Hoosier History Live is an independently produced new media project about Indiana history, integrating podcasts, website, newsletter, and social media. Its original content comes initially from a live with call in weekly talk radio show hosted by author and historian Nelson Price. You can hear the show live Saturdays from noon to 1 pm ET at WICR 88.7 fm or stream the show live at the WICR HD1 app on your phone.

Coming in 2024, Hoosier History Live REMASTERED! Our 2008 through 2023 shows in an exciting new format! All online, all free, and all structured in a way that's easy for all to find! AND formatting for prx.org, an online distribution service for public radio shows. You KNOW the huge amount of work that has been going into creating these shows over the last fifteen years. (Or perhaps you don't know!) Producer Molly Head says she will be able to focus on REMASTERED and make the most of our extensive work product. 

In 2024, host Nelson Price will continue to do a live show in the same WICR timeslot. As we are financially challenged elements like the enewsletter and the Roadtrip will be going away.

 

New show podcasts are up! 

November 04, 2023- First cookbook published in Indiana and food fashions of 1840s and ‘50s- Encore Click here for podcast.

For a complete list of show podcasts and show enewsletters, please go to ARCHIVES on our website. 

Hoosier History Live is brought to you by:

Logo Lucas oil

Your contributions help keep Hoosier History Live on the air, on the web, in your inbox, and in our ARCHIVES!

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Books by Nelson Price

Book cover of The Quiet Hero, A Life of Ryan White, by Nelson Price.

Indiana Legends book cover.Book cover of Indianapolis Then and Now, 2016 edition, by Nelson Price and Joan Hostetler, featuring photos by Garry Chilluffo.

Acknowledgments

Hoosier History Live thanks our partners who help the show to go on!

Monomedia
Website design, email marketing and PC consulting.

Fraizer Designs
Graphic design and illustration.

Visit Indy
Promoting Indy and providing us with wonderful prizes for our History Mystery contest, including museums, sporting venues and great places to dine.

WICR
Our anchor radio station, on the campus of University of Indianapolis.

Heritage Photo and Research Services

December 09, 2023

Preempted show for U Indy sports, again, and current news

 

Hoosier History Live will be preempted this Saturday (Dec. 9) so WICR-FM can broadcast live coverage of a University of Indianapolis sports event. Because we won’t be airing a live show, we thought you would enjoy a look back at an assortment of photos and history tidbits from captivating shows this past year, our 15th on the air. Hoosier History Live will return Dec. 16 with a new, live show about a colorful aspect of our heritage.

On our April 22 show, Nelson's guest, Jamie Ward, author of "100 Things To Do in Indiana Before You Die", shared several "bucket list" suggestions. They included a visit to Cataract Falls, the state's largest waterfall. Located near Spencer in Owen County, Cataract Falls consists of two spectacular waterfalls, upper and lower, in an area managed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. In her guidebook, Jamie also urges visitors to check out a historic site nearby, the Cataract General Store, which was built in 1860 and is the oldest general store in Indiana. Click here to listen to the podcast.

Professor Watermelon, the performance name used by Indianapolis-based children's book author and educator Chadwick Gillenwater, shared tips for getting kids excited in history during our May 6 show. He travels to schools, libraries and museums. In addition, he hosts summer camps at sites such as the courtroom of the Indiana Supreme Court, as seen in this photo. "If you bring historical characters to life by showing how they lived, what they wanted, or who and what was in their way, you will have engaged learners," Chadwick said. Click here to listen to the podcast.

During a June 10 show about "The largest Dune and why it's gone", we explored the towering Hoosier Slide near Michigan City, which was a national tourist attraction during the late 1800s and early 1900s. As seen in this 1890 photo (notice the tiny images of visitors atop the mountain of sand), the Hoosier Slide was the biggest of the Indiana Dunes on Lake Michigan. Described as a sandy version of a Swiss Alp, the massive Hoosier Slide was the setting for wedding ceremonies, picnics and endless frolicking. During our show, we explored the heyday of the Hoosier Slide, the reasons it had vanished from the landscape by 1920, and the flourishing of Michigan City as a lakeside resort during the era that the legendary dune attracted so many visitors. Click here to listen to the podcast.

The "Vinyl era of Indiana music heritage" was the focus of our July 15 show. The Indiana Music Heritage Project is spotlighting the 40-year vinyl records era (generally defined as 1950 to 1990) with various endeavors. Nelson's guest Rick Wilkerson, the project's executive director, described an evolving, Wikipedia-type resource called Indiana Musicpedia with categories about genres of music ranging from "folk/acoustic" to "country/bluegrass". The project also includes a gallery of vinyl-era artifacts such as the recreation of a radio station from the 1960s and '70s, as seen in the photo. Click here to listen to the podcast.

You can listen to podcasts of all of these shows – and many more from previous years – in our trove in the Archives section on this website.

HHL Producer at Author Fair

Producer Molly Head promotes HHL REMASTERED at the Indiana History Center Holiday Author Fair on December 2. REMASTERED will focus greater distribution and awareness of all the excellent material Hoosier History Live has created over the years.

 

Who can you see in this “Hoosier History Live Photo Album” . . .

Swipe through these photos gleaned from the last fourteen years of Hoosier History Live production!

And would you believe that radio technology has completely changed tech wise since we first went on the air in 2008 at WICR?  Can you find Bobby Plump, Chris Gahl, Connie Zeigler, Tom Ridley, Bonnie Britton, Tiffany Benedict Browne, Eunice Trotter, David Baker, Lefty Huntzinger, Keira Amstutz, Cowboy Bob, Janie of “Popeye and Janie”, K.P. Singh, Pam Fraizer, and Dark Rain Thom? The voices of so many Hoosiers blended together over the years to make Hoosier History Live such a unique archive.

And thanks to Richard Sullivan of Monomedia for creating this group of images.


What people are saying about Hoosier History Live

 

"...Are fulfilling a valuable role..."

"Hoosier History Live is a haven of trustworthy knowledge. Molly Head and Nelson Price are fulfilling a valuable role in making quality scholarship about our state readily available to on-the-go listeners, expanding how we engage with the history and culture of Indiana."

-Wayne Hastings, Bloomington listener and library science student

 

"...A great service with the creation of independent media..."

"Both Nelson Price and Molly Head do the public a great service with the creation of independent media project Hoosier History Live. The program adds considerably to the public IQ, at a time when intelligence is much needed."

- Tom Cochrun, former news anchor, WTHR-TV Channel 13 Indianapolis

 

"... an intelligent, well-researched program..."

"I’ve loved listening to Hoosier History Live during the pandemic as an intelligent, well-researched program to escape the news for an hour."

-Lee Little, JD, MLS, Research Librarian, Indiana University

 

"...'Live' - and 'Lively' as well..." 

"Hoosier History really is 'Live' - and 'Lively' as well. The program brings to new audiences the delight and wisdom that comes with knowing more of our past and our connections as Hoosiers."

- James H. Madison, Emeritus History Professor, Indiana University

 

"...interactive, more entertaining and more 'relevant'..."

"As museums and educational institutions scramble to make their offerings more interactive, more entertaining and more 'relevant', Hoosier History Live seems to have mastered that formula."

- Glynis Worley, rural Bartholomew County listener

 

"...a great way to learn more about history..."

"The links on the Friday Hoosier History Live enewsletter are a great way to learn more about history, and from a variety of sources."

- Jill Ditmire, Omni Media Specialist

 

"I love the podcasts..."

"I love the podcasts! I work on Saturdays and cannot always hear the live broadcasts. Sometimes I also like to listen a second time."

- Terri Gorney, Fort Wayne listener

 

"...infuses joy into the pursuit of history..."

"Nelson Price, more than anyone I know, infuses joy into the pursuit of history. And that joy rings out loud and clear on the radio show, Hoosier History Live."

- Marsh Davis, President, Indiana Landmarks

 

"... a compelling and engaging project..." 

"Molly Head and Nelson Price are Indiana-based visionaries who have created a compelling and engaging media project with Hoosier History Live. Podcasts, website, enewsletter, and live call-in radio show; it’s all there!"

- Keira Amstutz, President and CEO, Indiana Humanities

 

"...does more to promote Indiana history..."

"Hoosier History Live does more to promote Indiana history than does any single source."

- Andrea Neal, Indianapolis author and educator

 

"...always a great show"

“Hoosier History Live is always a great show.  We did a small  sponsorship as a gesture of support, and I didn’t think a little history show would have much impact. But many people mentioned to me that they had heard our credit on the radio.”

- G.B. Landrigan, Realtor, Certified Residential Specialist

 

"...a great way to represent what I do..."

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences with Nelson Price and the Hoosier History Live team. I feel being on the show was a great way to represent what I do with motorsports history. I am particularly excited by the show's new distribution through a podcast and making it accessible live through the Web.”

-Mark Dill, owner, FirstSuperSpeedway.com


"...great value to sponsors..."

"Hoosier History Live has amassed a vast library of content over the years, both with the show audio and newsletter material. I believe that the Hoosier History Live content has great value to sponsors and advertisers via widespread online distribution. Nowhere else do you find the fresh new material each week, the depth of stories, the richness of detail, and the long-term consistency."

- John McDonald, CEO, ClearObject in Fishers, Indiana, Inc. Magazine’s fastest-growing IT company in Indiana for 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

"...enthusiastic, curious and knowledgeable..."

 "Hoosier History Live is a perfect place to consider and reconsider history ... not just what happened in the past, but what it may mean in the present. Nelson Price is the perfect host: enthusiastic, curious and knowledgeable. Tune in to Hoosier History Live and be prepared to be surprised."

- James Still, playwright in residence, Indiana Repertory Theatre

"...I want to call in!..

"No, I haven't heard of another call-in talk radio show about history. Our airwaves are now full of the worst vitriol! Give me the phone number for the show. I want to call in!"

- Ken Burns, speaking at a preview of his film "The War" at Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation, April 18, 2007

"Another Hoosier History Live endorsement from a Hoosier in California ..."

"Hoosier History Live is a bright spot in my media constellation. I also frequently forward your weekly enewsletters to friends around the globe. I may now be a Californian, but my Hoosier interest is endless. The podcasts and streaming are good tools. By all means, persevere!"

- Tom Cochrun, former news anchor, WTHR-TV Channel 13 Indianapolis

 

"From a Hoosier who knows her books..."

"Fills a niche for the lover of Indiana history."

- Kathleen Madinger Angelone, retired bookstore owner

 

Podcast listening, and Hoosier History Live copyright policies

We still do a live radio show every Saturday from noon to one broadcasting on WICR 88.7, but more and more of our listeners are listening to our podcasts, which are basically audio copies of our live shows. Our website is www.hoosierhistorylive.org, and you can sign up at our website to get our free weekly newsletter.

At the top of our newsletter and website we put notice, and links, to our newly published podcasts. We also provide a link to ARCHIVES, which is a list of our past enewsletters and published podcasts.

If you have a preferred podcast provider like Apple Podcasts or Spotify, you can use their search function to call up Hoosier History Live as well. Look for the yellow Hoosier History Live logo.

We copyright our work, and we have a crew of very talented people putting it together. But we WANT you to share it! We believe that learning should be accessible to everyone! You are welcome to copy, link to, or forward any of our Hoosier History Live material. Just please do not edit it! Our underwriter logos and voiced credits are on our material; and these underwriters make our work possible. 


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