Monday, August 07, 2006
Historic Southern Indiana celebrates 20 years with Bus Tour and Gala Event
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Historic Southern Indiana, a heritage-based regional outreach program of the University of Southern Indiana, will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a two-day Bus Tour and Gala Event October 12-13. The Bus Tour will explore the Historic Southern Indiana region, including portions of the Ohio River Scenic Byway and Indiana’s Historic Pathways, both developed by Historic Southern Indiana. There will be tours of the Leora Brown School in Corydon, the Haypress Barn at O’Bannon Woods State Park, the Monastery of Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, and Marengo Cave, among other locations. The Bus Tour also includes dining at the Overlook Restaurant in Leavenworth and the Schnitzelbank in Jasper; wine tasting at Winzerwald Winery; an exhibit at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History, and Science; shopping in Huntingburg's Fourth Street and more – all with southern Indiana’s fall foliage on full display. The Gala Event and dinner will be held at the Rapp-Owen Granary in New Harmony. Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman has been invited to speak. Overnight accommodations are at the New Harmony Inn. Beginning in 1986, Historic Southern Indiana sought to identify the key historical resources, such as federal and state historic sites, as anchors for regional economic development encouraging tourism in the region. Its mission is to identify, preserve, enhance, and promote the historic, natural, and recreational resources of a region which includes the 26 counties below or traversed by U.S. Highway 50. The anniversary event will touch upon heritage tourism, historic preservation, history education, and corridor development – all part of the Historic Southern Indiana mission. “Early on the organization was part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Heritage Tourism Initiative,” said Dr. Darrel Bigham, USI professor of history and director of Historic Southern Indiana. “There were 16 pilot regions across the country and we were one. Also early on, Historic Southern Indiana received a large national Endowment for the Humanities grant to develop lesson plans, work with teachers, and hold teacher workshops.” Historic Southern Indiana was founded on the cutting edge of cultural and heritage tourism, Bigham said. “We were and remain a distinctive program for a public university – linking the institution’s resources to the needs and interests of a region, using heritage preservation, enhancement, and promotion as the core value.” The organization has been instrumental in bringing together communities in the 26-county region for mutual benefit. “In 1986, there was virtually no interest in tourism in southern Indiana,” Bigham said. “There was little interest in working beyond the confines of the town or county. Because we provided a disinterested setting, we could bring people together and facilitate change.” Historic Southern Indiana’s two scenic byways “have enormous potential for educational and economic development,” Bigham said. The Ohio River Scenic Byway is nationally designated by Federal Highways and was subsequently extended into Ohio and Illinois. Indiana’s Historic Pathways is a state-designated route for which Historic Southern Indiana is seeking national designation. In 1989, Historic Southern Indiana received a two-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to link Indiana teachers to southern Indiana historic sites. The grant of $275,000 was the largest the University had received to date. For the past three years, Historic Southern Indiana has hosted the Lincoln Institute for Teachers to promote teaching and learning about Abraham Lincoln. The Institute will continue through 2009, the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth. Historic Southern Indiana has been instrumental in creating task forces in Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky to plan the observance of Lincoln’s 200th birthday. “I was appointed to the U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission by President Clinton in large part due to my connection to Historic Southern Indiana, as the late Governor O’Bannon nominated me,” Bigham said. In recent years, the organization has recognized major contributions by individuals and communities to the preservation and promotion of their heritage through the O’Bannon and Community Legacy awards. For more information about the Historic Southern Indiana 20th Anniversary Bus Tour and Gala Event, go to the Historic Southern Indiana Web site. |
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