May 31 – June 3, 2012 – Annual SIA Conference
Cincinnati, Ohio, including Dayton and Northern Kentucky.

John R. Roebling Bridge, Covington-Cincinnati, image by Rick Dikeman

See photographs from the SIA Conference in Cincinnati

Since the SIA last met in Cincinnati in 1978, the skyline has changed and much of the heavy industry is gone, but many IA attractions remain.  Cincinnati has an unusual stock of 19th-century commercial buildings, a surprising amount of industrial activity, and Art Deco masterpieces such as Carew Tower, the Hilton Netherland Plaza (conference headquarters), Union Terminal, and Lunken Airport.  The vast Union Terminal complex now contains three museums, including the Cincinnati History Museum where our Saturday banquet will be held.  In addition to Cincinnati and its Ohio suburbs, tours are planned to include sites in Kentucky and as far north as Dayton.  The area’s industrial heritage includes many examples of water, rail and air transportation infrastructure and component manufacturing, food processing, and production of parts for motor vehicles.

ONFERENCE EVENTS

Your registration packet will include information on the many museums and points of interest within walking distance of the conference hotel.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

CONTINUING EDUCATION WORKSHOP – Morning to mid-afternoon

This three-quarter-day introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) — with hands-on learning of tips, tricks, tools, and applications — offers valuable lessons regardless of your level of experience, or lack of it.  Participants are encouraged to bring scanned maps, GPS data, AutoCAD or other digital files, as well as handheld GPS units you may be working with.  We hope this workshop creates an ongoing discussion among a network of peers, who will continue to learn from one another.  Conducted in the GIS lab of the University of Cincinnati.  (Transportation and lunch provided.)

T1- Dayton Bus Tour: Dayton’s Air Force Museum and Carillon Park

Visit your choice (or both) of the National Museum of the US Air Force or Carillon Park. The AF Museum has more than 360 flight vehicles on display — many rare and one-of-a-kind — and sensory exhibits. Similar to Detroit’s Greenfield Village, Carillon Park has 25 historic buildings on 65 acres celebrating Dayton’s heritage of invention, with artifacts such as the original 1905 Wright Flyer III, the world’s first practical airplane. (Transportation and admission provided. Lunch on your own in museum restaurants.)

T2 & T4 – Behind The Scenes at the Carew Complex: morning or afternoon tour

Walking tour of this beautiful 1930 Art Deco office and hotel complex, including industrial-scale kitchen, laundry and areas not open to the public, ending on the Observation Deck at the very top of the city.

T3 & T5 – Procter & Gamble Museum & Archives: morning or afternoon tour

A walking tour of this private museum (not open to the public) in Procter & Gamble headquarters offering an eye-opening presentation on the history of one of America’s oldest corporations.

Opening Reception – Thursday Evening

Companionship and entertaining speakers, in the magnificent Continental Ballroom of the Hilton. (Appetizers provided, sufficient for a meal.  Cash bar.)

Friday, June 1, 2012: Summary of Friday Tour Sites

F2 “Downtown” & F4 “Paper Trail” leave the hotel at 7:30 a.m. (others at 8:00)

F1 “Upriver” (departing Hilton at 8:00 a.m., returning 5:00):
· Greater Cincinnati Water Works (Old River Pumping Station, Museum & Filtration Plant);
· Lunken Airport (with lunch in historic Sky Galley restaurant);
· Verdin (operating bell foundry), safety glasses required and provided;
· Zakira’s Garage (historic sports car restoration).

F2 “Downtown” (departing Hilton at 7:30 a.m., returning 4:30):
· Erhart Foundry;
· Roebling Bridge (walking tour);
· Mill Creek Dam (flood wall and flood prevention system);
· Lunch at Rookwood Restaurant (historic pottery with kilns still in place);
· Over The Rhine Brewery District (walking tour of underground caverns);
· Union Terminal (behind-the-scenes tour, including rail switching tower).

F3 “Northern Kentucky” (departing Hilton at 8:00 a.m., returning 5:00):
· Glier’s Meats (producer of Greater Cincinnati’s famous “goetta” sausage), no photos inside, hair nets required and provided;
· TMK IPSCO (steel tubing mill), no photos inside, hard hats required but not provided (bring your own);
· Lunch in Hofbrauhaus-Newport (authentic German beer garden);
· Behringer- Crawford Museum in Devou Park;
· Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati.

F4 “Paper Trail” (departing Hilton at 7:30 a.m., returning 4:30):
· Aeronca (historic aircraft manufacturer, now part of Magellan Aerospace), no photos;
· Wausau Paper (tissue paper mill), steel-toe shoes required but not provided (bring your own);
· Lunch at the Golden Lamb (historic stage coach inn);
· Historic Downtown Lebanon (guided walking tour);
· Laurel Court (historic mansion of an original paper baron).

F5 “Countryside” (departing Hilton at 8:00 a.m., returning 5:00):
· Xenia Foundry;
· Clifton (walking tour of historic mill town and gorge, with lunch at historic Clifton Mill);
· Scenic route in and around Yellow Springs, Ohio;
· 19th Century powder mill complex in Goes, Ohio;
· 19th Century munitions complex in Kings Mills, Ohio.

Annual SIA Film Festival & Social with Cash Bar: Starts at 7:00 p.m.

Second Annual SIA Film Festival. Extraordinary films in the ornate Chapel of the striking 1928 Masonic Center, or simply mingle with friendly conference-goers in the adjacent Founders’ Hall.  (Cash bar.)

Saturday, June 2

Detailed schedule pdf: Paper Presentations & Annual Business Meeting Luncheon

Paper Abstracts pdf

Presentations by researchers on industrial history and archeology, and a sit-down luncheon with important discussions and announcements, at the conference hotel.  (Beverages and lunch provided.) During the breaks between presentation sessions, we will also have displays of posters, IA-related books for sale, and books to be reviewed for IA.

SATURDAY BANQUET – Evening of June 2 (extra charge)

Enjoy exhibits detailing the region’s economic development since earliest human habitation, plus a full dinner and an entertaining speaker, at the Cincinnati History Museum — one of three major museums housed in Cincinnati’s beautiful 1933 Union Terminal, along with an OMNIMAX theater and (still) the city’s main train station.  (Transportation provided.  Cash bar.)

Sunday, June 3, 2012

S1- Behind The Scenes at the Carew Complex: morning tour

Walking tour of this beautiful 1930 Art Deco office and hotel complex, including industrial-scale kitchen, laundry and areas not open to the public, ending on the Observation Deck at the very top of the city.

S2 – Visit to Spring Grove Cemetery – morning tour

Guided walking tour of the city’s premier historic cemetery, final resting place of generals, politicians, athletes and captains of industry.  (Transportation to the cemetery, but walking is required within it.)

S3 – Tour of Cincinnati Bridges

Guided bus tour of historic bridges such as the L&N Bridge, Eden Park bridges, Massillon bowstring truss and Jediah Hill Covered Bridge.  (Lunch provided.)