Historical Marker Ahead
LightNews LightNews
banner
historicalmarker.bsky.social
Historical Marker Ahead
@historicalmarker.bsky.social
2.4K followers 1.7K following 4.8K posts
Yes, I’m pulling the car over to look at plaques. I’ll be just a minute. Not a historian, but did minor in history at Indiana University. Formerly notgoingpro on other socials.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
historicalmarker.bsky.social
Historical Marker Ahead @historicalmarker.bsky.social · Jul 21
A good primer on historical markers: how they’re researched, approved and made. And, why they matter, and the biggest threats to their existence. Thanks for the tip, @grrlherstorian.bsky.social! indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/07/21/i...
Inside Indiana’s 'best-kept secret,’ historical markers • Indiana Capital Chronicle
The Indiana State Historical Marker Program began in 1946 and has administered more than 750 historical markers across the state.
indianacapitalchronicle.com
historicalmarker.bsky.social
The sanitarium in Scottsboro, Ga., opened during the 1918 influenza epidemic, was the first hospital in town that would treat Black people. It’s a house that operated as a hospital until 1964. It was heavily damaged by fire in 2021. www.wsav.com/news/histori...
Historical marker for Van Buren Sanitarium to be dedicated in Statesboro
Dr. Harvey Van Buren opened Van Buren Sanitarium in December 1918 during the influenza epidemic.
www.wsav.com
February 18, 2026 at 4:49 AM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
As a kid, I couldn’t get enough of this one and the Phantom Tollbooth. @phantomtollbot.bsky.social
sbakelar.bsky.social SBakelar @sbakelar.bsky.social · 2h
30 day books-by-women challenge! Choose 30 books, one per day, no particular order, that you’ve read that were written by women. #BookSky #BookChallenge #ReadingWomen #30DaysBooksByWomen
Day 11: The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary (whom I called Beverly ClearLy for years)
Novel cover with a mouse riding a motorcycle that reads The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
February 18, 2026 at 3:15 AM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
Lamington Black Cemetery, Bedminster Township, NJ. A Civil War cemetery just west of Trump National Golf Club mrlocalhistory.org/honoring-civ...
February 18, 2026 at 3:13 AM
Reposted by Historical Marker Ahead
marylanddot.bsky.social
We are shining a light on Maryland’s shared history in Western Maryland! Today Assistant Secretary Greene joined church leaders in Frostburg to unveil the state’s latest historical marker honoring the Dickerson AME Church.
February 17, 2026 at 8:54 PM
Reposted by Historical Marker Ahead
arkansasnewsroom.com
Alert @historicalmarker.bsky.social got some sweet Arkansas signage going up.
February 18, 2026 at 2:48 AM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
Add your name, my fellow IU grads
juliedicaro.bsky.social Julie DiCaro @juliedicaro.bsky.social · 5d
Word is that the IN legislation to restore alumni-elected members to the IU BOT is already dead.

With that in mind, pushing back against Pam Whitten and Mike Braun is more important than ever. Please read and pledge your support. And share with all your #IU pals!
@mcuban.bsky.social
Letter to alums
Dear Fellow Alumni, Now that the celebrations of our first-ever football national championship are dying down (Will we ever stop celebrating? Time will tell!), it’s time to get back to the serious m...
docs.google.com
February 18, 2026 at 12:14 AM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
Crane watch season has already begun in Kearney, Nebraska, which will be thick with migrating sandhill cranes through April. It’s a charming college town, would recommend. visitkearney.org/sandhill-cra...
historicalmarker.bsky.social Historical Marker Ahead @historicalmarker.bsky.social · 1d
I haven’t seen the museum in Kearney but I’ve stopped there multiple times. Very charming college town. I’m probably among the few people not from the state who’s been to all three University of Nebraska campuses: Lincoln, Omaha and Kearney.
Mural in downtown Kearney, Nebraska, celebrating the local college, the University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers. Old Oregon Trail marker in Kearney, Nebraska. Placed on Valentine’s Day 1918 by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Sign in Kearney, Nebraska, announcing it as “Sandhill Crane Capital of the World.” The birds stop at the Platte River nearby as part of their migration. The Archway over Interstate 80 in Kearney, Nebraska. It has a museum.
February 17, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Reposted by Historical Marker Ahead
historicalmarker.bsky.social
Alas, the Apostle Islands ice caves closed 1 day after opening due to storms. It’s a treacherous walk to get there. You have to go around the jutted-out portion then follow the cliffs. You get the full force of Lake Superior no matter the season. I took this Sep 2024. More: bsky.app/profile/hist...
February 17, 2026 at 5:34 AM
Reposted by Historical Marker Ahead
alans9.bsky.social
If anyone reads this, let me know you need alt text If anyone reads this, let me know you need alt text If anyone reads this, let me know you need alt text
February 17, 2026 at 5:38 AM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
Alas, the Apostle Islands ice caves closed 1 day after opening due to storms. It’s a treacherous walk to get there. You have to go around the jutted-out portion then follow the cliffs. You get the full force of Lake Superior no matter the season. I took this Sep 2024. More: bsky.app/profile/hist...
February 17, 2026 at 5:34 AM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
Journalism matters: @bridgemi.com obtained a report commissioned, and shelved, by the state of Michigan looking into Native American boarding schools such as the one I linked below. Short version: they were as bad, or worse, than you’d think.

bridgemi.com/michigan-gov...
February 17, 2026 at 3:51 AM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
Anyone can make a historic marker. Minocqua (Wisc.) Brewing presented a new one on its building’s historic status. It’s more about owner and SuperPAC founder Kirk Bangstad’s war with local authorities. You may have your thoughts on if he’s a true liberal hero
www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Prop...
A photo Minocqua Brewing Company shared on its Facebook page about a historical marker it’s placing on its property in the North Woods of Wisconsin. It looks like a state marker but it isn’t — it has the brewery’s logo at the top. It reads: This 1935 Texaco Gas Station was restored to its original glory by the Minocqua Brewing Company in 2021. The brewery’s owner, Kirk Bangstad, decided to put this building on the National Register of Historic Places in order to protect it from the corrupt local MAGA Republican Town Board who tried to silence his staunchly progressive voice by using selectively enforced zoning violations to shut down his business. The beauty of this building, along with the reason it was restored, represents the idea that “Good Trouble” is needed to protect American democracy. Exterior of Minocqua Brewing Company in Minocqua, Wisconsin, a lake tourist town in the North Woods of Wisconsin. It’s in an old Texaco station. Note the rainbow arrow in the parking lot guiding traffic. Whatever you think of the owner, the beer is good. I took this photo Labor Day Weekend 2025. Interior of Minocqua Brewing Company with a banner declaring it “the least popular place in town.” The walls are filled with liberal fandom. I took this pic Labor Day Weekend 2025. A series of posters inside Minocqua Brewing Company detailing the history of its building, and more so, its zoning battles with local authorities that owner Kirk Bangstad believes were motivated by their Republican views vis-a-vis his liberal views. I took this photo Labor Day Weekend 2025.
February 16, 2026 at 11:41 PM
Reposted by Historical Marker Ahead
abgutman.bsky.social
BREAKING: federal judge orders the Trump admin to restore slavery exhibits to the President’s House.

The opinion opens with “As if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s 1984 now existed…”

With @fallonroth.bsky.social
Federal judge orders Trump admin to restore slavery exhibits to the President’s House
The order does not give the federal government a deadline for restoring the President's House site.
www.inquirer.com
February 16, 2026 at 6:55 PM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
Your library is a treasure trove of local history and local history events!
February 16, 2026 at 4:16 AM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
As it turns out, Gordon Lightfoot could’ve made a career writing about all the Great Lakes shipwrecks.
theguardian.com The Guardian @theguardian.com · 2d
Searchers find missing ship in Lake Michigan, over 150 years after it sunk
Searchers find missing ship in Lake Michigan, over 150 years after it sunk
Shipwreck hunter found Lac La Belle steamer, one of ‘most sought-after missing ships’, after nearly 60-year search Searchers recently discovered the wreck of one of the “most sought-after missing ships” in Lake Michigan, that had sunk to the bottom of the lake over 150 years ago. A shipwreck hunter and scuba diver named Paul Ehorn made the discovery after having searched for the Lac La Belle passenger steamer for nearly 60 years. Shipwreck World, a group that works to locate shipwrecks around the globe, announced on Friday that the team led by Ehorn found the wreck about 20 miles (32km) offshore between Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
February 16, 2026 at 3:18 AM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
20 minutes from the Lincoln Highway spot below in Dyer, Ind., takes you to Homewood, Ill., and another Carl Fisher co-creation: the Dixie Highway. Part of a burgeoning Good Roads movement in the 1910s, it also made it easier to get to Fisher’s properties in Miami Beach bsky.app/profile/hist...
Dixie Highway historical marker in Homewood, Illinois. It reads: Dixie Highway was the first national road linking industrial northern states to agricultural southern states. Several governors met in 1915 to consider an improved road to Miami. Ten states lobbied for inclusion, resulting in eastern and western divisions. In Illinois, the road started in Chicago, traveled through Blue Island, Homewood, and Chicago Heights, then followed what is today Route 1 down to Danville. There it turned east toward Indiana. By 1923, the official map of Dixie Highway covered a network of 6,000 improved roadway miles. The Dixie Highway Association took over work begun by the governors. Many counties funded and built the highway while poorer counties required private and federal aid. Citizens took brushes in hand to paint "DH" in red and white on poles, marking the way for travelers. Gas stations and mechanics were rare. Motorists carried extra gas and tools. Travelers packed tents or rented rooms. Soon tourist camps, cabins, roadside diners, and service garages sprouted. The road was a significant supply route during both world wars. Dixie Highway follows one of the oldest, most historic Illinois trails. Native Americans and trapper-traders traced a path worn by animals along the eastern Illinois border. In the 1820s, Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard established trading posts along the trail, identified as Hubbard's Trace and Vincennes Trail on old maps. In 1835, the Illinois General Assembly ordered that a state road be established and mile markers placed thereon. Erected 2003 by Village of Homewood Heritage Committee, the Homewood Historical Society, and the Illinois State Historical Society. Map of the original Dixie Highway on a marker in Homewood, Illinois. Starting in Mackinaw City, Michigan, it is a 3-pronged route that follows roughly what is now U.S. 31 and Interstate 75. A spur route that roughly follows Illinois Route 1 goes through Danville to Chicago. The road become one route in north Georgia and goes through Atlanta, Tallahassee, Jacksonville and then down the Atlantic Coast to Miami. A “Welcome to Homewood” sign in Homewood, Illinois, that show distance to other cities along the Dixie Highway. The cities: Pointing north: Chicago 24 miles Pointing south: Indianapolis 168 miles Louisville 271 miles Chattanooga 585 miles Atlanta 701 miles Miami 1,363 miles Old-timey Dixie Highway street sign in downtown Homewood, Illinois. The old road still carries the Dixie Highway name south of Interstate 294 through Chicago’s south suburbs.
February 16, 2026 at 2:16 AM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
How was your Valentine’s Day?
historicalmarker.bsky.social Historical Marker Ahead @historicalmarker.bsky.social · 3d
Spent today at Purdue-Northwest’s John Friend Court for a doubleheader between the host Pride and my late father’s alma mater, Northern Michigan. NMU won the women’s game, PNW the men’s.

PNW has a krazy gym sponsor extremely familiar to anyone who drives 80-94 through Hammond.
Plaque at Purdue University-Northwest in Hammond, Indiana. It includes a photo of a white man with a crew cut that, as Abe Simpson said, you could set your watch to. It reads: John Friend Court On November 16, 2017, Purdue University Northwest named the Fitness and Recreation Center basketball court in honor of John Friend, a man whose strong leadership, tremendous vision and amazing contributions guided the development of Purdue University Northwest Athletics. (Friend was athletic director at Purdue-Northwest from 1980 to 2001, back when the school was called Purdue-Calumet.) John Friend Court, Purdue-Northwest A break in the action at the Purdue-Northwest vs Northern Michigan women’s basketball game, Hammond, Indiana, February 14, 2026 This game brought to you by Krazy Kaplan’s Fireworks in Hammond.
February 15, 2026 at 7:46 PM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
Spent today at Purdue-Northwest’s John Friend Court for a doubleheader between the host Pride and my late father’s alma mater, Northern Michigan. NMU won the women’s game, PNW the men’s.

PNW has a krazy gym sponsor extremely familiar to anyone who drives 80-94 through Hammond.
Plaque at Purdue University-Northwest in Hammond, Indiana. It includes a photo of a white man with a crew cut that, as Abe Simpson said, you could set your watch to. It reads: John Friend Court On November 16, 2017, Purdue University Northwest named the Fitness and Recreation Center basketball court in honor of John Friend, a man whose strong leadership, tremendous vision and amazing contributions guided the development of Purdue University Northwest Athletics. (Friend was athletic director at Purdue-Northwest from 1980 to 2001, back when the school was called Purdue-Calumet.) John Friend Court, Purdue-Northwest A break in the action at the Purdue-Northwest vs Northern Michigan women’s basketball game, Hammond, Indiana, February 14, 2026 This game brought to you by Krazy Kaplan’s Fireworks in Hammond.
February 15, 2026 at 5:47 AM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
People think US punk was born at CBGB and moved outward. But there were proto-punk movements popping up all over the country. Cleveland’s pretty famous, Indianapolis/Bloomington was active, and here we have Oklahoma. There was at least one band in every town letting it rip like this around 1975-76
February 14, 2026 at 6:02 AM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
An incredible story of a man who shipped himself from slavery to freedom: Henry “Box” Brown, who spent 27 hours in a crate going from Virginia to Philly in 1849. After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 passed, he moved to England, then to Toronto, where he died and where the plaque below sits.
lanrickbennett.bsky.social Lanrick Bennett @lanrickbennett.bsky.social · 4d
Feb 13th of #BHM

"Henry Box Brown, North Star Way, Cy McLean Heritage Plaque Unveilings tookplace on Monday, Feb 2, 2026, at the Inglenook School. They represented 3 different aspects of Black history: the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the struggles for emancipation, and the achievements..."

/End
Chris Moise - Honoring Toronto’s Black History. 🖤🧱🎶 Join us this afternoon at 4:00 PM at the historic Inglenook School (19 Sackville Street) as we unveil three new heritage plaques that mark significant chapters in our city’s story. Today, we honor the legacy of resilience and achievement in our community. From the fight for freedom represented by Henry Box Brown and the North Star, to the musical barriers broken by Cy McLean, these plaques ensure that these stories remain a visible part of our city’s landscape. We will be honoring: Henry Box Brown Lane & North Star Way – Commemorating the struggles for emancipation and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Cy McLean – Celebrating Canada’s first full-scale Black bandleader who broke barriers during the era of segregation. Come witness history as we are joined by Cy McLean’s descendants and Heritage Toronto for this special dedication. Image of multiple at the plaque unveiling “HENRY “BOX" BROWN circa 1815-1897 Henry Brown mailed himself from Virginia to Philadelphia in a box — a courageous act that secured his freedom from slavery and earned him a lifelong nickname. Brown was born and lived enslaved in Louisa County, Virginia. After his wife and help of some friends and the Pennsylvania Ant, Saver planned his escape with the On March 23, 1849, Brown climbed into a wooden box with three small air holes, a gimlet tool for cutting more holes by hand, and a container of water. The box was to be shipped by boat, train, and wagon for about 21 hours. During this time, Brown had to stay silent and completely still to avoid detection. Following his successful arrival in Philadelphia, Brown moved to Boston, then New York City. He married Jane Floyd in England in 1855, and they had three children. Brown performed as a magician, hypnotist, ventriloquist, and singer to make a living. His shows confronted slavery and told stories of the Underground Railroad. He also practiced the pseudosciences of phrenology — reading bumps on the human skull to predict mental habits — and animal magnetism, which promised medical relief though an invisible natural force that surrounds all living things. In 1886, Brown and his family moved to Toronto. A noted anti-slavery activist, he was part of many community events, including pertorming with his family in a concert at St. Lawrence Hall. Brown spent some of his final years living on Bright Street near here. He is buried in the Toronto Necropolis cemetery. HERITAGE TORONTO 2025”
February 14, 2026 at 5:57 AM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
Note that this 2019 marker in South Carolina for a Black soldier blinded by police in 1946, an incident that inspired Truman to desegregate the military two years late, also is in Braille
bambooshooti.bsky.social Shooti @bambooshooti.bsky.social · 5d
In November 1946, Shull was tried in federal court but acquitted by an all-white jury after less than 30 minutes of deliberation. Woodard moved to the Bronx, where he lived until his death in 1992. In 2019, the town of Batesburg-Leesville acknowledged the injustice with a historical marker. /end
Historical marker honoring Isaac Woodard and acknowledging the injustice of his brutal beating.
February 14, 2026 at 5:52 AM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
A note about Lake Zurich, Illinois, home of our heroic high school puncher. The town isn’t just some Chicago burb. Its founder “(Seth) Paine was a soaring, high-spirited radical. A zealot. A passionate 19th century Don Quixote with big plans.” That ain’t the half of it. jwcmedia.com/in-search-of...
historicalmarker.bsky.social Historical Marker Ahead @historicalmarker.bsky.social · Aug 13
There are multiple Illinois markers titled “Thy Wondrous Story.” The first graf of each is about the same, with local lore allotted space. But not enough to hear about Lake Zurich founder Seth Paine, an abolitionist who also considered marriage and taxes to be slavery. A school is named after him.
“Thy Wondrous Story, lllinois” historical marker in Lake Zurich, Illinois. It reads: The fertile prairies in Illinois attracted the attention of French trader Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette as they explored the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers in 1673. France claimed this region until 1763 when she surrendered it to Great Britain by the Treaty of Paris. During the American Revolution George Rogers Clark and his small army scored a bloodless victory when they captured Kaskaskia for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Illinois then became a county of Virginia. This area was ceded to the United States in 1784, and became in turn a part of the Northwest Territory and the Indiana Territory before a separate Illinois Territory was created. On December 3, 1818, Illinois entered the Union as the twenty-first state. The fourteen northern counties of Illinois, including the site of Chicago, were made a part of the state through the foresight of Nathaniel Pope, congressional delegate from the Illinois Territory. His amendment to the statehood act moved the upper boundary from an east-west line through the tip of Lake Michigan to the present location. Before the first settlers came, lands in this vicinity were hunting grounds for the Potawatomi Indians, who traded furs with hunters coming up the Fox River. Lake Zurich was founded by Seth Paine, abolitionist and free-thinker, who settled there in 1836 and constructed the building which he called a "Stable of Humanity." It included a meeting hall, school, and store, and provided lodging for unfortunate families. At one time Paine considered all civil law, including marriage and taxes, a form of slavery. In later life he went to Chicago where he continued his philanthropy. Erected 1976 by the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois State Historical Society.
February 14, 2026 at 2:48 AM
Reposted by Historical Marker Ahead
civilwarmemory.bsky.social
Black Newspapers Were There When Richmond's Confederate Monuments Went Up and They Were There When They Came Down #BlackHistoryMonth 🗃️ open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...
Black Newspapers Were There When Richmond's Confederate Monuments Went Up and They Were There When They Came Down
Today it is being reported that after thirty-four years the Richmond Free Press will cease publication. The final edition of the newspaper will mark the end of an impressive run and will leave a signi...
open.substack.com
February 13, 2026 at 1:31 PM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
You: watching NBA All-Star weekend

Me: watching England metal detecting club all-star weekends
February 13, 2026 at 7:28 PM
historicalmarker.bsky.social
New (at least to me) frontier in local organizing: a group in Indianapolis is setting up an armed protest for Second Amendment rights BUT… this is an anti-ICE response to what Trump and Republicans said about Alex Pretti carrying. www.strongneighbor.com?fbclid=IwVER...
February 13, 2026 at 6:15 PM