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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. 16-22
From The Indianapolis News, Monday, September 18, 1916: Indiana University will offer extension courses in Indianapolis beginning October 9. The state university has adopted a definite policy of serving the people of Indiana who cannot go to Bloomington without in any way weakening its standards of scholarship. A wide range … Read More
World War I 100 Years Ago: Sept 16-22
From The Indianapolis Star, Monday, September 18, 1916: Battery B, Indiana National Guard – the Purdue University unit – has returned to Ft. Harrison from the camp at Llano Grande, Texas. Boys who went to the border pale-faced and barely able to pass the physical test have returned all safe … Read More
World War I 100 Years Ago: Sept. 9-15
From The Indianapolis Star, Sunday, September 10, 1916: Thousands of shoppers lined the downtown streets yesterday to watch the 1,700 crack troops of the Seventy-first Regiment, New York National Guard march and counter-march with all the perfect precision of regulars as they spent two hours in the downtown district during … Read More
100 Years Ago This Week: Sept. 9-15
From The Indianapolis News, Saturday, September 9, 1916: As a result of the Indianapolis Board of Health order requiring all children to be vaccinated against typhoid fever before they will be permitted to enter school next week, the board’s office was the scene of unusual activity today as supplies were … Read More
100 Years Ago This Week: Sept. 2-8
From The Indianapolis Star, Friday, September 8, 1916: Mayor Joseph Bell addressed a meeting of the heads of the various city departments yesterday and announced the first plans for a city sewage disposal plant. He emphasized the need for such a facility stating that at the present time the city … Read More