1851     The new Indiana State Constitution went into effect, replacing the original version written at the time of Statehood in 1816.  Meeting in the Statehouse in Indianapolis, 150 delegates had taken four months to craft the new document, which was created to adapt to changing times.  This 1851 Constitution continues to this day to serve as the foundation of state government.  Pictured:  The display case in the Statehouse rotunda which houses the original hand-written state constitutions during legislative sessions. Â

1892     The First automatic telephone system went into operation in La Porte, Indiana.  Local mortician Almon Strowger used hat pins and electromagnets to create a rotary dial mechanism which would become the basis of telephone technology for decades to come.  Calls could be made without the assistance of an operator.  Strowger called his method “cuss-less, out-of-order-less, and wait-less.”

1917     James Bethel Gresham, from Evansville, was killed in action in a battle near Artois, France.  The 23-year-old Army Corporal was the first Hoosier, and one of the first three Americans, to die in combat during World War I.  He and his comrades were buried on the battlefield where they fell, but Gresham’s remains were later returned to Evansville and interred at Locust Hill Cemetery.

1935     Amelia Earhart was the special guest of the Hammond Junior Women’s Club at the Lyndora Hotel.  Introduced by Mayor Frank R. Martin, the famous flyer fascinated the audience as she spoke of her solo flights over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  A dinner was followed by ice cream desserts topped with airplane motifs.  She later spoke to 900 people at Hammond High School.  As she described her adventures, she said she loved flying “for the beauty of the view over land and sea.”

1942     Arcada Stark Balz became the first woman elected to the Indiana State Senate.  Born on a farm near Bloomington, she had grown up in Indianapolis and attended Manual High School.  A teacher of history, literature, and art, she had also served as president of the Indiana Federation of Women’s Clubs.  In the Senate, she represented Johnson and Marion Counties.

1957     Architect Frank Lloyd Wright visited Indianapolis.  At age 90, he had become a legend in what became known as “organic architecture.”  He was critical of many of the city’s buildings, but expressed admiration for the J. C. Penney Store on Monument Circle.  He also approved of Weir Cook Airport, which he said was “very nicely designed.”  Pictured; The J. C. Penney Store in the 1950s.  The structure underwent extensive renovation in later years.  

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Indiana Statehouse Tour Office

Indiana Department of Administration

Tours of the Indiana Statehouse are offered Monday through Friday by appointment only.  For more information, contact us.

You are invited to take a “Virtual Tour” of the Statehouse by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.

(317) 233-5293
touroffice@idoa.in.gov 

Indiana Quick Quiz

     Can you name these official symbols of Indiana?

1.  The state bird     2. The state flower         3. The state insect        4.  The state song

Answers Below

Hoosier Quote of the Week

“There are two kinds of statistics:  the kind you look up and the kind you make up.”

– – – Rex Stout  (1886 – 1975)

Born in Noblesville, Indiana, he became a very popular mystery writer.  His most famous character was detective Nero Wolfe, who appeared in 33 novels and 40 novellas.

Did You Know?

     When Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in as the newest member of the United States Supreme Court, she became the fourth Associate Justice in history with strong Indiana connections.  Willis VanDevanter, who grew up in Marion, was appointed by President William Howard Taft in 1911.  He served on the bench for 26 years.  Sherman Minton, from Georgetown, Indiana, was appointed by President Harry Truman and served from 1949 to 1956.  The current Chief Justice, John Roberts, appointed by President George W. Bush in 2005, was born in New York but grew up in Long Beach, Indiana.  Justice Amy Coney Barrett, appointed by President Donald Trump, was born in Louisiana but has resided in South Bend for many years.

ANSWERS:                                   1. Cardinal  2.  Peony  3.  Say’s Firefly  4.  On the Banks of the Wabash Far Away