Twenty-two years prior to Amelia Earhart's flight across the Atlantic, Blanche Scott became the first woman to make a public solo flight. She did it in Ft. Wayne Indiana, and that's the subject of this month's IN History.
Saint Theodora Guérin
On Oct. 2, 1798, Anne Therese Guerin was born in Brittany, France, and entered the Catholic congregation Sisters of Providence of Ruillé in 1823. She led a mission from France to establish schools and orphanages in the Indiana wilderness, arriving at Terre Haute in the fall of 1840. Here, she established the Sisters of Providence, who endured harsh frontier conditions and anti-Catholic sentiments. In 1841, Guérin opened a female academy, the predecessor of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, which continues to provide women with educational opportunities (and recently began admitting men). By her death in 1856, she had directed the opening of 11 schools in nine Indiana towns. Pope Benedict XVI canonized her in 2006, naming her Saint Theodora Guérin. Learn more about this Catholic reformer from Blogging Hoosier History. (Oil painting base on 1855 daguerreotype; artist unknown; public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
1850 Constitutional Convention
1850 Constitutional Convention
On Oct. 7, 1850, the Constitutional Convention convened in Indianapolis, attended by 150 delegates selected by Indiana voters. After four months of deliberation, the delegates drafted a new state constitution -- ratified in 1851 -- that “was not a radical revision of the original document nor did it significantly alter the existing form of state government,” but “addressed numerous concerns and problems that had emerged during the formative years of the state.” The Constitution serves as “the cornerstone of Indiana's government and society, serving as a symbol of political continuity, tradition, and popular democratic government in the modern age.” Learn more with David G. Vanderstel’s article via the Indiana Historical Bureau. In this photo is an original front page of the 1851 Constitution that hangs in the Governor’s Office. (State of Indiana)
Charity Dye
Charity Dye
On Oct. 15, 1849, Charity Dye was born in Mason County, Kentucky. She moved with her family to Indiana, where she graduated from the Normal School of Indianapolis. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and taught in the Indianapolis Public Schools system for 37 years. Dye was prominent in suffrage and in 1915 served as the only woman on the Indiana Historical Commission, established to coordinate the state’s centennial activities. She produced historical pageants and organized a statewide letter exchange among schoolchildren. She died in 1921. Shortridge High School’s library was named in her honor in 1928. Learn more about Dye from the Indiana Historical Bureau. In this photo, Charity Dye (second from right, bottom row) is seen with other Indiana Historical Commission members. (Indiana State Library)
Harvey Wiley
Harvey Wiley
On Oct. 18, 1884, Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley was born on a small farmstead near Kent, Indiana. He attended Hanover College and served briefly in the Civil War in 1864. Wiley moved to Indianapolis, where he got his Ph.D. from the Medical College of Indiana and taught at Butler University. From 1874 to 1883 he taught chemistry at Purdue University, developing an interest in adulterated foods and beverages, a topic which was slowly gaining the attention of American consumers. In the coming decades Wiley would become the most visible public face behind the growing pure food movement, administering governmental testing of food, beverages and ingredients, most famously via the “Poison Squad” experiments. As Chief Chemist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wiley led a nationwide movement that culminated in the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and the establishment of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Learn more about Dr. Wiley via Blogging Hoosier History. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
Hardin’s Defeat
Hardin’s Defeat
On Oct. 19, 1790, Col. John Hardin and his 180-member Kentucky Militia, along with U.S. Army Captain John Armstrong and his 30 men, were routed by Native Americans in the Fort Wayne area. Miami leader Little Turtle reportedly led the native group against U.S. forces in what is known as Hardin’s Defeat. This was one of a series of battles comprising the Harmar Campaign, in which the U.S. Army attempted to subdue Native American resistance in the Northwest Territory. Harmar’s Campaign resulted in overwhelming victories for American Indian inhabitants, increasing tension between the two groups. Learn more about Hardin’s defeat with the Indiana Historical Bureau’s historical marker and corresponding report. This photo shows part of a plaque displayed in the Genealogy Department of the main Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne. Read more about the plaque at this Fort Wayne History Center blog. (Courtesy of the Fort Wayne History Center)
Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis Museum of Art
On Oct. 25, 1970, the Indianapolis Museum of Art opened at its current location at Oldfields, the Lilly Family estate at Michigan Road and 38th Street. The museum’s activities began in 1883 at the English Hotel on the Downtown Indianapolis Circle with the opening of an exhibit organized by the Art Association of Indianapolis. Suffragette May Wright Sewell, her husband Theodore and a small group of other art enthusiasts spearheaded the early efforts. Pictured here is the museum’s main building with the LOVE sculpture by artist Robert Indiana in the foreground. (By Serge Melki from Indianapolis, USA (Indianapolis Museum of Art - IMA) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
OCTOBER GALLERY
Click on an image to see a slideshow and to learn more about Indiana's history.
Learn about Indiana locations in 360° degrees. On a desktop machine? Use your mouse to drag the video around and see the entire location. On a mobile device or already watching 360° videos with your Google Cardboard ™? Just spin your body around to see all angles of the 360° video environment.
We didn't automatically geolocate you so we set your default location to Indianapolis, IN. If you're an Indiana resident, feel free to update your default location and we'll save it for next time.
We reset your default location to Indianapolis, IN. If you change your mind, feel free to update your default location and we'll save it for next time.
