All Non-Digital Titles

History is made every November in central Indiana when DePauw and Wabash meet to do battle for the Monon Bell.

Relive the classic moments of the oldest college football rivalry of its kind. In this hard-hitting collection, author Tyler James highlights the coaches and players who gained glory capturing the Bell. Deep historical research and personal interviews with players provide an intimate look into the epic games that live on in legend. Along with players and coaches, the fans receive due recognition for their part in this time-honored rivalry. The Bell heists, the songs, the game-day traditions--James recounts fan fervor in vivid, often humorous, detail. Whether readers sport scarlet and white or black and gold, this is a collection no fan should miss.

Today this railroad, most often called the Monon, is only a memory of a time when trains streaked across the hills and farmland of southern Indiana. The Monon Railroad in Southern Indiana examines the real purpose of railroads as movers of people and the products they devoted their lives to producing and focuses on areas from New Albany to Bloomington. It identifies the only two counties in Indiana that were a part of the Salem limestone district and gives a glimpse of how the stone was removed from the earth and eventually formed into some of the nation's most beloved buildings and structures. It also takes a look at the history of several lumber-based industries and the famed products that they manufactured. New Albany was once known across America as a key producer of hardwood plywood, used in custom cabinetry, and the Showers Brothers Furniture Company of Bloomington was once the largest manufacturer of furniture in America. This book talks about the industries that created the cities and towns that many Hoosiers called home.

It reveals the journey of hopeful and hard-working Polish immigrants who arrived in the early 1900s, established an ethnic community, and adapted to the American way of life. This fascinating photographic compilation of almost 200 images features various past and present residents of Gary. It examines the city's diverse ethnic groups and religious denominations, offering a glimpse of a life very different from that of today. Along with detailed captions, The Polish Community of Gary offers the rare chance to experience the history of Polish Gary, bringing its exciting past alive again. Author John Trafny traces the story of past trials, tribulations, and triumphs with skill, compassion, and an insider's eye.

These untold stories and never-before-seen images explore the human drama of the 1913 Flood as it unfolded in Tippecanoe County, Indiana.

Heralding the coming spring, the weather forecast promised a warm and sunny Easter in 1913. Little did the citizens of Tippecanoe County realize that a furious deluge would cause the Wabash River to swell to an ungovernable and lethal height. Bridges collapsed, whole buildings came unmoored from their foundations and washed away, and heroic rescue attempts saved lives and cost others.

Authors and retired Purdue professors Pete Bill and Arnold Sweet describe the travails of communities suddenly cut off from the rest of the world and facing a natural disaster that gripped twenty states.

The year was 1844, and scores of pioneers from the eastern and southern areas of the United States were migrating to the nearly impenetrable virgin forests of Indiana's newly established Tipton County, named for two-term Indiana senator and revered warrior Gen. John Tipton.

Displacing all but a fraction of the Miamis who once dominated the bountiful Indiana Territory, the white settlers cleared the land, built homes, and farmed the rich soil. Soon, the expanding railroads arrived, ushering in a cultural and economic boon with jobs, innovation, and an end to the settlers' isolated lifestyle. Despite the change, Tipton Countians remained loyal to their pioneer values, and future generations included war heroes, outstanding scholars, prominent athletes, and a president of the United States. Today, the spirit of the early pioneers endures throughout Tipton County, home to some 16,000 Americans who, like their ancestors, proudly hail their Hoosier heritage

Enduring mysteries from the Hoosier State

Crime and tragedy have all too often disturbed the peace and stained the memory of Indiana’s bucolic countryside. The small town of Dupont was thrust into the nation's spotlight in 1947 after a series of suspicious deaths were blamed on a well-known local housekeeper—suspected serial killer Lottie “Tot” Lockman. On a fall day in 1976, a Benton County farmer found an unusual package in his cornfield—a corpse. Dubbed “The Box Lady of Benton County,” her identity remains a mystery. On September 13, 1989, Joseph Bova was killed outside of his Merrillville home when a pipe bomb rigged to his truck’s ignition exploded. With no witnesses, suspects, or motive, his case remains unsolved.

Author Autumn Bones explores some of Indiana’s least-known unsolved cases.

The land was sold to the U.S. in 1832, and in 1836, Porter County was formed when the area was separated from LaPorte County. The new county was named in honor of Comdr. David Porter, who played a significant role in the War of 1812 at the Battle of Valparaiso, Chile. The county seat was named Portersville. In 1837, Portersville was proudly renamed Valparaiso, which literally means "vale of paradise," to further honor Commodore Porter. In Valparaiso, Indiana: Looking Back, Moving Forward author Lanette Mullins chronicles the history and development of the city, with its small-town charm, in over 200 vintage images. The book features photographs of the historic homes that grace the city streets, the famous individuals who walked them, the influential history of Valparaiso University, and the cultural institutions throughout the city.

Indiana Authors Awards (Nonfiction) 2024

More than two centuries removed from its founding, Indianapolis has seen its share of landmarks and landscapes pass into memory. Some have totally vanished, such as the National Road covered bridge over the White River, the Marion County Courthouse, the 1835 Indiana Statehouse and the previous headquarters for the long-standing Flanner House organization. Others still exist, but not in their original location or form, like Pogue’s Run, the Central Canal through downtown and the remnants of structures at Riverside Park. Indianapolis historian Edward Fujawa explores the history of lost sites, how they appear today and how some are still used or repurposed.

This book focuses on a more recent time, the years between 1930 and 1960--the period of the Great Depression, the New Deal, World War II, and the post-war years. Fascinating views of stores, clubs, theaters, churches, factories, groceries, and gas stations, many of which are gone or greatly changed, are captured in Vincennes: 1930-1960. Some events in Vincennes remain the same, such as the Fourth of July fireworks display at the Clark Memorial and the high-school homecoming parade, and these images are displayed within these pages as well.

Illustrated with over two hundred picture postcards and rare photographs, Vincennes offers a unique view of life in this historic community on the banks of the Wabash River. This unprecedented collection creates a retrospective of Vincennes's history from the early 1900s through the 1960s. Vincennes serves as a kind of time machine for its readers, enabling them to experience the sights and structures of yesteryear. The book's lively commentary combines the images with colorful anecdotes, making this book both entertaining and educational. From photographs documenting its landscape--picturesque views of downtown and shots of Fort Knox and the Clark Memorial--to evocative portraits of townspeople at work and play--at Beesley Grocery or the Pantheon Theatre--this fascinating collection will give older readers a chance to walk Vincennes's streets again, and younger readers a chance to appreciate their rich heritage.

It extends from the Indiana Dunes that line the shore and continues south, to the rolling hills of the Valparaiso Moraine. The township is home to four incorporated towns, the Burns Harbor Plant of Bethlehem Steel, and two large expanses of public land--the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and the Indiana Dunes State Park. Westchester Township tells the story of the people who settled the township and those who contributed to its growth and transformation into a vigorous and diverse community. The photographs date from the early 1850s through the early 1960s, focusing primarily on the period from the 1880s to the 1940s. The majority of the images were drawn from the files of the Chesterton Tribune, which has served Westchester Township and the surrounding area since 1884. Additional pictures were kindly loaned by a variety of local citizens and institutions.

The partner communities of Whiting and Robertsdale epitomize Americana and the melting-pot concept at its finest. Together, they built beautiful churches, quality schools, and recreational facilities.

Whiting started out as a small, frontier-like town settled by German and Irish immigrants and quickly became a booming industrial city after Standard Oil Company arrived in 1889 to build a refinery. Neighboring Robertsdale became home to thousands of Eastern European immigrants who came to the area in search of jobs and new opportunities. They raised their families to be proud Americans and incorporated traditions from their homelands into daily life. This pictorial history is a tribute to the citizens who created a warm and inviting environment amidst the cold, hard steel of the industries that surrounded them and who left behind a legacy rich in tradition, tenacity, and a tendency to celebrate everything!

A fascinating historical tour of this Midwestern city’s crimes, scandals, and shady characters.

Dubbed the “Athens of the Prairie” for its array of stunning modern architecture, Columbus, Indiana, nevertheless endured its share of unsavory citizens, crime-ridden neighborhoods, and tales of woe in its past. Many residents avoided the infamous slums of Smoky Row and Death Valley, while others gave in to the allure of Lillian “Todie” Tull’s famed house of ill repute on North Jackson Street. Two different father-and-son hoodlum partnerships, the McKinneys and the Bells, terrorized the area in the 1800s. And a brutal fistfight between a newspaper editor and the mayor sparked a scandal in 1877.

In this book, enlivened by photos and illustrations, journalist Paul J. Hoffman guides you on a wild ride through the city’s salacious side.

Present-day Fishers, Indiana, is one of the safest places to live in the U.S., but this respectable city has a rough and rowdy past.

Starting off as a small railroad community, Fishers attracted its fair share of drifters, and the whiskey flowed like water. It may have been small, but the lawless town made national headlines on more than one occasion. A two-day bar brawl led to one death and dozens of injuries and required the Sheriff to restore order. A sensational trial exposed mass grave robberies and led to legislative changes. James Redwine became the town's first homicide victim over a Christmas turkey shootout. Author Robert Bowling explores the history of this once small town and the misdeeds that thrust it into the national spotlight.

These are the abhorrent, the grim, the can't-look-away misdeeds and miscreants of this city's past, when bicycle messenger boys peddled through the night to link prostitutes with johns and when the bigoted masses tightened their grip on the city behind mayor and Klansman John Duvall. From the unseemly to the deviant to the disastrous, Hoosier Andrew E. Stoner brings you lives as out of control as the worst wreck at the Indy 500 with a history as regrettable as it is riveting.

Explore the notorious and unusual side of Muncie's history.

Muncie is the classic small American city. But for much of the past two centuries, the city fell victim to murder, corruption and the bizarre. Mayor Rollin Bunch went to prison for mail fraud, while his police commissioner faced a murder rap. Viola Babe Swartz ran a brothel out of a truck stop that was raided by police at least a dozen times but ran for sheriff in the 1974 primary election. June Holland, of the locally famous Holland triplets, killed her neighbor for refusing to sell her house.

Catch a whiff of rum and candor when Jacob Ritter sits to write one morning in 1861. His opening line: "I have killed my wife because she is a witch." When the trains roar through this New Albany, they are quite likely meeting flesh. The men in the saloons are armed and irritated. And the murderous can be most industrious, like the man who was sentenced to death, sold his body to New Albany's first physician, collected the cash, reneged on the contract and then tried to sell his corpse again. Millions have roamed these broad avenues during New Albany's nearly two hundred years. Most have been honest sorts. Others, well…

Join local historian Tim Crumrin as he reveals the blackguards, rogues and swindlers of Terre Haute’s rough and rowdy past.

For more than a century, Terre Haute earned its reputation as a sin city. One of the most notorious red-light districts in the Midwest, the West End, housed sixty brothels and nearly one thousand prostitutes at its height in the 1920s. Across this sordid scene strode the stylish and indomitable Edith Brown, the city’s most famous madam. When Prohibition made the city bootlegger central, violence erupted as rival gangs vied for turf. Gamblers flooded in from all corners of the country, making Terre Haute’s Wire Room second only to Las Vegas. Through it all, corrupt politicians like Mayor Donn Roberts profited handsomely from grift and deception.

Wolf and Dessauer documents the rich and interesting history of this chain of department stores.

Remember how it used to be at W&D? From its humble beginnings as a dry goods store in 1896, Wolf and Dessauer grew to provide customers with revolutionary services and previously unheard of amenities: personal shoppers, in-store models, escalators, an open-air French café and the magical Christmas WanDerland—home to Santa and his precious elf, Wee Willie WanD. Join Jim and Kathie Barron on this glorious return to one of the most progressive department stores in history. Relax in the tearoom with one of Edith Goodyear's California Dream Bars, don elegant couture from around the world and luxuriate in this remembrance of a beloved Fort Wayne icon.

Those early pioneers paved the way for women who would play baseball as both amateurs and professionals up to the present day. Some were headlining stars on barnstorming teams, while others organized and operated their own teams, and from the 1890s through the 1930s they were known as Bloomer Girls, due to the baggy pants created by Amelia Bloomer. In 1988, the American Women's Baseball Association began play in the Chicago area. With play starting in 1990, the Washington (DC) Metropolitan Women's Baseball League is now the oldest operating women's amateur baseball league in the country. In 2001, a true baseball World Series was held in Toronto, Canada, with women's baseball teams from the United States, Canada, Japan, and Australia. That event will celebrate its fifth season in 2005.

World War II Indiana Landmarks features places throughout the state that played significant roles during World War II. Many of these locations memorialize those who fought as well as those who contributed to the war effort. These places of remembrance include historical sites, monuments, markers, museums, surviving buildings, a surviving Navy ship, a surviving plane, and more. Author Ronald P. May explores the rich historical backgrounds surrounding each location and tells the personal stories of veterans and civilians related to many of these locations.