Early photos of the area where USI now sits show pastureland. Behind the pastureland sat a wonderland of woods, lakes, streams, caves and bluffs for the 1950-60s era children who grew up on the television show Davey Crocket. Exploring the woods, they would see white-tailed deer and turkeys. In the sky, wheeled broad-winged hawks watched for the toads, frogs and salamanders that lived at the lake, just off the woods. This small forest was filled with all sorts of birds, from dark-eyed juncos to red-bellied woodpeckers. At some point, a brave soul shimmied up one of the large trees whose branches overhung the marshy, cattail-lined lake and strung a thick rope, knotted at the end—perfect for a daredevil to swing on before dropping into the water and disrupting the territorial geese. It was a hidden treasure that only west side kids knew about. It was a jewel soon to be discovered.
The Westwood Garden Club
In 1957, several west side neighbors and friends decided they wanted to form a garden club to help improve the growing west side of Evansville. Under the helm of their new president, Eloise Werner, members began to shape their organization into what would be known as the Westwood Garden Club. As they met, they discovered their collective passion was for improving the appearance of public property. And with grace, grit and gumption, they began raising money to buy trees, bushes and plants to design landscapes. Members wrote letters to potential donors, reached out to community members and turned to political contacts for money to support their ventures. No stone was left unturned or untapped. Little did the Westwood Garden Club know that in less than a decade, the club would find new partners in their vision—David L. and Betty F. Rice, along with the young University of Southern Indiana.
In 10 years, the Westwood Garden Club became a force to be reckoned with. The members were fearless and full of crackling energy to get things done. They spearheaded cleaning up a west side dumping area filled with old cars and appliances. In meeting notes, Club President Werner humorously mentioned how members "bugged" the City Council about the blight of the junkyard in an attempt to get it cleaned. Their phone calls and letters worked; the city provided the club with spruce trees to hide the blight. The women contacted farmers with tractors and flatbeds to help haul the trash away. With donations from the Evansville Oilmen's Association, they planted countless trees down a two-lane Highway 62 near Eichoff Road towards Mount Vernon. With the funds provided by the city, the club planned and oversaw the construction of a roadside rest stop and rescued a tourist information center on old Highway 41.
They supervised Boy Scouts, elementary school children and members of the Job Corp in their endeavors. They designed, planted and maintained countless flower beds at schools, churches and Burdette Park. But despite all the beauty they created, the Club wanted to develop and design something with a lasting educational purpose.
It was a beautiful spring day when members of the Evansville community gathered on 25 acres of what was once pastureland to break ground for a much-needed public university. The region had suffered for the lack of a university south of Terre Haute for years, and there was a definite feeling of jubilation as the stakeholders turned over that first shovelful of dirt. Just across the road, members of the Westwood Garden Club watched as more of a precious commodity, undeveloped woods and undisturbed meadows, fell to progress.
Developing a partnership with David L. Rice
It was hard not to feel a sense of excitement as buildings arose from the muddy construction site. In May 1969, Dr. David L. Rice, the young, enthusiastic Dean of Indiana State University-Evansville, presented an "inspirational slide show" about the University to the Garden Club. Included in the slide show was a list of future needs and hopes for a nature center, which piqued Club members' interest. Member Doris Eicher approached Rice about utilizing all the wooded areas and creating trails for the students and community. Rice thought it was a worthy idea, told her to make a proposal and forgot about it as the demands of construction and worries of running a new university increased.
Phase 1: Developing Trails
Early summer of 1969, five women from the Westwood Garden Club, under the leadership of Eicher, began exploring the creek beds, bluffs and caves located on the 25 acres of woods surrounding the campus. Eicher saw tremendous potential in the woods. A lifelong outdoor enthusiast, she could envision a trail system that would connect all the way to Burdette Park. As the women tramped through the woods, they took notes of the trees and wildflowers they saw. They catalogued rock formations and animal tracks along the creeks. After their exploration, they wrote out a proposal to Rice including a design for trails; a survey of trees; a proposal for planting more native trees, flowers and bushes; and the construction of a good bridge.
After analyzing this proposal, Rice, along with Paul Grimes, Director of the Physical Plant; Tom Pugh, Soil Conservationist; J. Maxwell Davis, Science Education Specialist; and Dr. Michael Denner, Life Sciences Professor, approved the first phase of the Club's plans. Grimes had his staff mow and cut the pathway through the woods and grasslands to get them started.
Eicher recruited a small army of volunteers to help make her vision come to fruition, including Boy Scout Troop 371. Under the supervision of Scoutmaster Lowell Tison, troop members built a bridge over a ravine on the trail. The Boy Scout troop, whose members included Rice's young son and many sons of the Garden Club members, would become the hands and feet of the big projects to come in the next decade.
News of an expansion to the two-lane Highway 62 meant an old two-story house on the property owned by the state would be demolished. Members briefly talked about buying the clapboard farmhouse and moving it somewhere to preserve it as a piece of Indiana history. If they bought it, what would they do with it, how much would it cost to restore and where would it go?
On Friday, May 9, 1970, ISUE held its first science class on campus. It was a biology class held within walking distance of the two main buildings on campus. Students gathered around the natural amphitheater, past the old lodge that had seen better days, to study plant life. Noting the diversity of plant life and the geological aspects of the bluffs and creekbeds, Dr. James Townsend, Assistant Professor of Life Sciences, called the area, "The best outdoor laboratory I've seen anywhere. It's fantastic."
These steps were just the start of developing the natural areas surrounding the campus. Spearheaded by Eicher, who had the dedication, tenacity and west side connections needed to begin work on a long-term project, the Westwood Garden Club began working on the educational project they dreamed of since their start in 1957.
Phase 2: Developing the Bent Twig Outdoor Learning Environment Area
Construction of the trails was met with much enthusiasm from the stakeholders at the University and the community. It spurred them on to develop a second phase of what they named the Bent Twig Outdoor Learning Environment Area. They not only imagined science, education and art classes taking advantage of the grasslands and woods, but the Evansville community reaping the benefits of the area, too.
At the centerpiece of their design would be the old family lodge nestled in the woods, on top of a bluff on the southeast side of campus. Ramshackle and empty for years, it had termites and a shaky infrastructure. Despite the skepticism from the community at large, the Westwood Garden Club insisted it would be a great place for social events for the University and a money maker. Members threw their efforts into raising the $12,000 needed to renovate it.
They wrote countless letters for donations and called in favors. There were plant sales at the annual 4-H Fair, bean soup suppers and a series of garage sales to raise money. The Garden Club even applied for the State Environmental Improvement Program Sears Roebuck Grant and, to their shock, they were awarded the national prize for their plan. Finally, it seemed as though the dream of developing an educational area for everyone was going to come true.
Thus, the 70s would be a busy decade for the Westwood Garden Club with almost all their resources and time going to the University.
"We didn't know how much money we would win so we couldn't make any plans, but we still wanted to do something with the old log lodge." - Kate Reasoner, President of Westwood Garden Club
Westwood Lodge
After the grant win, Maxwell Steel, President of the National Council of Garden Clubs, urged members of the Westwood Garden Club to keep working on environmental improvements at the local level at a special state garden club luncheon. Reasoner mentioned tartly in her meeting notes that Steel "wouldn't have to worry about the Garden Club resting on their laurels." They weren't the type. In fact, members of the Club had in mind a series of projects featuring both environmental and historical improvements, and all were at ISUE. "Now that we have the money, we're ready to put the roof on the old lodge," said Eicher.
They poured their time into restoring the old multi-story lodge. Situated on a cliff that adjoined a natural amphitheater, the building got its makeover from Boy Scout Troop 271, members of USI's TKE fraternity, Reitz High School's Future Farmers of America, and friends and family of the Garden Club, who lent a hand in renovating the space inside and out.
"We seem to stick our necks out pretty far when it comes to taking on new club projects, but Indiana State University-Evansville and area residents are all the richer for our daring moves." — Doris Eicher
The Bluebird Trail
Doris Eicher was not only interested in the Garden Club; she and her husband, Virgil, were also members of the Evansville Audubon Society. The natural areas Bluebirds used to nest in—namely hollowed-out trees— were being taken over by the more aggressive Starlings and English Sparrows. As a result, the local Bluebird population had been declining for years. The Eichers and local Audubon President, Richard Buck, made a presentation to the Club in an effort to help reverse the decline. Rescuing the local declining population would be easy, they said—all they would need to do would be to build and maintain special Bluebird houses.
At the club's next meeting, members built 24 Bluebird boxes. The following week, the Eichers and Buck walked the trails and picked out the best places for the boxes. Maintaining the boxes was a joy for the Eichers and the Club. They had first-hand experience watching the declining population of Bluebirds, so seeing the numbers grow over the years as they maintained the boxes was worth the work. The trio kept detailed notes in a log, denoting a persistent problem with mud daubers, wasps building nests and snakes climbing the poles to eat the baby birds. They alleviated the snake problem easily by greasing and peppering the poles.
In 1976, the work they put in on USI's Bluebird Trail won a national Audubon Award.
The Little Log House on 62
In 1974, the little cabin on Highway 62 was once again on the mind of the Westwood Garden Club members. As plans for expanding Highway 62 from two lanes to four moved forward, it became apparent the house on the property would be cleared by the state for right-of-way. Members of the Club urged Paul Grimes, Director of the Physical Plant, to inspect the little house. He discovered that under the wood siding resided a log cabin. Further research of the property and house revealed it may have been built by the Rappites of New Harmony, Indiana, as the construction methods were very similar in design.
Despite the sagging roof and floors, Grimes was convinced there was a jewel of historical significance and reported his findings to the Club, stating the cabin was worth saving. He and Eicher, who had become the official project manager of the Bent Twig Learning Environment Area, began making plans to move and renovate the cabin.
Once again, there was a flurry of letter writing, calls and applications for state and national grants. The Club appealed to the Indiana Bicentennial Committee, citing the area being developed at ISUE could act as a living history farm to help people understand their heritage and develop an appreciation for nature. Following the application was a letter from Rice, noting all the work the club had undertaken and completed, which had historical and educational significance. Westwood Garden Club would be named the winner of the award.
Eicher stated it took 520 hours of work to rehab the little cabin, which was estimated to be around 180 years old at the time of purchase. Volunteers stripped off the clapboard siding and tried to strip the milk paint (Recipe for milk paint: 1/2 gallon of skimmed milk, 6 ounces of lime, 4 ounces of linseed oil or cow's hoof glue, 1 1/2 pounds of water) which coated all the wood. Members gave up trying to scrape the thick goo off and opted to paint over it instead.
The house was rewired, and plumbing was updated. It also received a new chimney, front porch, windows, doors and a bathroom. The logs were re-chinked, plaster torn down, particle board put up and insulation blown in the walls and attic. Charles Keubler, who owned a heating and air conditioning company (and whose wife was a member of the Club) donated labor and materials to bring heat and air conditioning to the cabin. Grimes was also a volunteer and supervised crews doing electrical, plumbing and carpentry work. In their appreciation of his years-long support of the Garden Club, members named the cabin after him.
A Barn Raising
Yet another building was found on the University property during the Club's surveying. One of the members noticed a decaying Appalachian-style barn on the property's west side. She sent Eicher and Grimes out to inspect the barn, and it was found to have been used as a residence until 1895 when it was turned into a smithy.
Built from poplar and walnut, this style of barn would go up fast with minimal use of tools and materials. Only a broad axe was needed to build one. The length of the structure depended on the size of the trees. As a home, it contained two rooms adjoined by a porch. One room was for living, the other for the animals. Eicher saw the log barn as a piece of American history disappearing and turned to Leon Rexing, Director of the ISUE Maintenance Department, for help. Rexing contacted Robert Moye, owner of Tri-State Steel Erection Co., who agreed to dismantle the barn with a crane, number the logs and haul it to the Grimes Log House. He told Eicher they had nothing to do that day, it sounded like a fun challenge and he and his team would do it for free.
Like Lincoln Logs, the barn was dismantled and put back up, this time with cranes. All the work on the barn was donated, with the majority of the cost of reconstruction coming from the pouring of a foundation strong enough to support the barn, the building of a roof and electrical work.
At the ribbon cutting, the Garden Club named the barn after Virgil Eicher for his years of dedication to the Club and monitoring the Bluebird Trail. Club members believed with the three buildings, they were ready to host Boy Scout and Girl Scout camps during the summer season. In 1978, Doris Eicher noted on the Bluebird Trail log, that a young Girl Scout from that day's camp must have crammed a bun into the opening of one of the Bluebird houses behind the barn, thinking she was feeding the birds. The bun was now rock hard and Eicher had to painstakingly pick it out with a stick.
The Westwood Garden Club had built a rich legacy of conservation and preservation at USI, but they still weren't quite ready to rest on their laurels.
The School House
It would be nearly a decade before Club members took up another huge project. However, this one seemed to be the perfect ending to the labor of love that was the Bent Twig Outdoor Learning Environment Area. It was a little brick schoolhouse on the corner of Eickhoff Road and Highway 62. At that spot, the State would be putting in a well-needed overpass to alleviate heavy traffic back-up from drivers turning into the USI campus.
Westwood Garden Club member Esther Roesner had attended school in the little brick house, known as Bockelman School No. 3, with 20 other students from 1915-1923. Every morning, a lucky student got to pull the rope from the bell tower, the sound ringing out over the area calling the students to school. Roesner even taught at the one-room schoolhouse from 1929-1930. She recalled sitting on a raised platform at her desk, watching her students work on their daily lessons. The desks were arranged from grades one to eight, and students would gather around her desk for individual lessons. "Maybe we didn't have all the opportunities they have today, but we did have a camaraderie that was nice," said Roesner in an article in the Evansville Courier.
The abandoned schoolhouse, which had been built in 1896, sat empty for years. In 1940, the school was permanently closed when the West Side townships were consolidated. It was eventually turned into a house and the cupola and bell were removed.
The Garden Club bought the schoolhouse from the Vanderburgh County Commissioners for $1. Members then raised $30,000 to move and repair the school. They also launched a separate campaign to raise $13,500 for a new bell tower. The rafters, roof, windows, gutters and doors were replaced. The women hoped to raise additional funds to make it a chapel on campus, but to restore it in 1993 would have cost more than $100,000. It would cost nearly $300,00 today.
The Legacy
The early pioneers of the Westwood Garden Club who built the warm relationship with the Rices and USI are now all gone. And so is the Westwood Garden Club, which disbanded as the young stay-at-home mothers of the 50s and 60s became time-crunched working mothers of the 70s and 80s. But the conservation and preservation works done by the Garden Club women still stand at USI. The building and trails are a testament to their grace, grit and gumption to get things done.
Boy Scout Troop 371 is also no longer in existence, but Boy Scouts still do Eagle Projects on the trails. The Bluebird Trail is still active, and the Bent Twig Trails on the west side of campus underwent a major renovation by Anne Statham, Don Fleming and a group of students working under the direction of the Service Learning Office in 2010. Like Eicher imagined back in 1969, a trail from USI to Burdette Park exists and is used every day by those on campus and the Evansville community. The original trails are recreationally still used by countless students, alumni and friends of the University.
In 2023, all the original trails will undergo a renovation with new directional signage, trailheads, maps, a new website and an Instagram page courtesy of the USI Trails Committee. And just as the women of the Westwood Garden Club hoped, the entire area is still used for educational purposes by geology, biology, education and kinesiology students.
The legacy of these women and their dedication and inspiration still lives on.
Thanks to Rice Library Archives staff for their invaluable help in the research for this story. Also thanks to Sherianne Standley, Chuck Price and Eleanor Werner.
Credits:
Barbara J. Goodwin