Jordan Ryan

they're executing moms and nurses in the street. they're using preschoolers as bait. they're stealing people's dads and grandmas and children. they're tear gassing babies. they're staking out schools. there is no remedy but abolition. any proposal that doesn't start there is an act of violence.

A dark blue mug with an American flag reads “AMERICA 1776 – 2026”

Fairly sure it’s unintentional, but the end date on this mug being sold by the Smithsonian does make it sound a little like they’re saying America dies in 2026…

Collage of Zebrowski demolition materials

Indiana world war memorial plaza pamphlet

Lincoln Hotel ashtray

You know you’ve made it as a municipal archivist when your Xmas gifts from dad are: a collage of materials from a demolition contractor who demo’d most lost city landmarks, Indiana world war memorial plaza ephemera, and an ashtray from the Lincoln Hotel

-drafted a digitization/vendor resolution for IT board
-selected a CMS/digital collection system
-wrote a policy doc on GIS Data + Archiving

We are excited for 2026: learning our new CMS, building a humidification room to flatten drawings, and the next phase of cemetery research & engagement. ❤️

-est training video on retention, disposition, and digitization
-managed cemetery compliance for many projects, including the Greenlawn excavation that went 3 weeks shy of a full year, concluding with the excavation of 1,709 grave shafts
-created a high school internship centered on the excavation

Ledger books

Deeds

Microfilm boxes

It’s hard building a municipal archive from scratch. Despite all the obstacles, we accomplished a lot this year.
-108 reference questions answered
-40 tours for ~150 people
-8 lectures/panels for ~600 people
-340 volunteer hours
-doubled our vault and storage space
-est online presence

Icy lake

Stained glass window

Snow in park

Icy lake

Mental health break ✌️

Kind of like trying to convince decision makers over and over again not to build a stadium on top of the graves of pioneers, babies, and enslaved people

All this neighborhood advocacy work, for nothing

Mapping Inequality Redlining in New Deal America

Mapping Inequality, the digital humanities platform for exploring redlining maps & data, launched in 2016. Never in my wildest dreams did I think they would ask me to write an essay on Indianapolis! It is an absolute honor to be included in this project:
dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/red...

View of fall landscape

View of fall landscape

Cabin sign: “teach me the unforced rhythms of grace”

In the forest

Beautiful weekend away 🧡

Today is World Day of Remembrance — a global event to remember those killed or seriously injured on our streets.

Read more about this day, and our call to action for the City of Indianapolis, at the link below.

#WDoR2025 #SafeStreetsIndy #Indianapolis #HoosierSky #VisionZero

Anyway a great way to radicalize people is for them to realize that you just abandoned their chance at being able to access and afford health care because you didn’t like waiting in line at the airport.

Spring mill state park

Spring mill state park garden

Spring mill state park cave

Spring mill state park close up of tavern

🍁 “I’ve got an idea. Let’s go outside.” 🍁

Thank you for always supporting us 🙏

The lost photographs of Osbert Sumner Historian Deedee Davis’ research began seven years ago to tell a different story of life in Indianapolis from 1898-1903.

Thank you @mirrorindy.org for featuring Deedee our reference archivist and her amazing work to identify historic glass negatives held at the Irvington Historical Society: mirrorindy.org/historic-pho...

You have until Nov 30 to see the exhibit!

Thanks IndyStar for celebrating Archives Month with local public, nonprofit, university, and governmental archives ❤️

www.indystar.com/story/opinio...

Remember, according to the Republican Justices, it's okay to gerrymander for party advantage, not racial advantage. It's an unknowable distinction, but one that allows the Republicans to okay racist gerrymandering under the guise of political gerrymandering.

The civic shame of it all

Outdoor installation

Outdoor installation

Girard poster

Girard dolls

Exhibit Columbus installations + Alexander Girard exhibit today with Dad 💯

Decorative floor tiles

Greenhouse

Courthouse ceiling

Sanctuary

A fabulous week in Fort Wayne at the statewide historic preservation conference.

Also happy to share that the City-County Archives contributed images to the book.

So proud of Cox & Cronin and can’t wait to see what they do next!

#whatanarchivistdoes

What a Building Does Hoosier architect Evans Woollen (1927-2016) made a profound contribution to the built identity of Indianapolis, Indiana. Most recognized for introducing conc...

It's every archivist's dream to watch a collection they poured their heart and soul into archiving become the foundation of a book. I spent 6 months processing the Evans Woollen collection back in 2016 and was absolutely elated when authors Phillip Cox and Niall Cronin told me about the book.

📣 Excited to share that What a Building Does: The Hoosier Modernisms of Evans Woollen is available for pre-order!

Phillip Cox & Niall Cronin brilliantly tell the story of Woollen and his firm's journey from Midcentury Modernism to Brutalism to Postmodernism.

Pre-order: iupress.org/978025307410...

RIP the Albert Kahn-designed Crane Bay, what a sad loss

These photos are from July 2019. I just had this sick feeling the last crane bay wouldn’t survive

The tangible context of:
Industrial history
Labor history
West side neighborhood history
Gone.

#thisplacemattered

I just rolled up to what I assumed was a public unveiling of a sculpture at Elanco but when I rolled up I was immediately turned away by this gentleman

Who said I couldn't come back there

Then he asked the guy walking up if he was there for the art unveiling and let him thru 😉

Stained glass

Chandelier

Stained glass

Cookie with historic archway design

Another excellent Behind Closed Doors mausoleum tour at Crown Hill Cemetery.

#thisplacematters

FYI - This grave shaft data is for the city’s road project only, not for the private developers stadium.

The Henry Street Bridge Project's Greenlawn Cemetery excavation is well over 1,500 grave shafts now on our little 1.5 acre strip.

Don't forget to follow along on our project website where we provide updates for the public: wridinfrastructure.com/archaeology/...

Archivist holding a map of cemetery plots

Play doh sculptured monuments

🪦 Happy archaeology month 🪦

The City-County Archives was thrilled to table at the Indiana State Museum’s Archaeology Family Discovery Day yesterday. We shared historic maps and deed research with guests. Some guests made their own marker/monuments. Thank you to all who stopped by!