Howard County Historical Society

Name: Howard County Historical Society
Address: 1200 W Sycamore Street, Kokomo, IN, 46901, US
Telephone: (765) 452-4314
Price range: $

Home
United States
Kokomo, IN
Howard County Historical Society

HCHS welcomes you to the Seiberling Mansion, Elliott House and Howard County History Museum.

HCHS is the custodian of Howard County's unique history - sharing and preserving that history is our goal. As a home for the history and museum, HCHS manages the Seiberling Mansion and Elliott House, as well as their respective carriage houses. All are icons of the Indiana gas boom era and have been restored to their former glory. The Seiberling is home to the county museum, and the Elliott House

is an event facility that may be rented for receptions, parties, weddings and celebrations of all kinds. Offices are located in the Stan Mohr Building, formerly the Elliott Carriage House.

06/04/2026

This week, we present the cover of the 2001 Sargasso of Kokomo High School. The class of 2001 wants the reader to know “who we are.” It is a matte black cover with glossy descriptive words which also makes for a nice design that includes the back cover. The gloss blue of “who we are” leaves no doubt what the editors wanted you to know. Most of the descriptors have a generally positive connotation such as talented, intelligent, and outgoing. However, there are other words to show that some students may have had a different opinion of their high school time with words like stressed, bored, and hungry.

This cover is quite the eye-catcher with the different textures and word fonts. It certainly represents the diversity of the student body.

Next week, an incredible cover from Northwestern High School.

05/28/2026

High school yearbooks have been a staple for Howard County students since at least 1901 when Kokomo High School published its first Sargasso. Over the years, there have been hundreds of yearbooks published by the students of the county schools. The early covers of the Sargasso were on the plain side since printing in the early 1900s isn’t what it is today. However, there have been some yearbook covers that stand out from the rest. This week and the next two, the HCHS will share three of the most eye-catching yearbook covers in our collection. Keep in mind that these selections are the opinion of the writer, Assistant Curator Randy Smith. Others reading this will have differing opinions on which covers are the best.

This week starts with the 1972 Subracus from Haworth High School. This cover with the Roman numeral IV is bold in its declaration that this is the 4th issue of the Subracus. If you didn’t know, it is confidently right there. It is a simple design, nothing complicated. No other yearbook in our collection has only a Roman numeral and the name on the cover. It is a strong, simple choice that makes this cover stand out.

Next week tune in for a yearbook from Kokomo High School.

05/21/2026

Novelty postcards were popular for many years in the early to mid-20th century. Some of these cards, like the Money Deposited card, were meant to be humorous. Others could be used for any town since the location could readily be changed during printing. It is easy to tell sometimes that the card is not from the town stated on the card. Kokomo has never had sandy beaches near the ocean. The HCHS has several cards like this in its collection. Novelty cards of a type are still available even today. The HCHS has cards available depicting Kokomantis and Old Ben.

05/14/2026

On November 26, 1995 Howard County had another first, its first set of quintuplets. Five babies, four girls, Anne, Clara, Gabriella, and Emma; and one boy, Benjamin; were born at Women’s Hospital in Indianapolis to Connie and Jan Loisch. They joined their older brother Wesley. All of the babies were home in Kokomo by the 7th of February after staying in the hospital so their early development could be monitored by doctors. The Loisch family welcomed a seventh child two years after their quintuplets were born. It is unclear what happened to the Loisch family after their time in Kokomo.

05/13/2026

Looking for something to do tonight? Dr. Canada will be giving a presentation at IUK’s Kresge Auditorium at 6 PM!

This is HCHS’s first lecture in the series America at 250: Howard County and Beyond. As a reminder this is a free event open to everyone. Come check it out!

05/07/2026

On the 9th of June 1981, Kevin and Nancy Hardie welcomed the first quadruplets in Howard County. Nancy gave birth to two girls, Amy and Katie; and two boys, Kyle and Andrew; at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis. They joined their two-year-old sister Sarah in the family. Due to low birth weights, the babies remained at St. Vincent while they gained weight and got stronger. The Hardie quads finally came home to Kokomo on July 27th. Today, the Hardies have a successful real estate business in Kokomo.

Come back next week for one more…

05/04/2026

The HCHS office will be closed for Tuesday, May 5, but will reopen with regular hours 9 AM - 4 PM on Wednesday, May 6.

The Seiberling Mansion will be OPEN on Tuesday, May 5 during our regular museum hours 1 - 4 PM. Make sure to stop by and see the museum tomorrow!

If you need to contact someone in the office, please email [email protected].

Address

1200 W Sycamore Street
Kokomo, IN
46901

Telephone

(765) 452-4314

Website

http://www.howardcountymuseum.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Howard County Historical Society posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Howard County Historical Society:

Shortcuts

Want your museum to be the top-listed Museum in Kokomo?