Former United States Congressman, civil rights advocate, and Irvington resident George W. Julian was born on May 5, 1817, and to commemorate his 200th birthday the Irvington Historical Society, the Indiana Historical Bureau, and the Wayne County, Indiana Tourism Bureau sponsored a series of events. On March 21, 2017, Indiana Representative Dan Forestal presented a resolution in the Indiana General Assembly recognizing Julian’s accomplishments and the 200th anniversary of his birth. In the Wayne County community of Centerville, Julian’s birthplace, the Tourism Bureau celebrated him with a tree planting on the library grounds on May 3, 2017. Mayor Joe Hogsett proclaimed May 5, 2017 George W. Julian Day and the students in Irvington at George W. Julian School, IPS No. 57 took part in a program that included the reading of the Mayor’s proclamation by Indianapolis City Councilor Blake Johnson and the reading of student essays on Julian. The last event commemorating Julian’s birth was a panel discussion at the Irvington Branch Public Library on May 6, 2017. Chandler Lighty, director of the Historical Bureau, Jill Weiss, an historian with the Historical Bureau, and Steve Barnett, Marion County Historian led a discussion of Julian’s life. A Podcast, “George Washington Julian vs. Slavery,” is available for listening at the Indiana Historical Bureau website, www.in.gov/history/TalkingHoosierHistory.htm.
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City-County Councillor Blake Johnson read the Mayor’s Proclamation.
