Levi and Catharine Coffin: Indiana’s Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad

Levi and Catharine Coffin: Indiana’s Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad

In the years before the Civil War, an ordinary brick home in Fountain City became one of Indiana’s most important stops on the Underground Railroad. This week on Hoosier State Stories, Mike and Kylie tell the story of Levi and Catharine Coffin, the Quaker couple whose home became known as the Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad. From late-night arrivals and hidden danger to the courage of freedom seekers and the quiet work of helping people move north, this episode looks at how one Indiana house became a place of hope, risk, and resistance. Courage does not always look loud. Sometimes it looks like a door opening in the dark.

New Harmony: Indiana’s Utopia on the Wabash

What happens when people try to build the perfect town? This week on Hoosier State Stories, Mike and Kylie travel to New Harmony, Indiana, a quiet town on the Wabash River that became the site of two bold utopian experiments. First came the religious Harmonists, led by George Rapp. Then came Robert Owen and William Maclure with a vision built around education, equality, science, and reform. The perfect society did not last, but New Harmony left behind one of Indiana’s most fascinating stories about faith, ambition, failure, and the dream of building a better world.

Studebaker: The Wheels That Built South Bend

Studebaker was more than a car company. It was a South Bend story. This week on Hoosier State Stories, Mike and Kylie trace Studebaker from a small wagon shop in the 1850s to one of Indiana’s most important industrial names. From wagons and early automobiles to bold designs, racing ties, factory life, and the painful 1963 South Bend plant closing, this episode looks at how one company helped shape a city’s identity.

The House of Blue Lights: Indianapolis’ Creepiest Legend

Some Indiana stories are history. Others live somewhere between rumor, memory, and myth. This week on Hoosier State Stories, Mike and Kylie explore one of Indianapolis’ strangest local legends: The House of Blue Lights. From the mysterious north side mansion tied to Skiles Test, to stories of eerie blue lights, late-night drives, and the infamous glass coffin rumor, this episode looks at how a place becomes haunted in the public imagination. Was it fact, fear, or just a story too good to stop telling?

Milk, Bricks, and Back Home Again

The Indy 500 is more than 500 miles. It is the song, the command, the milk, the trophy, the bricks, Carb Day, and the feeling that Indiana turns race weekend into a holiday. This week on Hoosier State Stories, Mike and Kylie wrap up Indy 500 month with the traditions that make the race feel bigger than sports. From “Back Home Again in Indiana” to the Borg-Warner Trophy, Louis Meyer’s milk, the Yard of Bricks, and the energy of Carb Day, this episode is a love letter to the rituals that connect generations of Hoosiers to the Speedway. Enjoy Carb Day, have a great race weekend, and enjoy the 500 on Sunday.