Asian American History

An accessible, intimate look at the oft-neglected history of Arab Americans in Greater Indianapolis who have made a remarkable impact on the region since the late 1800s.From establishing local businesses to working in the fields of health care and education, Arab Americans have made indelible contributions to the cultural vitality, economic growth, and social fabric of central Indiana. Arab Indianapolis features the stories of Arab Americans--some famous, some not--who have shaped the Capital City's past and will continue to define its future. It details a history hidden in plain sight, one sometimes buried beneath Indianapolis's most iconic landmarks such as Lucas Oil Stadium, Monument Circle, the Indiana War Memorials, the Governor's Residence, and Riverside Park. Highlights include: Helen Corey, the first Arab American to hold statewide elected office and the author of one of the most famous books on Syrian cuisine

• Jeff George, a Syrian American from the region who went on to play quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts
• The Syrian Christian community and the building of St. George Orthodox Church
• Indianapolis's connection to St. Jude Children's Hospital
• Governor Mitch Daniels, Indiana governor and grandson to Syrian immigrants

Through short essays, over eighty beautiful photographs, interviews, and even a few recipes, this collection embraces the full humanity of Arab Americans in the Midwest. It will give you a deeper sense of the myriad lives of Arab-descended Hoosiers who call Indianapolis home. Arab Indianapolis is an indispensable resource for anyone looking to know the full story of how Arab Americans continue to shape one of the Midwest's most iconic cities.

“…evocative vignettes and inspiring stories from many of California’s South Asian American citizens…” Paul Michael Taylor, Director, Asian Cultural History Program, Smithsonian Institution.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, adventurous travelers left the Punjab in India to seek their fortune in California and beyond. Laboring in farms, fields and orchards for low wages while enduring racial discrimination, they strove to put down roots in their new home. Bhagat Singh Thind, an immigrant who served in the United States Army, had his citizenship granted and revoked twice before a 1936 law expanded naturalization to all World War I veterans, regardless of race. Dalip Singh Saund obtained a master’s degree and doctorate in mathematics from UC Berkeley only to return to farming when no one would hire him. In 1956, Saund went on to become the first Asian elected to the U.S. Congress. Ethnic South Asians are now found in every trade and profession in the United States, including the Office of the Vice President. Descendants of the first Punjabi immigrants from Yuba City to the Imperial Valley still farm, adding to the rich tapestry of the Central Valley.

Author Lea Terhune recounts the risks, setbacks and persistence of the people who achieved their American dreams.

Once in a great while an important artifact is suddenly recognized as being so valuable that it demands a wide and immediate audience. Citizen USA, from the permanent collection of the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) is such an artifact.

The unpublished book was written in 1943 when the author, Charles Ferguson, was the Director of Adult Education at the Manzanar concentration camp where Japanese Americans were incarcerated. In words and photographs, the story chronicles the camp experience through the voice and perspective of a young sansei girl from Hollywood, California. She describes the routine of camp life as well as the fear and uncertainty about the future that she and her family face. At the book’s conclusion she wonders, “Isn’t America still democratic?”

Produced in the form of a photo album, the unpublished work was never forgotten by the Ferguson family. After the author's death, his wife Lois donated the book to JANM in 2003.

Seeing hard truths and difficult circumstances from a child’s point of view is more powerful than ever before. This story will resonate with audiences unimagined in 1943.

Haunted Hoaxes of the Hoosier State

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, newspapers were a major source of ghost stories. Paranormal experiences, no matter how mundane, were newsworthy and entertaining—even when they turned out not to be ghosts after all. A coffin holding a “talking corpse” on a train turned out to be a box of bullfrogs. An overturned automobile carrying white paint resulted in a paint-covered “ghost” wandering the streets, and a spiritualist tackled a phantom haunting a cemetery only to find that it was a fraternity pledge all along.

Revealing that the truth can sometimes be as amusing as the legend, author Ashley M. Watson gathers newspaper clippings about Indiana ghost stories that were not ghosts at all.

The sun is setting on Northwest Indiana and it's time for families to say "sweet dreams," to their favorite places.

From the shores of Lake Michigan through farmland and cities and towns like Hammond and La Porte and Indiana Dunes and Rensselaer, the Region quietly settles in for a beautiful night.