6 upcoming events with the history tag

This April for our Liberation Flicks we’ll be hosting a series of documentaries that cover the rich and hidden history of student activism. Join us every Friday to learn from our past and how to change the future! 

Come join us for a new reading every Sunday at our weekly Marxist reading group! Beginners welcome and readings will be provided. 

All are welcome!

Schedule

• 6–6:45 p.m.: Cocktail hour featuring several tables displaying historical artifacts, current University Libraries projects, and more
• 6:45–7:15 p.m.: Catered meal
• 7:15–8 p.m.: Kirkham Lecture featuring historian Andy Olson

Register Here

Featured Kirkham Lecture

“The Kilgore Pact Legend and the 1818 St. Marys Treaties”

    In seeking to confirm a family legend involving prominent Delaware County resident David Kilgore (1804–1879), Andy Olson uncovered a surprising historical detail connected to the 1818 treaties signed at St. Marys, Ohio. Olson discovered that none of the individuals receiving land grants in one of the treaties were Delawares—raising questions about why and how that came to be. His presentation explores what he found and what it may reveal about the period.

About the speaker

    Andy Olson is an amateur historian and award-winning writer whose work has appeared in Connections, Traces, and other publications. He is the author of Forging the Bee Line Railroad, 1848–1889: The Rise and Fall of the Hoosier Partisans and Cleveland Clique (Kent State University Press, 2017). In 2024, he received the Indiana Historical Society’s Willard C. Heiss Family History and Genealogy Award.

June 12; 6–8 p.m. | Center Building, Indiana Room 
Cost: $28 | Member Discounts Apply | Ages 21+ 
Join Chris Flook, local historian, author, and senior lecturer in the Department of Media at Ball State University, for a journey along the White River through Muncie’s past. Beginning with the Lenape settlement of the 1790s, the program traces the river’s role in the agricultural village of the 1830s and the industrial city that followed. Along the way are stories of prosperous mills, devastating floods and towering levees, pollution and recovery, grand bridges, and long-standing myths set straight. Guests are invited to see familiar places in a new way while enjoying delicious appetizers. Preregistration is preferred; limited walk-in tickets may be available—please call ahead. This program has been made possible through a grant from Indiana Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

https://www.minnetrista.net/events/history-bites-chris-flook-muncietown-june-12-26

August 12; 3–4 p.m. | Center Building  

Cost: $10 | Member Discounts Apply | Ages 13+

Show your school spirit on a nostalgic journey through the Minnetrista Heritage Collection. Join the Collections team for a behind-the-scenes tour into secure storage areas, where you’ll discover the tools, trends, and traditions that shaped school life in our community. Explore artifacts rarely on public display, including educational toys, uniforms, sports memorabilia, instruments, photographs, class rings, and yearbooks—and maybe even spot a few objects from your own school days. This tour may include standing, stairs, and exposure to loud HVAC noise. Preregistration is preferred; limited walk-in tickets may be available—please call ahead. If you need accommodations, please notify us in advance.

https://www.minnetrista.net/events/collections-tour-aug-12-2026

October 29; 3–4 p.m. | Center Building  

Cost: $10 | Member Discounts Apply | Ages 13+      

Step behind the scenes into secure storage areas where mysterious, unusual, and rarely displayed artifacts wait to be rediscovered. From puzzling tools to objects with surprising purposes, each piece carries a story. Guided by the Collections team, you’ll examine real collection items up close and put your detective skills to the test. Can you determine what these objects were used for, who made them, or why they were preserved? Perfect for the curious, the clever, and anyone who loves a good puzzle, this tour invites you to uncover the secrets hidden within these delightfully obscure treasures. This tour may include standing, stairs, and exposure to loud HVAC noise. Preregistration is preferred; limited walk-in tickets may be available—please call ahead. If you need accommodations, please notify us in advance.  

https://www.minnetrista.net/events/collections-tour-oct-29-26