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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: Feb. 7-13
From The Indianapolis News, Wednesday, February 11, 1920: Harlan “Pat” Page, assistant coach to Amos Alonzo Stagg at the University of Chicago, has accepted the position of athletic director at Butler College. Page’s appointment marks the passing of the haphazard athletic effort that has marked the history of Butler’s sports … Read More
100 Years Ago: Jan. 31-Feb. 6
From The Indianapolis News, Thursday, February 5, 1920: Courses in Americanism will begin on Lincoln’s birthday in the Indianapolis public schools and many other schools in the state based on an outline suggested by the Americanism committee of the Indiana Department of the American Legion. The first pamphlet in the … Read More
A Noble Experiment
John Barleycorn died at midnight, January 16, 1920. Hours earlier, a group of about seventy-five Indianapolis “Drys” had gathered at Central Christian Church in celebration of the anticipated event. Yes, the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution had gone into effect, and prohibition, the great “noble experiment,” embraced the … Read More
100 Years Ago: Jan. 24-30
From The Indianapolis Star, Saturday, January 24, 1920: Thirteen members of the Chinese educational commission arrived in Indianapolis last night to inspect a number of city schools. S. T. Yuan, vice minister of education of the Republic of China, is leading the delegation which is composed of a number of … Read More
100 Years Ago This Week: Jan. 17-23
From The Indianapolis Star, Sunday, January 18, 1920: The counting of noses has been completed in the city of Indianapolis for the fourteenth decennial United States census. Rechecking of districts for scattered omissions will be conducted to finalize the survey before the returns are ready to be dispatched to Washington, … Read More