7 Historic Photos That Show Us What It Was Like Living In Indiana In The Early 1900s
By Tori Jane|Published July 06, 2021
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
You know, it’s probably true that most of us have wondered what it would have been like to live once upon a time. Many of us have claimed at some point to have been “born in the wrong century,” and sometimes, it totally feels like it’s true. Unfortunately, we can’t exactly build a time machine and go back to those days of yore, but what we can do is take a trip back in time via some fascinating old photos. These historic photos from Indiana give us a tiny glimpse of what life was once like in the Hoosier State.
This spooky-but-gorgeous old-school (see what we did there?) school was actually the site of four different schools over time. The original building, built in 1871, was rebuilt in 1904. This photo was shot in 1905, and in 1938, this incarnation of the school burned to the ground. Today, it's known as Central Elementary School, and this old photo is one of the only relics left of a time long past.
This photo was shot in 1910 of a small segment of an unincorporated community nearby the city of Gary. It was once called Woodvale, and it was neglected almost as quickly as it sprang up once upon a time.
We're going way back for this one! This was shot in Chesterton, Indiana, in 1900. It was taken at what is now the intersection of Calumet Road and Broadway Avenue, and if you go there today, the buildings in the background of this photo are still there.
This intriguing photo was shot in Indianapolis in 1908, depicting young women leaving work at the Indianapolis Tile Works factory. We don't know about you, but we really love those old-timey work outfits.
This image was shot of men and boys at work at the Indianapolis Furniture Factory in 1908. It was shot at noon - lunch time - and we're blown away by just how young some of those young men are. The early 1900s was a very different time, for sure.
President Woodrow Wilson chose none other than a Hoosier to serve as his Vice President, and in 1913, Thomas R. Marshall, a lawyer and former governor from Indianapolis, was sworn in as VP. He was known for his remarkably witty sense of humor, though not everyone was a fan. It's said that Wilson was so annoyed with Marshall's sense of humor that he moved his entire office out of the White House. We don't know about you, but we're pretty proud of that kind of wit!
If there's anything Hoosiers love that we've ALWAYS loved, it's our farmers and open-air markets! This tradition goes back - way back - and this photo, shot in 1908, depicts some vendors and customers at an outdoor market in Indianapolis. Is it just us or does that produce look great?
So, what do you think of these historic photos from Indiana? Do you have any favorites? Show us (or tell us about them) in the comments!
