Perry County Museum

09/05/2025

Echos from Beyond Paranormal recently investigated the Perry County Museum and shared a video of their work yesterday. A big thank you to Angie and David for visiting us! Haunted or not, this place is always full of spirit and we love our Museum ♥️

Welcome to Echoes From Beyond Paranormal 👻 The Other Side Has a Story… We Tell It. We are a dedicated paranormal investigation team uncovering the unseen and amplifying the forgotten voices from the past. From haunted river towns in Indiana to the shadowy hills of Kentucky, we document unexplai...

06/08/2025

We start our Summer Hours today - Sundays 1 - 3 pm (central time). We’re renovating two rooms with the help of a matching grant from Perry County ARP Fund Grant. We’re open during renovations, but the two rooms under construction are not. Please excuse our dust while we work to improve our exhibit spaces.

06/05/2025

Special thanks to the Tell City Historical Society for giving us this 1983 Cannelton Vollyball Sectional Champions photo from their newly acquired Art Ge**er Collection. I see some familiar faces but would love your help identifying these Bulldogs!

04/06/2025

Last night was our Movers, Shakers and History Makers event. This is our big fundraiser for the year and appreciate the enthusiasm from our community for your support! We had a great time and wish to thank everyone who attended!

We also wanted to THANK the following Businesses and Individuals for their support of this event:

Business Sponsors:
Behind the Times Bakery, ATTC Manufacturing, Hoosier Hills Credit Union, Adam Evrard with Home Mutual Insurance, Bruce Myers with Bruce and Bob Rentals.

Auction Sponsors:
Roland’s Jewelry, Nobles IGA, Flowers by Le’sa, Finley’s Antiques, Dixon and Dixon Auction, Parlor Nail Spa, Blue Heron Winery, Betty Cash with MaryKay, Sharlyn Franzman, Holiday World and Splashin Safari, Bally’s Evansville, Big Splash in French Lick, Evansville Otters, Indiana State Museum, Mesker Park Zoo in Evansville, Lucy Goffinet, Brandi Hess, Tom Huber, Mona Leitner, Danny Bolin, Gary Hay, Mary Snyder.

H***yTonk Deluxe Band:
Danny Bolin, Eric Dickenson, Tony Hollinden, Renea Gray, Kelly Clark, Kenny Hasty.

Volunteers & Individuals:
Kim Myers, Manette VanWinkle, Faye Schwartz, Jessie Hall, Georgeanne Gratton, Meagan Hagedorn, Tell City Key Club students, Tell City FFA students, Pete Franzman, Mike Huber.

History Maker Characters:
David Biever, Chris Cail & Brad DeHart, Kourtney Casebolt, Lee Chestnut, Jaimi Deel, Nicole Doogs, Audrie Fella-Leisman, Mikki Goffinet, Amber Greulich, Crystal Rust Harper, Bridget Hundley, Jackson & Parker Joyal, Holli Kleeman, Amanda Litherland, Lacy Litherland, Triton Martin, Lisa Miller, Lisa Noble, Kyle Powers, Tonya Rankin, Phil Simpson, Jason Shadwick, Neal Stahly, Blair Walsh:

03/28/2025

Remembering Pearl
Written by Brandi Hess, Museum Board Member

While removing old wreaths from the Wreaths Across America program at Cliff Cemetery, former County Historian Molly Hall discovered the remnants of a unique tombstone in the trash can. Without having anyone around to ask about it, or not knowing how long it was in the trash, she reached out to the Museum which enthusiastically accepted the artifact.

What made this tombstone extraordinary was its material: instead of traditional stone, it was carefully crafted from clay by one of Cannelton's early potteries. Two large pieces were retrieved from the trash and brought to the Museum. Volunteer Denny Schwartz later searched the original tombstone site, recovering additional pieces in an attempt to reconstruct the piece.

A photograph in Mike & Kathy Finley and Michael Highfill's "Cannelton, Indiana Potteries" book had previously sparked curiosity about the unique headstone. It was mostly unclear who the headstone belonged to. The inscription “Our Pearl” with “Doughty” at the bottom suggested it belonged to Pearl Doughty, though the phrasing left uncertainty if Pearl is a nickname or term of endearment. There were no dates on the piece.

It was time to bring in a skilled genealogist to find out who Our Pearl was.

Museum volunteer Lori Hammell embarked on a comprehensive genealogical investigation, meticulously examining census records, death certificates, and obituaries to unravel the Doughty family history. Her research revealed the identity behind "Our Pearl."

Nanie Pearl Doughty was born in 1885 in Cannelton, Indiana to Thomas H. and Mary L. (Dean) Doughty. Thomas, originally from Ohio, had come to Cannelton as a child with his father, who worked for many years at the original Clark Brothers Pottery located on Cannelton’s riverfront. Nanie Pearl’s grandfather, mentioned here, was likely the artisan who created her ceramic headstone.

A brief notice in the April 20, 1893 edition of the Times-Telephone tragically reported that “Little Pearl" had died at her home on St. Louis Avenue. The cause was noted as "spinal trouble," with her illness lasting only a day or two. She was just eight years old.

Removing a tombstone from a cemetery is not a decision made lightly. Over the years, the Museum has acquired a few old headstones that were either lost and later recovered or replaced by families who chose to donate the original carved markers. Occasionally, we receive inquiries from individuals searching for stolen tombstones. Given the condition of this particular tombstone pottery piece and its significance to the local heritage of Cannelton pottery, we determined it would be safer at the Museum than left in place at Cliff Cemetery—especially since it had already been discarded in a trashcan once before.

I carefully reconstructed the pottery headstone using the available pieces, though several fragments remain missing. It is now on display in the Museum's Pottery Room, accompanied by a copy of this narrative to ensure visitors understand the story behind "Our Pearl."

To honor her memory in both locations, Tom Huber, a Museum board member, created a metal placard from Huber Funeral Home to mark Pearl's resting place in Old Cliff Cemetery. She is now remembered both at her gravesite and in the Perry County Museum.

I would like to thank the following volunteers for their role in Remembering Pearl: Molly Hall, Denny Schwartz, Lori Hammell, and Tom Huber.

03/23/2025

We're excited about our upcoming History Makers Dinner on Saturday, April 5 from 6 - 8 p.m. at the Schergen's Center in Tell City. Tickets are $10 and include a fried chicken dinner and music by H***y Tonk Deluxe. There is also a cash bar and silent auction. To purchase tickets, contact one of the History Makers listed below for a seat at their table!

01/24/2025

Happy Friday! Here are a couple aerial views of Cannelton dated 1976.

12/02/2024

LOOKING FOR SCHOOL SONGS! A school song researcher reached out to us for help on finding and preserving the school fight songs of Indiana high schools that were closed due to consolidation. Is anyone aware of school songs for: Bristow Purple Aces, Derby Warriors, Leopold Leopards, Oil Township Oilers, Rome Romans, Tobinsport Pirates and Union Township Unionites. Please let us know and we can pass along to the researcher.

11/09/2024

The traveling Avenue of Flags is on display at the Museum in honor of Veterans Day. It is a memorial tribute to our fallen soldiers. To all active military and veterans, thank you for your service! 🇺🇸

10/25/2024

Hello everyone, just a note to remind everyone this is our last Sunday (Oct 27) of our "Summer Hours". We go into hibernation during the colder winter months to save on heating costs. This also gives us a chance to catch up on projects, update exhibits and kick off a small renovation project! We are still available for groups or special requests with advanced notice. Just reach out through FB, call or email. Thank you!

06/13/2024

Notice for this Sunday - In observance of Father's Day, the Museum will be closed. Thank you!