About Our Group's History and Focus
Duane Walter and Adele Cottrell, co-founders of the Tri-State Dowsers, remember the beginnings of the organization differently. Adele recalls that she and Duane took a field trip to a New Harmony, Indiana, cemetery. The religious beliefs of those interred in the cemetery required that their graves be unmarked. Locating the graves was a perfect exercise for the two dowsers. Adele says as a result of that outing, she and Duane discussed the possibility of forming a local organization dedicated to dowsing.
Duane’s version of the group’s founding starts with Phyllis Bailey inviting him and Adele to present information on dowsing to a Reiki practitioners group that was meeting at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, Indiana. Duane says the meeting attendees were intrigued by the correlation between dowsing’s subtle energies and those of their healing modality. The members’ fascination with that connection led in 1998 to the formation of a local chapter of the American Society of Dowsers.
Since prospective members hailed from the Evansville metropolitan area, which included parts of Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois, the name Tri-State Dowsers was chosen for the local chapter. Charter members included Duane, Adele, Phyllis, Oscar Welde (now deceased, but then a survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor), Darryl Periard, Freda Holder, Allen Woehler, Charles Payne and Michael Payne.
The ASD trustees signing the charter on August 3, 1998, included Walter Woods, then ASD president. Woods is renowned among U.S. dowsing devotees for writing the "bible" on pendulum usage, in his Letter to Robin: A mini-course in pendulum dowsing.
Thanks to Mary Beth Davis, then head of Deaconess Hospital’s Wellness Center, the Tri-State Dowsers chapter held its meetings for many years in the center. As membership swelled, the group outgrew that space and had to move to larger accommodations. At first the dowsers convened at Evansville Central Library. Nowadays, the group gets together at the Newburgh Central Library. Monthly meetings include programs, sometimes featuring guest speakers. Other group activities include occasional field trips involved in all aspects of dowsing, from graveyards to water sites. Members’ tools today include more than L-rods, running the gamut from pendulums through dip needles, aurameters, bobbers, and specialized equipment such as GPS meters.
Although none of the charter members of the Tri-State Dowsers remains active in the organization, Adele and Duane still visit the group from time to time. Adele, now in her mid-90s, is most likely to drop in when out-of-town guest speakers share their expertise with the Tri-State Dowsers. She is especially fond of hearing Joey Korn, whom she originally enticed to talk to the group. Joey, an internationally recognized author and speaker who lives in Georgia, offers presentations on spiritual dowsing, the blessing process for detrimental energies, and the Tree of Life (the key feature of the Kabbalah, which is Jewish mysticism).
Duane’s continued affiliation with the Tri-State Dowsers occurs via his “The Dowser’s Toolbox” presentation to the group every few years. Duane, truly a master dowser whose work has been documented in a number of news articles and a TV program, utilizes his presentations to familiarize newer dowsers with the dowsing tools currently in use. Duane has also led numerous dowsing field trips for the local chapter, including locating unmarked former building sites at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial.
Phyllis Bailey led the Tri-State Dowsers for many years, until her illness and subsequent death ended that association. Jana and Jim Havener then took over the reins of leadership. After serving the organization in that capacity for a lengthy period, the Haveners passed those duties to Suzie Coburn. Sharon Dittmar now serves as president of the Tri-State Dowsers. Barb Marchand, who served as the group’s secretary/treasurer for most of its existence, has now relinquished those responsibilities to Suzie Coburn. Barb Marchand and John Miller remain among the longest-attending members of the dowsing organization.
Caroline Nellis is author of this report and a TSD Member concerned about presenting and preserving the history of the Tri-State Dowsers.
About the Website
Herb Howell, Proprietor and Development Director for the Courthouse Webs, a web development agency in Princeton, Indiana, attended the June 2008 Tri-State Dowsers meeting, and suggested that the group consider creating a website to share information about the group's programs, offerings and history.
Members supported the idea, and the website was launched July 1, 2008.
Individuals from across the US have contacted the Evansville group seeking information about local chapters elsewhere.
Local folks reported learning of Joey Korn's 2009 visit to Evansville, and attended that event.
Herb continues to provide web development support, and website hosting, to the group, as his contribution to the chapter's ongoing Evansville mission.