Historical society exhibits available online

Want to get closer to history and take a virtual step back in time? The Indiana Historical Society has made two of its popular features — “You Are There” and “Be Heard” exhibits — available online. And you can access them for free.

“We are so excited to make some of our most popular exhibits available from your computer or mobile device at no cost to you,” said Indiana Historical Society President and CEO Jody Blankenship. “Visitors will be able to view videos, images and objects as well as select digital interactive features that make you part of the story.” The online exhibits are available at indianahistory.org/online-exhibits.

In the “You Are There” exhibit series, historic photographs are brought to life three-dimensionally, right down to the actors playing the people in and around the images. Visitors can become part of the story by seeing and hearing history. These exhibits online are:

“You Are There 1915”: Madam C.J. Walker, Empowering Women — Drop in on icon and self-made millionaire Madam C.J. Walker at the factory where she built her empire.

“You Are There 1927”: Gennett Studio — Visit Gennett Studio and see how this Indiana music company impacted jazz, blues, country and gospel music throughout the country, producing some of the earliest recordings from Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Bix Beiderbecke and Hoagy Carmichael.

“You Are There 1943”: Italian POWs at Atterbury — Learn more about prisoners of war at Camp Atterbury during World War II.

The Be Heard exhibits invite visitors to explore the experiences of various groups of people and their impact on Indiana. Using photographs, oral histories, newspapers, letters and other documents, these exhibits introduce a larger story that is still being written — a story that has had and will continue to have a transformative impact on Indiana and beyond. The Be Heard exhibits online are:Be Heard: Asian Experiences in Indiana —This exhibit is based on interviews of individuals of varying cultural backgrounds who recall what it has been like to be Asian in the Hoosier State throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.

Be Heard: Latino Experiences in Indiana — Get a glimpse into the stories of individuals of varying cultural backgrounds who recall what it has been like to be Latino in the Hoosier State throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.

Be Heard: Groundbreaking Black Hoosiers — Explore a compelling example of the important role Black people have played in Hoosier history, a role that has too often been erased.

Information: (317) 232-1882 or visit indianahistory.org.