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Moment of Indiana History

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Woodburn Hall building in Collegiate Gothic style on the Indiana University Bloomington campus during autumn
A Fledgling Historian Takes On Reconstruction
Just as interesting as the speeches future historian James Woodburn gave in his undergraduate debate club at IU are the texts he wrote but never delivered.
  • A Victorian-era French fashion plate from Journal des Demoiselles depicting two women: one on the left in a voluminous pink evening gown with ruffled hems, and a bride on the right wearing an ornate white wedding dress, bridal veil, and floral headpiece.
    A Society Wedding In Early Indianapolis
    A letter written from Indianapolis in June 1840 suggests that weddings of the rich and famous were as eagerly anticipated almost two centuries ago as today.
  • Vintage 4th of July postcard featuring a large eagle with outstretched wings perched on a red-and-white striped cannon barrel with a blue, star-patterned base. Billowing smoke forms the text '4th of July Greeting' on the left.
    Political Suicide On The Fourth Of July
    A well-respected lawyer was almost run out of Salem, Indiana for a Fourth of July address advocating for a property tax increase to support public education.
  • Black and white photograph of author and Civil War general Lew Wallace sitting in a rocking chair on a wooden platform outdoors, writing under a large beech tree.
    The Athens Of Indiana
    Although Lew Wallace put Crawfordsville on the map with Ben-Hur, most books written in the city's literary heyday are now found only in antiquarian bookstores.
  • A botanical illustration of a large Duchesse d'Angouleme pear hanging from a branch with green leaves.
    The Reverend And The Duchess
    The science of horticulture, long practiced back East, had gained little hold on the western frontier, and Reverend Beecher set about remedying the problem.

"Moment of Indiana History" was a weekly two-minute radio program exploring Indiana History. The series was a production of WFIU Public Radio in partnership with the Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations (IPBS).

The program began as a co-production of WFIU, Bloomington, and WBAA, West Lafayette as a module to air on IPBS radio stations. From 2007 to 2014, the series was produced by WFIU for broadcast by IPBS stations as well as other entities interested in Indiana history. Now being re-released every Wednesday and Saturday.

  • A black-and-white Civil War-era photograph showing the guard house and entrance of Camp Morton in Indiana, with several union soldiers standing guard in a row.
    “Remenecense” Of A Hoosier Civil War Veteran
    As soon as Governor Oliver P. Morton issued the first call for volunteers, 19-year-old Louis Bir was “very anxious to Inlist” for the Union cause.
  • The modern refrigerator, in a 1940s iteration.
    Memories Of Keeping It Cool
    When Indiana homemakers were asked which appliance had most changed their lives during the 20th century, their response was unanimous: the refrigerator.
  • A close-up view of the front page of an antique newspaper titled "THE INDIANIAN." The masthead indicates it was published in Charlestown, Clark County, Indiana on Wednesday, July 8, 1846.
    The Perils Of Pioneer Publishing
    One early publisher apologized, “Want of paper compels me to furnish my readers with but half a sheet. I expect a supply before another publication day.”
  • A 19th-century map excerpt showing neighboring northeast Indiana counties including La Grange in yellow, Steuben in green, Noble in pink, and DeKalb in light green. Early railroad lines connect labeled historical towns such as Kendallville, Marseilles, and Gibraltar.
    Putting Indiana’s Cities and Towns On The Map
    The location of many of Indiana’s towns and cities is a result of geography, topography, economics, and the law—with a little nostalgia thrown in the mix.
  • A colorized postcard showing a street view of the East Side Public Square in Bedford, Indiana during the early 1900s, featuring multi-story brick storefronts, horse-drawn carriages along the unpaved street, and text at the bottom reading "East Side Public Square, Bedford, Ind."
    Competing For County Seat
    Town boosters competed fiercely for the designation of county seat during the nineteenth century.
  • A vintage advertisement flyer for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performing on the R.C.A. Magic Key Hour. A black-and-white photograph shows a large orchestra on stage with their instruments, centered around conductor Fabien Sevitzky on a small podium. The text details the broadcast on the N.B.C. Blue Network, scheduled for Sunday, January 22, featuring tenor soloist Lauritz Melchior.
    Indianapolis’ First Maestro
    The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra has firmly established itself on the US classical music scene, thanks in part to its first conductor, Fabien Sevitsky.
  • A long row of two-story concrete historic terrace townhomes under a evening sky, lined with bare winter trees and a street in the foreground.
    Concrete Utopia
    Gary—a city that social reformers had already dubbed the “City of the Century”—seemed a perfect site to try out new types of urban housing.
  • Black and white photograph of a vintage 1940s train dining car filled with seated passengers being served by waiters at tables with white tablecloths.
    The Golden Age Of The Dining Car
    Even as train travel faded in popularity, rail lines known for their dining, including the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, continued to offer full menus.
  • Dedication ceremony, Indianapolis Senate Avenue YMCA, 1913. George Knox, one of the founders of the branch, stands at the far left; to his right are Madam C. J. Walker, Freeman B. Ransom (attorney for the Walker company), special guest Booker T. Washington, Alexander Manning (editor of Colored World newspaper), Dr. Joseph H. Ward, R. W. Bullock (secretary of the Louisville YMCA), and Thomas Taylor (Senate Avenue secretary).
    Faburn DeFrantz: A Lifetime Of Leadership For Racial Progress
    “Little progress ‘happens’," stated Faburn DeFrantz. "Usually it must be wrested from influences that—either belligerently or indifferently—deny it.”
  • A red brick building with multiple towers and a central dome. The building has a Romanesque Revival architectural style and was formerly the Central Avenue United Methodist Church.
    The Second Life of an Indianapolis Landmark
    As demographic change altered the landscape of downtown Indianapolis, the church that had housed Indiana's largest Methodist congregation faced demolition.

A Moment of Indiana History is a production of WFIU Public Radio in partnership with the Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations. Research support comes from Indiana Magazine of History published by the Indiana University Department of History.