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The collection consists primarily of interviews conducted by AAAMC Project Manager Jason Housley for the 2005-2006 Indiana Historical Society Exhibit, "Soul and Funk: The Naptown Sound," as well as related production materials and photographs.

This project contains interviews of members of Indiana county historical societies. The counties included are La Porte, Monroe, Noble, Jefferson, Wells, Randolph, Tippecanoe, Vigo, and Johnson. The interviewees discuss local history and the development of the historical society in their area. They describe society events, funding, exhibits, and publications. The members also describe their connections to their local history. They explain why they believe local history should be preserved and the role of the historical society.

The central focus of this project is the life of William Fortune, who lived from 1863 to 1942. Interviewees are the daughters of Indiana businessman William Fortune, a friend and father-in-law of Eli Lilly. They tell about their life in Indianapolis at the turn of the century and offer recollections of associations with famous people like the Lillys and James Whitcomb Riley.

This collection of interviews addresses historic preservation in a handful of Indiana towns, such as Madison, New Harmony, Vincennes, and Evansville. The broad emphasis is placed on how the preservation movement began, the major participants, and how it has changed. However, within this broad range, individual historic preservation organizations and projects are not only mentioned, but given much detail.