Most of the time, we celebrate Women’s History Month by telling the stories of women who were trailblazers in their time, paving the way for us to be here today. This year, I decided to take a different approach and see how women who are historians view our city’s history.
Three professional historians — Kelsey Green, Nicole Martinez-LeGrand and Joan Hostetler — shared short stories of their favorite, lesser-known parts of Indianapolis’ past.
The lost image of the Governor’s Residence
In 1857, the Governor’s Residence on the Circle was slated for demolition. Built in 1827, the mansion had never housed a governor — the story is that the first ladies refused to live where their laundry was visible to the public. For thirty years, offices occupied the building until the legislature ordered it to be torn down.
Recognizing the impending loss, the Indianapolis Journal pleaded for a daguerreotype as documentation. Daguerreotypes are an early type of one-of-a-kind photograph made from 1839-1865.
Daguerreotypist Martin L. Ohr answered the call, but he arrived a little late. By the time he set up his camera, demolition had begun, so he captured the “venerable pile of brick and mortar.” The Journal’s editors consoled themselves that while the landmark’s “form and substance” was gone, the building would at least “live in its shadow.”
That “shadow” has since disappeared. Nearly 170 years later, Ohr’s daguerreotype has never surfaced. No photograph of the home is known to exist, and historians can only imagine it from drawings. Locating Ohr’s plate would be an extraordinary discovery — if it survived, it likely sits in a private collection, appearing as a tarnished silver image on copper, perhaps beneath a brass mat in a book-like case.
Would a “Hoosier” by any other name be just as sweet?
A few years ago, there was a lot of talk on social media about the origins of the word “Hoosier.” While there are many theories about its origins, what sticks out is that all of them are attributed to English-speaking colonists in Indiana. This ignores Indiana’s early pre-statehood history and the other non-English languages previously spoken here.
As a naturally curious person, I investigated these unresolved theories.
What is now known as Indiana was Nova Francia, or “new France,” from 1534-1763. French people were some of the first Europeans to come to Indiana, with settlements made in the 1710s. For nearly a century, French and Indigenous languages were the primary spoken languages.
Given that the French were living and trading among Indigenous peoples, I believe that the word Hoosier could come from the French word “rougir.” Listen to the pronunciation. Can you hear it? I know I can’t unhear the word “Hoosier.”
Chinese royalty in the Circle City
Indianapolis has so many wonderful histories, many of which still need to be recovered. When people consider Indianapolis, many imagine a white, homogenous city isolated from global affairs — a “fly-over city.” This could not be further from the truth. More people should know about Indianapolis’s global connections, especially the vibrant histories of Latine, Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants that call Indy home.
Chinese immigrants in Indianapolis lived rich lives that stretched across the Pacific Ocean as they worked in laundries, restaurants and Chinese tea stores to support their loved ones in China.
One of the most compelling stories is that of restaurateur Moy Kee, who gained citizenship in the Marion County Courts despite Chinese people being barred under the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Kee and his wife, Chin Fung, hosted lavish Chinese New Year celebrations, spoke to local newspapers and served as translators for the Chinese community. They even hosted Chinese royalty and local luminaries such as James Whitcomb Riley in their restaurant, where they fused traditional Chinese recipes with midwestern ingredients.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Sophie Young covers services and resources. Contact her at sophie.young@mirrorindy.org.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Sophie Young covers services and resources. Contact her at sophie.young@mirrorindy.org.
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