African Americans settled in Evansville in the early 1800s and by 1890 had established a vibrant community in Baptisttown. Segregation and discrimination led to a section of overcrowded, dilapidated buildings. With citizen support, city officials sought New Deal funding in the 1930s to clear part of the area and develop Lincoln Gardens, a federal housing project. Opened in 1938, it provided low-cost housing managed by and for African Americans. During World War II, occupants started a club for African American service members barred from the local USO. Lincoln Gardens served as a community center for decades, and after being saved from demolition, this building opened as the Evansville African American Museum in 1999.