Ruth Ann Montgomery is Evansville’s pre-eminent local historian. Since moving to Evansville in 1976 she has devoted herself to research and archival work, from preparing the successful nomination for the Evansville Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places to building out the History Room at the Eager Free Public Library (of which she served as Director between 1983 and 2000). She is the author of seven books about Evansville’s history, as well as many articles for the Evansville Review and the online newspaper Evansville Today. While serving as Director of the Arrowhead Library System between 2000 and 2012 she secured grants to digitize many of the photographs, atlases and other documents on the Wisconsin State Historical Society website. Her research continues to the present; her archives are accessible through the Grove Society website.