Evansville Museum and Vanderburgh County Historical Society Partnering for
Special Riverboat Celebration
Tuesday, November 8, 7:00 – 9:00 P.M.
The Belle of Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau
In commemoration of the bicentennial of the first steamboat to travel the western waterways of the United States, on Tuesday, November 8 from 7-9 p.m. there is an opportunity to travel aboard the riverboat Belle of Cincinnati for a special dinner cruise. The Evansville Museum and Vanderburgh County Historical Society have partnered to reserve seating aboard the flagship of BB Riverboats of Newport, Kentucky, for its two-hour journey from Marina Pointe in Evansville. While aboard the Belle of Cincinnati participants will be surrounded by beautiful Victorian décor reminiscent of steamboats of a bygone era.
Cruise attendees will enjoy abuffet dinner. A cash bar will be available with soft drinks, mixed drinks, beer and wine.
Reservations are $43.00 per person and must be made with the Belle of Cincinnati by Friday, September 30th. Call them at 1-800-261-8586 with your credit card information. YOU MUST GIVE THE RESERVATION NUMBER 38745-1.This is the only way you will be guaranteed to sit with our group.
The riverboat will be docked adjacent to LST 325 at Marina Point with plenty of easy parking.
We hope you will plan to join us for this unique experience!
Welcome, Traveler
July 10 - October 23, 2011
The Vendome Hotel at the southwest corner of Third and
Sycamore Streets was one of the City’s main hotels for seven
decades. Theoriginal portion of the Vendome was designed by
the renowned Reid Brothers architects and, in 1907 a major,
five-story addition designed by Frank Schlotter, was added
to the building. Ensuing additions in 1914 and 1927 created a
nine-story structure bringing the total number of guestrooms
at the Vendome to 301. The Vendome remained one the City’s
leading hotels through the early 1960s, but during this decade
business declined and in 1972 the structure was demolished
in order to create more downtown parking. Today, the site is
occupied by Fifth Third Bank.
Presented in partnership with the DUNN HOSPITALITY GROUP
Since the early days of Evansville, hotels have offered accommodations to visitors to our City. WELCOME TRAVELER: A HISTORY OF EVANSVILLE’S EARLY HOTELS provides an overview of establishments that operated in Evansville from the mid-19th through the mid-20th centuries. Through documents, images and artifacts, this Town Hall exhibition will focus on well-known hotels such as the Washington House, Sonntag, St. George, Lincoln and Vendome and will also recall lesser-known establishments.
A central part of the exhibition will include a significant collection of material relating to the Hotel McCurdy. The collection – gift of Riverwalk Communities – includes table china, flatware, images and documents recalling the hotel’s vibrant past. A premier hotel in the City from the early to mid-20th century, the McCurdy accommodated prominent visitors and hosted many public functions and events at the facility throughout the decades following its opening in 1916.
Altered Auto Egos: Cars of the Follies
August 14 – October 2, 2011
Presented in partnership with an ANONYMOUS FOUNDATION
The exhibition ALTERED AUTO EGOS: CARS OF THE FOLLIES features stylized images of street rods by photographer and artist Karen Genter at EMTRAC. These images were taken at the Frog Follies – the Evansville Iron Street Rod Club’s immensely popular event that annually draws over 4,000 vehicles – and provides a flavor of what makes this such an exciting happening each August. Appropriately, this exhibition will be at EMTRAC during this year’s August 26-28 Frog Follies.
Genter received her BA from Western Kentucky University in 1970 with a concentration in printmaking and subsequently worked as a teacher, a design engineer and a computer analyst. One of her major accomplishments was participating in the 2001 At Home project with Judy Chicago and creating the Golden Dreams bedroom. The Medicated Lamp created for the room now resides in the Vanderbilt Fine Arts Museum. In 2001, she was selected as one of Kentucky’s best female photographers and her works were included in a year long national exhibition. In 2007, Genter retired from the 9 - 5 world and since then has been excitedly pursuing her dreams and visions full-time.
Curator of History to Share
Findings of Hotel Research
Sunday, August 7, 2:00 P.M.
Curator of History Thomas Lonnberg will present an admission-free PowerPoint presentation based on the exhibition Welcome, Traveler: A History of Evansville’s Early Hotels. In this presentation, Lonnberg will share information and images recalling establishments that served visitors to our City from the 19th through the mid 20th century. Call the Museum at 425-2406 for your complimentary reservation.
Evansville Museum Offers
Four-Day Tour of Key Civil War Sites of
Eastern Tennessee and Northern Georgia
Thursday, September 15 - Sunday, September 18
As the nation commences its sesquicentennial remembrances of the Civil War, join us Thursday, September 15 – Sunday, September 18, 2011 for a four-day bus tour that will explore important battle fields of the Western Theater and other interesting locations recalling the most tumultuous time in the Country’s history.
Cost of your Tour : $724 per person, based on double occupancy Included in your Tour : Motorcoach Transportation; tours and admissions as shown in bold print; lodging for three nights; seven meals as shown with B = breakfast and D = dinner; related taxes, tips and baggage handling
Travel arrangements for the Evansville Museum’s Civil War Bus Tour are by Lifestyle Tours of New Harmony, Indiana. For reservations and more information, please contact Lifestyle Tours at 812-682-4477 or at lifestyletours1983@gmail.com. You may also visit their website at www.lifestyletoursonline.com.
» Thursday, September 15
This morning we board our motorcoach, enjoy coffee and doughnuts and meet new friends as we head south. After a short break along the way, we arrive at Fort Donelson National Military Park. After enjoying a break for lunch in Clarksville, Tennessee, we continue to Nashville. Here at the Tennessee State Museum we will receive an overview of Tennessee in the Civil War. Late afternoon we will check-in at the Hilton Garden Hotel in Franklin, Tennessee. Dinner is included at the Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant in downtown Franklin. (D)
» Friday, September 16
In the morning we will visit Stones River National Military Park. The battle here took place December 31, 1862 – January 2, 1863. After lunch (on your own) our tour continues to Chattanooga, where we check-in at our home for the next two nights, the Hilton Garden Inn downtown. This evening we will travel back to 1864 at Buttonwillow Church Civil War Dinner Theater to see the original production of Steve Gipson’s “Granddaddy’s Watch”. (B, D)
» Saturday, September 17
Our day is busy visiting Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. Here we will learn about the battles in September and November of 1863. In the evening we will relax while enjoying a dinner cruise aboard the Southern Belle Riverboat in Chattanooga. (B, D)
» Sunday, September 18
Departing from Chattanooga, we travel back to Franklin, Tennessee for a visit to The Carter House. Commandeered from the family, the house served as the headquarters of Brigadier General Jacob Dolson
Cox of the Federal Army during the Battle of Franklin. This battle, November 30, 1864, is described as the bloodiest five-hour period of the Civil War.
Later, we visit Carnton Plantation. This home was used as a hospital during the Battle of Franklin. The McGavock family, owners of the plantation during the battle, donated two acres to be used as a cemetery. Today it remains the final resting place for nearly 1,500 Confederate soldiers and is the largest privately owned military cemetery in the country. (B, D)
We will return to Evansville Sunday evening.
Reflections on the Civil War
March 13 - June 26, 2011
Collection of the Evansville Museum
Gift of Henry Meyer
1963.232.0045
Presented in partnership with RICK and JANET ZEIHER
and the WILLIAM A. CARSON FOUNDATION
Marking the sesquicentennial of the beginning of the most tumultuous period in our Nation’s history, REFLECTIONS ON THE CIVIL WAR highlights Civil War material from the collection of the Evansville Museum and other area collections. The exhibition will include firearms, uniforms, military accouterments and period prints by Courier and Ives. The exhibition will place a special emphasis on Evansville’s experience during this conflict.
The outbreak of the Civil War catapulted Evansville into a perilous position. Its location on the banks of the Ohio River, which served as a demarcation between Northern and Southern states though not officially between the Union and Confederacy, not only subjected Southern Indiana to guerilla raids, but created a divide amongst some of its citizenry as to which side should gain their support, as some had relatives and friends living in the South. The citizens of Evansville and the surrounding area arrived at a consensus, however, and a staggering one tenth of the population of Vanderburgh County engaged in active service in the Union forces.
Transportation Day
June 5, 2011
Presented in partnership with the EVANSVILLE MUSEUM CONTEMPORARIES
in cooperation with GEORGE and RITA CADDICK, JEFFREY CADDICK, & HERCULES MANUFACTURING CO.
and ROMAIN AUTOMOTIVE GROUP
On Sunday, June 5 from 12:00-4:00 p.m.the Evansville Museum will be alive with the sights and sounds of TRANSPORTATION DAY. Visitors will be immersed in an array of modes of transportation and can participate in a variety of hands-on activities. At Transportation Day 2010, Andy Clark of the Indiana State Police piloted a helicopter to the Evansville Museum. In the photo above Clark takes-off from the Museum’s parking lot. In the background is an impressive tractor from Atlas Van Lines, which was also part of the day.
Highlights of this annual, ADMISSION-FREE event include:
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Railroad Safety
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Historic Automobiles
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Vintage Motorcycles
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High Wheel Bicycle Riding Demonstrations and Exhibit
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Kite Building
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Train Stories
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Paper Airplane Making
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A Fire Truck
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A Police Car
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A State Police Helicopter
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A Moving Van
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and more
Caring Hands
August 29, 2010 - February 27, 2011
Presented in Partnership with DEACONESS HOSPITAL
and ST. MARY’S HEALTH SYSTEM
Today, the citizens of the Tri-State are fortunate to have many modern medical facilities within easy driving distance. In the mid-late 19th century, Evansvillians were only beginning to have hospitals to treat maladies of the day. The August 29, 2010-February 27, 2011 Town Hall exhibition Caring Hands: Evansville’s Early Hospitals will examine hospitals that served our City from the mid-19th through the mid-20th centuries and will also highlight significant developments since that time period.
Highlighted hospitals include:
U. S. Marine Hospital later St. Mary’s Hospital
Between Wabash and Tenth Avenues on the Bank of the Ohio River
Opened in 1856, the U. S. Marine Hospital was one in a series of facilities in the Country set up to care for disabled and ill merchant seaman. Based on a British model, the Marine Hospital Service was created by an Act of Congress in 1798. The U. S. Marine Hospital in Evansville was constructed at a cost of $73,000. It, along with other facilities in the City, also cared for soldiers during the Civil War. In the early 1870s, the building became the first home of St. Mary’s Hospital.
St. Mary’s Hospital
Southeast Corner of First and Columbia Streets
In 1872, the closest public health care for the citizens of Evansville was in Louisville, Kentucky. This situation changed with the arrival of Sister Marie Voelker and three other members of the Daughters of Charity. They set up a healthcare ministry in the former Marine Hospital on the bank of the Ohio River. In 1894, St. Mary’s moved to the facility shown in this image and operated from this facility for the next 62 years. In a well-orchestrated and highly published event, St. Mary’s moved its operation to its present location on Washington Avenue in 1956. The hospital has continued to expand its campus over the past 54 years.
Evansville Sanitarium later Welborn Baptist Hospital
414-416 Southeast Fourth Street
Opened as the Evansville Sanitarium in the early 1890s in this structure, this entity grew and underwent a number of changes over the years. The Fourth Street facility was renamed Walker-Welborn Hospital in 1916 and became Welborn Memorial Baptist Hospital in 1944 following its purchase by First Baptist Church. During this timeframe many physical expansions occurred at the hospital. In 1999, St. Mary’s Hospital purchased Welborn Baptist Hospital.
Evansville State Hospital
3200 Lincoln Avenue
Opened in 1890 and originally known as the Southern Indiana Hospital for the Insane, the Evansville State Hospital grew into a large complex of structures by the mid-20th century. Much of the original facility was destroyed by a massive fire in 1943, but was rebuilt at its location on the north side of Lincoln Avenue east of Vann Avenue. A new 168-bed Evansville State Hospital facility for the treatment of mental illnesses opened in 2003 on the same grounds.
Deaconess Hospital
604 Mary Street
In 1892, the Protestant Deaconess Association laid plans for a new hospital in Evansville. This culminated with the opening of Deaconess Hospital in a remodeled, near-downtown home in 1893. Six years later, in 1899, Deaconess moved into the $50,000 structure shown in this image. Through the decades, Deaconess has continued to expand its campus in Evansville to an area that covers 20 city blocks. Today, Deaconess has facilities throughout the Tri-State, including Deaconess Gateway Hospital and the Women’s Hospital east of Evansville in Warrick County.
Gilbert Hospital
Corner of Harriet and Michigan Streets
In 1897, Dr. William Gilbert opened The Gilbert Hospital. The hospital operated in the facility depicted in this image until 1910. In 1910, Gilbert moved the hospital to a new building at Riverside Drive and Walnut Street. Today, the Riverside Drive facility is the Hadi Shrine Temple.
Cornucopia: Artifacts From The History Collection
February 7 - August 15, 2010
Presented in partnership with MEL PETERSON
Since the origins of the Evansville Museum’s permanent collection in 1904, a veritable cornucopia of historical artifacts have been collected. This includes utilitarian material, items documenting the history of our City, and significant historical documents and photographs. From early household appliances to a document signed by Napoleon, the collection of the Evansville Museum contains many interesting and unique objects. This exhibition highlights a cross-section of this diverse holding.
The Evansville Museum is sincerely grateful to the many people who have donated their treasures to our institution through the years.
Views of a City: Images from the Donahue Collection
April 26, 2010 - January 25, 2011
Circa 1951 Service Station in Evansville
Donahue Studios Photograph
Presented in partnership with the EVANSVILLE COURIER & PRESS
The Town Hall exhibition VIEWS OF A CITY: IMAGES FROM THE DONAHUE COLLECTION features images produced from the late 1940s through the early 1990s by Donahue Studios, a leading commercial photography studio in Evansville. This exhibition is presented in partnership with the EVANSVILLE COURIER AND PRESS.
Brothers Richard and Tom Donahue operated the family-run Company for over forty years. During that time, many family members and competent and valued employees were involved in the business. Some family members worked there occasionally and others, including brother Pat who served as Office and Sales Manager, remained long-time employees. For five decades, Donahue Studios photographed a cross-section of Evansville including businesses, products, buildings, and people. Their client portfolio included an impressive roster of major area and national companies including Mead Johnson, Whirlpool, Sears & Roebuck, S.S. Kresge Company, Emge Packing, and Sterling Brewery. Much of the Studios’ work involved showcasing a product from these companies in a studio set. The impeccably built and appointed sets were constructed under the supervision of Tom and Richard Donahue.
Maintained by Patricia Donahue, widow of Tom Donahue, this multitude of photographs provides an invaluable documentation of Evansville’s past. Many of these images from the Donahue Collection, as well as historic equipment used in the studio and information pertaining to the history of the Company, will be featured in the exhibition.
About Kites
March 8–May 31
Presented in partnership with the ROBERT A. & SARA B. DAVIES FUND
ABOUT KITES features 16 full-color panels describing the history and technology of kites. These panels were originally created by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and are now available through the Drachen Foundation of Seattle, Washington.
The Drachen Foundation, an archive and study center dedicated to man’s oldest flying toy, the kite, teaches world culture, history, art, and science through creative kite exhibits, workshops, and publications.
