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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: March 27-April 2
From The Indianapolis News, Saturday, March 27, 1926: “Crispus Attucks” will be the name of the new colored high school on recommendation of the instruction committee of the Indianapolis school board instead of “Thomas Jefferson,” as it was named by the former school board. Soon after the new school commissioners … Read More
100 Years Ago: March 20-26
From The Indianapolis Star, Saturday, March 20, 1926: Paul D. “Tony” Hinkle has been named athletic director of Butler University succeeding Pat Page, according to an announcement by Arthur Brown, chair of the athletic committee of the board of trustees. Present plans have Hinkle coaching football, baseball, and basketball and … Read More
100 Years Ago: March 13-19
From The Indianapolis Star, Tuesday, March 16, 1926: By a vote of 5 to 1, the Indianapolis City Council passed an ordinance last night prohibiting establishment of homes by Negroes or white persons in districts inhabited principally by persons of opposite color except with consent of a majority of property … Read More
100 Years Ago: March 6-12
From The Indianapolis Star, Friday, March 12, 1926: Construction has started on a mammoth grain elevator with a capacity of 1,000,000 bushels on the Big Four Railroad west of Sloan Av, near Beech Grove. The grain terminal will be one of the largest in the Midwest with eighteen giant concrete … Read More
An Old Landmark
An old Irvington landmark is gone. On the cold snowy evening of Sunday, January 18, 2026, a fire, probably started by squatters, swept through the vacant commercial building at 5235-39 E. Washington St. By the time firefighters from Station House 25 arrived on the scene, dense smoke and flames were … Read More