On Thursday, May 25 at 6:30 pm, at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, Vanderburgh County Historian Stan Schmitt will present the admission free talk "Connecting the Tri-State: Interurbans & Streetcars" recalling the era of these forms of travel in our area. On Tuesday, November 12, 1867, car number 2 made the inaugural trip of the Evansville Street Railroad.  As crowds of people on Main Street watched, sixty or more people crowded into or hung on the horse drawn streetcar for the first trips from the river landing to the railroad station.  Over the years numerous other lines were opened connecting the outer areas of the city to downtown.  By the early 1900s, the electric interurban railroads also connected Evansville with the neighboring counties in Indiana and Kentucky.  Yet by 1938, both the streetcars and the interurbans were gone, replaced by bus routes and individual automobiles.  

Stan Schmitt has spent over 30 years reading historic Evansville newspapers with a focus on transportation, coal mining, the Civil War, and other military history. Schmitt also serves on the board and as secretary of the Vanderburgh County Historical Society. Schmitt’s talk is presented in conjunction with the Museum’s current exhibition recalling streetcars and interurban that continues through August 6, 2023.

For complimentary reservations visit https://emuseum.org/rsvp.