History Professor Barbara Steinson Receives Prestigious Clio Grant

February 26, 1999

February 26, 1999, Greencastle, Ind. - The Indiana Historical Society has awarded a $15,000 Clio Grant to Barbara J. Steinson, DePauw University professor of history, to support her work of developing a book-length manuscript on "Rural Women in Indiana, 1880-1950." Steinson received the maximum dollar amount for the two-year grant. The Clio Grant is intended to stimulate research and produce articles and books in the field of Indiana history.

Since 1989 Steinson has studied the role and interactions of rural women in Indiana. Her work has been supported by the university through a Fisher Time Out and a Research and Professional Development Grant. She has presented five papers on the topic at conferences, including three major national conferences. 

"Research on rural women in the United States has lagged far behind that of research on urban women," Steinson said. "My project on Indiana rural women makes a significant contribution because it concentrates on a state in which rural women's history has not received much scholarly attention and because it focuses primarily on the twentieth century and several critical transitions in rural life during the first half of this century."

The Indiana Historical Society, with headquarters in Indianapolis, collects materials on the history of Indiana and the Old Northwest, publishes books and periodicals, makes research grants, provides youth programming and many other activities to promote an understanding and appreciation of Indiana history.

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