Episodes

  • W.D. Huffman and the Indianapolis Pickle Industry
    Dec 24 2025

    The tradition of hanging a pickle ornament on Christmas trees inspired this podcast about the W.D. Huffman Pickle Company, which operated on St. Clair Street near downtown Indianapolis. The company produced a variety of food items beyond their top billed product, and at times had run ins with state health authorities with concerns about the purity of the products they produced.

    Companion Blog Post: Kind of a Big Dill: The History of the W.D. Huffman Pickle Company of Indianapolis

    Want to help offset the hosting costs for the blog and podcast? Leave a donation here: https://ko-fi.com/class900indyhistory.

    Also, Venmo can be accessed here: https://venmo.com/u/ejfujawa

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    16 mins
  • Pioneering the Christmas Tree Farm in Indianapolis
    Dec 8 2025

    This episode of Yesterday's Indianapolis explores the reputed first Christmas tree farm in Indianapolis, operated by Edward Eickhoff, a southside farmer who sold the trees at his stand on the west side of the old Marion County courthouse.

    Companion Blog Post: Edward Eickhoff and the Pioneering of the Christmas Tree Farm in Indianapolis

    Want to help offset the hosting costs for the blog and podcast? Leave a donation here: https://ko-fi.com/class900indyhistory.

    Also, Venmo can be accessed here: https://venmo.com/u/ejfujawa

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    13 mins
  • The Indianapolis Fire Department and the 1973 Grant Fire: “The finest moment this department ever had.”
    Nov 5 2025

    This episode explores the November 5, 1973, fire at the old Grant Building located on Washington Street in Indianapolis. NOTE: This episode contains excerpts of radio dispatches which may contain some colorful language, which considering the scope of this fire, is not unexpected. But a heads up, nonetheless.

    Blog Post: Indianapolis Fire Department and the 1973 Grant Fire: “The finest moment this department ever had.”

    Map of IFD Deployments at the Grant Building Fire: Pictorial graph map of "Grant Fire" - Indianapolis Firefighters Museum - The Indianapolis Public Library Digital Collections

    Indianapolis Firefighters Museum Archive: Indianapolis Firefighters Museum Collection | Digital Collections | IndyPL | The Indianapolis Public Library - The Indianapolis Public Library Digital Collections

    Want to help offset the hosting costs for the blog and podcast? Leave a donation here: https://ko-fi.com/class900indyhistory.

    Also, Venmo can be accessed here: https://venmo.com/u/ejfujawa

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    32 mins
  • The Final Flight of Karl Schoen on the Western Front
    Oct 20 2025

    This podcast explores the final flight and death of Karl Schoen, an Indianapolis native who flew fighter aircraft over the Western Front during World War I.

    Class900Indy blog post about Karl Schoen: Armistice Day Connection: Karl Schoen of the Army Air Service.

    This is not the first time Karl Schoen has appeared in a Class900Indy blog post, This post details a 522-mile bike ride he and two friends took while they were still in school, 7 years before his fateful flight described in this podcast: Nine Days and 522 Miles: A Bike Tour from Indianapolis and Back Again

    Walking Tour of Old Indianapolis Zoo Site at Washington Park: Trek & Talk: Indianapolis Zoo History at Washington Park - Indiana Humanities

    Want to help offset the hosting costs for the blog and podcast? Leave a donation here: https://ko-fi.com/class900indyhistory. Venmo can also be accessed here: https://venmo.com/u/ejfujawa

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    16 mins
  • Exploring the Historical Photos of Osbert Sumner with DeeDee Davis
    Aug 18 2025

    In this episode of Yesterday's Indianapolis, I am joined by local historian DeeDee Davis to discuss an exhibit at the Irvington Historical Society which explores the photography of Indianapolis resident Osbert Sumner. The glass negatives for the photos were discovered under a stairway in a basement at Sumner's former home in Irvington and depict hundreds of scenes from around Indianapolis at the turn of the 20th century.

    DeeDee, a historian with the Indianapolis City-County Archives and board member at the Irvington Historical Society, assisted with the identification and organization of these amazing images.

    Irvington Historical Society Website: https://www.irvingtonhistory.org/

    Support the Irvington Historical Society: https://www.irvingtonhistory.org/support/

    There is no companion blog post for this episode, but please check out Class 900: Indianapolis History to explore Indianapolis history.

    Want to help offset the hosting costs for the blog and podcast? Leave a donation here: https://ko-fi.com/class900indyhistory. Venmo can also be accessed here: https://venmo.com/u/ejfujawa

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    28 mins
  • Selecting the Site of Indianapolis
    Aug 4 2025

    More than anything, Indianapolis sprang forth from the stroke of a pen versus being an already established population center or crossroads. This podcast explores the efforts of a state mandated commission to select of the state's new seat of government, which would later become Indianapolis.

    Note: While I refer to Indianapolis throughout the podcast, that name was not selected by the General Assembly until 1821, after the events detailed in this podcast. Other names were also considered for the city, including Tecumseh, a nod to the Shawnee warrior chief who resided in Indiana.

    Companion Blog Post: Selecting the Seat of Government: The Expedition to Locate the Site of Indianapolis

    Native Americans around Indianapolis Post: The Native American Presence at the Founding of Indianapolis

    Changing the Route of Fall Creek: Changing Course: The Diversion of Fall Creek

    Sources for this podcast are listed in the blog posts above.

    I refer to Chief Anderson, a prominent Lenape chief who resided in a Lenape town on the site of present-day Anderson, Indiana, several times in this podcast. Anderson's father was of Swedish descent and had married a Lenape woman, thus the "Anderson" name. Anderson's Lenape name was Kikthawenund.

    Want to help offset the hosting costs for the blog and podcast? Leave a donation here: https://ko-fi.com/class900indyhistory. Venmo can also be accessed here: https://venmo.com/u/ejfujawa

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    31 mins
  • Silk and Explosives: The Real Silk Strike of 1934
    Jul 7 2025

    Exploring the history of the 1934 strike at the Real Silk hosiery mills in downtown Indianapolis. Note: I realized I was speaking a bit faster for this episode, so you may need to slow things down to .75x speed.

    Companion Blog Post: Silk and Explosives: The Real Silk Strike of 1934

    Want to help offset the hosting costs for the blog and podcast? Leave a donation here: https://ko-fi.com/class900indyhistory.

    Venmo can be accessed here: https://venmo.com/u/ejfujawa

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    22 mins
  • "Like the Roar and Hum of a Fast Speeding Railway Locomotive" - The Eastside Tornado of 1927
    May 19 2025

    Exploring the May 18, 1927, tornado which swept through the heart of downtown Indianapolis and caused serious damage on the near eastside.

    Companion Blog Post: "Like the Roar and Hum of a Fast Speeding Railway Locomotive" - The Eastside Tornado of 1927

    Note: All sources listed in the above blog post. Most images are the Indiana Historical Society's Bass Photo Collection. The full collection can be accessed at this link: Indiana Historical Society Digital Images - Indiana Historical Society Digital Images.

    Fire Tower Blog Post: Eye in the Sky: The Last Indianapolis Fire Tower

    Want to help offset the hosting costs for the blog and podcast? Leave a donation here: https://ko-fi.com/class900indyhistory.

    Venmo can be accessed here: https://venmo.com/u/ejfujawa

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    18 mins