Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Corydon resident Karen Schwartz receives the 2010 O'Bannon Award
Leslie Townsend, left, with Karen Schwartz.
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Brandi Schwartz Marketing Coordinator Outreach & Engagement 812/464-1854 "Karen Schwartz has reorganized and revitalized the Historical Society of Harrison County," said Vi Eckart, director of the Harrison County Public Library, who nominated Schwartz for the award. "She has been particularly vigilant in passing on the rich history of Harrison County to young people by producing literature and programming specifically targeted to bring history alive for students." Schwartz has coordinated several historical books on Harrison County, including Harrison County History and Families, Harrison County Pictorial, and The Harrison County Fair Sesquicentennial Booklet. She has produced calendars on Harrison County buildings, townships, barns, and the Harrison County Fair. With the help of grants from the Harrison County Community Foundation and the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana through the Harrison County Youth Philanthropy Council, Schwartz has developed a variety of materials about Harrison County. These materials include an informational brochure called "Who Put the Harrison in Harrison County?" and a booklet called "Historic Corydon, Indiana from A-Z." "Historic Corydon, Indiana from A-Z" has been placed in every fourth grade classroom in this district and the response from the teachers and students has been very positive," said Neyland Clark, superintendent of South Harrison Community School Corporation. "The layout and organization of the book makes the information easy for everyone to use, especially fourth grade students." "Flags Over Corydon," an interpretive project also developed by Schwartz, identifies 35 flags that have flown over downtown Corydon throughout the town's history. "There was no signage to document each flag's name and historical significance," said Eckart. "Karen designed interpretive plaques and bolted them to each pole, making the Flags over Corydon site self-interpreting for students and other visitors to the site." Schwartz is currently working on two additional projects. "Nine Historic Buildings that Were in Corydon During the Capital Period and are Still Here!" will document the antiquity of buildings that remain in Corydon from 1816-1825 and "Journey Along Blue River" will identify historic points of interest along the Blue River. The Frank and Judy O'Bannon Heritage Engagement Award includes a plaque and a $1,000 cash prize. An article highlighting Schwartz's achievements will be published in the Historic Southern Indiana newsletter. Historic Southern Indiana, an outreach and engagement project of USI, was created in 1986 to serve the southernmost 26 counties of Indiana. Its goals are to identify, preserve, protect, enhance, and promote the historical, natural, and recreational resources of the region. It seeks to implement those goals through programs in historic preservation, history education, heritage tourism, community development, and scenic byways. Its office is a part of the Division of Outreach and Engagement/Extended Services. |
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