This week in Indiana’s history …
1908 – Dedication ceremonies were held for the statue of President Benjamin Harrison in University Park in Indianapolis. Harrison’s 11-year-old daughter Elizabeth assisted in the unveiling. The ceremony followed a parade which drew thousands to the event. Participants included Vice President Charles Fairbanks, Indiana Governor J. Frank Hanly, Former United States Attorney General William Henry Harrison Miller, and Hoosier Poet James Whitcomb Riley.
1922 – Raymond Blackwell and William Bridges, two students on the Franklin College newspaper staff, held a high school journalism convention. Over 250 editors and sponsors attended the event on the Franklin campus. Subsequent meetings led to the formation of the Indiana High School Press Association, one of the strongest scholastic press organizations in the nation.
1938 – The “War of the Worlds” radio drama convinced many listeners that Martians had invaded the Earth. The classic story by H. G. Wells was presented as a series of news bulletins that interrupted regular programming. Many tuned in after the show’s introduction and grew alarmed as the announcer described the arrival of alien monsters. In Indianapolis, a woman ran into St. Paul Methodist Church on Eugene Street during the Sunday evening service. She said, “New York has been destroyed! I believe the end of the world has come. I heard it on the radio.” Rev. Charles Lizenby then gave a short prayer and announced that those who wanted to leave could do so. Several in the congregation departed as he continued the service. A short time later, those members returned to say that it was a false alarm caused by the radio drama.
1944 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt, campaigning for his fourth term, made a stop in Fort Wayne. He spoke from a special stage built next to railroad tracks at the crossing near Harrison and Pennsylvania Streets. He said, “I have a conviction that the people of Indiana … know that I am the same Franklin Roosevelt who started campaigning 12 years ago … I wear the same-sized hat.” It was Roosevelt’s last appearance in the state. He died six months later.
1948 – Renovations were completed in the House and Senate chambers at the Indiana Statehouse. The $750,000 project included additional meeting rooms and offices, oak-paneled walls, plush new carpet, and new desks with red leather chairs. Upgraded seating was also provided in the public galleries.
1970 – The Indianapolis Museum of Art opened at its new location at Oldfields, the Lilly family estate at Michigan Road and 38th Street. Over 1,000 people witnessed the ribbon-cutting by Mayor Richard G. Lugar. Indiana Governor Edgar D. Whitcomb told the crowd, “The museum will shine from this day on as the brightest light of art and culture in Mid-America.”