by Saint Meinrad Archabbey
We briefly stopped into the Saint Meinrad Archabbey solely to see some pretty architecture, and it did not disappoint. The campus and buildings were lovely. The monastery is located in St Meinrad and was established in 1854. It is home to around 80 monks, and the Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology is also on the premises. The archabbey is one of only two in the United States, and one of 11 in the world!
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
Of course we were at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial because it’s a presidential site for Doug, but honestly, there’s not much to it. Lincoln arrived at this site in what is present-day Lincoln City when he was just seven, along with father, mother and older sister Sarah. They farmed 160-acres in what was then the frontier of Southern Indiana. They lived in a small cabin, long gone, and now there’s just a representative outline and a nearby reconstruction to see.
There’s a film and very small exhibit area in the Visitor’s Center, which is itself a memorial, with large sculptured panels adorning the outside. There’s also a short Trail of Twelve Stones, which features stones from buildings in Lincoln’s life, though some of those were a bit of a stretch, to be honest.
Sisters of St. Benedict
The Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand was yet another “ooh, pretty architecture” stop. It was founded in 1867 and today has 110 sisters who “serve as teachers, social workers, parish ministers, counselors, nurses, attorneys, youth ministers, administrators, entrepreneurs, activists, chaplains, librarians and more.”
George Rogers Clark National Historical Park
Who is George Rogers Clark? No, he’s not part of the famous Lewis & Clark duo (this Clark was the brother of that Clark), but that would have been a lot more interesting. This guy waged battles to “win the west” from the British during the American Revolution. He led his men on some horrific campaigns that would have been considered in a different light if he hadn’t ultimately been victorious, but since he was successful, history judges him more kindly, I guess.
Clark (1752-1818) is today memorialized at George Rogers Clark National Historical Park in Vincennes. There’s a short film, a rather skimpy exhibit, and a giant memorial, construction of which started in 1931, and featuring some excellent 1930’s murals of Clark’s life and adventures inside.
Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science
The Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science in Evansville, naturally, is a relatively small museum covering a lot of topics with a focus on local history that didn’t interest us quite as much. I think maybe there was just too much going on and not enough focus. The science exhibits were rather slight and the exhibit on the upcoming solar eclipse was meager. There were a few pieces of art we enjoyed, and Doug of course liked the small area dedicated to President Lincoln (see cover photo), which included a cabinet made by Thomas Lincoln, Abe’s father.
