A Really BIG Morgan County Map

Want to see a REALLY big map of Morgan County, Indiana?  It's on display at the library until Monday, August 22, 2016. Click the photos below to enlarge.

2016 Morgan County Map for the Indiana Bicentennial Celebration

(on display in the MPL grand hall, between the

Giving Tree & the MPL Directors' Gallery)

Find Where You Live on the Map!

Close-up of Brown Township in Morgan County

Letter Explaining Map's Objectives

A History Buff, For Sure

Surely this big fella is a history buff.  Make that a HISTORY BUFFalo.

(Click the images below to enlarge them.)

The official Indiana Bicentennial Bison for Morgan County is on a migration tour, stopping off at Mooresville Public Library until August 31, 2016.  Then it's back to hitting the trails again for destinations far and wide.

The bison is grazing in the library's grand hall, across from the circulation desk, near our Indiana State Flag/Paul Hadley paintings displays.  But please don't touch our bison!  Quite fragile,  you see.  Biting is a possibility, too.  (Just kidding!)

Here are some close-up photos showcasing the bison's Morgan County historical images.

What's Missing? (Indiana State Flag Fun Quiz)

Can you see what's missing from Paul Hadley's template (first photo, below) he used in one of his many initial designs of the Indiana State Banner? Compare it to Hadley's "official" Indiana State Flag (the one shown below was displayed at the Indiana statehouse during the 1920s). Visit the MPL Indiana Room to check your results!

Click the images below to enlarge them.

Paul Hadley's template for the Indiana State Banner (renamed Flag in 1955)

Paul Hadley made this particular "official" flag circa 1923

to display at the Indiana statehouse

By the way, several of the missing bits were originally included in Hadley's template, except one important modification the state legislature requested when it officially adopted Hadley's winning 1916 design to be the Indiana State Banner in 1917.  As you spot the differences, you might guess which bits probably fell off during the template's decades in storage.

Our 2016 Old Settlers Parade Float

Here are a few photos of the library's float in yesterday's (Sunday, August 7, 2016) Old Settlers parade.  Click the images to enlarge.

Dude! You've just photobombed my picture. Plus, our cat (Cauli Le Chat) chewed on that piece of candy you're about to pick up. Just saying.

 

MPL executive director Diane Huerkamp (right) once again carries the library banner in the Old Settlers parade. Janet Hensley Moritz (left) also carries the banner.

Miss Beth-on-Tuesdays (backseat, looking out) was tossing Indiana State Flags attached to candy sticks to the crowd. We heard a little boy say there was a penny also attached, to give it sufficient ballast.

Above is one of the Indiana State Flag candy sticks that Miss Beth was tossing to the crowd.

The library's 2016 Old Settlers float, designed by Miss Beth and Miss Sharon.

The boy in the yellow shirt is holding one of the Indiana State Flag candy sticks that Miss Beth tossed from the truck.

 

These banners were hanging on lampposts throughout downtown Mooresville.

Click the following links to learn more about the Indiana State Flag and its designer, Paul Hadley. 

Mooresville's 2016 Old Settlers Festival runs August 7-8-9 at Pioneer Park.

Paul Hadley/Indiana State Flag Historical Marker Dedication

The Paul Hadley/Indiana State Flag historical marker dedication ceremony was held this morning (Saturday, August 6, 2016) in downtown Mooresville, Indiana.  Here are a few photos from the event.  Click the photos below to enlarge.

 

The new historical marker awaiting its unveiling

Dave Nash, chairperson, Celebrate Mooresville,

welcomes the audience

Casey Pfeiffer, historical marker program manager, Indiana Historical Bureau,

spoke about the public process used to establish historical markers

(and this marker particularly)

Dave Nash spoke about honoring Paul Hadley

Lois Huntington, State Regent, Indiana Daughters of the American Revolution,

spoke about the Indiana State Flag's legacy

 Bud Swisher, Healthier Morgan County, spoke about

personal memories of Paul Hadley and

designing the Indiana State Flag

  

Janice Bolinger, Honorary State Regent,

Indiana Daughters of the American Revolution,

spoke about the meaning of the Indiana State Flag's symbols

and the historical mysteries surrounding the flag

The unveiling!

The new historical marker!

The front side of the new historical marker

 

The rear side of the new historical marker

At the beginning of the ceremony, Mooresville Boy Scout Troop 231 honor color guard presented the colors--first, the American flag, then the Hoosier flag.

 

Also on display at the dedication ceremony was the official Mooresville town banner, designed in 1974 by MPL director Bonita Marley.  The town flag is on permanent display in the MPL Indiana Room.

A nice crowd was on hand for the dedication. The marker is located in Hadley Memorial Park in downtown Mooresville (on the northeast corner of the intersection of Main and Indiana Streets). The marker site was also the location of Samuel Moore's general mercantile store, which was the first wood-frame business built in Mooresville (Moore founded the town in 1824).

MPL treasurer Steve Saucerman speaks with

Mooresville Academy museum director/historian Julie Kyle-Lee

 MPL president Lynn Adams (right)

Learn more about the history of the Indiana State Flag and Paul Hadley at: 

• Poletika, Nicole.  "'A Permanent Emblem of Its Own:'  The Indiana State Flag & Its Designer."   Indiana History Blog, January 11, 2017.  Indiana Historical Bureau of the Indiana State Library.  (Click here to access the blog article.)

Flag Town 5K Run/Walk

The Flag Town 5K Run/Walk is slated for Saturday, September 3, 2016.  Celebrate the Hoosier bicentennial and the centennial of the Indiana State Flag (designed by Mooresville resident Paul Hadley in 1916; adopted by the Indiana General Assembly, 1917) by participating in the race.  Click here to register online.

The library has a long history of supporting run/walk events.

2011 MPL Race Team

(L to R) Lori Becker, Kathleen Holling, Suzanne Walker, and Diane Huerkamp

Meet you at the finish line!

State Flag Candy Toss at 2016 Old Settlers Parade

At this year's Old Settlers Parade on August 7, 2016, Miss Beth and Miss Sharon have created a tasty giveaway that we will be tossing to the crowd from our float.

Indiana State Flag Candy Stick

The "flag pole" is a candy stick.  The attached card features the Indiana State Flag, designed by long-time Mooresville resident Paul Hadley (1880-1971), with a description on the verso.

It's a sweet way to learn about the history of our state flag during the Hoosier bicentennial celebration.