On December 13, 1841, John Dowling established a Whig weekly titled the Wabash Express in Terre Haute, Indiana, located on the banks of the Wabash River. John’s brother, Thomas Dowling, had previously owned the Wabash Courier, and one of the terms of sale prohibited Thomas from establishing another Terre Haute newspaper for five years. Thomas … Continue reading A History of the Wabash Express
Almost exactly 111 years ago, in January and February 1904, readers of the Indianapolis Journal and Sullivan’s Union and Democrat encountered this news. An “eccentric” Sullivan County resident — the Hermit of the Wabash, journalists were calling him — had just survived a winter flood on the river. A late-January thaw sent at least two … Continue reading The Hermit on the Banks of the Wabash
By 1884, Indianapolis newspapers were reporting on the success of eye surgeries and procedures, including tattooing the cornea, by using a brand new anesthetic… cocaine. According to A. Grzybowki’s 2008 article “Cocaine and the Eye: A Historical Overview,” doctors had been experimenting with coca leaves in Europe since the 15th century. However, it wasn’t until … Continue reading The 20% Solution: An Unlikely Breakthrough in Eye Surgery, 1884
On the night of All Hallows Eve in 1868, two young Irish girls left a party to pick cabbage in a neighbor’s field. Their neighbor fired at them with a large navy revolver and killed young Bridget Murry. Upon his arrest, the murderer “appeared perfectly unconcerned and indifferent,” according to the Daily Wabash Express. The … Continue reading Devil Cats, Magic Mirrors, and Fortune-Telling Cabbage: 19th Century Love-Sick Hoosiers and Ancient Halloween Traditions
New issues are available at Hoosier State Chronicles! Check out the newly added issues in: Crawfordsville Record (1834-1836, 105 issues) Crawfordsville Review (1853-1899, 961 issues) Crawfordsville Daily Journal (1890-1894, 1540 issues) Crawfordsville Weekly Journal (1853-1902, 1747 issues) Greenfield Republican (1889-1915, 933 issues) Indiana State Sentinel (1874-1894, 712 issues) Jasper Weekly Courier (1858-1922, 3232 issues) Lake … Continue reading New Issues Available!
Did you know that environmental laws, labor and women once clashed, causing feathers to fly? One little known battle from the days of the “plume boom” took place in 1913. The setting? The Indiana State House. Nineteen-thirteen happened to be the same year that W.T. Hornaday, one of America’s foremost wildlife biologists and conservationists, published a book called Our … Continue reading The “Bird Bills”: A Tale of the Plume Boom
Newspaper history is full of myths, “viral” stories, and tall tales. Folklore and journalism are often close cousins, especially the colorful “yellow journalism” that sold outright lies to rake in subscriptions. In the annals of Hoosier and American journalism, one persistent, tantalizing tale continues to baffle the sleuths at the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. Who … Continue reading “Go West, Young Man”: The Mystery Behind the Famous Phrase
In 1858, Terre Haute, Indiana, was beginning to have an odd distinction: bite victims from all over the Midwest were coming here for a cure. That year, Isaac M. Brown, editor of the Terre Haute Daily Union, suggested to the city council that the town purchase for public use a “madstone,” a curious leech-like hair … Continue reading The Terre Haute Madstone
The Library of Congress recently updated Chronicling America, and the following new Indiana newspaper content is now available: Brookville American, 1858-1860; Indiana American, 1853-1857; Indiana State Sentinel (weekly edition), 1875-78, 82-89, 92-94; and more issues of the Wabash Express, 1860-1861. If you are a regular user of Indiana newspapers on Chronicling America, you may notice that … Continue reading Brookville American and Other New Content Available in Chronicling America
ACCESS Hoosier State Chronicles! Below is a list of freely-accessible, historic, digitized Indiana newspapers organized by place of publication. These titles are available through various websites [noted in brackets after the title: e.g. HSC=Hoosier State Chronicles]. Angola Angola Herald (1910-1963) [via INSPIRE] Steuben Republican (1860-1964) [via INSPIRE] Argos Argos Reflector (1881-1963) [via INSPIRE] Bedford Bedford Independent (1856-57) [HSC] … Continue reading Indiana newspapers
