Sunday, April 21st, 2013 - 1:00 p.m.
Soldiers and Sailors Monument – Walking Tour
The 1-hour tour and lecture will be lead by William Selm. The group will meet at the Circle Theater canopy at 1:00 pm.
William L. Selm is a 5th generation Indiana native from Franklin County, one of the cradles of Indiana history. After earning degrees in History and Historic Preservation Studies at IN State University and Boston University, respectively, he has been studying the history and the built environment of Indiana and particularly Indianapolis. Selm is the last Historian to serve (1983-1992) the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission and was a co-founder of the Indiana German Heritage Society and the Athenaeum Foundation. Since 1988 he has been an adjunct faculty member at IUPUI Herron School of Art and the School Engineering & Technology. He is the author of numerous National Register nominations, ENCYCLOPEDIA of INDIANAPOLIS entries, the booklet WEGWEISER, A SELF-GUIDED TOUR OF GERMAN-AMERICAN SITES IN INDIANAPOLIS, and the exhibit WEGWEISER, GERMAN PLACE NAMES IN INDIANA. He also served with distinction as the doorman at the Westin Hotel for 14 years.
He served 10 years on the Indiana State Professional Review Board for Historic Preservation and currently serves on the Metropolitan Development Commission, City of Indianapolis. Selm is a free-lance lecturer, tour guide, researcher and writer on local history and architecture.
The Marion County Historical Society is in the process of finalizing the schedule of events for 2013. These planned events are divided into two categories. The first category, Programs, will be traditional presentations related to the topic at an associated venue. The second category, Walking Tours, will be less formal tours with a short presentation on the historical topic followed by an informal discussion and beverage near the site of the tour.
The Marion County Historical Society (MCHS) is a non-profit organization that was established in 1961 for all those interested in the history and culture of Marion County, Indiana. It was originally formed to advocate for historically significant architecture in downtown Indianapolis, but it now also includes programs and activities that explore and preserve our local heritage.
Through a variety of programs, conferences, grants and publications, MCHS works to develop community awareness of our past and its impact on the present and future. Past programs have included:
Please direct your questions to us about Marion County, Indiana local history information only. We are not a genealogy society and we have no holdings or archives. For genealogy information, please contact the Indiana Genealogical Society or the Genealogical Society of Marion County.
The Indiana State Archives can help you with obituaries and information from old newspapers. Other sources to contact are: the Indiana Historical Society, the Indiana State Library, and the vertical files in the Indianapolis Public Library branches.