1901     The body of former Governor James A. Mount lay in state in the rotunda of the Indiana Statehouse.  The 24th Governor of Indiana, Mount had died only two days after leaving office.  Thousands paid their respects at the Statehouse.  He was later taken to his hometown of Crawfordsville for burial at Oak Hill Cemetery.

1920     Governor James P. Goodrich called a special session of the Indiana Legislature to ratify the Women’s Suffrage Amendment to the United States Constitution.  Indiana was the 26th state to approve the amendment, which became effective nationwide on August 18, 1920.  In signing the legislation, Governor Goodrich called it “an act of tardy justice.”

1928     Marvin Wood was born in Shelby County.  At the age of 26, he coached the Milan High School basketball team to a state championship in 1954.  The victory was the inspiration for the movie “Hoosiers.”  Wood went on to coach at New Castle, North Central (Indianapolis,) and Mishawaka High Schools, as well as Bethel and St. Mary’s Colleges.  His career win/loss record was 329-229.

1949     The world premiere for Walt Disney’s “So Dear to My Heart” was held at the Music Hall at Purdue University.  Several actors in the movie, including Bobby Driscoll and Burl Ives, were present for the event.  The motion picture, with live action and animation, tells of a boy’s life in Pike County, Indiana, at the turn of the 20th Century.

2000     A display case for the Indiana Constitutions was dedicated at the Statehouse.  Among those at the rotunda ceremony were Governor Frank O’Bannon, Chief Justice Randall Shepard, and State Senator James Merritt.  A special guest was Jacqueline Graham Burton, great-great granddaughter of Jonathan Jennings, the state’s first Governor.

2014     Two new busts were unveiled at the Indiana Statehouse.  One was in honor of James Hinton, the first African American to serve in the Indiana Legislature.  The other was in tribute to Julia Carson, the first African American to represent Indianapolis in the United States Congress.

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Indiana Statehouse Tour Office

Indiana Department of Administration

Visitors are welcome at the Indiana Statehouse Monday through Saturday.  For more information, please contact the tour office.

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

Indiana Quick Quiz

     There are many plaques, busts,  and statues at the Indiana Statehouse.  Each item below describes a person being honored in this manner.  Fill in the names.

1. A “pioneer poet,” she wrote “Paddle Your Own Canoe.”  S____B______

2.  A medical doctor, he served as Governor of Indiana in the 1970s.  O_____  B______

3.  He grew up in the forests of Southern Indiana and went on to become one of the most important Presidents in United States history.  A______L_______

Answers Below

HOOSIER  QUOTE  OF  THE  WEEK

“I had a front-row seat the first time.”

– – – Marvin Wood (1928 – 1999)

(His response when declining an invitatiion to the premiere of the movie “Hoosiers,” based on his Milan High School team’s 1954 state championship.)

Did You Know?

    In its over 205-year history, Indiana has had two state constitutions, The first was written in Corydon in 1816.  The second was created in Indianapolis in 1851.  Both original documents are on public display each year during the legislative session.  They can be seen in a special display case in the Statehouse rotunda.

Take an “Armchair Tour” of the Indiana Statehouse

ANSWERS:  1.  Sarah Bolton        2.  Otis Bowen     3.  Abraham Lincoln