1889     Zerna Sharp was born in Clinton County.  Beginning as an elementary teacher in Hillisburg, Kirklin, and La Porte, she went on to become a textbook consultant.  In the 1930s, she created the Dick and Jane series of readers which gained major use in schools across the nation.  The books helped millions of children learn how to read, as they followed the adventures of the two main characters, their sister Sally, and their dog Spot.

100 YEARS AGO 1920     The Allen County School Board announced the new teacher salary scale.  “Class A” teachers with 12 weeks of Normal School training and no experience would earn $100 a month.  “Class B” teachers with 24 weeks of training and some experience would receive $120 per month.  Teachers with three-year licenses would qualify for “Class C” wages of $135 each month.  The top tier, “Class D,” would include those who have three-year licenses and at least two years’ experience.  At the top of the scale, they would earn $150 per month.

1923     A family from Oregon was visiting relatives in Wolcott, Indiana, when their dog Bobbie was scared by other dogs and ran away.  After searching for him for several days, the family was forced to move on.  Six months later, Bobbie showed up at their home in Oregon, showing signs of having walked the entire 2,500 miles.  The two-year-old Collie mix was mangy and scrawny with toenails completely worn down.  He recovered and became a nationwide sensation, featured in newspapers everywhere.  Known as “Bobbie the Wonder Dog,” he played himself as the star of the silent movie, “The Call of the West.”  He lived until 1927 when he was buried with honors by the Oregon Humane Society.  The German Shepherd film star Rin Tin Tin placed a wreath at his grave.

1949     A Greyhound bus burst into flames when it slammed into a bridge abutment on Indiana Highway 37 four miles south of Bloomington.  Of the 29 passengers on board, 16 were killed and 11 injured.  At the time, it was called the worst highway accident in Indiana history.

1973     The Howard County Historical Society opened the Seiberling Mansion for public tours.  The 1891 home is a blend of Neo-Jacobean (Queen Anne) and Romanesque Revival architecture.  There are eight rooms on the first floor and seven on the second, with a grand ballroom on the third floor.  Ornate woodwork was created from a variety of native woods, including walnut, maple, cherry, mahogany, and butternut.  A magnificent porch overlooks the grounds.

2008  Sandy Allen died in Shelbyville at the age of 53.  At 7’7″, she was listed in the Guinness Record Book as the  tallest woman in the world.  Active in community affairs and public service, she often spoke to school groups on the theme, “It’s OK to be different.” She was featured in numerous newspaper and magazine articles and appeared on a wide variety of television shows.   Her life story is told in the book entitled Cast a Giant Shadow. Â

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Indiana Statehouse Tour Office

Indiana Department of Administration

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

(317) 233-5293
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    “Bobbie, the Wonder Dog” visited Indiana, but he actually lived in Oregon.  However, Indiana can claim several celebrity animals.  Can you identify each one below?

1.  Marlon Bundo

2.  Arnold Ziffel

3.  Dan Patch

4.  Garfield

Answers Below

Hoosier Quote of the Week

“You’ve got to be proud of yourself, no matter what you are.  Be proud of yourself and make the best of what you’ve got.”

– – – Sandy Allen (1955 – 2008)

Did You Know?

     The Indiana Statehouse, under construction for 10 years, opened in 1888.  The building still houses the core offices of all three branches of government.  The governor’s office is in the same space it has occupied for 132 years.  The House and Senate chambers, although substantially remodeled over the years, still occupy the same sections of the building.  The Indiana Supreme Court, representing the judicial branch, is virtually the same.  Care has been taken to upgrade the beautiful courtroom while at the same time maintaining the classic beauty of the original chamber.

ANSWERS: 

1.  Marlon Bundo is a rabbit and a member of the family of Vice President Mike Pence, former Indiana Governor.  Marlon’s adventures are described in books written by the Vice President’s daughter, Charlotte Pence Bond, and illustrated by his wife, Karen Pence.

2.  Arnold Ziffel was a pig from Mooresville, Indiana, and one of the stars on the TV show “Green Acres.”

3.  Dan Patch, a horse foaled in Oxford, Indiana, was a world-renown star of harness racing at the turn of the last century.

4.  Garfield, a mischievous cartoon cat created by Hoosier Jim Davis, can be found in the comic sections of newspapers around the world.