Annual Friends of the Alexander M. Bracken Library Dinner and Kirkham Lecture
| When |
Tuesday, April 28, 2026 6pm to 8pm |
|---|---|
| Where |
L.A. Pittenger Student Center, Ball State University Cardinal Hall (2nd Floor) 2000 W University Ave, Muncie, IN 47306 |
| What | General Events history, ball state university, caterer, drinks, ball state university libraries, fine dining, american history |
| Cost | $30 |
All are welcome!
Schedule
- 6–6:45 p.m.: Cocktail hour featuring several tables displaying historical artifacts, current University Libraries projects, and more
- 6:45–7:15 p.m.: Catered meal
- 7:15–8 p.m.: Kirkham Lecture featuring historian Andy Olson
Featured Kirkham Lecture
“The Kilgore Pact Legend and the 1818 St. Marys Treaties”
In seeking to confirm a family legend involving prominent Delaware County resident David Kilgore (1804–1879), Andy Olson uncovered a surprising historical detail connected to the 1818 treaties signed at St. Marys, Ohio. Olson discovered that none of the individuals receiving land grants in one of the treaties were Delawares—raising questions about why and how that came to be. His presentation explores what he found and what it may reveal about the period.
About the speaker
Andy Olson is an amateur historian and award-winning writer whose work has appeared in Connections, Traces, and other publications. He is the author of Forging the Bee Line Railroad, 1848–1889: The Rise and Fall of the Hoosier Partisans and Cleveland Clique (Kent State University Press, 2017). In 2024, he received the Indiana Historical Society’s Willard C. Heiss Family History and Genealogy Award.