Merchandise - Carmel Clay Historical Society

Carmel Books

Want to know more about this history of Carmel? You’ve come to the right place! We have books on a variety of topics with lots of interesting pictures!

Greyhound Legends

the history of Carmel High School athletics from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1980s. Includes profiles on legendary teams, athletes and coaches, including Dick Nyers, Billy and Dave Shepherd, Mark Herrmann, Eric Clark, Dick Dullaghan and Jim Belden.

The Preacher and the Constable

The story/mystery of the shootout at the livery stable in 1900 that resulted in the deaths of “Cyclone” Johnson and constable Frank Carey.

Stories from the Boom Years

history of how the gas boom and improvements in technology and infrastructure transformed the town around the turn of the century. Includes stories about the Carmel Horse Show and the Great Fire and Flood of 1913.

Ketchum’s Town

A history of the Lenape village and people who lived in what is now Carmel. Includes the stories of George Ketchum, his mother-in-law Barbara Burget who was captured by Native Americans during the Revolutionary War, and a French Candian fur trader named John Brewitt.

Bethlehem and the Pioneer Settlements of Carmel

Detailed account of pioneer life in Carmel, including profiles on some of the early pioneer families and a history of the different neighborhoods that developed during this era.

Curtis Bales and the Carmel Baseball Club

History of baseball in Carmel from the late-1800s to through the development of Carmel’s championship ball club in the early 1900s. It includes the story of Carmel’s star pitcher, Curtis Bales, and his time in the minor leagues.

The Early History of Carmel Schools

a detailed history of Carmel schools from 1830 to 1922 with pictures of the one-room schoolhouses.

The Story of Range Line Road

This book follows the development of the road from the pioneer days through the gravel road era to the town’s campaign to route the Dixie Highway along the road in the early 1900s. They were successful, but lost the highway less than a decade later. Learn how in this book!

A Century of the Railroad in Carmel

History of how the Monon and interurban railroads transformed Carmel.

A Town Divided

From 1833 to 1955, the town of Carmel was split between Clay and Delaware Township along Range Line Road. It caused a lot of problems. This book details the effort to consolidate Clay and West Delaware Township.

From Bethlehem to Carmel

covers the time period 1822–1899. It begins with a chapter on Carmel’s Quaker roots. Their advocacy for education, abolitionism, peace and temperance largely shaped the culture in town for much of the nineteenth century. It also discusses the impact of the Civil War, tells the stories of the freedmen and freedwomen who made their home here after emancipation, and tells how the town developed during the Gilded Age. It concludes with the history of three forgotten towns—Mattsville, Sockum/Eldorado, and East Branch/Gray—and a history of the nineteenth century churches.

Tales of the Twentieth Century

The story of how Carmel was shaped by the perils of the early twentieth century: World War I, the flu pandemic of 1918, the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana, the Great Depression and World War II, and emerged the state’s fastest-growing community.

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