Consisting of roughly fifty homes on six blocks, the Ransom Place Historic District is one of Indianapolis's only remaining African-American neighborhoods from the 19th century. It was named for Freeman B. Ransom, an attorney and general manager of the Walker Manufacturing Company, which was founded by Madam C. J. Walker. Freeman's son, Willard, who was a noted attorney, also lived in the neighborhood. The neighborhood was home to numerous African-American civic leaders and professionals. Ransom Place was a vital African-American community well into the twentieth century. Walker herself lived just southwest of Ransom Place.&nbsp; The neighborhood consists of Queen Anne cottages, most of which date to the 1890s. Most of the homes feature T-plans and L-plans The Ransom family owned two homes at 824 and 828 California Street. When racial discrimination began to decline in the 1950s, some African-Americans left Ransom Place and moved into other neighborhoods, and the community fell into a period of decline. A number of the homes were vacant and in a state of disrepair until the 1980s, when Jean Spears moved into Ransom Place. Spears was active in historic preservation and after buying a home on Camp Street in 1987, she began trying to revitalize the neighborhood.&nbsp; The Ransom Place Historic District was certified by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Houses on the eastern side of the 900 block of N. Camp Street in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. This block is part of the Ransom Place Historic District, a historic district that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Historic marker on this historic district 

More Info

Article about the history and culture of Ransom Place

Indiana University-Purdue University of Indiana- Ransom Place Historic District Archeology 

Established in 1897, Ransom Place is the oldest African-American neighborhood in Indianapolis. Some writings suggest that the area was a largely African-American settlement as far back as the 1830s. Development in the mid-twentieth century led to the destruction of many such neighborhoods; Ransom Place is the most intact 19th century African-American neighborhood.

Ransom Place Historic District 

This tour provides an engagement of Black History in downtown Indianapolis and the IUPUI campus.  It is called the Overground Railroad Tour, because these important contributions are often in plain sight but little recognized and celebrated.  This walkable tour of Indianapolis, Indiana Avenue, and IUPUI explicitly covers the contributions of the Black communities that shaped the downtown region and the historic contributions of Black students and faculty to IUPUI's campus.

Across the country, the decades-long Civil Rights Movement had raised expectations among minority groups determined to attain equality. The 1968 assassination of civil-rights leader, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., a champion of non-violent social change and an advocate for peace, fair-housing, and living wages for workers, had set off violent demonstrations in many US cities. But, as historian Richard B. Pierce points out in his study of African-American politics in Indianapolis, Polite Protest: The Political Economy of Race in Indianapolis: 1920-1970 (2005), the city's Black community avoided violent confrontation with the city's white political leadership. The city remained quiet in the aftermath of King's murder.Nonetheless, many in the Black community were suspicious of IUPUI's growing ambitions. They had witnessed the piecemeal purchase of housing and lots in the the near-west side neighborhood where first the IU Medical Center and later IUPUI campus took root. They had seen houses demolished to build university buildings for a largely white student body which commuted from other areas of the city.Beyond representing African-American student issues, the BSU soon became a mouthpiece for residents of the neighborhood. In the coming years, members of the BSU led demonstrations on campus and presented demands to campus administrators to correct social injustices. The student organization served as the leading voice for social justice and positive change at IUPUI (excerpt from the introduction of the Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives).

On September 19, 1970, the Black Student Union of IUPUI met for the first time. The meeting took place in the Union Building roof lounge, a popular gathering spot on the IUPUI campus. The organization quickly became the most important and vocal student organization at IUPUI. The IUPUI Black Student Union (BSU) emerged at a time when African-American citizens were vocal in expressing disappointment and frustration at the slow progress being made in reducing racial discrimination and improving opportunities in the United States (excerpt from the introduction of the Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives).

Founding of Black Student Union at IUPUI (September 19, 1970)

From 1946-50, Taylor worked as assistant to the president at Florida A &amp; M College, a teacher, and an administrator. His career flourished and he received a professorship of Sociology and becoming the Director of the Arts and Sciences at Albany State University in Georgia from 1950-51. After leaving this position he became the chairman for the division of Social Sciences Department as a professor of Sociology at Dillard University until 1957. Throughout his career and appointments to various committees, Taylor was studying to receive his PhD from Indiana University and did so in 1952. After earning his PhD, he became the acting dean and professor of Sociology at Dillard.As an African American, Dr. Taylor was a pioneer at every stage of his academic career. He infused that can-do spirit and ability to break new ground into the very core of what has made IUPUI successful today. Taylor served as a Professor of Sociology from 1965–1983 and as the first Dean of the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI from 1967–1978. The entire community was saddened by his death in September 2000. He is remembered for his commitment to dialogue and diversity. He infused that perseverance and ability to break new ground into the very core of what has made IUPUI successful today. One of the great events in Dr. Taylor’s academic life as a young scholar of sociology was his participation in the landmark Carnegie-Myrdal study that resulted in the 1944 publication of The American Dilemma: The Negro Problems and Modern Democracy. The Carnegie-Myrdal study employed the leading Black and white social science scholars of the day, including the poet, teacher, and scholar Sterling Brown; Diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ralph Bunch; and Butler Jones, later of Cleveland State's sociology department, but whose students included Martin Luther King, Jr., when he taught at Atlanta University.The building housing IUPUI’s University College has been named for Joseph T. Taylor in honor of the man who served as dean of the Indianapolis Regional Campus from 1967 to 1970 (pre-IUPUI) and as the first dean of the newly established IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI (1970-1978).

Along with Cavanaugh Hall, Joseph T. Taylor Hall is one of the oldest remaining buildings of the original IUPUI campus. Named for Dr. Joseph T. Taylor, the first Dean of Liberal Arts and first African American leader of an academic unit at IUPUI, Taylor Hall was built in 1971 as University Library and has housed a variety of university services since then, including the primary university dining facility until 2008. Today, Taylor Hall is currently home to University College, the Bepko Learning Center, and a variety of other student services and classrooms.

Joseph Taylor, Taylor Hall, and the IUPUI School of Liberal Arts

During
the course of African American history, there have been several African
American figures who have made an impact based on how much they put in and how
much they brought out for others to benefit from. One of these Individuals was
Madame Walker who became one of the first African American millionaires in the
United States . The Madame C. Walker Theater in St. Louis, Missouri is one such
impact of her legacy. While it is not a direct site where a major or moderate
event occurred that helped bring about a different change in American society,
the theatre itself is a monument dedicated to both the memory of Madame C.J.
Walker and the heart of African American Culture in the city of St. Louis. &nbsp;The story of Madame C.J. Walker is one of
triumph and charity to many who remember her and those who are continually
inspired by her example as a leader and giver. A self-made millionaire who made
her fortune through her cosmetic business that she started through scratch,
Madame Walker was just as much an activist as those who were apart of the
everyday struggle. 

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Saga of Madame C.J. Walker began
on December 23rd 1867 when she was born Sarah Breedlove a daughter
of former slaves Minerva Anderson and Owen Breedlove in the community of Delta
Louisiana. By the time she was seven years old her mother passed away from
cholera and her father died a short time afterward and as a result of this
tragedy Mrs. Sarah Breedlove moved in with her oldest sister Louvinia and her
husband Willie Powell who was by all accounts a very abusive individual. In the
year of 1881 when Sarah was 14 Sarah married a man named Moses McWilliams and
had one daughter named Leila. However unfortunately her marriage to McWilliams
would come to a tragic end when Moses was mysteriously killed. While there is
no record as to the causes of his death it is believed that Moses McWilliams
had died from lynching or from a race riot. Following her husband’s death and
the death of Reconstruction, Sarah and Leila moved to the city of St. Louis
where she her brothers were staying. To put her daughter through school, Sarah
took up a job as a washerwoman in which she endured the pain of having to work
long hours for very little profit in order to ensure that her daughter was
taken care of. &nbsp;“Living on 1.50 a day as
a laundress and cook, Sarah struggled to send Leila to school-and-While joining
the A.M.E. Church.”

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It was during these arduous years
that Sarah Breedlove began to feel the fear of uncertainty about what awaits in
her and her daughter’s future so long as they continued to live in these dire
conditions. “As I bent over the washboard and looked at my arms buried in soap
suds, I said to myself; What are you going to do when you grow old and your
back gets stiff?”&nbsp;It was also during this period of time in history when Americans lacked indoor
plumbing and electricity which limited their hygiene to a large degree with a
lot of people including women going bald. “During the early 1900s, when most
Americans lacked indoor plumbing and electricity, and bathing was a luxury. As
a result many other women were going bald because they washed their hair so
infrequently.”&nbsp;However in the year 1904, Sarah met Annie Turno; a chemist from Illinois who
invented a hair growing substance known as “the Great Wonderful Hair Grower” at
the St. Louis World Fair. Sarah used Mrs. Turno’s product and in more than a
year later her hair grew completely back to its original state. As a result of
this, Sarah then began to work for Mrs. Turno as saleswoman selling Turno’s
products from door to door. 

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; However despite her new job Sarah
left Mrs. Turno’s business and moved to Denver to start her own business of
hair care products. Denver was an excellent choice speaking from a business standpoint;
this can be said because Denver had the highest rate of damaged hair among
African American women. It was during this time frame that African Americans
were unable to find work in any particular field which in turn caused them to
turn to sharecropping and other menial jobs. “Blacks in the turn-of-the-century
America were excluded from most trade unions and denied bank capital, resulting
in trapped lives as sharecropper’s menial, low-wage earners.”&nbsp;Mrs. Breedlove then opted to start her own business out of her hair-care
products, during which time she remarried a man named Charles Joseph Walker and
therefore her name became known as “Madame C.J Walker.” This was a common
notion for many African Americans during the post-reconstruction era because of
the lack of employment opportunities available because of their skin color.
“One of the only ways out, as my colleague Nancy Koehn and others reveal in
their 2007 study of Walker, was to start a business in a market segmented by
Jim Crow.”&nbsp;Following the year of 1910, Madame Walker and her family moved to Indianapolis,
Indiana and it was from there that Madame Walker’s business took off. She built
a factory, hair salon and beauty school for training her technicians. “She and
C.J. began traveling around the country, recruiting agents to sell Wonderful
Hair Grower and other merchandise.”

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mrs. Walker’s business soon became
an instant success; more and more parlors under her company began appearing
across the country to the point where it became like a wild forest fire.
“Walker hair parlors began springing up all over the United States. Madame
Walker was soon on the road again, recruiting agents in Ohio and nearby
states.”&nbsp;The Success brought on by Madame Walker’s business soon spread to other
countries in the Caribbean including Cuba, Jamaica and Costa Rica. While Madame
Walker was preoccupied with her work she was nevertheless dedicated to the
promotion of Civil Rights for African Americans throughout her life. This can
be said, because her contributions to the movement toward equality for African
Americans and women included, providing a sum of five-thousand dollars towards
the NAACP anti-lynching fund (an equivalent to sixty-five thousand dollars by
today’s standards), she began a college in Pittsburgh named in honor of her
daughter called Leila College and she stressed the importance of women to be
economically, and professionally independent. However despite the enormous
amount of success she experienced, Madame Walker’s fast-paced lifestyle soon
began to take a huge toll on her health. On May the 25th 1919 Sunday
morning, Madame C.J Walker died of high blood pressure at the age of 51 with
her company’s leadership was turned over to her daughter. 

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Her legacy of pursuing equality for
others in her community was erected into the now treasured Madame CJ Walker
Theater in downtown Indianapolis. The theater was brought up prior to Mrs.
Walker’s death in 1919, the construction of the building itself was completed
by her daughter A’Lelia in December 1927. The Building was placed strategically
at the center of a predominantly African American neighborhood and in doing so
became the heart of African American Culture in the city of Indianapolis
throughout the 1920s to the 1950s. During the late 1950s however, the building
began to decline along with the neighborhood. However, by the 1980s a group of
volunteers began to bring back the theatre through preserving its’ function as
a center of Culture for all Americans. The name of the theatre was later
changed to the Madame Walker Building Urban Life Center, which began a
non-profit organized rebuilding of the theatre. In 1988, the theatre now called
“The Madame C.J. Walker Theatre Center “was finally reopened. Since its
establishment, the Madame C.J. Walker Theatre Center has been a non-profit
company that put forth all its efforts towards preserving the legacy of Madame
Walker herself as well as providing cultural education, support for
entrepreneurship and empowering youth to become the next generation of leaders.<div><div>

</div>

</div>

Named after the first female millionaire Madam C.J. Walker, the building was an important center of activity for the African American community for decades until the neighborhood began to decline in the 1950s. Mrs. Walker, originally named Sarah Breedlove; made a name for herself as a millionaire from selling hair-growth products and for her avid support for civil rights. She made her mark on the movement towards equality in the early years of the 1900s when she began a lawsuit to protest discrimination in a theater. In addition to the lawsuit she also urged the decry of lynchings in the south as well as join a delegation that went to Washington to protest the War Department's segregationist policies to President Woodrow Wilson. 

Madame Walker Theatre Center

Like many of the country's most significant African-American neighborhoods, Indiana Avenue came into being because of segregation. The area around the White River was usually avoided by white residents of Indianapolis, who considered it a breeding ground for malaria and other maladies. As a result, the area's residents were almost entirely immigrants and African-Americans, who could not afford homes in the city's more affluent districts.&nbsp; The 500 block off Indiana Avenue, which runs diagonally from the center of the city to the northwest, became the heart of Indianapolis's African-American community, with the first African-American-owned businesses appearing as early as 1865. The Indianapolis Leader, the city's first African-American newspaper, was founded in the neighborhood in 1879. Although less well-known for its jazz scene than New Orleans, Memphis, and Chicago, Indianapolis nonetheless had a thriving community of jazz musicians and clubs in the first half of the twentieth century. At one point in its jazz heyday, Indiana Avenue was home to more than thirty jazz clubs, and many of the genre's luminaries performed there--Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, and Count Basie among them. Many homegrown jazz musicians got their start on Indiana Avenue as well, including Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Coe. Few of the buildings that lined Indiana Avenue in its heyday remain. Among the most prominent of those is the Walker Building, which was named for Madame C. J. Walker and was built in 1927.&nbsp; In the years following World War II, the neighborhood began to decline. Desegregation allowed African-Americans to move into other parts of the city, and many of the businesses and clubs on Indiana Avenue closed. The Walker Building sat empty for decades and others were demolished.&nbsp; By the 1980s, preservationists were making an effort to save Indiana Avenue's historic buildings and revitalize the neighborhood. The Walker Theater Center reopened in 1988 and continues to be a vital part of the cultural life of Indianapolis.&nbsp;

For much of the city's history, Indiana Avenue has been regarded as the heart of Indianapolis's African American community.  The avenue was the location of some of the city's first African American businesses and was the home of numerous jazz clubs in the first half of the twentieth century.

Indiana Avenue Historical Marker

After serving for a number of years as the supervisor for the Indianapolis Public Schools, Ruth McArthur began offering music lessons from her home. Her lessons gradually expanded and in 1946, the McArthur Music Conservatory was incorporated. The conservatory was located at 808-810 Indiana Avenue. The conservatory included thirteen departments, most of which offered two- and three-year programs. These departments included voice, choral workshop, piano, guitar, drama, instrumental studies, dance, church music, to name a few. The McArthur Conservatory--located in the heart of Indianapolis's jazz scene--was the first institution in the state to offer a formal jazz program, and it was not uncommon to find McArthur students performing in the jazz clubs that lined Indiana Avenue. .Beyond the local jazz venues, McArthur students and faculty were also involved in the community, giving regular performances for various community groups and events. Students from the conservatory performed annually at a&nbsp;gala event held at Crispus Attucks High School. In 1953, many students from the school staged a performance at the Indiana State Fairgrounds which featured African, Haitian, and Black American dance. The McArthur Conservatory was located in a three-story building on Indiana Avenue. The school featured a lounge, an auditorium, an orchestra room, a bookstore, and at one point, the school maintained a record shop on its first floor as a way to bring in extra income. Desegregation in the 1950s and 1960s meant that African-Americans had additional opportunities to study music in other parts of the city, and led to a declining enrollment at McArthur. The school closed in 1963 and the building was purchased by Indiana University in 1967.

From 1946 until 1963, Ruth McArthur operated the McArthur Conservatory at this location. The school occupied a three-story brick building with twenty rooms across from the Lockefield Gardens Housing Complex on Indiana Avenue. The school provided classes to both children and adults and was the first school in Indiana to offer a formal jazz program. In 1963, the school closed and the property was purchased by Indiana University. 

McArthur Conservatory, 1946-1963

<div>Bethel is Indianapolis's oldest African American church and has served the community since before the Civil War. The church was founded in 1836 by a group of African American Methodists. Members built a small church building on Georgia Street in between the Central Canal and Senate Avenue five years later. In 1857 members purchased Christ Episcopal Church and moved the building to their church's site on Georgia Street. The role of Bethel AME Church, which was originally known as the Indianapolis Station AME, grew along with the Black population of the city. Founded by William Paul Quinn and Augustus Turner in 1836, the church was first known as "Indianapolis Station." The first meetings were held in Quinn's log cabin. In 1841, a modest house of worship was constructed. The congregation had grown to 100 by 1848 and became active in the antislavery movement. The congregation supported the&nbsp;Underground Railroad, providing protection to slaves en route to&nbsp;Canada.</div><div> </div><div>That Black population made up approximately less than 3 percent of the total population in Indianapolis before the Civil War. Out of the total population of 1,338,710 in the state of Indiana in 1860, only 11,428 were African American. As the Civil War continued, the number of African Americans coming to Indianapolis from the South as well as rural areas around the state grew. The congregation's vocal support of the abolitionist movement led to a racially-motivated crime, as an arsonist destroyed the church in 1864. The congregation rebuilt the church in 1867.</div><div> </div><div>Bethel AME Church members purchased a lot on West Vermont Street in 1867 for the construction of a new church building. By 1869 members had approved the name Bethel and moved to the new building here. The new place of worship also became a place for social activism as well as a venue for organizing and implementing services in the Black community. Those services included providing money, clothing, and temporary lodging to African Americans immigrating to the city from the South after the Civil War.</div><div> </div><div>Bethel AME Church continued to be an important thread in the fabric of the Black community located to the northwest of Indianapolis's downtown area during the twentieth century, functioning as a space of racial solidarity and fulfilling a role that was interwoven throughout civil rights struggles and community outreach services for African Americans in the city. The church also served as a venue for the organization of local associations that were instrumental in the push to achieve better housing, education, and equal rights for African Americans. Both the Indianapolis NAACP chapter and Indiana State Federation of Colored Woman's Clubs were established at Bethel.</div><div> </div><div>Members renovated the church building and adjoining parsonage in 1974 in order to make more space for outreach activities. Bethel AME Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. It is the only African-American church building in Indianapolis to receive that recognition.</div><div> </div><div>Indianapolis's oldest African-American church is still active, occupying the same site it did in 1869. However, due to money issues and failure in fundraising, the congregation will soon move to a new building whilst the lot has been sold to a hotel development company. As of now, what will happen to the 1869 building is unknown.&nbsp;The state Historical Marker for Bethel AME Church, which is located across from the building on West Vermont Street, was dedicated on Saturday, June 20, 2009. The church is also a member of the Indianapolis Congregation Action Network (IndyCan) and has served as headquarters for IndyCan's Mass Transit Campaign since 2013.</div>

Bethel A.M.E. Church was founded in Indianapolis in 1836. The congregation held services in a variety of homes and rented spaces prior to 1857, when the congregation built their own structure. The congregation sponsored a school, promoted the abolition of slavery, and even assisted efforts to support runaway slaves. During the Civil War, the congregation also supported efforts to recruit African American soldiers for the Union. Many men of the congregation served in the 28th Regiment of Colored Troops (28th Regiment USCT of Indiana). Unfortunately, during the same year of the 28th's formation (1864), the church was destroyed by arson. In 1867, the church purchased this lot and built the current church which was completed in 1869 and expanded in later years. This structure is the oldest African American church in the city and region. Throughout the 20th century, the church was active in numerous campaigns to promote equality and civil rights.

Bethel A.M.E. Church (Indianapolis, Indiana)

The school is named in honor of&nbsp;Crispus Attucks, an African American sailor who was&nbsp;one of five men who died in the Boston Massacre which led to the&nbsp;Revolutionary War. Crispus Attucks has become a
symbol of American Patriotism, the first to have given the ultimate sacrifice
for freedom.&nbsp; After the&nbsp;Indianapolis school board voted unanimously to build a school for Black students, Black residents petitioned to change the name from that of the slaveholder Thomas Jefferson to the name of this Black patriot.&nbsp;Crispus Attucks High School opened in 1927
and started a tradition of pride amongst the Black community of Indianapolis. However, the creation of a segregated school was met with great opposition initially from the Black
community. But as a second and third order effect of the racial inequality the High
School had an extremely knowledgeable faculty.&nbsp;
Black at the time could attend college as students but were not allowed to
join the faculty, which resulted in many qualified educators for Crispus
Attucks High School.&nbsp; This stroke of
karma had place a faculty of master degree holders and above as the educators
and offered curriculum for African American history in addition the traditional
instruction. &nbsp;

This school also produced the first all-Black team in the U.S. to win a
state Championship in basketball. This athletic
success was followed by another championship and an undefeated season. Oscar Robinson was a member of the championship
teams.&nbsp; 

In 1986, the school became&nbsp;a junior high. It later became a&nbsp;high school once again. Today, it serves as a&nbsp;Medical
Magnet School serving grades 6-12.

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Crispus Attucks High School became the first segregated high school in Indiana when it opened in Indianapolis in 1927. Given the lack of employment options for African American educators, school administrators were able to maintain very high standards. In an era when many teachers had less than a bachelors degree, every teacher at Crispus Attucks High School had at either a M.A. or Ph.D.

Crispus Attucks Museum (Crispus Attucks High School)

<h4>History of the Law</h4>
The 1907 Indiana Eugenics Law was not a surprise, and the movement that led to the bill's passing&nbsp;dates back to, at least, the biological ideas of Sir Francis Galton in the 1880s as well as Progressive Era beginning in the US.&nbsp;At the time, as the Industrial Revolution was in full swing, and&nbsp;a widening gap between the rich and the poor was growing. Among labor and social reforms associated with the Progressives, such as child labor laws and food and drug regulations, the idea of inherited, negative personality traits was a common theme. This was also&nbsp;based on, in part, an 1879 paper presented to the Social Science Association of Indiana, in which Harriet Foster claimed that imbeciles and the feeble-minded would inherit those traits from their parents.
It was these ideas, among many others, that led Indiana governor J. Frank Hanly to sign the eugenics law. The Indiana Supreme Court later struck down the law in 1921,&nbsp;though six years later in 1927,&nbsp;the legislature succeeded in passing a second law. From 1927 until 1974, more than 2,300 Indiana citizens were involuntarily sterilized.1&nbsp;
1907 Indiana Eugenics Law&nbsp; (1907) Text
CHAPTER 215.
AN ACT entitled an act to prevent procreation of confirmed criminals, idiots, imbeciles and rapists; providing that superintendents and boards of managers of institutions where such persons are confined shall have the authority and are empowered to appoint a committee of experts, consisting of two (2) physicians, to examine into the mental condition of such inmates.
[H. 364. Approved March 9, 1907.]
Preamble.
Whereas, Heredity plays a most important part in the trans-mission of crime, idiocy and imbecility;
Penal Institutions—Surgical Operations.
Therefore, Be it enacted by the general assembly of the State of Indiana, That on and after the passage of this act it shall be compulsory for each and every institution in the state, entrusted with the care of confirmed criminals, idiots, rapists and imbeciles, to appoint upon its staff, in addition to the regular institutional physician, two (2) skilled surgeons of recognized ability, whose duty it shall be, in conjunction with the chief physician of the institution, to examine the mental and physical condition of such inmates as are recommended by the institutional physician and board of managers. If, in the judgment of this committee of experts and the board of managers, procreation is inadvisable and there is no probability of improvement of the mental condition of the inmate, it shall be lawful for the surgeons to perform such operation for the prevention of procreation as shall be decided safest and most effective. But this operation shall not be performed except in cases that have been pronounced unimprovable: Provided, That in no case shall the consultation fee be more than three ($3.00) dollars to each expert, to be paid out of the funds appropriated for the maintenance of such institution.2
Inscription on the Historical Marker
Marker Front:&nbsp;
By late 1800s, Indiana authorities believed criminality, mental problems, and pauperism were hereditary. Various laws were enacted based on this belief. In 1907, Governor J. Frank Hanly approved first state eugenics law making sterilization mandatory for certain individuals in state custody. Sterilizations halted 1909 by Governor Thomas R. Marshall.
Marker Back:&nbsp;
Indiana Supreme Court ruled 1907 law unconstitutional 1921, citing denial of due process under Fourteenth Amendment. A 1927 law provided for appeals in the courts. Approximately 2,500 people in state custody were sterilized. Governor Otis R. Bowen approved repeal of all sterilization laws 1974; by 1977, related restrictive marriage laws repealed.3

This historical marker on the east lawn of the Indiana State Library presents the troubling history of the 1907 Indiana Eugenics Law. Believing that "heredity plays a most important part in the trans-mission of crime, idiocy and imbecility," this law legalized involuntary sterilization at state prisons, hospitals, and asylums throughout Indiana. The law, which was later found to be unconstitutional, was the first of its kind. From 1907 to 1974 (with a 1927 revised law), over 2,300 Indiana citizens were involuntarily sterilized. 

The idea that criminality and mental disability was hereditary was part of a psuedo-science called Eugenics. Building on this psuedo-science, advocates of eugenics suggested that sterilization of mentally and physically disabled people, criminals, would help to eliminate crime and disability.During the late 19th and early 20th century, some advocates of Eugenics also claimed that science proved that certain races were superior to others.  Some even used eugenics to  call for the sterilization of "inferior races" as a way to lead humanity to a higher and more pure state. 

1907 Indiana Eugenics Law

During the 1870s and 1880s, most bicycles featured a rider atop&nbsp;one large wheel that was stabilized by a second smaller wheel. Known as high wheelers, penny-farthings, or ordinaries, these cycles were impractical and even dangerous.&nbsp;With the adaptation of the chain drive and pneumatic tires in the early 1890s, bicycling transitioned from the high-wheeling hobby of wealthy men to a practical means of transportation and recreation. In the 1890s, the sport of cycling took the nation by storm.&nbsp; “Taylor was a marvel on a bicycle. Riding against the fastest bicyclists of America, Europe and Australia, he won national and world championships against racial prejudice, unscrupulous tactics of riders and unfair decisions of officials.” Chicago Defender, July 2, 1932 Taylor was born in Indianapolis in 1878. After moving to Chicago with the family who employed his father, Taylor began to earn money as a paperboy, using the bicycle his "adopted" father gave him. He rode for miles each day and gradually learned to perform stunts and tricks on the bicycle, which got the attention of the Hay and Willis bicycle shop. He was soon hired by the shop to perform stunts in front of the store to attract shoppers. At the urging of the shop owner, Taylor entered &nbsp;and won his first race, finishing six seconds ahead of everyone else. At the age of 13, Taylor's speed earned him a mention in the New York Times.&nbsp;Known as the "Black Cyclone," Taylor won the world championship of cycling in 1899. The victory earned Taylor fame and admiration, but Jim Crow laws prevented him from competing in races in the South. In the instances in which Taylor was allowed to compete, he was often harassed by white cyclists and spectators. At a race in Massachusetts, Taylor was attacked from behind by W.E. Becker, a fellow cyclist, and choked until he was unconscious.&nbsp; Taylor's backers urged him to compete in Europe, where he would be free of the racist backlash he encountered in the United States. Knowing that some of the most prestigious French events were held on Sundays, Taylor resisted for years because his religious convictions prevented him competing in those events. Eventually he relented after the days of the events were changed to accommodate his beliefs. As he had done in the United States, Taylor won most of the races in which he competed, and solidified his reputation as the fastest cyclist in the world.&nbsp; By the early 1900s, Taylor was earning enough to make him one of the wealthiest athletes of his time. With the advent of the automobile, however, interest in cycling declined and Taylor retired at 32. By the end of his life, Taylor's fortune had largely been lost and his marriage ended. At his death, his body was unclaimed and he was eventually buried in a pauper's grave in Chicago. Eventually Frank Schwinn, the owner of the Schwinn Bicycle Company, paid to have Taylor's remains moved and given a fitting memorial. Marshall "Major" Taylor was the subject of a 1992&nbsp;mini-series: "Tracks of Glory" TV mini-series (starring: Philip Morris). a.k.a. "Tracks of Glory: The Major Taylor Story."

This historic marker honors Indianapolis-born Marshall Walter Taylor, a champion cyclist of international fame who was often barred from competition due to the color of his skin. At the turn of the century, cycling was one of the most popular sports and Taylor may have been the fastest cyclist in the world. In 1896, for example, Taylor set two records at an Indianapolis track, only to be banned from future competition. Taylor was barred from competition with white cyclists in South. Even when he was allowed to participate in races in Northern cities like New York and Chicago, Taylor endured violent attacks by cycling fans and other competitors. The climate was less hostile in international competitions, allowing Taylor to set world records in Canada, Europe, and Australia. Marshall retired from professional racing in 1910. 



The Overground Railroad Tour: Black History of Indianapolis, Indiana Avenue and IUPUI

Ransom Place Historic District

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Additional Information