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Seminary Square Historical Marker

Introduction

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In 2011, the Indiana Historical Bureau approved a historical marker for the site of the original IU (then known as Indiana Semnary) campus, which was established in 1820 at what is now South College Avenue, just south of Second Street. The marker suggests a long-delayed recognition of the importance of this historical moment in the life of IU and of the state more generally.

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Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

In 2011, the Indiana Historical Bureau approved a historical marker for the site of the original IU (then known as Indiana Semnary) campus, which was established in 1820 at what is now South College Avenue, just south of Second Street. The marker suggests a long-delayed recognition of the importance of this historical moment in the life of IU and of the state more generally.

The historical marker is little seen by Bloomington residents--its location places it in a city park that is widely perceived as a haven for people from around the region who are without a home of their own, and it is perched alongside a busy road down which motorists typically travel at 30 mph or faster, making identification of the sign's content impossible. No identifying features of the original IU campus remain on this site, most of which is occupied by either Seminary Park or the parking lot of a Kroger supermarket.

Sources

Jessica Williams, "IU's Birthplace Receives Historical Marker," Indiana Daily Student, Aug. 28, 2011, https://www.idsnews.com/article/2011/08/ius-birthplace-receives-state-historical-marker

Scott Jauch, "Seminary Square," Indiana University Bicentennial, https://200.iu.edu/history/timelines/seminary-square.html

"State Seminary of Indiana," Indiana Historical Bureau, "Find a Marker," https://www.in.gov/history/markers/4118.htm

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