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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: Nov. 15-21
From The Indianapolis Star, Friday, November 21, 1919: Nineteen tons of soot is falling annually for each city block in the downtown Indianapolis area. This conclusion was arrived from calculations made by students in the night school physics class at Manual Training High School who conducted tests under the direction … Read More
100 Years Ago: Nov. 8-14
From The Indianapolis News, Tuesday, November 11, 1919: The permanent home of the American Legion will be in Indianapolis. Delegates at the first national American Legion convention in Minneapolis selected the Hoosier Capital City, shortly after noon today, over Washington, DC on a second ballot vote of 361 to 323. … Read More
100 Years Ago: Nov. 1-7
From The Indianapolis News, Thursday, November 6, 1919: In response to the national bituminous coal miners’ strike, a State utility fuel committee has been appointed to survey the coal supplies of utilities and make recommendations on the conservation of fuel. Indianapolis utilities objected to a blanket order curtailing services, noting … Read More
God’s Acre
Dead, but not buried; for thirty years the sealed coffin had been stored in the back of the receiving vault at Greenlawn Cemetery. Discovered on a November day in 1886 by undertaker Charles Kregelo while clearing the vault, the coffin bore the inscription “Mary D. Milliss” and revealed the “remarkably … Read More
100 Years Ago: Oct. 25-Oct. 31
From The Indianapolis Star, Wednesday, October 29, 1919: The Lawson Air Liner, the largest passenger carrying airplane in the world, may leave Indianapolis tomorrow, weather permitting, for Chicago on its return to Milwaukee where it departed six-weeks ago on a 2,500 mile demonstration trip. The huge bi-plane, with seating for … Read More