Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD) and Indiana Historic Buildings, Bridges, and Cemeteries (IHBBC) Map
About SHAARD
The data contained in SHAARD was collected from previously conducted cultural resource inventories, National and State Registers listing, research projects, and cultural resource management project reports.
SHAARD includes data from the Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory (IHSSI) County Survey Program, the Indiana Cemetery and Burial Ground Registry, Historic Bridge inventory, resources listed in the National Register of Historic Places, resources listed in the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures, and historic theaters in Indiana. Access to archaeological site locations and archaeological reports is restricted to qualified professionals.
The quality of the data varies with the completeness and precision of the original records and may be out of date. Information is updated daily. Absence of data does not necessarily indicate the absence of resources.
The majority of resources included in SHAARD are privately owned and closed to the public. Please respect property owners’ privacy.
SHAARD was made possible with financial support from the Federal Highway Administration, the DNR, and the Historic Preservation Fund of the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service.
Users are encouraged to notify the DHPA about additions or corrections that may be necessary at SHAARDAdmin@dnr.IN.gov. Users are also encouraged to notify the DHPA of difficulties in accessing data or other issues encountered in using the database or GIS map.
Cemetery Registry
The DHPA maintains a Cemetery & Burial Ground Registry for all Indiana cemeteries and burial grounds, not just “historic” cemeteries. The survey includes the cemetery’s location, number of grave markers, general assessment of the cemetery’s condition, ethnic and/or religious affiliations, special groups represented (e.g., veterans), and architectural features such as wrought iron fences, statuary, mausoleums, and formal landscape designs. Because there are approximately 20,000 cemeteries and burial grounds in Indiana, it is not possible at this time to document each grave marker, inscription, and name. Not all cemeteries are mapped; those where the exact location is unknown may have a SHAARD entry, but not a point in the IHBBC map.
Historic Bridge Inventory
Historic bridges are an important part of the history of Indiana that showcase the development of the state through transportation links. Higher traffic volumes and larger vehicles have resulted in the replacement of many historic bridges.
In 1978, Dr. James L. Cooper of DePauw University created a thematic study to record Indiana’s historic bridges. The Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) survey set the foundation for the Historic Bridge Inventory in SHAARD. Since then, the formation of the Indiana Historic Bridge Committee developed a system for evaluating bridges and created a preservation plan to encourage retention and reuse of as many spans as possible. The original HAER survey of the 1980s included both metal and concrete bridges.
In 2006, in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), the Historic Bridges Programmatic Agreement provides incentives for bridge owners to help prevent the loss of these important historic resources and provides a process to manage historic bridges in Indiana. Learn more about INDOT’s 2007 Historic Bridge Inventory, the Indiana Historic Bridges Programmatic Agreement, and INDOT’s Historic Bridges Marketing Program.
Historic Theater Initiative
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, theaters served as the heart of entertainment in many communities. Over time, opera houses, movie palaces, and single-screen theaters were unable to compete with multi-screen big box theaters and ended their original functions, becoming venues for other uses. As part of the Historic Theater Initiative, two lovers of old theaters – Gene Gladson and Stanley Griffith – provided historic photographs of theaters in Indiana. Gladson’s love for entertainment started early in his life, and his crusade to save theaters is more than likely the reason some are still left today. He did research on every theater in Indiana, traveling the state to take photographs, which his family donated to the DHPA. Griffith grew up with the movie theater, working at the Tivoli in Seymour as a projectionist and at the Record’s Drive-in. He later served as the projectionist at the Princess Theater in Bloomington. In 2006, Griffith allowed the DHPA to scan his photo collection of theaters.
Non-DHPA Sponsored Surveys
Some local entities conduct their own architectural surveys for a neighborhood or city. Such surveys can be useful to local governments, professionals, citizens, and residents. They can aid in planning; development; allocation of funding; and increasing local support, appreciation and pride.
While the DHPA supports such efforts for local purposes, such surveys are not part of the SHPO-mandated survey program and, therefore, are not consulted when evaluations and reviews are conducted for federal or state programs such as the National Register of Historic Places, Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures, environmental reviews, and eligibility for state or federal grants/tax credits.