Hoosier History Live

Nelson Price
  • 5.0 (6)
  • History
  • Updated Semiweekly

Host Nelson Price, the "connoisseur of all things Hoosier," engages guests in a lively, live conversation about topics relating to Indiana history. Original shows are aired on WICR 88.7fm Saturdays from 12pm-1pm.

  1. 1d ago

    Architecture in Indianapolis: The 1800s

    Originally aired on 12/14/2024. Distinguished architectural historian James Glass, and author of the new book "Architecture in Indianapolis, 1820-1900",  shares his knowledge about historic churches, private homes and other structures in the circle city. Some of the buildings constructed in the 1800s are still standing, while others have been demolished. He also reviews architectural styles popular during the early and mid -1800s, including Federal, Greek Revival, and Gothic.

    58 min

  2. 3d ago

    Sculpting Famous Hoosiers

    Originally aired 12/7/2024. In 2024, a life-sized sculpture of John Mellencamp was dedicated on the Indiana University's campus in Bloomington. It is not the only outdoor artwork on campus created by Indiana sculptor Michael Livingston McAuley, who was Nelson's guest for this show. He also created a bronze sculpture of legendary composer Hoagy Carmichael playing a Steinway piano. To create a bronze sculpture Michael begins by creating the image in clay. For John Mellencamp's sculpture, he used a photo taken by Mellencamp's former wife Elaine  at the rock star's request.

    58 min

  3. 5d ago

    Historic Preservation in Indiana: A Retrospective with Marsh Davis

    Originally aired 11/23/2024. Although Marsh Davis has been president and CEO of Indiana Landmarks since 2006, his involvement goes much further back with what has become the largest statewide preservation organization in the country. Marsh retired in the spring of 2025. He was Nelson's guest on this archived show from 2024. The two explore successes and a few disappointments in the crusade to save historic sites across the state.

    39 min

  4. May 29

    The Art of Architectural Salvage

    Originally aired 11/16/2024. Have you ever been on the hunt for an item for your home like a vintage door knob, light fixtures, bathtub, window or floor register? Nelson's guest is Tim Harmon, former owner of Tim & Company's Another Fine Mess.  The now closed architectural salvage shop on the near east side of Indy sold  many salvaged items from numerous architectural eras ranging from as early as 1840 to as recent as 1960. This show had some issues exporting the audio and it cuts out a little early unfortunately. But hey! it's live radio and errors happen. If there is a topic you're interested it, be sure to tune in live if you can on WICR 88.7fm.

    35 min

  5. May 27

    James Whitcomb Riley: Some Misconceptions

    Originally aired 11/9/2024. Historian and Riley biographer, Elizabeth Van Allen, is Nelson's guest and shares a range of misconceptions regarding the Hoosier poet. At the peak of his success in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Riley  (1849-1916)   was the most popular poet in America. Although his poetry celebrated rural life,  the well known poet lived as an urbane sophisticate during his fame. ​

    57 min

  6. May 25

    Martinsville Murder of Carol Jenkins in 1968

    Originally aired on 10/26/2024. Content awareness for listeners: This show does contain discussion about violence and may not be suitable for listeners that are senstive to this subject matter.  For many decades the murder of Carol Jenkins, a young Black woman from Rushville, Indiana, remained unsolved and a cold case.  In September 1968 Carol was murdered in Martinsville, Indiana, a known sundown town.  In 2001, a series of revelations began to unfold involving former investigative reporter, Sandra Chapman, who is Nelson's guest for this show. She was left a chilling voice message that helped solve the case. Sandra discusses the case and her role in helping discover what actually happened on that evening in September 1968. Sandra produced a documentary, "The Girl in the Yellow Scarf", about the infamous case and its aftermath.  It is now on a broadcast run on PBS stations.

    39 min

  7. May 22

    Historic Urban Sites in Indianapolis

    Originally aired 10/19/2024. The downtown Indy building known as City Hall has been in the news recently. At the time this show aired, there were plans to renovate and include it as part of a hotel, art gallery and apartment project. But what is the history of the historic building, which has been sitting vacant after several various uses, including as the home of the Indiana State Museum from 1967-2002? Nelson and his guest Connie Zeigler, author of "Unusual Urban History of Indianapolis" explore Old City Hall's history, along with other urban sites in Indy, including Riley Towers apartments and a mortuary owned by the first African American funeral director in a state.

    58 min

  8. May 20

    Horror Movies: Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, and Their Indiana Connections

    Originally aired 10/05/2024. Indianapolis-based film historian and preservationist Eric Grayson, has been restoring a rare movie serial, "King of the Kongo", that starred Boris Karloff a few years before he became internationally famous as the Frankenstein monster in 1931. Boris Karloff's daughter, Sara Karloff, joins by phone from California for part of the show. Eric also shares insights about two silent movies starring Lon Chaney that were written by a controversial screenwriter from Noblesville, Indiana.

    57 min
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5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Host Nelson Price, the "connoisseur of all things Hoosier," engages guests in a lively, live conversation about topics relating to Indiana history. Original shows are aired on WICR 88.7fm Saturdays from 12pm-1pm.

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