Spencerville Presentation

On Wednesday, August 26, the library will welcome DeKalb County Historian Mary Hollabaugh-Diehl for a presentation on the history of Spencerville, Indiana. Between the River and the Rails: The Story of Spencerville will take place in the Assembly Room of the Main Library from 5:30 - 6:30 pm. Spencerville is a town shaped by movement, of water along the river, of trains along the railroad, and of generations who have called it home. As a fifth-generation resident, Mary Hollabaugh-Diehl grew up experiencing that movement firsthand. In the 1980s, Mary spent her days exploring the town by bike, along riverbanks, beside the rails, and through the spaces in between where everyday life quietly unfolded. Just as influential were the stories shared by grandparents and longtime residents, whose memories preserved a Spencerville not always found in books. This presentation brings together landscape, industry, and lived experience to tell the story of a town built between the river and the railroad, and the people who shaped it. The photo used here was provided by Mary Hollabaugh-Diehl.