The Indiana State Archives is the permanent repository for important records of state and local governments. Its holdings include approximately 38,000 cubic feet of records dating from the territorial period to the present.
Major collections begin with the records of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government from 1785 to the present. These include papers of every governor; bills, acts, and reports of the General Assembly; and case files of both the Supreme and Appellate Courts.
Military records include holdings from the Battle of Tippecanoe, War of 1812, Black Hawk War, Mexican War, Civil War, Spanish American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, and Viet Nam.
The Archives has records of the General Land Office for Indiana, including tract books and the original plats and field notes made by federal surveyors. The Archives is the office of record for state lands such as Wabash and Erie Canal, Michigan Road, and Swamp Lands.
Over 100,000 aerial photographs are in the Archives, including some of the earliest ever taken in Indiana. Other significant photograph collections include the Indiana State Fair, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Corrections, and the Indianapolis Board of Public Safety.
The Archives has the 1820-1880 federal censuses of agriculture and manufacturers for Indiana, as well as substantial collections from more than 500 state agencies and 92 counties. Among these are incorporation papers and election returns from the Secretary of State’s Office, annual reports filed by railroads and public utilities, individual patient and inmate records from state institutions dating back to 1822, and important records for the history of health and welfare, education, crime, and the environment.
For more information on the Archives visit www.in.gov/iara
Friends of the Indiana State Archives 