Grove Society Celebrates History in the Park August 24
The Evansville Grove Society will hold its annual History in the Park gathering on Sunday, August 24, from Noon until 3PM. The gathering will feature a presentation on the history of the Pruden Products Company, a leading manufacturer of steel buildings that came to Evansville in 1954. The event will take place in the Upper Shelter Pavilion at Leonard-Leota Park in Evansville. The event is open to the public; admission is free and lunch will be provided.
In 1968 Pruden Products merged with the Varco Steel Company of Arkansas to become Varco-Pruden, as it was known for many years. Now part of BlueScope Buildings of North America, the company maintains a factory on Water Street in Evansville.
Among other noteworthy contributions, Pruden Products built the Wisconsin Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair; it also built the pavilion that houses the History in the Park gatherings each year. The company is now celebrating its 75th year as a mainstay of the local economy; the celebration includes a top-to-bottom renovation of the pavilion.
The Grove Society was founded in 1978 as Evansville’s local historical society. It takes its name from the informal title that the town’s first settlers gave to the community.
The Society owns and maintains the historic Baker Office Building, located at Madison Street and Antes Drive, which houses a museum containing photographs, artifacts, and records of local historical significance. The Society also offers programs of local cultural and historical interest from time to time.
History in the Park is the Grove Society’s signature event. Past topics have included the history of Leonard-Leota Park, the Wisconsin Ice Age Trail, and the 150th anniversary of the Baker Manufacturing Company. The Upper Pavilion can accommodate up to 75 people; picnic tables are available but many guests bring their own lawn chairs or seat cushions for the picnic tables. Lunch — provided this year by BlueScope — traditionally features bratwurst and hotdogs cooked on the park’s old stone fireplace.
The featured speaker at this year’s presentation will be Dan Stephans, long-time member of the Grove Society’s Board of Directors and former Chief Architect for the State of Wisconsin. An Evansville resident, Stephans is a widely-recognized authority on Wisconsin History and Architecture.
