat of Blackford County. The building stands on a public square in the city's downtown commercial district. Built during the Indiana Gas Boom, most of the construction work was completed in 1894. The current courthouse was preceded by another courthouse building on the same site, which was declared inadequate by a judge in 1893, and was torn down. Following the condemnation of the original courthouse, the county's judicial activities were temporarily located in a building across the street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Henry Peckham</span> American historian (1910–1995)

Howard Henry Peckham, was a professor and historian and an authority on colonial and early American history who published a number of works on those subjects. His academic career encompassed a wide variety of involvements in educational institutions and various historical societies. Peckham played a fundamental role in establishing professional academic standards for the management of historical manuscripts and historical society work in the 20th century that have endured to this day. He was a founding member of the Society of American Archivists and the Director of the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan. Peckham and his associate, Lloyd A. Brown, were the first historians to publish the American Revolutionary War journals of Henry Dearborn, in 1939, making them available to the general public for the first time. He is also noted for establishing more accurate numbers of American Revolutionary War deaths, which were much greater than previously assumed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Propylaeum</span> Historic house in Indiana, United States

The Propylaeum, also known as the John W. Schmidt House or as the Schmidt-Schaf House, is a historic home and carriage house located at 1410 North Delaware Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The Propylaeum was named after the Greek word "propýlaion," meaning "gateway to higher culture." The property became the headquarters for the Indianapolis Woman's Club in 1923, as well as the host for several other social and cultural organizations. It was initially built in 1890-1891 as a private residence for John William Schmidt, president of the Indianapolis Brewing Company, and his family. Joseph C. Schaf, president of the American Brewing Company of Indianapolis, and his family were subsequent owners of the home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs</span> United States historic place

Indiana State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, also known as the Minor House, is a historic National Association of Colored Women's Clubs clubhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The two-and-one-half-story "T"-plan building was originally constructed in 1897 as a private dwelling for John and Sarah Minor; however, since 1927 it has served as the headquarters of the Indiana State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, a nonprofit group of African American women. The Indiana federation was formally organized on April 27, 1904, in Indianapolis and incorporated in 1927. The group's Colonial Revival style frame building sits on a brick foundation and has a gable roof with hipped dormers. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "The Indiana State Library and Historical Building". statelib.lib.in.us. Archived from the original on 2007-05-20. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  3. "Supreme Court Law Library". IN.gov. Archived from the original on 2008-07-19. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
  4. The Clements Library Associates, 1995, p.4
  5. "Sculpture". Arch Sculpture Books. Archived from the original on November 23, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  6. Library, Indiana State (2021-09-29). "Services for Libraries". Indiana State Library. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  7. Library, Indiana State (2022-02-22). "Talking Book & Braille Library". Indiana State Library. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  8. Bodenhamer, David. The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis p. 739, 740

Sources

Notes

  1. Peckham is also widely noted for discovering that American revolutionary war deaths were much higher than previously assumed.