*Post written by Mona Meyer, Archives and Special Collections Metadata Librarian.

ArchivesFest 2019

October 14-25, 2019:  UASC on the 3^rd floor of the David L. Rice Library

Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

University Archives and Special Collections (UASC) is celebrating American Archives Month with its annual event, ArchivesFest. This year’s artifacts and historical documents are from the Evansville Museum, Historic New Harmony, the Working Men’s Institute, Newburgh Museum, Reitz Home, and other museums, and will be on display in UASC.  Stop by UASC anytime Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to view these special treasures from across the Tri-State region.

Working Men’s Institute

407 Tavern Street, New Harmony, IN 47631

Front entrance of the Working Men’s Institute, n.d.

“Established by philanthropist William Maclure in 1838, the Working Men’s Institute (WMI) set as its mission the dissemination of useful knowledge to those who work with their hands. After 170 years of continuous service, this goal is still at the heart of our mission. Maclure, who was a business partner with Robert Owen in the communal experiment in New Harmony from 1825-1827, was devoted to the ideal of education for the common man as a means of positive change in society. At New Harmony, The Working Men’s Institute was one manifestation of this ideal.  The Working Men’s Institute in New Harmony was the first of 144 WMIs in Indiana and 16 in Illinois. It is the only one remaining. Many WMIs were absorbed by township libraries or Carnegie libraries. Yet the one in New Harmony remained.  …  Today, the WMI is a public library, a museum and an archive. In each of these areas, the WMI tries to stay true to the original mission of William Maclure.”

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Lincoln Pioneer Village and Museum

928 Fairground Drive, Rockport, IN 47635

Lincoln Pioneer Village and Museum, n.d.

“Travel back through time and walk through cabins showing life as it was during Abe Lincoln’s early years. The Lincoln Pioneer Village is a historic memorial to Lincoln that visualizes the Spencer County environment in which Lincoln lived during the 14 formative years of his life, from 1816 to 1830.  Walk through cabins depicting life 200 years ago as Lincoln would have lived it. Visit the museum on the grounds with displays of military artifacts, clothing, utensils, spinning wheels and a rare rocker beater loom still in use today. See the hutch handmade by Abraham Lincoln with the help of his father, Thomas.”

Commemorative Lincoln memorabilia, n.d.

Evansville African-American Museum

579 South Garvin Street, Evansville, IN 47713

Entrance to the Evansville African-American Museum, n.d.

“The mission of the Evansville African American Museum is to continually develop a resource and cultural center to collect, preserve, and educate the public on the history and traditions of African American families, organizations, and communities.  Located in Evansville, Indiana as the last remaining building of Lincoln Gardens, the second Federal Housing Project created under the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal in 1938, our building serves as a permanent artifact in itself.”

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