1854     St. Meinrad was founded in Spencer County by monks from Einsiedein Abbey in Switzerland.  It is one of only two archabbeys in the United States and one of eleven in the world.

1912   The Spades Park Branch Library was dedicated in Indianapolis.  Andrew Carnegie built 164 libraries in Indiana, and this is the only one in the Italianesque style.  The Spades Park Branch continues to serve the community near Brookside Park.

1917     The Methodist Church approved the move of Moores Hill Collegiate Institute to Evansville.  In 1919, it became Evansville College and, in 1967, the University of Evansville.  The school was founded in 1854 in Dearborn County.

1954     The basketball team from the small high school in Milan, Indiana, won the state championship.  The victory was the inspiration for “Hoosiers,” one of the most popular sports movies of all time.  The film was shot in locations around the state, including the iconic final game at the Butler University fieldhouse.

1954     RCA began producing color TVs at its plant in Bloomington, Indiana.  A set with a 15-inch screen and 36 vacuum tubes sold for nearly $9,000 in today’s dollars.  At the time, there were only 6 hours of color broadcasting each week.

2012     Randall T. Shepard retired as Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court.  He was the longest-serving Chief Justice in Indiana history.  Appointed to the Court in 1985 by Governor Robert D. Orr, Shepard had earlier served as Judge of the Vanderburgh Superior Court in Evansville.

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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

     Most of Indiana’s 92 counties are named for famous people in history.  Identify each county below based upon the clue given:

1. First Chief Justice of the United States  2. Founding Father and inventor of bifocals  3. French hero of the United States Revolutionary War  4. First governor of Indiana after statehood

Answers Below

Hoosier Quote of the Week

     “The postman is a patient soul, and seldom makes a fuss, but for a dog to bite him seems to him superfluous; So teach your dog to hide his grouch and wag a cordial tail, for he who has a dog that bites is he who gets no mail.”

—Mary E. Bostwick (1886 – 1959)

     Mary E. Bostwick was an adventurous reporter for the Indianapolis Star.  She barnstormed with young pilots in the 1920s, rode elephants in circus parades, hovered over the city in air balloons, and was the first woman to ride around the Speedway.  For many years, she penned a daily column, “Last Page Lyric,” which viewed the day’s events in a humorous tone.  The above appeared in the issue for April 25, 1929.

Answers:  1. Jay County (John Jay)  2. Franklin County (Benjamin Franklin)  3. Fayette County (Marquis de Lafayette)  4. Jennings County (Jonathan Jennings)