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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: Oct. 2-8
From The Indianapolis News, Tuesday, October 5, 1915: Cool October breezes may chase away Palm Beach suits, but the open summer cars of the Indianapolis Traction & Terminal Co seem to go on forever on city street car lines. No one knows why such cars are run when the air … Read More
World War I 100 Years Ago: Oct. 2-8
From The Indianapolis Star, Tuesday, October 5, 1915: The humble jimson weed has been transformed into a valuable herb from which the drug atrophine can be obtained. Dr. Frank R. Eldred of the Eli Lilly Drug Co made the discovery and has been working on the process for more than … Read More
Who Lived in My House?
Previously I wrote about learning the ownership of a house through reading an abstract, but how do you find out who actually lived in the house? The primary source for discovering residents of a house in Indianapolis prior to 1989 is through the pages of R. L. Polk & Co. … Read More
World War I 100 Years Ago: Sept. 25-Oct. 3
From The Indianapolis Times, Wednesday, September 29, 1915: War orders from Europe have converted the Calumet region of Indiana into a vast arsenal for the manufacture of war munitions. At the Aetna Powder Co, on the eastern limits of Gary, 1,000 men are making guncotton, while in the city a … Read More
100 Years Ago This Week: Sept. 25-Oct. 3
From The Indianapolis Star, Wednesday, September 29, 1915: Fountain Square Merchants Association members made a trip through the country southeast of Indianapolis yesterday boosting Fountain Square as a good place to trade. The trip was to regain some of the trade lost when roads leading into the city from the … Read More