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Indiana Room at PGTPL

Name: Indiana Room at PGTPL
Address: 1120 Stafford Road, Plainfield, IN, 46168, US
Telephone: +13178396602
Price range: Not Applicable

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Indiana Room at PGTPL

The Indiana Room at PGTPL is the perfect place for historians, researchers, and curious minds. The Indiana Room has a wealth of knowledge ready to be explored!

Our staff is here to help you find the materials you need to start and complete your research.

12/09/2024

Indiana Read Local: “L. S. Ayres & Company: The Store at the Crossroads of America” by Kenneth L. Turchi

In 1872 Lyman Ayres acquired a controlling interest in the Trade Palace, a dry-goods store in Indianapolis. Two years later, he bought out his partners and renamed the establishment L. S. Ayres and Company. For the next century, Ayres was as much a part of Indianapolis as Monument Circle or the Indianapolis 500.

Generations of Midwestern families visited the vast store to shop for everything from furs to television sets, to see the animated Christmas windows, and, of course to visit Santa Claus and enjoy lunch in the Tea Room.

But Ayres was more than just a department store. At its helm across three generations was a team of visionary retailers who took the store from its early silk-and-calico days to a diversified company with interests in specialty stores, discount stores (before Target and Wal-Mart there was AyrWay), and even grocery stores. At the same time, Ayres never lost sight of its commitment to women's fashion that gave the store the same cachet as its larger competitors in New York and Chicago.

What was the secret of Ayres's success? In this book, Ken Turchi traces the store's history through three wars, the Great Depression, and the changing tastes and shopping habits of America in the 1960s and 1970s. Along the way, he describes the store's phenomenal growth while offering a behind-the-scenes look at this beloved and trusted institution.

This book is available in the Indiana Circulating collection on the shelf at IC 381.141 Turchi. Or, follow this link to put it on hold: https://evergreen.lib.in.us/eg/opac/record/20890922

12/06/2024

The Indiana Room has a new sculpture honoring past Plainfield, Indiana, librarian Mayme Snipes!

This artwork is a tribute to one of PGTPL’s trailblazing professionals. Created by Indiana sculptor Duane King and delivered on November 19, she proudly sits on the credenza just inside the Indiana Room. Mr. King
created a remarkable likeness of her, given that he only had two photographs to work from–none of
which was a portrait. The project was funded by the Indiana Room Gift Fund.

For more about Mayme, read on:

Mayme Snipes was one of the first professional librarians to work at the Plainfield library. Hired in 1909,
she was responsible for many innovations. She introduced children’s story hour, began creating clipping and
photo files, and started a historical collection. Mayme oversaw the construction of the Carnegie library
on South Center Street and supervised the training of other library workers. She was instrumental in
the creation of the library’s 1916 Auto Book Wagon (aka the first bookmobile in the state of Indiana) and
implementing rural book service. This service not only included Guilford Township residents, but also
Liberty and Washington townships.

After ten years working here in her hometown, Mayme went on to work for the Indiana State Library,
the Switzerland County Library in Vevay, and the Columbia City library. She owned a cabin in Brown
County, where she helped organize the Brown County library as well. Never marrying, she lived rather
adventurously for a small-town Hoosier woman of her time. In 1929 and 1930 she sailed to Europe,
touring gardens and villages off the beaten path in England. Then, in 1934 she took a Caribbean cruise
on the Duchess of Bedford, returning from Nassau, Bahamas via plane to Miami, when air travel for
recreation was still a rarity. In 1939 she moved to Bloomington where she kept busy with club
memberships and visiting her Brown County cabin to host house parties. She fell ill in the fall of 1941
and died in December while visiting friends in Indianapolis.

Mayme Snipes is buried in Plainfield’s Maple Hill Cemetery.

12/05/2024

It’s time for another Throwback Thursday Plainfield High School Class Reunion! This time it’s the class of 1982, who will have graduated 42 years ago. Enjoy some memorable moments from your senior year, courtesy of the 1982 Plainfield Silhouettes yearbook.

1) Class officers: Vice-President Scott McLeish, Secretary/Treasurer Angela Allen, President Gene Margiotti.

2) Senior DECA award winners: Mike Hatfield, Kim Patton, J.R. Mauck, Liz Madison, Jan Stremming, and Greg Burdsall.

3) Senior Homecoming Queen candidates and their escorts at halftime of the football game: (l-r) Kent Haggard, Shelley Brown, Brad Reno, Betsy Buchanan, Bill Brocious, and Becki Flick.

4) Senior Flag Corps Captain Rita Kirtley receives a gallant kiss from drum major Gary Everling during State marching band competition.

5) Student teacher J.D. Harris addresses his very attentive gym class audience.

6) Tim Benge having fun during Mr. Baker’s speech class.

7) Seniors David Ruark and Laura Ragan perform in the musical “Brigadoon”

8) King and Queen of the Sweethearts Dance: Laura Smith and Gene Margiotti

9) Tom Hawk and Dalene Tallent enjoy playing ping-pong at Post Prom

10) Hoosier Girls’ State delegates include (l-r): Mary Ann Myers, Susan Peters, Melissa Decker and Alternates (back): Julie Harpool, Judy Faulkner, Laura Smith

11) Hoosier Boys’ State delegates and alternate include (l-r): Tom Hawk, Kim Kelly, Kent Haggard, and Allen Harding

12) PHS diver Rex Murat was awarded 8th in the State diving competition.

13) PHS golfer Howie James eyes the pin.

14) Plainfield High School graduating class of 1982

Want to see more? The PHS yearbooks are digitized and available online at:
https://www.plainfieldlibrary.net/services/genealogy/yearbooks/

12/03/2024

The Indiana Room is pleased to announce the release of "Hendricks County Bicentennial Memory
Project", a new book in celebration of the bicentennial of Hendricks County, Indiana, in 2024.

As part of the county’s 200th anniversary, residents of Hendricks County were asked to share
their personal memories, experiences, and reflections. The questions covered a wide range of
topics, from school days and sporting events to memorable weather occurrences and the
significant changes Hendricks County has seen over the past 50 years.

We compiled these memories into this small but exciting book, which is now available to borrow. Come on
in and check out a copy today!

12/02/2024

Read Local: Indiana Books for Kids

The Indiana Room's Indiana Circulating collection contains many books for kids, from nonfiction state profiles to charming picture books to middle grade novels. Come on in and browse!

Today we're highlighting just a tiny sample to pique your interest.

1) “H is for Hoosier: An Indiana Alphabet” by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds

This title takes you and your child through Indiana with 26 different stops according to the letters of the alphabet. Beautifully illustrated by Bruce Langton.

2) “Two-Moon Journey” by Peggy King Anderson

Follows the experiences of Simu-quah, an eleven-year-old Potawatomi girl, as she travels with her tribe on its forced march from Indiana to Kansas in 1838.

3) “Marengo Cave Mystery: Hometown Heroes” by Pauline Kurtz

While six cousins visit Marengo Cave during spring break their parents are robbed by a man who pretends to be a cowboy. The children gather clues to help the police capture the desperado.

4) “Evie Finds Her Family Tree” by Ashley B. Ransburg

When Evie overhears her parents talking about their family tree, she considers whether they mean the holly, the sugar maple, the magnolia, or the oak. A great introduction to the idea of family history by a former Plainfield, Indiana, teacher.

These books are available in the Indiana Circulating collection. Or follow this link to put them on hold: https://plainfield.evergreenindiana.org/

11/30/2024

Looking for a unique gift for your history enthusiast?

"50 Historic Buildings of Plainfield, Indiana: The Places and the People" might fit the bill!

Features interesting facts, stories, and photographs of some of Plainfield's recognizable places and people. (263 pages, fully-indexed, softbound)

Available in the Indiana Room for a $20 suggested donation.

Out of town? Contact us at [email protected] or (317) 839-6602 x.2114 for shipping options.

11/29/2024

The Indiana Room received a wonderful collection of Plainfield High School drama photographs from the 1950s and 1960s. The shows are identified, but the people are not! Do you recognize anyone from this April 1960 production of "Class Ring"? If so, let us know!

In the comments below, by email at [email protected], or (317) 839-6602 x2114.

Thanks for your help!

11/28/2024

Happy Vintage Thanksgiving from the Indiana Room!

This postcard is from 1913 with the sentiment "Remembrances, Mary" mailed to Ellen Wood, R.R. 4, Danville, Indiana.

11/25/2024

Indiana Read Local: “Slinging Doughnuts for the Boys” by James H. Madison

Above Omaha Beach in Normandy, etched in marble is a grave marker reading “Elizabeth A. Richardson, American Red Cross, Indiana July 25, 1945.” Who was this woman from Mishawaka, Indiana, and why was she buried among men who died fighting the N***s?

Liz grew up in a middle-class family in northern Indiana and worked in advertising for Schuster’s Department Store in Milwaukee before joining the American Red Cross in 1944. From a converted London bus, known as a Clubmobile, she and fellow Red Cross women served coffee and donuts to men going into or returning from combat. As much as any soldier, this bright, fun-loving young woman wanted to do her part to defeat the enemy. It is our good fortune that she left behind the sparkling letters and diary that brings her extraordinary story to life in this book.

This book is available in the Indiana Circulating collection (IC 940.5477 Madison). Or follow this link to put it on hold: https://evergreen.lib.in.us/eg/opac/record/5477212

11/22/2024

Do you recognize any of these men from the Plainfield Chamber of Commerce talking with State Representative Richard Thompson (on right)? If so, let us know!

In the comments below, at [email protected] or (317) 839-6602 x2114.

Thanks for your help!

11/21/2024

Back in October we featured a photo of a street in Plainfield, Indiana, in 1936, for a Throwback. We didn’t think many would recognize it because the view had changed so much.

Here’s another one! If you look at the first photo, the clues are slim, although the fact the road is sloping down into town might be a hint. The second photo looking in the opposite direction might help a little more, since some of the buildings are still standing. Neither photo has a date, but the road is dirt, and still being traveled by horse and buggy.

The first image is looking south on Avon Avenue in Plainfield, Indiana. The Taylor Johnson house at 425 Avon Avenue is atop the hill on the left. A little-known fact is that this hill is where the original Maple Hill Cemetery was located. (It was moved to its current location in 1889)

The second picture is Avon Avenue looking north from Krewson Street. The buggy is heading south, towards Main Street. The first house on the left is 204 Avon Avenue, while the first house on the right is 209 Avon Avenue. Wonder what the buggy driver thought of the photographer camped in the middle of the road?

11/18/2024

Read Local: “Mapping Indiana: Five Centuries of Treasures From the Indiana Historical Society”

If you enjoy browsing through beautiful coffee table books and also exploring geography and local history, this book is for you!

Made up of more than 100 maps from the Indiana Historical Society’s collection, this oversized book is available for checkout. Many of the maps are works of art and they are fascinating looks into how earlier inhabitants of the state saw their world.

With a section of “Curator’s Choices” and essays on the history of map making, the IHS staff bring their expertise to the publication. The real fun is looking through all the different maps, from exploration to the territorial era to specialized maps.

Some of our favorite include the bird’s eye view of Indianapolis (1854), The Overland Trail Map (1890), How to Drive to Brown County (1918), and the Map Illustrating the Pioneer Periods in Indiana (1932). With so many maps included, you’ll be sure to find some that are your favorites too.

This book is available in the Indiana Circulating collection at IC 911.772 Mapping. Or follow this link to put it on hold: https://evergreen.lib.in.us/eg/opac/record/21058706

11/15/2024

Plainfield, Indiana, resident Anne Rudy teaches some unidentified students at Weekday Religious Education (WRE) in 1979.

Do you recognize any of the kids? If so, let us know!

In the comments below, by email ([email protected]) or phone (317) 839-6602.

11/14/2024

Throwback Thursday feature: Bill Strafford, Jr.

Plainfield, Indiana’s Bill Stafford Jr. grew up with the town. He was here when the town was made up of just 2000 people, and he remains here today.

Strafford’s Drug Store at 126 West Main, on the northeast corner of Main and Center Streets, was opened in 1933 by his father, Bill Strafford, Sr. Later Bill Jr. joined his father in the business, working there for eight years. After the store was sold to Hook's Drugs in 1969, Bill went to work for them in Plainfield Plaza.

Then in 1976, he and his wife Carolyn opened Christ’s Corner Bookstore back in the original Strafford Drugs building in downtown Plainfield. The couple operated the store until it was purchased by the Family Christian Bookstore in 1995.

A Plainfield High School graduate, Mr. Strafford has served on the Plainfield School Board, as an elder of the Plainfield Christian Church, and was honored as an Outstanding Plainfield Citizen. Currently Bill is the president of the Plainfield Oldtimers Club.

Photographs:
1. Seven and half year-old Bill Strafford Jr. standing at the side of the Strafford Drug Store, posed with a baseball glove and wearing a hat and jacket, 1947.

2. Bill Strafford and Bill Strafford Jr. posed in front of their home at 907 East Main Street, Plainfield, 1948.

3. John Wiggins, Dick Hobbs, and Bill Strafford Jr. eating ice cream outside Strafford's Pharmacy, no date.

4. The Strafford family: Bill Strafford, Jr., Carolyn Strafford, Sherry Strafford, Cindy Strafford, and Chris Strafford. [Photo by photographer Meade Bryant, 1965]

5. Bill Strafford Jr. (left) and father Bill Strafford in Strafford's Pharmacy behind the pharmacy counter, 1969.

6. Christ's Corner Bookstore with owners Carolyn Strafford and Bill Strafford Jr. and clerk Virginia Patterson, 1978.

[Except for the Meade Bryant family photo, these original photographs were loaned to the Indiana Room by Mr. Strafford for scanning and adding to the library's photograph collection]

11/11/2024

Indiana Read Local: “Dune Boy ” by Edwin Way Teale

"Dune Boy" is a beloved memoir by Edwin Way Teale that synthesizes tales from his early life and experiences with nature.

Though Edwin and his parents lived in Joliet, an Illinois city, he spent his boyhood holidays and summers with "Gram and Gramps" on their farm Lone Oak in Furnessville, Indiana. His turn-of-the-century adventures are both nostalgic and heartwarming. The book recounts these bucolic visits and his budding interest in the natural world around him. A loner, often bullied by other children, Teale escaped to the roof of the old house where he gazed at the golden dunes in the distance, and dreamed his own fantastic dreams.

The young Teale was fascinated by moths, dragonflies, snakes, and the workings of the farm, roaming the fields, marshes and dunes every eventful day. He created a "museum" for his collections of arrowheads, stones, and fish skeletons. Most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his storytelling grandfather, and his book-reading grandmother. He returned to Lone Oak every summer until he was fifteen, when the old farm house caught fire and burned down.

This book is available in the Indiana Circulating collection at IC 921 Teale. Or, follow this link to put it on hold: https://evergreen.lib.in.us/eg/opac/record/9003334

11/08/2024

These three ladies, shopping at Kay's Florist in Plainfield, Indiana, are unidentified. Do you recognize them? If so, let us know!

In the comments below, by email ([email protected]) or phone (317) 839-6602.

11/07/2024

Throwback Thursday: The Nutmeg Tree

In 1975, a specialty gift and craft shop called the Nutmeg Tree opened in the building at the northwest corner of Main and Vine Streets (104 West Main St.) in Plainfield, Indiana.

Owned by Mary Hardin, Keitha Swaim, Judy Reno, Betty Rink, and Lillian Thomas, it reflected the mid-seventies vibe of handmade home décor. Items for sale the first year included a crocheted American flag, Holly Hobbie dolls, and homemade candles. The shop was so successful that when Edna Blanton closed her pie shop next door, the Nutmeg Tree expanded into that space. Although the ownership partnerships varied through the years, the Nutmeg Tree remained through the late 1980s.

Here are some photos from the Indiana Room's photograph collection to bring back memories of those days!

1) The building housing the Nutmeg Tree and other businesses at 104 West Main Street, no date.

2) Pictured (l-r): Mary Hardin, Betty Rink, and Lillian Thomas pose as they prepare for the opening of their new shop, 1975.

3) Christmas wares visible from outside the shop, 1976.

4) Keitha Swaim prepares for the expansion of the Nutmeg Tree, 1977.

5) Anne Rudy Shops at the open house for the expanded Nutmeg Tree shop, 1977.

11/04/2024

Indiana Read Local: “Hoosiers on the Home Front ” edited by Dawn E. Bakken

Wars are fought on the home front as well as the battlefront. Spouses, family, friends, and communities are called upon to sacrifice and persevere when lives change.

This compilation includes original diaries, letters, memoirs, and essays of the Indiana home front from the Civil War through the Vietnam War.

Readers will meet, among others, Joshua Jones of the 19th Indiana Volunteer Regiment and his wife, Celia; Attia Porter, a young resident of Corydon, Indiana, writing to her cousin about Morgan's Raid; Civil War and World War I veterans who came into conflict over the Indianapolis 500 and Memorial Day observances; Virginia Mayberry, a wife and mother on the World War II home front; and university students and professors clashing over the Vietnam War. This is a compelling glimpse of how war impacts everyone, even those who never saw the front lines.

This book is available to check out from the Indiana Circulating collection at IC 355.00977 Bakken. Or follow this link to put it on hold: https://evergreen.lib.in.us/eg/opac/record/22748922

Address

1120 Stafford Road
Plainfield, IN
46168

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 8pm
Tuesday	9am - 8pm
Wednesday	9am - 8pm
Thursday	9am - 8pm
Friday	9am - 6pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	1pm - 5pm

Telephone

+13178396602

Website

http://plainfieldlibrary.net/

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