What Lights Up Your Life?

To celebrate our 25^th anniversary as the primary resident of a century-old home known as The House of a Thousand Candles, we’re asking Hoosiers to answer the question, “What lights up your life?”

Our goal is to generate 1,000 responses to this question, and to share them with everyone.

The Council operates from the Meredith Nicholson House, which long ago took on the name of Nicholson’s romantic mystery The House of a Thousand Candles. A top-ten bestseller in 1906, the novel was written at the home, which stands at 1500 North Delaware Street.

All you have to do is download this pdf and submit your response – from one word to one paragraph (you can submit a longer response on the right-hand side of this blog).  Responses submitted by Dec. 22 will be eligible for a prize drawing, which will include gift certificates to a variety of bookstores. Stories collected may be used on the Council’s website and promoted through various social media tools.

Entrants can also submit the candles in person or by mailing or faxing the completed candle (directions are listed on the pdf). On Dec. 14, as part of the Meredith Nicholson House’s participation in the “12 FREE Days of Christmas,” visitors will be encouraged to decorate their candles in person. Additional prizes will be available to participants who submit their entry that day.

The Meredith Nicholson House was built in 1903-1904 and is believed to be the first Georgian/Colonial Revival style home in Indianapolis. The Indiana Humanities Council acquired the house in 1986, after extensive refurbishing by Bob Beckmann, Jr., who purchased the house from the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana (now Indiana Landmarks) in 1979.

Today, the house serves as the headquarters for the Indiana Humanities Council – which was formed in 1972 – and several other nonprofit organizations. It is an active humanities hub, welcoming other nonprofits in for meetings and discussions, hosting lectures and conversations and opening its doors for humanities-inspired programming.