1888 Bird's Eye View of Evansville

just_renny@evpl — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:18:00 GMT

To help celebrate the Bicentennial of Evansville and Historic Preservation Month, EVPL has enlarged an 1888 Bird's Eye View map of Evansville! The map is 10 feet by 15 feet, so you can see a lot of detail. It is located at Central on the 2nd Floor just outside the Indiana Room. Be sure to sign the guest book and share what you like about Evansville! Dennis Au, Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Evansville will be leading a "walking" tour of the map pointing out key features while giving some history of Evansville in 1888. His tour starts at 6:30 on May 31st.

The panoramic map was a popular cartographic form used to depict U.S. cities and towns during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Known also as bird's-eye views, they are nonphotographic representations of cities portrayed as if viewed from above at an oblique angle. Although not generally drawn to scale, they show street patterns, individual buildings, and major landscape features in perspective. Preparation of panoramic maps involved a vast amount of painstakingly detailed labor. For each project a frame or projection was developed, showing in perspective the pattern of streets. An artist then walked in the street, sketching buildings, trees, and other features to present a complete and accurate landscape as though seen from an elevation of 2,000 to 3,000 feet.

Check out the Library of Congress American Memory Map Collection for other types of maps and another Bird's Eye Views of Evansville.

We also have several other programs planned as part of the Bicentennial and Historic Preservation Month. Be sure to mark you calendars for Do You Know Your Local History on June 5th at 6:30 in the Browning Room B and come by and check out Home Movies of the Great Flood of 1937, narrated by Dr. Robert Reid on June 7th at 6:30 in Browning Room B.

Local Yearbooks at EVPL...

SuDocQueen@evpl — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:11:00 GMT

Just this week I was helping a library user who was very grateful, but surprised to discover we had a collection of local yearbooks. Their surprise and gratitude made me wonder how many others out there aren't aware of this wonderful resource.

So for those who didn't know or have forgotten, yes, we have a very nice collection of local yearbooks in our Indiana Room at Central. Made up primarily of high school yearbooks, the collection also boasts some local college yearbooks and even a couple for elementary/middle schools. Looking at them can be a hilarious and poignant walk down memory lane as well as a handy resource for those doing research.

Now, before you rush downtown to view yourself in all your high school glory, I need to give you a couple of caveats. First, be sure the Indiana Room is open before you make the trip here (if that's the only reason you're coming to Central). The Indiana Room is only open when our Special Collections Librarian can be present to help you with your research, so be sure to check here for the Room's hours of operation.

And, the second caveat, before rushing down, you might also want to make sure we have the yearbook you're interested in. Our collection has been built from donations and unfortunately we are missing some years for all the schools. Here is the list of those books we have.

Speaking of those missing years, we're always looking to fill those holes and continue to grow the collection. If in your spring cleaning you run across an old yearbook you no longer want and wonder what to do with it, donate it to us! We'd be thrilled to have it.

Research Blog : indiana room

1888 Bird's Eye View of Evansville

Local Yearbooks at EVPL...