Carnegie Center- For Art & History

"Meet the Oridnary People who Changed History"
Men and Women of the Underground Railroad- The steeple pictured is from the old church that sits on the banks of the Ohio river in New Albany, IN -
it is directly across the river from Louisville, KY. It was the "beacon" that was visible to runaway slaves who had traveled the Underground Railroad in search of their freedom. The old steeple let them know that they were almost there. The church still has a hidden stairway & passageway that hid those brave enough to make the journey. It is located just a couple of blocks from the Carnegie Center.



The Carnegie Center for Art & History: 201 East Spring Street- New Albany, IN 47150
http://www.carnegiecenter.org/ or (812) 944-7336

Although small, this museum is a treasure trove of information. It is also free to the public. On the day we were there, the kids started the field trip by making their own piece of artwork using differnt mediums & texture.

The museum is home to various displays by several local artists at a time. It also houses the Yenawine Dioramas which are hand carved displayes of scenes from days gone by. There are scenes of the Pilgrims, Early Indiana farm house, schoolhouse, main street, and more. Each piece was whittled by Merle Yenawine. It is a whimsical and educational look at life in the "good old days".

The Carnegie Center brings history to life in the Underground Railroad exhibit. It brings the story home with in-depth interviews from locals who lived through and were involved with the hiding of slaves along the trail to freedom. These were ordinary people, some slaves or freed-slaves themselves who risked their lives to defeat the wicked institution of slavery.

I have never seen a better display of information on this subject. It allows you to explore the lives of these brave individuals. These are the stories of the folks who lived in New Albany & in the Louisville area. There is also an interactive video that held the attention of my young boys for over 45 minutes. (That's really saying something)

We definately plan to go back in order to study these stories in further detail. It is well worth the trip!