Personal Challenge 2018 - Week 19

This is the 19th week of my personal 50-week States of the Union Challenge. Each week I research one of the 50 United States (in the order they attained statehood). I share tidbits of information about the state here on my blog and I create a card that is inspired by something about that state.

This week's state (the 19th one to attain statehood) is...

Indiana

Date of Statehood: December 11, 1816

The people of Indiana are called “Hoosiers” and the state itself is often called "The Hoosier State," but no one seems to know what a Hoosier is. 

Baseball was practically born in Indiana – Fort Wayne, to be exact. The very first professional game had occurred in the town on May 4, 1871.

Everyone's favorite cartoon cat Garfield found his first home in Indiana. His creator, Jim Davis, was actually from Marion, IN.

Indianapolis had the pleasure of hosting Elvis Presley's last concert right in Market Square Arena in 1977.

In 2014, farmers in Indiana planted 91,000 acres of corn for popcorn and harvested 90,000 of it, which was an increase of 10,000 acres from the previous year. An estimated 20% of the country’s popcorn supply comes from those crops. 

There are nearly 100 historic covered bridges in the state of Indiana. In the 1800s, there were over 10,000 covered bridges built across America, but only around 800 still exist. Pennsylvania has the most (approximately 224), but Parke County, Indiana is known as the “Covered Bridge Capital” with a total of 31 within its 450 square miles.

One fateful day on October 6, 1866, a particular gang by the name of the "Reno Brothers" thought it might be a good idea to rob a train. They did it right in Jackson County in Indiana, making off with a hefty $13,000. It was the first train robbery ever in history.

The North Pole actually doesn't get any letters for Santa Claus, believe it or not. Indiana does. Every year, the aptly named town Santa Claus, IN, actually receives those letters in the thousands. Even better, each and every one of those letters do get a reply!

The first theme park ever built was in Santa Claus, IN, on August 3, 1946.

“America’s oldest magazine,” The Saturday Evening Post, is headquartered in Indianapolis. The magazine is probably best known for its iconic covers, 323 of which were painted by Norman Rockwell over the course of five decades.

The home where Michael Jackson and the rest of the Jackson family grew up is still standing in Gary, Indiana. Located at 2300 Jackson Street, the home (and the rest of the block) has been renovated since The King of Pop’s death in 2009, and a memorial statue has been erected in the front yard of the property in his honor. 

Indiana is home to the world’s largest Batman memorabilia collection. Kevin Silva of Indianapolis began collecting at age five and has since collected his way into the Guinness Book of World Records with over 2500 Gotham City souvenirs. His personal batcave boasts everything from gumball machines, signed posters, replica costumes and themed underwear to lots of vintage and new toys.

A trail from the slave-owning South to free Canada, the Underground Railroad was composed of abolitionist homes who would shelter escaping slaves from capture and extradition. Part of the railroad ran through Indiana, which was part of the Abolitionist North in the Civil War. While most of the stops have been destroyed, reclaimed, or simply lost to time, at least two houses that were part of the Underground Railroad still stand as National Historic Landmarks. The Levi Coffin House in Fountain City (extreme east) and the Alexander Taylor Rankin House in Fort Wayne (northeast).

How about some laws in Indiana...

... Indiana state law prohibits “spiteful gossip” and “talking behind a person's back.” Not sure how that law can be enforced, but there you have it, folks.  Hoosiers aren't allowed to gossip.

... Hotel sheets must be exactly 99 inches long and 81 inches wide.

... Anyone 14 or older who profanely curses, damns or swears by the name of God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, shall be fined one to three dollars for each offense, with a maximum fine of ten dollars per day.

... One man may not back into a parking spot becasue it prevents police officers from seeing the license plate.

... Smoking in the state legislature building is banned, except when the legislature is in session.

... Baths may not be taken between the months of October and March.

I've decided to go with this bit of Indiana information for my card's inspiration...  Generation after generation, one doll remains ageless in the arms of little girls across the nation. Raggedy Ann was “born” in 1914 when Indianapolis resident and children's author Johnny Gruelle found a faceless rag doll in his parents' attic, and then later gave the doll a face and a personality once he and his wife saw their daughter Marcella take a special interest in dolls. Raggedy Ann's name is purported to be a combination of Hoosier Poet James Whitcomb Riley's poems “The Raggedy Man” and “Little Orphan Annie,” and stories of the red-yarn-haired doll and her brother Raggedy Andy have warmed hearts since 1920.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamp: Stampabilities RA & A Raggedy Ann stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections Black, 110# Red, and 110# White CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Heart Jewel Bling and Hobby Lobby Ribbon