Latest news with #IndianaHistoricalSociety
Axios
10-07-2025
- Axios
Old News: The legacy and protection of the Indiana Dunes
Heading north on I-65 to the southern shores of Lake Michigan for a day at Indiana Dunes National Park has become a popular way for Indy residents to spend some fun in the sun each summer. Yes, but: Becoming the 61st national park in the U.S. was a long road with conversation at the forefront. Driving the (old) news: Indiana Dunes State Park was established in 1925 and opened to the public in 1926. The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was created in 1966, and in February 2019 Congress authorized a name change to Indiana Dunes National Park. The intrigue: According to the National Park Service, the 1966 legislation was the result of a conversation and awareness effort that started in 1899. Scientists, recreationists, lawmakers and nature enthusiasts fought to preserve the region throughout the early 1900s, leading to the establishment of the state park. The latest: The Indiana Historical Society is looking at the legacy of the Indiana Dunes with a new exhibit called " Greetings from Duneland: Indiana's National Park." It will profile the people who dedicated their lives and careers to protecting the area, as well as highlight Hoosiers who continue to advocate for the landmark. The exhibit will also break down the evolution of development along the Dunes, going from primarily for recreational use in the late 19th century and giving way to commercial and industrial use in the early 20th century. If you go: 450 W. Ohio St.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Greg Gibson voted Living Legend by Indiana Historical Society
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— Terre Haute's own Greg Gibson was voted to be one of the 2025 Indiana Living Legends by the Indiana Historical Society. Each year, the Indiana Historical Society recognizes Hoosiers for their local, statewide, and national accomplishments. The gala held is the society's signature fundraising event to help support its mission to collect and preserve Indiana's unique stories through supporting statewide programs and services. Gibson is being honored for his decades of work revitalizing his hometown and statewide developments. Gibson has had success in a wide range of business ventures, including real estate, development, hospitality, food service, trucking, coal, and solid waste operations. Gibson helped shape projects like the Terre Haute Convention Center, the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, and downtown revitalization efforts. Gibson also serves as a chair on the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau and works on several local boards and initiatives. Gibson even donated the land for the convention center, as well as purchasing and donating the Indiana Theatre. Gibson is also known for leading the creation of the Gibson Family Center for Hospice Care, as well as his support for several local foundations. Gibson is also the President of the Terre Haute Business Association and a founding member of the Terre Haute Capital Improvement Board, and has been appointed to statewide groups like the Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission, the Ports of Indiana Commission, and the Nominating Board of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Gibson will be formally recognized along with three others at a gala held in Indianapolis on August 15. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Indiana Historical Society to keep its building, land following agreement with governor's office
A lease agreement between the state and the Indiana Historical Society could be in jeopardy under the latest state budget draft. (Niki Kelly/Indiana Capital Chronicle) The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) will keep its building — and take ownership of the land it sits on — after a compromise with the governor's office. The agreement follows earlier consternation over the historical society's Indianapolis headquarters during the 2025 legislative session. Gov. Mike Braun's original budget proposal for the upcoming biennium included provisions that would have terminated a longstanding lease agreement, under which IHS paid $1 annually to lease the state-owned land that houses the nonprofit's 165,000-square-foot building. The lease also obligated the state to cover approximately $1 million per year in maintenance and operational costs. House and Senate Republicans included similar, jeopardizing language in their budget drafts. Braun's office later clarified that the state did not intend to force the institution to give up its building. The final version of the budget retained provisions in current law that permit IHS-state leases and only struck the maintenance requirements. 'We are very pleased to have a final agreement with the state to set in motion a process to transfer to us the land we operate on currently. They have been terrific partners throughout,' said Jody Blankenship, president and CEO of IHS. 'This agreement will put us on a path to carry out our mission for decades to come.' State's proposed budget could cost Indiana Historical Society its building Braun signed the next two-year state spending plan this week. It takes effect July 1, at the start of the next fiscal year. 'We are pleased that the state and the Indiana Historical Society finalized an agreement that begins the process to transfer land from the state to the Society. We appreciate the partnership of the Indiana Historical Society Board and its leadership,' said Griffin Reid, a spokesperson for the governor's office, in a written statement to the Capital Chronicle. 'The necessary legislative changes, as reflected in the budget bill, allow the Indiana Historical Society to continue its mission to preserve and promote Indiana's rich history.' The historical society owns the downtown Indianapolis building where its headquarters, museum and archives are housed. It does not, however, own the land on which the building sits. Language in the earlier budget drafts would have cancelled the existing lease agreement between the state and IHS. According to contracts reviewed by the Indiana Capital Chronicle, any expiration or termination of the lease would have required IHS to 'surrender to (the state)' the land in question. Separately, a provision in state law required the historical society to 'convey' its building title to the state after the structure was constructed. That law dated back to 1992, and the IHS building opened to the public in 1999. The title was never transferred, however. Braun's budget deleted that conveyance language from Indiana Code. Braun's office maintained that the state simply wanted to reduce or eliminate costs of contractual maintenance for the IHS building, and that the governor did not intend to assume the IHS building or the state land on which it sits. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Axios
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- Axios
Old News: Riding Indiana's interurbans
While it may not be big on electric cars yet, Indiana was a leader in electric rail in the late 19th century. Driving the (old) news: The Hoosier state played a vital role in interurbans, electric railways running through cities and rural areas. Indiana state Sen. Charles L. Henry is credited with making the term popular and organizing Indiana's first interurban. Interurbans gave people living in rural areas an easier way to visit Indy and other major cities for leisure or business. According to the Indiana Historical Society, Indiana's peak Interurban era ran from the early 1890s to 1941 and provided a bridge between old and new forms of transportation. Fun fact: With more than 1,800 miles of interurban rail lines, Indiana was second only to Ohio in overall rail mileage. The latest: The Indiana Historical Society is celebrating the impact of interurbans with an exhibit called " The Electric Railway." It features interactive spaces, including a room made to look like the inside of a rural interurban station. Props and audio stations tell the story of how interurbans affected everyday life. On occasion, live actors will be available to tell personal stories of interurban travel. A re-created interurban car lets guests "ride the interurban," which involves an immersive video presentation. If you go: 450 W. Ohio St.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Governor's office clarifies intentions for Indiana Historical Society building
A lease agreement between the state and the Indiana Historical Society could be in jeopardy under the latest state budget draft. (Niki Kelly/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Despite language in the proposed state budget that could put the Indiana Historical Society (IHS) headquarters in jeopardy, Gov. Mike Braun's office now maintains the intention is not to force the nonprofit to give up its building. The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported last week that provisions in the state's draft spending plan could leave the historical society in a bind. In Braun's proposed spending plan — and the House-approved version — Republican budget writers penned language that appear to terminate the state's contract with the Indianapolis-based institution. State's proposed budget could cost Indiana Historical Society its building The historical society owns the downtown Indianapolis building where its headquarters, museum and archives are housed. It does, not however, own the land on which the building sits. The contract in question — in tandem with a provision in state code — allows IHS to pay $1 per year to lease that land from the state, and in return, Indiana's Department of Administration (IDOA) handles various operational maintenance costs. In current form, the state budget would repeal that existing code in Indiana law. Another section cobbled into the budget pulls language directly from the cancellation clause of the IHS contract. The cancellation provision makes clear that '[i]f the Director of the State Budget Agency makes a written determination that funds are not appropriated or otherwise available to support continuation of this Lease, the Lease shall be canceled.' Exact wordage appears in the budget: 'The director of the budget agency shall make a written determination that funds are not appropriated or otherwise available to support continuation of the performance of any contract or lease entered into under IC 4-13-12.1-8 (before its repeal).' According to the contract, in the event of a canceled lease, IHS can either purchase the land or sell its building to the state. A joint statement said 'The Indiana Historical Society and the Braun Administration are cooperatively working toward an agreeable solution.' But Braun's office said he does not intend to completely void the agreement, and emphasized that 'this process was always intended to be collaborative.' His team maintained the repeal would eliminate existing contract requirements and open the door for a new or renegotiated IHS contract. That could ultimately provide fewer maintenance services at the state's expense. Even so, there is no proposed language in budgets penned by either Braun or House Republicans to explicitly trigger contract renegotiation with IHS. Indiana's next budget is now in the hands of Senate Republicans. Both chambers have until the end of April to finalize the plan. The House Republican caucus deferred questions about the IHS budget provisions to the governor's office. Senate Republicans have yet to take up the two-year spending plan. The 2007 lease agreement between IHS and the state was intended to last until 2098. A second contract signed in April 2009 — meant to last through March 2039 — details an additional agreement around the parking lot located adjacent to the IHS building. The last state budget, approved in 2023, appropriated close to $1 million per year to maintain the building, its exterior and the surrounding site. A legislative fiscal analysis estimated that repeal of the IHS lease would reduce state expenditures by roughly $2.3 million over the biennium. One section of the contract says that 'upon the expiration or sooner termination of this lease, (IHS) shall surrender to (the state)' the land in question. The cancellation provision, however, further states that IHS 'shall have the sole and exclusive option to purchase' the land if the agreement is terminated. In such an instance, the state and IHS must each obtain an appraisal of the land before agreeing on a purchase price. If IHS did go through with a purchase, it would still have to notify the state before selling the property to a third party, however. The nonprofit would then have to provide the state an opportunity to purchase the land back 'at the same price' paid to the state, adjusted for inflation. It's not clear in the contract what would happen if a deal can't be reached. A separate provision in state law also says 'after completion of construction and negotiation of a lease under section 8 of this chapter, the society shall convey title to the building to the state.' Notably, the next state budget does not propose a repeal of that language. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
