Monday, February 05, 2007
Townsend’s book published as part of “Images of
America” series
 The Ohio River travels past quaint river towns, thriving cities, and beautiful countryside on its 302 mile journey along Indiana’s southern border.Indiana’s history and early settlement began along the Ohio River and includes prehistoric Native American sites, 400 million year old Devonian fossil beds, the site where Lewis and Clark first met on the Corps of Discovery voyage, and Indiana’s first state capital. All the more reason, then, for a book of historic photographs chronicling life in those Ohio River towns, and what a better home for the author than Evansville, one of those same river communities. Indiana’s Ohio River Scenic Byway, a new book by Leslie Townsend, assistant director of Historic Southern Indiana, fits the bill on both counts. The book is the latest in Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series, photograph-heavy books which focus on local histories in a wide variety of locales. Townsend is the current secretary and has served on the board of directors for the Ohio River Scenic Byway, a national scenic byway, since 1997. She provides administrative assistance for the byway through her work with USI’s outreach program, Historic Southern Indiana. Townsend works closely with local and regional history groups of southern Indiana. She coordinates workshops for teachers, helps promote historic sites and other cultural heritage programs, and works closely with the Ohio River Scenic Byway, Indiana’s Historic Pathways, and Indiana Scenic Byway. Townsend is a USI graduate with a bachelor’s degree in history and sociology, and is pursuing a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree. She resides in Evansville with her husband Jon and two sons, Ethan and Christian. “Researching this book allowed me to travel and visit some of the most beautiful spots in southern Indiana and to meet many special people who assisted me along the way,” Townsend said. “It was fun going through old boxes or files of photographs looking for those special gems that I knew would help tell the story well.” Townsend combed through thousands of old photographs to find those that fill the pages of the book. It is divided into four chapters that include pictures detailing the river towns’ historic, natural, recreational, and scenic highlights. Evansville and Newburgh receive prominent play in Townsend’s book, but she found photographs of just about every settlement on the river to display in its pages. With help from the staff at Willard Library and the USI Archives, Townsend secured dozens of interesting shots of the 1937 flood, the Evansville shipyards, and the bitter winter of 1918 when the river froze, allowing folks to walk from one bank to the other across the ice. “My boss, Dr. Darrel Bigham, has written several books for Arcadia and I was always interested in the format and research he did,” Townsend said in explaining her motivation to do the book. “I work extensively with the Ohio River Scenic Byway, a national scenic byway, and thought it would make an excellent subject. Each community could have a book on its own, but together they make a compelling story of the byway. “I spent several weeks traveling to all of the cities and towns along the Ohio River and visited libraries, museums, and historical societies.” Townsend thought the subject matter would be enjoyable for everyone and not just history buffs. “I think it is interesting to look at larger issues, such as the flood of 1937, World War II, river commerce, etc. and see how each impacted communities along the Ohio River,” she said. “While each community had its own challenges or problems, there were definitely similarities between them. “On a more lighthearted note, it is interesting to see some of the recreational aspects that are so important for the byway and how they have played a part in people’s lives for years. Things like fishing and boating have always been important in the lives of the people who live there, just as they are to the people who visit the area.” Townsend had some advice for other aspiring authors. “Pick a subject that interests you, be patient and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty,” she said. “I have worked with the Ohio River Scenic Byway for many years and knew much about the towns along the byway. I was definitely interested to learn more. It is a long, involved process and you must be patient.” Townsend hopes her book will leave a lasting impression. “I hope this book will interest visitors to the Ohio River Scenic Byway and give them a brief history of this special part of Indiana,” she said. “It will help them understand the communities and the landscape from how it was in the past and how it appears today. I also hope it is of interest to people who live in these communities so they can see a piece of their history and how it connects to others along the Ohio River. Townsend will have a book-signing at Barnes and Noble Booksellers at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 3. Indiana’s Ohio River Scenic Byway is available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at 888/313-2665 or www.arcadiapublishing.com. |
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