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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: Aug. 27-Sept. 2
From The Indianapolis Star, Tuesday, August 30, 1921: Leaving the Indianapolis Aerial Association Flying Field at 34th St and Emerson Av, Indianapolis Star reporter Mary E. Bostwick, in an airplane piloted by Ernest “Cutie” Cutrell, flew above Indianapolis yesterday on a mission to promote the motion picture The Man Without … Read More
100 Years Ago: Aug. 20-26
From The Indianapolis News, Thursday, August 25, 1921: “The sweetest name I’ve ever known is Mary,” begins the poem Mary by John Kinsella, which was the theme today for the annual reunion at the Garfield Park pavilion of the Mary Association of the United States. About 300 women and girls … Read More
100 Years Ago: Aug.13-19
From The Indianapolis Star, Sunday, August 14, 1921: The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a Georgia corporation, was admitted on Friday to transact business in Indiana having been granted a certificate by the secretary of state. Papers with the secretary of state attest the organization is “a patriotic fraternal … Read More
100 Years Ago: Aug. 6-12
From The Indianapolis Star, Tuesday, August 9, 1921: More than 5,000 loyal South siders gathered for a lawn festival at Garfield Park last night beneath the moonlight and the dazzling gleam of electric arcs, entering whole-heartedly into the carnival spirit. Japanese lanterns and red, white, and blue electric lights transformed … Read More
From Flying Fields to Airports
Growing up in Indianapolis in the fifties, my dad would often take me and my brothers to Weir Cook Airport to watch the planes take off and land. At that time there was an open-air observation deck that extended from the terminal, and you could leisurely walk out onto it … Read More