Evansville Indiana

ahschneid
1 day ago
6 min read

24 May 2026 was an interesting travel day. We started out in Coldwater Mississippi and within 40 minutes we had traveled in three states with reaching Tennessee and Arkansas within less than 50 miles. Our trip north continued and we eventually traveled through Missouri and Illinois before reaching our destination of Elberfeld Indiana. So that day we traveled in 6 states! We had reached Anna Illinois by lunch time and we stopped at the Trail of Tears Rest Area to have our packed lunch. It was a reminder of the relocation of the Cherokee Nation and their walk to new reservation in Oklahoma. The internet says: The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail commemorates the 1838–1839 forced relocation of the Cherokee Nation and four other southeastern tribes. Spanning over 5,000 miles of land and water routes across nine states, it marks a tragic journey where thousands died from disease, starvation, and exposure.

Anna Illinois Rest Area - 24 May 2026

On Monday (Memorial Day 2026) we met Jeff and Grace at their cafe in Evansville. Jeff was the pastor at Easton Presbyterian Church till the Summer of 2022 and Anita had left her position as Jeff's assistant shortly thereafter. Jeff and Grace now live in Evansville Indiana and Grace is pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Vernon. After serving us refreshing drinks from their cafe, Agape Boba Tea and Sweet Heaven, they took us to lunch and then site seeing in their vehicle. We got to see Grace's church, a little town called New Harmony, and Evansville before dinner at a Korean restaurant. Grace is Korean and she helped us order delicious dishes. We enjoyed our time with Jeff and Grace, and said our good byes after dinner that evening. Grace had to get back to work and Jeff has a busy schedule too. We appreciated them taking the time to show us around.

New Harmony was established in the early 1800's when Utopians came to prepare for the second coming of Christ. Today it is a quiet small town that seems nice.

New Harmony Indiana - 25 May 2026

New Harmony Indiana - 25 May 2026

The Roofless Church

New Harmony Indiana - 25 May 2026

The Roofless Church

New Harmony Indiana - 25 May 2026

The Roofless Church

The next day (26th) we ventured out to see the St. Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad Indiana. It was about a 45 minute drive from our campground. Jeff and Grace had told us about it the day before. It is a beautiful place with peaceful grounds. It was raining the day we were there, so we didn't walk much outside, but we enjoyed seeing the inside and learning there are 100 seminarians currently studying there. We stopped by for a quick tour of the Monastery Immaculate Conception about 7 miles from St. Meinrad, before driving back to Evansville. Once back in Evansville, we went on a tour of the USS LST 325, located downtown Evansville. After that we went inside St. Boniface Catholic Church in Evansville. When we were driving around the day before, we had pulled in to see what the building was and it turned out to be a Catholic Church. It looked old, so we were curious about its history.