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Indiana History


Cover of a pamphlet showing a map

Indiana history materials at the Lilly Library offer many paths for the curious Hoosier.

You can peruse printed accounts by early visitors to Indiana, publications and manuscripts concerning the Harmony society and the community established at New Harmony in the early nineteenth century by Robert Owen, as well as business, political, and family papers.

Business records include the papers of long-running firms like the Howard Ship Yards and Dock Company and the Cannelton Cotton Mill, businesses founded in the middle of the nineteenth century that continued well into the twentieth, as well as the papers of businessman Edward A. Rumely. Among the papers relating to Indiana politics are those of attorney John B. Niles, Governor Samuel M. Ralston, and WPA State Administrator John K. Jennings.

Images of early Indiana are found in the Lefevre Cranstone wash drawings executed in 1859 and 1860. The Frank Hohenberger photograph collection records daily life in southern Indiana during the first half of the twentieth century.

Six men sitting on a park bench, viewed from behind, photograph known as "Liar's Bench."

Frank Hohenberger photographs

Photographer and newspaperman Frank Hohenberger spent forty-seven years recording the life, customs, and scenes of the hills of Brown County, Indiana. 

View the digitized collection
Map of Crawford County, overlaid by a grid, drawn by Hazen Pleasant.

Indiana History manuscripts

Letters, legal and business records, diaries, and church records. Civil War diaries and a history of brewing in Indiana. We've got lots to explore, and much of the collection has been digitized.

View the digitized collection
Wendell Willkie, standing in the back of a convertible, waving to the crowd during a campaign visit.

Wendell L. Willkie papers

Hoosier attorney and businessman Wendell L. Willkie ran against Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1940 presidential election. He lost that race, but rose to prominence as an informal envoy of FDR and a proponent of international engagement and civil rights.

View the finding aid
  • Resources
  • Exhibitions

Resources

  • Three dollar bill issued by the Boone County Bank featuring an American eagle with wings spread.

    One hundred and fifty years : an exhibit commemorating the sesquicentennial of …

    A thematic overview of Indiana history materials in the Lilly Library, covering business, war, agriculture, transportation, politics, and literature.

    Type: Exhibition catalogue

  • Yellowed flyer announcing a talk by Powers Hapgood

    Indiana Politics - related manuscript collections

    An annotated list of manuscript collections related to politics in Indiana, from the early days of statehood to the twentieth century.

    Type: General information

Exhibitions

  • Great Depression era children sitting around a wooden table sharing a meal

    Online Only

    The Works Projects Administration in Indiana

    Drawing from materials donated by John K. Jennings, Indiana's WPA administrator during the late 1930's and early 1940's, this online exhibition highlights some of the many projects…
  • Figure in toga reading a book, surrounded by symbols of art, sculpture, geography, architecture, industry, and the like

    Online Only

    Building Jerusalem in America: William Ashton and a Trans-Atlantic Utopia

    Online exhibition focusing on the history of William Ashton and the utopian colony known as the Manchester Social Community Company.

Start your exploration

Find books in
IUCAT
Find manuscripts and archives in
Archives Online
Find digitized images in
Image Collections Online

We have millions of resources. Many are not yet digitized.

If you are having trouble finding what you are looking for, contact us.

Need Help?

Helpful finding aids like our manuscripts index, card catalog, and special card files are not online. We can help you navigate these resources.

Learn more about finding aids that are not online

We can make PDFs, digital images, and other reproductions of Lilly Library materials to meet your needs. Fees help us pay for this service.

Learn more ordering PDFs and digital images

If you plan to use Lilly Library materials in a book, article, or other publication, we ask that you fill out our Permission to Publish form. We do not own reproduction rights to most of the material in the collection, so you may also need to secure permission from copyright holders.

Learn more asking for permission to publish

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The Lilly Library Bloomington

1200 E. Seventh Street
Bloomington, IN
47405-5500
Tel: 812-855-2452
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