This story is edited from a series of posts in the Evansville Living editor’s blog, “300 Words.” Sources for research include the archives of former Evansville Preservation Officer from 1978 to 1996 Joan Marchand that are located at Willard Library, as well as the records of current preservation officer Dennis Au. Michael Schopmeyer, a Lombard Avenue resident and local attorney, also provided research materials. Nick Hebebrand assisted in research.
New York City claims the Rikers and the Ellises. Chicago has the McCormicks and the Wrigleys. Louisville, Ky.’s, founding families include the Clarks and the Speeds. When foundations were laid for our cities, it was families who pioneered to make them great. Generation by generation, families form the continuous threads in Evansville’s history, too. Here are the stories of three families, strong still today in Evansville, whose ancestors lived here through four or more generations.
Evansville has a proud German heritage. The city is filled with numerous historical reminders, including its beautiful Catholic churches and cathedrals, and other landmarks like the Germania Maennerchor. Evansville’s German roots also are reflected in the city’s love of beer and brewing. By the late 1800s, Evansville hosted numerous breweries within its city limits. Most of these businesses were located in proximity to Pigeon Creek, in order to take advantage of the plentiful water needed for the brewing process.
Whether you’ve lived in Evansville all your life, or you’re just passing through, knowing where to nosh rates high on need to know lists. Here are the city’s most requested dishes at some of our best-loved local restaurants.
Your experience ordering at the drive-thru window can vary greatly at restaurants in Evansville to those in Owensboro, Ky. Quality of food or drink isn’t the issue, instead it’s what you call a sweetened carbonated beverage. Do you want a soda with that? A pop? What about a coke? Do you mean Coca-Cola? Because of differing regional dialects, how we pronounce certain words and how we refer to these types of drinks, the shoes on our feet, or address a group of people could be entirely different in cities separated by only 30 miles.
City View: How do you describe the overall state of education in Evansville?
A new planetarium that also is a work of art: What could be more appropriate for the Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science? This month (February), the museum cut the ribbon on a $14.1 million renovation and expansion that will allow it to engage even more visitors in the subjects it seeks to highlight.
“The average question we get is, ‘Why is it in the style that it is in?’ They understand that it is a pagoda, but why? That is probably the most frequently asked question. Why would you build a pagoda in the Midwest?” says Bob Warren, executive director of the Evansville Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Catherine Zimmermann’s role as director of development and public relations for the Indiana University School of Medicine-Evansville is to boost awareness and support. She smiles and admits that until learning about the job opening three years ago, she didn’t know that IUSM-E existed.
She rises early, very early. For morning WFIE news anchor Beth Sweeney, 35, working before the sun fills the sky has become something of a routine. This Liberty, Ky., native and graduate of the University of Kentucky grew up wanting to be an actress. She now resides in Evansville, is married to Reed Kress, a chiropractor, and is 14 News’ morning smile. City View: Tell me a little bit about yourself.
Playing at the next level means making sacrifices. Often athletes can’t rely on pure talent alone. They must hone their craft by being the first at the field, gym, or pool, and are the last to leave. It’s this kind of passion and dedication to their respective sport that has enabled 12 high school athletes in Evansville and Newburgh, Ind., to sign letters of intent so far during the 2013-2014 school year.
Have you ever wondered what counterfeit money looks like? The difference between counterfeit coins and their counterparts is a lot less than you might think, according to Brad Lisembee, the current secretary of the Evansville Coin Club. Lisembee and the rest of the Evansville Coin Club spent nearly five years amassing a collection of nearly 50 counterfeit coins which they purchased primarily through eBay before the site started cracking down on counterfeit sales.
Many Christians understand the Gospel challenge to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty. Some Christians in the Tri-State know they may also be called to care for orphans, clean teeth, heal animals, or dig latrines. When such a call is heard, some just can’t say no.
After serving for more than a year as the executive director for the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana, Anne Shoemaker McKim, 30, has pledged to make Evansville an appealing place to live. A graduate of Central High School and the University of Southern Indiana, she previously worked as program director for the Public Education Foundation. She believes art enhances the quality of life. City View: What are your goals for the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana?
The more carefree men, women, and children waved their arms wildly and tossed the blue, yellow, and pink cornstarch into the air. Others just stood and laughed as they were doused with a sudden rainbow of colors. It was 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 20, 2013 — also known as Earth Day — and 1,300 people were standing in a thick, scattered line near the Gerst Haus, waiting for the first annual Franklin Street Color Me Fun 5K Run to begin.
When Alfred Savia inherited the position of music director of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra in 1989, the orchestra was stable and well established, but very different from what we see today. The Philharmonic performed in The Old National Banks Events Plaza, or what is formally known as the Vanderburgh Auditorium, which was the only venue in Downtown Evansville at the time. To compete with the other entertainment venues that would later come to the city, Savia worked to create stability to his personnel and diversity in the programming.
Nussmeier Engraving Co., located at 933 Main St., might not seem like a repository for rare historical records and objects. Established in 1916, the company offers services in engraving, printing, foil stamping, embossing, die cutting, and designing.
