Evansville’s World War II story is being preserved for the future thanks to a new national grant. The Evansville IN WWII Heritage City Group—made up of the LST-325 Ship Memorial, the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, and the Evansville Wartime Museum—has recently been awarded a $10,000 American WWII Heritage Cities Grant, administered by the National WWII Museum in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior and National Park Service.
The funding will support local recordings that capture Evansville’s WWII home front—documenting key wartime locations and the stories of manufacturers, civic organizations, and institutions that played a role in supporting the war effort. Those recordings will become part of a digital project titled World War II Evansville IN – Eighty Years Later: A Look at Wartime Locations, ensuring these places and perspectives are preserved and accessible online.
Evansville’s wartime legacy is one of national significance. In 2022, the city was designated an American World War II Heritage City by the National Park Service—one of only 38 nationwide and the only one in Indiana, a distinction that will always remain unique to Evansville. During the war years, the city transformed into a major production hub, with local factories and workers contributing directly to the Allied effort and reshaping the community in lasting ways.
This project also aligns naturally with America 250, the nationwide commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026. As communities across the country reflect on the moments that shaped the nation, preserving Evansville’s WWII stories adds a meaningful local chapter—rooted in real places that visitors can still explore today and connected to a pivotal moment in American history.
