Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Historic Southern Indiana 25th anniversary bus tour on October 20 and 21. The tour explored southeastern Indiana including two national scenic byways, the Ohio River Scenic Byway and Indiana's Historic Pathways.

Stops on the tour included downtown Madison, Red Wolf Sanctuary, Great Crescent Brewery, Tyson Temple, Stream Cliff Herb Farm, Hillforest Mansion, Veraestau, and Schimpff's Confectionary. Guests enjoyed an overnight stay at Hollywood Casino and Hotel in Lawrenceburg.

The tour incorporated components of the Historic Southern Indiana mission: heritage tourism, historic preservation, history education, and scenic byways.

We would like to thank all the teachers, speakers, and donors who made the 2nd annual Indiana's Historic Pathways teacher workshop a success. Over 35 people attended the workshop on October 4, 2011.

The theme of this year's event was "Getting from Here to There: The Story of Southern Indiana's Transportation Routes." Topics included railroads, wagons, covered bridges, the Underground Railroad, the Buffalo Trace, and steamboats in Indiana.

A panel discussion with current teachers explored ways to use class projects as a way to teach students about Indiana's early transportation routes. Teachers also received a kit with items pertaining to the history of the byway which can be used as a hands-on classroom project.

Photos from the event are located at Indianashistoricpathways.org.

Last spring, we were pleased to announce that Dr. Karen Bonnell, professor of communications at the University of Southern Indiana, received the 2011 Darrel Bigham Historic Southern Indiana Faculty Engagement Fellowship Award for another installment of "Snapshots of Southern Indiana."

Bonnell's latest "Snapshots" programs focus on African American heritage in southern Indiana. A program on the Lyles Station settlement will air on December 1 at 7 p.m. on WNIN. Bonnell also produced a program on the Evansville African American Museum which is yet to be scheduled.

Applications for the 2012 Darrel Bigham Historic Southern Indiana Faculty Engagement Fellowship are due on November 4, and the recipient will be announced by the end of the fall semester. For more information, visit the Historic Southern Indiana website.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the first successful steamboat voyage down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Join Historic Southern Indiana and other local organizations in marking this special occasion by taking a riverboat cruise on the Belle of Cincinnati in Evansville on November 8 or in Tell City on November 10. Please visit BB Riverboat's fall cruise schedule for pricing and registration.

For a full schedule of steamboat bicentennial events, visit the Rivers Institute Steamboat Bicentennial calendar.

Historic Southern Indiana is gearing up for next year's events. Be sure to mark your calendar for our 2012 offerings and stay tuned to our newsletter for further updates.

3rd annual War of 1812 Educational Symposium - June 30, 2012
Join Historic Southern Indiana for the third annual educational symposia dealing with the War of 1812 and its impact on the Indiana Territory, the Midwest, and the nation. The theme of this symposia is "Harrison Takes Command." The event will take place on the Vincennes University campus in Vincennes.

Preserving the Historic Road Conference - September 20-23, 2012
Historic Southern Indiana is a local co-sponsor of the eighth biennial Preserving the Historic Road, a leading conference that focuses on the identification, preservation, and management of historic roads. The 2012 conference will take place at the Crowne Plaza in Indianapolis. Field sessions will include stops on the Ohio River Scenic Byway and Indiana's Historic Pathways, among other historic roads and scenic byways.

The conference planning committee is currently accepting papers for presentation. Please visit Historicroads.org for more information.

Indiana's Historic Pathways
Indiana's Historic Pathways held its second teacher workshop on October 4, 2011.

Ohio River Scenic Byway
The Ohio River Scenic Byway celebrated its 15th anniversary as part of Historic Southern Indiana's bus tour on October 20-21. The bus traveled along the byway and made stops in Aurora, Lawrenceburg, Madison, Rising Sun, and Jeffersonville.