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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
World War I 100 Years Ago: Nov. 13-20
From The Indianapolis News, Wednesday, November 17, 1915: At a meeting of the executive committee of the local branch of the National Security League, yesterday afternoon, arrangements were begun for a mass meeting in Indianapolis to crystallize sentiment for national preparedness. William D. Brewster, field secretary of the National Security … Read More
World War I 100 Years Ago: Nov. 6-13
From The Indianapolis Star, Monday, November 8, 1915: Charles W. Fairbanks, formerly Vice President of the United States, addressed 1,503 men at the Y. M. C. A. “Big Meeting” yesterday at the English Theater on “The Great War.” He said the war costs about $50,000,000 (2014: $1,153,033,390.12) a day, and … Read More
100 Years Ago This Week: Nov. 6-13
From The Indianapolis News, Wednesday, November 10, 1915: A real tea room, such as are found in large Eastern cities, will open next week as an experiment by the Public Health Nursing Association. The room at 22 E. Washington St. will be one of the coziest little tea rooms imaginable, … Read More
October Windows
With the lengthening shadows of October, Irvington children will make their way to the Washington Street business district with shoeboxes of paint and brushes where neatly taped window spaces await to be transformed into canvasses of haunting Halloween paintings. Among the most sought after windows are the storefronts that extend … Read More
World War I 100 Years Ago This Week: Oct. 30-Nov. 6
From The Indianapolis News, Thursday, November 4, 1915: Opportunities to find employment at day labor, with an average daily wage of $1.75 (2014: $40.36), are so plentiful that the U. S. Department of Labor, with Indianapolis headquarters in the Federal Building, is experiencing difficulty in providing men for those needing … Read More