Evansville Libraries Hosting a Historic Grave Scavenger Hunt

The Evansville-Vanderburgh Public Library (EVPL) is giving you a fun way to learn about some of our city's "most noteworthy citizens" by giving you a chance to track down their gravesites inside Oak Hill Cemetery on Virginia Street.

There are nine cemeteries located within Vanderburgh County where thousands of former residents have been laid to rest since Evansville officially became a city in March of 1812. Among those dearly departed lay a few notable individuals who made a name for themselves in the worlds of politics, business, and sports. According to Find a Grave, there are 788 "Somewhat Famous", or "Very Famous" people buried in the entire state of Indiana, 20 of which are right here in Evansville.

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All 20 people listed for Evansville are categorized under the "Somewhat Famous" heading, so the names may not look familiar, but that doesn't mean what they accomplished in their life is any less impressive. Of those 20, the final resting place for many of them is Oak Hill Cemetary on Virginia Street, just east of the intersection with Highway 41.

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Among the "more than 70,000 interments" on the 175-acre cemetery lies the first African-American U.S. diplomat to a foreign country, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and one of the men who started one of the world's largest personal health care product manufacturing companies.

EVPL Hosting Historic Grave Scavenger Hunt

The Historic Grave Scavenger Hunt on Saturday, May 20th will give you the opportunity to learn more about these individuals as well as the others buried at Oak Hill Cemetery by using clues provided by library representatives. The event is scheduled to run from Noon-2:00 PM, weather permitting, and is open to anyone 18 years old or older.

At this time, the event is full and no additional registrations are being accepted. However, you can visit the EVPL website and join the waitlist in the event someone who has already registered drops out.

[Sources: Evansville-Vanderburgh Public Library / Find A Grave / Evansville City Website]

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An Evansville resident recently posted a question in the "I Grew Up in Evansville, Indiana" Facebook group asking other members to share any hidden or little-known facts about our city not many residents would know. The answers were wide-ranging, covering everything from our manufacturing history to our place in Civil War, to a couple of popular landmarks still standing today that were the first in the entire state of Indiana. No matter how long you've lived here, chances are there will be a few things on this list you didn't know about the city we call home.