Lucy Higgs Nichols, a nurse with the 23rd Indiana Regiment during the Civil War and The Spanish American War, was also a brave female who escaped from slavery in 1862. After the Civil War, Nichols moved New Albany, Indiana and worked with the men of the 23rd Division Volunteers. She was admired, her service was recognized with a nurse's pension, and she was awarded by a Special Act of Congress in 1898.
New Albany’s Mayor Jeff M. Gahan opened the exhibit Saturday with a ribbon cutting followed by performances by several local church community choirs. Writer and educator Judith C. Owens-Lalude Historians Curtis and Pamela Peters and Vic Megenity and Sculptor David Ross Stevens were all site to be apart of this opening of the latest addition to the award-winning permanent exhibit "Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage: Men and Women of the Underground Railroad."
“ The exhibit guides visitors through Lucy's life, from 1838 — 1915. Period documents and letters detail her life as a slave in Tennessee, a nurse during the Civil War, and her post-war life in freedom. It highlights her six year battle for a nurse's pension, which was ultimately awarded through a Special Act of Congress. Visitors can explore maps that pinpoint the paths she took and examine actual artifacts from the Civil War, including an Enfield rifle and an amputation saw of the same type used by the surgeons Lucy served with in the 23rd Indiana Volunteers.”
To schedule a tour or arrange a visit to your classroom or community group, please contact Laura Wilkins at 812-944-7336 or lwilkins@carnegiecenter.org.
February Family Fun Workshops scheduled are: Create Your Own Kente Cloth on Saturday February 11, 10 am-12 pm and on Saturday February 18, from 10:30-11:30am, Artistic Voice & Style: Are they the same or different? with Marti Plager.
http://www.carnegiecenter.org/
201 E. Spring Street New Albany, IN
Hours
Tuesday-Saturday 10:00am - 5:30pm
Phone
812-944-7336
Free and open to the public.
