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Author Biography
Steven R. Barnett is Executive Director at the Irvington Historical Society.
Steve Barnett was raised in Irvington. Steve attended School #57, Howe High School (’63), and received a degree from Purdue University (’70). He served in the Indiana National Guard. After a brief hiatus from Irvington, Steve returned to his home town in 1977 with his wife Sue so their three children could grow up in a family friendly environment.
Steve had the good fortune of working with U. S. Representative Andy Jacobs, Jr. and U. S. Representative Julia Carson in the Indianapolis Congressional District Office helping constituents.
After his retirement, Steve became the executive director of the Irvington Historical Society and curator of the Bona Thompson Memorial Center until 2025. Steve was commissioned a Kentucky Colonel by Gov. Wallace G. Wilkinson for service to veterans, and he was appointed a Sagamore of the Wabash by Gov. Joseph Kernan for service to Indiana. In 2016, Steve was named Marion County Historian.
Steven R. Barnett’s Story Archive
100 Years Ago This Week: Sept. 28-Oct. 3
From The Indianapolis Star, Sunday, September 29: Negotiations toward unifying the two Indianapolis telephone companies have begun in response to the order from the director of telegraph and telephones, U. S. Postmaster General Albert Burleson. The Central Union Telephone Co has made a formal proposal to purchase the Indianapolis Telephone … Read More
World War I 100 Years Ago: Sept. 21-27
From The Indianapolis News, Monday, September 23: Crowds swarmed over University Park today to see relics from the battlefields of France and Flanders that tell the story of the war’s realism and grimness. Trophies — rusty guns, battered and broken shells, aerial bombs and torpedoes, and helmets of the Kaiser’s … Read More
100 Years Ago This Week: Sept. 21-27
From The Indianapolis News, Friday, September 27: Mayor Charles Jewett has taken steps to prevent a Spanish influenza epidemic in Indianapolis. He has directed Dr. Herman Morgan of the city board of health to order the fumigation and cleansing of all public places — hotel lobbies, theaters, railway stations and … Read More
100 Years Ago This Week: Sept. 14-20
From The Indianapolis Star, Thursday, September 18: The New York Bureau of Municipal Research, after an exhaustive survey, concludes the Sisters of Charity State Hospital which is for colored people of Indianapolis is “not quite up to mark, but is held worthy.” The facility at 502 N. California St is … Read More
World War I 100 Years Ago: Sept. 14-20
From The Indianapolis Star, Sunday, September 15: Major Robert Baltzell, Indiana conscription officer, estimates 148,900 men, ages 19 to 37 years old, registered Thursday under the Selective Service Act. Official reports from 34 of the 124 local selective service boards show total registrations of 91,114. Of those registered, 5,998 are … Read More