Hoosier History Live

Obscure Indianapolis

Originally aired 07/05/2025. Nelson's guest is journalist Will Higgins, who created a pop-up museum that spotlights obscure history called the Museum of Fabulosity. The exhibit was up at CAMI throughout the summer of 202

Off the Beaten Path In Indiana

Originally aired 06/28/2025. A massive sculpture of Bigfoot at Patoka Lake; a horror-themed pizza parlor in Decatur, and a former Presbyterian church in Richmond with 62 genuine Tiffany stained glass windows. All of thes

Nazis on the Eastside Pre-World War II

Originally aired 06/21/2025. Alan Hunter , the history columnist for the Weekly View newspaper that covers the east side of Indy, is Nelson's guest. The two discuss Nazi sympathizers who, during the late 1930s, lived on

The History of Indiana Harbor and East Chicago

​Originally aired 06/14/2025. Although never separate towns, Indiana Harbor and East Chicago often were regarded that way as they evolved into becoming, as guest Joseph Pete puts it, "one of the most heavily industrializ

Auto Races Before the Indianapolis 500

Originally aired 06/07/2025. Before the first Indy 500 in 1911, there were auto races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 1910 after the track was paved with bricks. Those thrilling early races and the spectacular

Prohibition in Indiana

Originally aired on 5/3/2025. Indiana "went dry" before Prohibition went into effect nationally in January 1920. Guest Jason Lantzer , assistant director of the honors program at Butler University, talks with Nelson abou

Thomas R Marshall: The Hoosier Vice President Who Didn't Seize Power

Thomas R. Marshall was vice president in 1919 when President Woodrow Wilson suffered debilitating strokes that created a crisis. Before that, Marshall had been a popular governor of Indiana who is remembered for his wit,

Hoosier Food and Dining Preferences

Originally aired 04/12/2025. The full menu for this show doesn't just include food traditionally associated with Indiana such as tenderloins, sugar cream pie, persimmons and catfish. Nelson and guest Bradley Hohulin, the

Latino Heritage in Indiana

Chili parlors owned by Mexican Americans were popular in Indianapolis as early as 1907 and during the 1920s and '30s, a "hot tamale craze" occurred from Elkhart to Evansville. Nelson is joined by Nicole Martinez-LeGrand

Historic Hoosier Women

Originally aired 03/29/2025. Guest David Steele shares his knowledge on two trailblazing women he has spent time researching and shares the impact they have had on Hoosier history. One of them was an Indianapolis school

In Memoriam Dan Wakefield

Originally aired 03/22/2025. Nelson is joined by Susan Neville, Will Higgins, and Pat Chastain to honor acclaimed novelist, journalist and screenwriter Dan Wakefield. Dan passed away in March 2024. The 55th anniversary o

Caroline Scott Harrison

Early Days of State Legislature in Indianapolis

Originally aired 03/08/2025. What happened 200 years ago when the Indiana General Assembly met for the first time in Indianapolis? Where did the legislature stay in 1825, how did they entertain themselves, and what kinds

Fight Songs of Bygone High Schools

Originally aired 03/01/2025. Originally aired 03/01/2025. Ever hear of the former Monroe City High School, where the mascot was the Blue Jeans? How about the Bunker Hill High School, where the mascot was the Minutemen? F

Noble Sissle: Trailblazing Lyricist and Broadway Producer

Originally aired 02/15/2025. Nelson's guest on this Black History Month show is Aleta Hodge , author of the biography, "The Robust Life & Times of Noble Sissle." Indianapolis native, Noble Sissle was the lyricist and co-

Ask Nelson and Ed Fujawa

Originally aired 02/01/2025. Host Nelson Price is joined by local historian Ed Fujawa, author of "Vanished Indianapolis" and creator of the the blog, Class 900: Indianapolis History . The pair interview each other betwee

The Great Tri-State Tornado of 1925

Although the Great Tri-State tornado in 1925 is considered the deadliest continual tornado in U.S. history, it's been nearly forgotten. This show, which originally aired on 01/25/2025, describes the devastation. Justin H

Architecture in Indianapolis (Part 2): 1870-1900

Originally aired 01/18/2025. Several of the most lavish structures in city history were constructed in Indianapolis between the 1870s through 1900. Architectural historian James Glass returns to talk with Nelson about th

Historic True Crime in Indiana

Content awareness for listeners: This show does contain discussion about violence relating to guns and murder and may not be suitable for listeners that are sensitive to this subject matter. Originally aired on 01/11/202

Indianapolis Public Schools and the Education of Black Students

Originally aired 01/04/2025. Historians Beth Van Allen and Leon Bates discuss the ways that Indianapolis Public Schools handled the education of Black children and teenagers from the beginning of Indiana's statehood in 1