If you are a serious researcher, curious traveler, or proud resident, these links will help you explore Indiana and Indianapolis from collections of digitized photos and artifacts to letters, old newspapers articles, and more. Browse them from home or take an afternoon to visit the Indianapolis Special Collections Room at Central Library where you will find all things Indiana and Indianapolis complete with a beautiful sixth floor view of downtown Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Public Library Resources
Digital Indy Archives: Yearbooks, arts organizations, civic organizations, public safety, neighborhoods, newsmagazines all accessible online.
Hoosier State Chronicles
250+ scanned and searchable newspapers from every county in Indiana, with the earliest starting in 1804.
Indianapolis Star (1903-2004)
A full-text version of the Indianapolis Star from 1903-1922 including photographs, ads, obituaries, and marriage announcements.
Indianapolis Star (1991-Present)
Full-text coverage from the Indianapolis Star back to 1991, including obituaries, but excluding paid advertisements and freelance writers.
IndyPL Staff Reading Recommendation about Indiana and Indianapolis covering history, sports, art, nature, hoosier authors, and more.
Local Newspapers
- Central Library has Indianapolis newspapers on microfilm from about 1822 to the present. You may access the microfilm collection in person during library hours.
- Indianapolis Star (1903-2004) A full-text version of the Indianapolis Star from 1903-1922 including photographs, ads, obituaries, and marriage announcements.
- Indianapolis Star (1991-Present) Full-text coverage from the Indianapolis Star back to 1991, including obituaries, but excluding paid advertisements and freelance writers.
- Indianapolis Star ProQuest Online Database: Access 1903-present via indypl.org with a library card.
- The Weekly View Published be Eastside Voice Community News Media for 24 zip codes in from Downtown Indy East to Greenfield, North to Lawrence, Geist, and Broad Ripple, and South to Beech Grove, New Pal & Southport.
- La Voz de Indiana La Voz de Indiana Bilingual Newspaper serves all communities by concentrating on the Hispanic and American markets. As the “only” bilingual publication in the state of Indiana , La Voz is published in both Spanish and English. Their goals are to Embrace Diversity by promoting understanding and improve communication between people.
- The Free Soil Banner The Free Soil Banner was published in Indianapolis from 1848 to 1854. Other cities had newspapers by the same name, but the Indiana version was edited by Lew Wallace and William B. Greer, and reportedly funded by Ovid Butler, the founder of North Western Christian University, later renamed Butler University.
Museums
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis Archive
Physical Collection: Photos and historic documents pertaining to Indianapolis history.
Digital Collection: 1,000 artifacts from the museum. Selected objects range from Social Studies to Science to Geography with a particular emphasis on Indiana.
Indiana Medical History Museum
Physical Collection: The foremost institution in the region for medical history interpretation and preservation.
Indianapolis Firefighters’ Museum
Physical Collection: Indianapolis fire service history through exhibits, photographs, artifacts, log books, and more.
Digital Collection: Materials include photographs, logbooks, yearbooks, scrapbooks and other items the Museum has collected over the years.
Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newsfields
Stout Reference Library and Archives
Physical Collection: Indiana Artist Files, history of Oldfields estate, Art Association of Indianapolis to Newfields history, various arts-related manuscript collections.
discovernewfields.org/research/libraries | discovernewfields.org/archives
Digital Collection: Selections from online manuscript collections.
Indianapolis Resources
Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site
Physical Collection: Physical collection detailing the life of the 23rd President of the United States.
Digital Collection
Historic Indianapolis
Online Blog: A blog about historic events in Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Long Ago
Facebook Group: Photos and history from fans of Indianapolis history.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
Digital Collection: All things Indianapolis police history in photographs, video, and artifacts including arrest logs from the early 1900s, information about some of the very first policewomen, mug shots from the turn of the century, IPD personnel records, and video footage of Indianapolis policing from the 1980s and 1990s.
Indy Nostalgia
Facebook Group: Photos and history from fans of Indianapolis history.
Invisible Indianapolis
Online Blog: Research blog detailing race, heritage, and community memory in Indianapolis.
Irvington Historical Society
Physical Collection: Property, school and family records related to Greater Irvington.
State Resources
Indiana Album
Digital Collection: Images from private collections across the state; based in Indianapolis.
Hoosier State Chronicles
Digital Collection: Newspaper from across Indiana. Indianapolis papers include: Recorder, Sentinel, News, Daily Herald, Journal, Leader.
Indiana Historical Society
Physical Collection: Physical collections of print materials, photographs, Digital Collection: Bass Photograph Collection, Civil War, correspondence, clubs.
Indiana Landmarks
Physical Collection: Preserving the built environment of Indiana.
Indiana Memory Digital Collection: Aggregator of statewide digital collections.
Indiana State Archives
Physical Collection: City records, land records, neighborhood records, meeting minutes, etc.
Indiana State Library
Physical Collection: Genealogy and Rare Books and Manuscripts Finding Aids | Manuscript Catalog.
Digital Collection: Photographs, maps, manuscripts, broadsides, pamphlets, periodicals, government documents, genealogy materials.
Digital Collection: Indiana State Library Historical Bureau; Indiana State Historical Markers on a variety of Marion County topics.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Online Database: Database of historic properties and cemeteries within Indianapolis.
Colleges & Universities
Butler University
Digital Collection: Materials from Butler University Special Collections and Archives.
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Digital Collections: Speedway, Benjamin Harrison presidential site, LGBTQ+, City Directories, Sanborn Maps, Crispus Attucks Museum.
Other Community Resources
National Historic Geographic Information System (NHGIS)
Digital Collection: Historic census tract-level census data available in GIS formats.
The Polis Center
Online Databases: Data visualization, aggregation, statistics and informational databases.
UIndy Mayoral Archives
Digital Collection: Includes archives for L. Keith Bulen, Richard G. Lugar, William H. Hudnutt, Stephen Goldsmith.