"Lieutenant Colonel Joseph H. Ward, M.D."

Join our monthly conversation with historians, researchers, and educators as we discuss topics related to Indiana’s Black heritage.

Our speaker will be Leon Bates, local historian, veteran, and educator. His presentation will introduce us to Lieutenant Colonel Joseph H. Ward, M.D.

Genealogists say the single most important mark on a grave marker is the dash between the date of birth and date of death, for it is this dash that represents all that one has accomplished in their lifetime. An example of this concept is the simple government issued stone in section 60, lot 639, at Crown Hill Cemetery, which marks the resting place of Joseph Henry Ward. A first- generation freedman, born in a slave cabin in Wilson, North Carolina; Ward went on to become a physician, surgeon, entrepreneur, army officer, first African American to lead a U.S. Army field hospital, first African American to lead a U.S. veteran’s hospital, and the first African American to lead a major hospital in the United States. He did all this at the height of the Jim Crow era, between Plessy vs. Ferguson and Brown vs. Board of Education (1896-1954), and yet, almost no one knows his name.​

Sponsored by Indiana Landmarks’ Black Heritage Preservation Program, Indiana Humanities, IUPUI Africana Studies Program, and ASALH Joseph Taylor Branch (Association of the Study of African American Life and History).

Event is free but registration is required. Click here to reserve your ticket.

• In Person: Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at Indiana Landmarks, 1201 N. Central Avenue, Indianapolis, IN and talk begins at 6:00 p.m.

• Online: Livestream will begin at 6:00 p.m.