This week in Indiana’s history …
1816 – President James Madison signed into law the Enabling Act, passed by Congress. The measure would permit Indiana to become a state “on equal footing with the original states.” The next step was the organization of a constitutional convention, which took place in the summer of the same year. Indiana was admitted to the Union on Dec. 11, 1816.
1884 – The city of Hammond was incorporated in Lake County. It was named for George H. Hammond, who had founded a slaughterhouse in the area and built refrigerated box cars to haul the beef. The town grew rapidly due to its proximity to Lake Michigan. In the 1920s, the city was home to the Hammond Pros, considered one of the first professional football teams.
1902 – President Theodore Roosevelt sent a note to Secretary of War Elihu Root suggesting that the new Army post in Indianapolis be named for President Benjamin Harrison. Roosevelt had served under Harrison as Civil Service Commissioner. The fort was active for 85 years and is still the site of the Defense Finance and Accounting Center. The grounds have been developed into a state park.
1912 – Indianapolis resident Ellen Toomey returned to her home on Bates Street, having survived the sinking of the Titanic. She had been on a visit to Ireland to see her mother and two sisters. She booked passage for the return trip on the Titanic. When the ship struck an iceberg and began to sink, she was placed in a lifeboat with 30 other people. They drifted on the dark sea for seven hours before being rescued by another ship, the Carpathia.
1939 – Langston Hughes and Arna Bontemps, noted African American poets and authors, were guest speakers at the Indianapolis YWCA on North Pennsylvania Street. Hughes spoke about his experience as a journalist covering the Spanish Civil War. Bontemps discussed his recent book, Haiti, Mysterious Island. The event was sponsored by the Progressive Art League of Indiana.
1970 – Herb Shriner and his wife Ellen were killed in an automobile accident in Florida. Shriner was famous for his homespun humor about growing up in Indiana. His monologues were accompanied by his harmonica. He had his own radio and television programs and was a popular stage entertainer.