To celebrate March Madness, the Floyd County Library wants to know what YOU think is the coolest artifact in the library’s special collections. During the second half of March, eight items from the Indiana Room and the Carnegie Center for Art & History will be battling for the title of the Floyd County Library’s coolest artifact! 

Staff have chosen 8 of our favorite special collections items for you to vote on starting Thursday, March 23rd. The winners from each poll will continue on to the final round of voting to determine our Floyd County Library champion! Follow the Indiana Room (@indianaroom) and the Carnegie Center (@ccah_na) on Instagram to see each day’s competitors and place your vote! You can also visit the Indiana Room and the Carnegie Center for Art & History to see the artifacts in person.

Now let’s meet the competitors…

William H. Greenly’s The Three Drunkards

This 1858 book is one of the first-ever plays published by an African American, and it was written and published right here in New Albany. William Greenly, a free Black man who taught at the Division Street School, wrote the book on the topic of temperance, a movement with close ties to abolitionism. The library has one of only a few surviving copies of the book.

Learn more about the book and read the digital version.

George W. Morrison’s New Albany from Silver Hills

One of Morrison’s most iconic works, this painting was completed in 1853 and captures New Albany at the height of its population. It is remarkable for its level of detail, depicting a thriving river city at the center of the boatbuilding and manufacturing industries.

Learn more about George Morrison and this painting in the exhibition From Audubon to Sisto: Highlights from the Permanent Collection, on view at the Carnegie Center through April 1st.

BPW Hoosiers Softball Team Uniform

In 1957 the BPW Hoosiers broke gender barriers by becoming the first girls’ softball team in Floyd County. The Hoosiers were active until 1969, dominating Kentuckiana slow-pitch softball and becoming one of the best teams in the nation.

Learn more in our digital exhibit or by visiting the BPW Field of Memories storywalk at Letty Walter Park in Floyds Knobs.

Roberta-Jill Dress Factory Strike Photo

This photo shows employees of a local clothing factory picketing during a 10-week strike in 1937. The strike ended in the employees’ favor, with company recognition of the newly-formed union and the signing of a wage and working condition contract.

Visit the Indiana Room to learn more about labor history and the textile industry in New Albany. 

Self Portrait of Joseph Krementz with wife, Mary Louisa Krementz

This portrait of prominent local painter Joseph Krementz with his wife was painted in 1869, shortly after the couple’s wedding. The vibrant background colors and lace detail on the shawl were hidden from view until last year, when a conservator discovered that someone had painted over much of the image to conceal damage.

Learn more about Joseph Krementz and this painting in the exhibition From Audubon to Sisto: Highlights from the Permanent Collection, on view at the Carnegie Center through April 1st.

Manus Packing Company Lard Bucket

This large metal bucket held 47 lbs of cooking lard produced by a local butcher shop and meat packing company that operated from the 1890s until the 1930s. An 1899 article in the New Albany Daily Ledger described an incident where a “mad hog” escaped from the business and took up residence in nearby woods, terrorizing anyone who came near it.

Visit the Indiana Room to learn more about the Manus family and historic local businesses.

1916-1917 Calumet Club Basketball Team Photo

The Calumet Club was a men’s social, civic, and athletic club in New Albany in the 1920s and 1930s, with club reunions continuing until 1988. The club was made up of many prominent and influential citizens, and had baseball, basketball, and football teams that played against other clubs in the region. 

See this photograph in the exhibition From Audubon to Sisto: Highlights from the Permanent Collection, on view at the Carnegie Center through April 1st.

The Daily Citizen Newspaper Wallpaper Edition

After finding this Vicksburg, Mississippi newspaper still on the printing press following the publisher’s flight, Union soldiers changed the last column to reflect their victory in the Siege of Vicksburg. The 23rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which was organized in New Albany in 1861 and included Lucy Higgs Nichols, was one of the many regiments who fought at Vicksburg. Like many Southern newspapers of the time, this issue was printed on wallpaper due to paper shortages caused by the Civil War.

Visit the Carnegie Center’s exhibition Remembered: The Life of Lucy Higgs Nichols to learn more about Lucy and the 23rd Indiana Volunteers.

— Allison Kilberg, Special Collections & Exhibitions Leader