Last updated: March 15, 2024

Moving to Indiana this year allowed me to easily locate an Indiana state welcome sign and mark it off my list. Usually, the other state sign from which you’re crossing will be on the opposite of the road, but alas, this was not the case so I’ll have to find the Ohio roadside some other time.

This one is located just outside New Paris, Ohio on State Route 121 as you’re leaving Ohio to enter Richmond, Indiana.

Let’s Learn about Indiana!

Indiana’s name means “Land of the Indians”, or simply “Indian Land”. It received its name because the state was largely possessed by native tribes even after it was granted statehood. I found this interesting given my native America heritage. Here’s all the state things:

• Snack – popcorn
• Firearm – Grouseland Rifle
• Insect – Says Firefly
• Tree – Tulip Tree
• Flower – Peony
• Bird – Northern Cardinal
• Song – On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away
• State animal – they don’t have one!
• Drink – water

A native or resident of Indiana is known as a Hoosier and is a term for a backwoodsman, a rough countryman, or a country bumpkin. I guess since I live here now that makes me a Hoosier… 🤷🏻‍♀️

There have been three Hoosier U.S. Presidents and while they were not born here, they were a resident of Indiana for a significant amount of time:

William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harris was the 9th President and served from March 4 – April 4, 1981. He died of illness only 32 days into his presidency and to date is the president with the shortest term. He spent 12 years of his young adult life in Indiana service as Territorial Governor (1800-1812). You can visit his Indiana home, Grouseland and take a tour!

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16^th President and served from 1861 – 1865. He spent 14 of his childhood years from 1816 to 1830 in Indiana. Today, guests can learn all about it at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, which includes a museum, a living historical farm and the final resting place of Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln. The nearby 2,000+ acre Lincoln State Park proposes the chance to walk in Abraham’s footsteps by exploring campsites, scenic trails, lakes and a nature preserve. The park is also home to the Lincoln Bicentennial Plaza and Lincoln Amphitheatre, which hosts an annual concert series as well as a play about Lincoln’s life in Indiana.

Benjamin Harris

Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President and served much longer than his great grandfather, William Harrison mentioned above. He was President from 1889 – 1893 and is the only one elected from the state of Indiana. Interestingly enough, he created the 2nd, 3rd and 4th National Parks in 1890: Sequoia, Yosemite and General Grant, which was incorporated in 1940 into King’s Canyon National Park. He lived in Indiana 1881-1888 and returned after his presidency until his death (1893-1901). You can take a guided tour of his home the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site and see his grave in the nearby Crown Hill Cemetery.

Indiana is known as the crossroads of America because U.S. Highway 40, the old National Road which opened the west for settlement, and U.S. Highway 41, a major north-south route, were designated part of the original federal highway system in 1926. Their intersection in Terre Haute at Wabash Avenue and Seventh Street became the “Crossroads of America.”

My parents were visiting so they were able to snag their photo as well.

Check out Indiana adventures on my travel page!