Transportation Books

Here are some of the Books Available at the Roanoke Public Library about Transportation and about Roanoke, itself….

Early Indiana Trails and Surveys. Wilson, George R.1972. Indiana Historical Society Press: Indianapolis, IN.

Book Description: A reprint of a book first published by the Indiana Historical Society in 1919, written by the former Dubois County surveyor, George R. Wilson. The book features invaluable information on early Indiana paths and settlements, including historic trails such as the Buffalo Trace, the Yellow Banks Trace, the Red Banks Trail, and Whetzel’s Trace. Also featured are discoveries made by surveyors during their work, including the location of French Lick and West Baden Springs. An index of names of people as well as names of roads, traces, and surveys is included.-Amazon

A Faucet Can Be Anything: Student Poems from Huntington County. Burns, Ralph, ed. 1979. Huntington County Community Schools: Huntington, IN

Book Description: Each page is a poem written by a student in Huntington County during the school-year of 1978-1979. Most of the poems come from students at the Northwest Elementary School since that is where the editor, Mr. Burns, spent most of his time teaching creative writing.

The History of Roanoke, Indiana. Hart, Sheryl and others. 2000. Hart Publishing Company: Roanoke, IN.

Book Description: This book was compiled in conjunction with the Roanoke Sesquicentennial on September 11, 2000. It starts with a listing of first in Roanoke as in the house, first wedding, first white child born, etc. Mixed in with these first is a history of the town’s growth through the years. The book then goes into some interesting ―Roanokians‖ and their memories to the town. The book ends with interesting tidbits about the town’s history.

Huntington County interim report, 2nd edition: Indiana historic sites and structures inventory. Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. 1997. Indiana Department of Natural Resources: Indianapolis, IN.

Book Description: This report is a compilation of the results of a re-survey of the historic resources of the City of Huntington and Huntington County, conducted as part of the Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory. This has been a continuing program of the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology since 1975.‖ –page V This book includes a section on Jackson Township which includes the specifics of Roanoke Station Historic District; Roanoke Downtown Historic District; Seminary Street Historic District and Roanoke Scattered Sites as well as surrounding townships.

Indiana canals. Fatout, Paul. 1972. Purdue University Studies: West Lafayette, IN.

Book Description: Beginning with the first Indiana canal effort in 1804, this narrative deals with the half century of canal agitation in the valleys of the Wabash and Whitewater rivers. The rising tide of enthusiasm for internal improvements reached flood stage in the mammoth system legislation of 1836, which provided for a network of canals throughout the state, and for several turnpikes and a few railroads as well.-Amazon

Maps of Indiana Counties in 1876/ Illustated Historical Atlas of the State of Indiana 1876.1968. Indiana Historical Society Press: Indianapolis, IN.

Book Description: Maps of Indiana’s counties as they were in 1876 are taken from Alfred T. Andreas’s magisterial 462-page work, Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Indiana, which was originally published by Baskin, Forster and Company of Chicago. Each map includes the county seat; the various townships; railroad lines; communities; churches; creeks, rivers, and lakes; and major landholders and businesses.

The Miami Indians of Indiana: A persistent people 1654-1994. Rafert, Stewart. 1996. Indian Historical Society Press: Indianapolis, IN.

Book Description: The book explores the history and culture of the Miami Indians, who have fought for many years to gain tribal status from the U.S. government. This volume will appeal to a general audience as well as serious students of tribal history interested in the experience of a North American Indian tribal community over three and a half centuries.-Amazon {Note: pictured on the front cover of the book is Kilsoquah, the last full blood Miami Indian and her son. They both lived in Roanoke ―after they were put out of their rural house, and it was burned‖.}

Noodling and canoodling around: Those were the days. Richards, Norman. 2003. 1stBooks Library: Bloomington, IN

Book Description:  Norman Richards was born in Roanoke, Indiana. In this book, he talks about growing up in a small town where everybody knew his name. The book started about his ―marvelous experience there [Roanoke, Indiana] of being surrounded by warm, friendly and caring people‖ and grew into more tales about his college, military, traveling, jobs and artistic attempts parts of his life. A born storyteller, Mr. Richards shares his often humorous take on his life.

Our Cemeteries: Jackson Township Cemeteries. 1998. Roanoke Area Heritage Center: Roanoke, IN.

Book Description: Book tells of the history and location of the local cemeteries. It includes brief biographical information on some of the more famous people buried in the cemeteries and just a listing of others buried there. The book is highlighted with some black and white photos of gravestones.

Pioneer Days in Roanoke Canal Days. Koontz, Dr. S.

Book Description: ―Editor’s Note: A new series dealing with the history of the Roanoke area begins this week in the Roanoke REVIEW. Source of information for the new series is a history of Roanoke which was compiled many years ago by the late Dr. S. Koontz. It is said that all history repeats itself—this account of events that shaped Roanoke first appeared in a scrapbook by Kenneth Zent, a former local resident…‖ Unbound copies of this book are available in the Roanoke Public Library and for sale through the Friends of the Roanoke Public Library. ―The Roanoke Review dated Thursday, August 3, 1961.

Roanoke: The renaissance of a Hoosier village. Eshelman, Pete and Scott M. Bushnell. 2003. Guild Press Emmis Book: Indianapolis, IN

Book Description:Carefully researched description of each era of the town’s history, vignettes of small-town heroes who helped build the community, anecdotes of both character and ―characters,‖ and finally a loving, detailed description of the buildings involved in major renovation all make this book a fascinating chronicle of the renaissance of a small town.-from the inside front cover.

The Saga of a Hoosier Village. Wasmuth, E.M. 1999. Walter H. Ball Printing Corp. :Huntington, IN

Book Description:The author tells the history of Roanoke, IN with occasional black and white illustrations. As the author states in his finale, ―But courage is required to conquer solitude, to live a happy life with simple surroundings, to encourage your neighbors while meeting your own difficulties, to go willingly among the sick and needy with cheerful countenance and a helpful hand, and meet a lack of luxuries with a smile. In a village it is the determination of the leaders to acquire culture and refinement in the simplicity of their surrounding and with small contact with the cultured. If that be heroism, as I verily believe, then this history of my village is a ―Saga‖.

Wabash & Erie Canal: Notebook I {Allen and Huntington Counties 2nd rev. ed.} Castaldi, Thomas E. 2002. Parrot Printing Inc.: Fort Wayne, IN. 

Book Description: The book by canal historian Tom Castaldi, describes the canal’s construction and points out the relics that are visible to this day throughout Allen and Huntington counties. Numerous historical photographs, maps, reports and diary entries are included.-Canal Society of Indiana Book Series

Memories of Hoosier Homemakers: From Hoosier Homemakers through the years, an oral history project of The Indiana Extension Homemakers Association. Arnold, Eleanor, ed. 1983-1990. Cooperative Extension Service: Huntington, IN

Series Description: The use of homemaker interviewers talking to homemakers lends a unique flavor to the interviews. These are ordinary people talking to ordinary people, in many cases their families and neighbors. This gives a special flavor of understanding and an easy assumption of basic shared knowledge between the two…It is women’s history in a distinctive form, inarticulate, and surely undocumented, segment of women who are yet one of the main forces in Indiana’s society.—Eleanor Arnold, editor and project director.

  1. Feeding our Families
  2. Party Lines, Pumps and Privies
  3. Buggies and Bad Times
  4. Girlhood Days
  5. Going to Club
  6. Living Rich Lives

Pamplet Available

Roanoke Stonewall Basketball 1914-1966. Wohlford, Chuck, compiler. 1986.

Pamplet Description: The statistics, roster and scores for the years that Roanoke had a high school. With school consolidation Roanoke merged into the Huntington County system and Roanoke High School became Roanoke Elementary School. Cover page has the school song on it.