What to See in Terre Haute - Top Sights and Attractions

Home in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Eugene V. Debs House, on the campus of Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana, was a home of union leader Eugene V. Debs. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966. The museum is maintained by the Eugene V. Debs Foundation, a non-profit educational foundation.

Eugene V. Debs and his wife, Kate, built the two-story frame house in 1890, after their fifth wedding anniversary. Debs was criticized for the house not portraying working-class lifestyle; his wife was a beneficiary of her wealthy aunt's will and could furnish the house affluently. Visitors to Debs' house during his lifetime included friends James Whitcomb Riley and Carl Sandburg; one room in the house to this day is known as the Riley bedroom. When Debs died in 1926, a funeral sermon was given for him at the house, attended by 5000 people.

Original features of the house include the cobalt blue porcelain tile fireplace imported from Italy, the mahogany dining and parlor furniture, and the entire set of Haviland china. The house is also a museum, with many memorabilia of Debs' life and some of his personal library, much of which is across the street at the library of Indiana State University. One room is covered by murals depicting Debs' life.

After Debs' death, the house would see different owners. One was a professor at Indiana State University. It was used as the Theta Chi fraternity house from 1948 to 1961, and briefly was let as apartments. In 1962 the home was bought by the Eugene V. Debs Foundation, which continues to own the house. In 1965 it was made an official Indiana historic site by the Indiana General Assembly. In 1966 the home was made an official National Historic Landmark of the National Parks system of the Department of the Interior. Today the preservation of the property is monitored by the National Park Service. In 2004 it was removed from threatened status after sufficient repairs to the structure occurred to ensure its permanence.^[4]

The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are an apostolic congregation of Catholic women founded by Saint Theodora Guerin at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, in 1840. Mother Theodore and her companions left the Sisters of Providence of Ruillé-sur-Loir, France, at the invitation of the Bishop of Vincennes, Indiana, to found the Sisters of Providence in the United States. In 1843, the Indiana congregation became independent of the religious institute in Ruillé, and the Rules of the Congregation were approved by the Holy See in 1887.

More than 5,200 women have entered the Sisters of Providence since 1840. As of 2014, there were nearly 350 sisters in the institute, roughly 300 of whom live and minister from the motherhouse grounds in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. Other sisters minister in 17 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Asia.

Currently, foreign missions are in Asia. Former foreign missions were in Peru and Antigua.

Sisters of Providence are designated by the initials "SP" following their name in print. The congregation is a member of the Women of Providence in Collaboration.

Mother Theodore was canonized on October 15, 2006. Her remains are located in her official shrine near the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, as well as a portion buried in the Sisters of Providence Convent Cemetery.^[5]

The Paul Dresser Birthplace is located in Fairbanks Park in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana, at the corner of First and Farrington Streets. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is the birthplace and boyhood home of Paul Dresser, a late-nineteenth-century singer, actor, and songwriter, who wrote and published more than 100 popular songs. On March 14, 1913, the Indiana General Assembly named Dresser's hit, "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away", the state song of Indiana.

Built in 1850, the home was owned by Dresser's parents, Johann Paul and Sarah (Schanab) Dreiser. Their son, Johann Paul Dreiser Jr. who later changed his name to Paul Dresser, was born in the house on April 22, 1858. Dresser's father built the porch for the brick house, which originally consisted of one bedroom, a lean-to kitchen, and a parlor. In 1863 Dresser's father sold the home and moved the family to Sullivan, Indiana. By 1871 they had returned to Terre Haute, but Dresser did not stay in town for long. Dresser left home at the age of sixteen and became "one of the most important composers of the 1890s". Dresser toured the country as a vaudeville entertainer, then moved to New York City, where he was also involved in music publishing. Dresser returned to Terre Haute only for brief visits and public performances.

Originally, the house was located at 318 South Second Street in Terre Haute. During the 1960s, when urban renewal threatened its demolition, the Vigo County Historical Society raised funds purchase the building, saving it from destruction, and relocated it to the southeast corner of Fairbanks Park. Altered over the years, the building consists of two floors. The first floor has a bedroom, a kitchen, and a parlor. The second floor has two bedrooms that are accessible by an outside staircase. The Vigo County Historical Society operates the home as a museum, open by appointment. Artifacts pertaining to Dresser include a Chickering piano that he used to write songs and a portrait of Dresser painted during the height of his career. Unlike other house museums, Dresser's birthplace reflects the furnishings of a working-class family, not the well-to-do.

In 1967 the Indiana General Assembly designated the home as a state shrine and memorial. That same year the National Music Council listed it as "A Landmark of American Music". The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Terre Haute's Fairbanks Park also includes a local Girl Scout office and a Terre Haute parks department office. In 1923 the Banks-of-the-Wabash Association officially named Paul Dresser Drive, the park's main road, in the songwriter's honor.^[6]

Park in Terre Haute, Indiana. Collett Park is a public park in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana, United States.

The park was established in 1883 on a parcel of land donated to the city of Terre Haute by Josephus Collett, a railroad magnate and philanthropist. Its 21 acres (85,000 m2) of tree-filled park land are approximately two miles north of downtown Terre Haute. A Romanesque Revival pavilion was built in 1894 by architect J. Merrill Sherman.

The park's large main building with an indoor rental facility as well as outdoor shelters and restrooms. There are also football and soccer fields, a playground, horseshoe pits and tennis courts.

Collett Park was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 for its historical significance in entertainment and recreation. The neighborhood that arose around the park, now known as the Collett Park Neighborhood Historic District, was placed on the Register itself in 2004.^[7]

Theater in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Indiana Theatre is a historic theater in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 13, 1997 and is located in the Wabash Avenue-East Historic District. It opened on January 28, 1922. The theatre was built by Terre Haute resident T. W. Barhydt and was designed by John Eberson. Eberson, who later developed the atmospheric theater style of movie palace, first experimented with atmospheric design elements at the theatre. Eberson stated, "Into this Indiana Theatre I have put my very best efforts and endeavors in the art of designing a modern theatre such as I have often pictured as what I would do were I given a free hand." Through this quote Eberson suggests that the Indiana Theatre embodies the raw beginning of his experiment with a "dream" theater that marked the beginning shift to his atmospheric style.

Throughout its history, the theatre has hosted a wide range of events that have included vaudeville, cinema, performing arts and community celebrations of all types. Long time employees remember nostalgic entertainers such as Frank Sinatra, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Jack Burns, and the Marx Brothers Road Shows at the Indiana Theater. The Indiana Theatre was chosen as the site for the world premiere screening of Disney's McFarland, USA on November 20, 2014.

Through restoration efforts which began in May 2013, the Indiana Theatre's heritage has been preserved and the Indiana has been reborn as a 1,600 seat full service event center which can host a wide range of community gatherings that include live entertainment, performing arts, cinema, wedding events, and fundraisers.^[8]

Church. Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church is a church in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The church is named for Richard Allen, who founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia in 1787. The congregation in Terre Haute began meeting in 1837 in a small white church in town. This original structure had a tunnel beneath it that led to bank of the Wabash River for escaped slaves going toward Canada on the Underground Railroad. Many of the congregation's early members were freed slaves who had been brought to the area by Quakers.

In the mid-19th century, Frederick Douglass went to Terre Haute on two occasions to raise funds for the congregation. Other eminent speakers have included Eugene V. Debs and Jackie Robinson.

The current structure was built in 1913, and is a yellow brick and stone church with a prominent corner tower. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 for its significance in religion, social history, and African American history.^[9]

Fraternal organization in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Terre Haute Masonic Temple in Terre Haute, Indiana is a Classical Revival-style Masonic building that ground was broken for in 1915, cornerstone was laid in 1916, and opened in 1917. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior in 1995. The structure was commissioned by the Terre Haute Masonic Temple Association which was included one director from each of the following bodies that funded the building of the temple: Terre Haute Lodge No. 19, F&AM, Social Lodge No. 86 F&AM, Humboldt Lodge No. 42 F&AM, Euclid Lodge No. 573 F&AM, Terre Haute Chapter No. 11 R.A.M. Terre Haute Council No. 8 R. & S.M. Terre Haute Commandery No. 16 K.T. The Temple was built by A.W. Stoolman with Archie H. Hubbard serving as architect.

The Terre Haute Masonic Temple is currently utilized by Terre Haute Lodge No. 19, F&AM, Social Lodge No. 86 F&AM, Humboldt Lodge No. 42 F&AM, Terre Haute Chapter No. 11 R.A.M. Terre Haute Council No. 8 R. & S.M. Terre Haute Commandery No. 16 K.T. Job's Daughters Bethel No. 2, Terre Haute Chapter No. 43 Order of the Eastern Star, Terre Haute Order of Amaranth. The building was previously used by Euclid No. 573 F&AM, The Order of the White Shrine of Jerusalem and The Order of Demolay.

The governing body of the building that is responsible for all modifications and maintenance is the Terre Haute Masonic Temple Association which still includes six of the original seven bodies that erected the structure (Euclid No. 573 is no longer in existence). The board is composed of a President, Vice President, Secretary & Treasurer, and three other members.

The building is a total of four stories tall with an additional full basement. The foundation of the building was initially constructed to support the weight of a twelve-story building. The first floor is the dedicated public floor and contains the ballroom, library, parlor, board room, office, card room, and ladies and gentleman's cloak rooms and rest rooms. The second floor is dedicated to the Blue Lodge and Order of the Eastern Star and houses three lodge rooms, rest rooms and lounge area. The third floor is dedicated to the three bodies of the York Rite: The Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, Council of Royal & Secret Masters, and Commandery of Knights Templar. The fourth floor contains storage and a choir and organ loft.^[10]

School district. Vigo County School Corporation is a school district that serves Vigo County, Indiana and is headquartered in Terre Haute. The corporation is led by superintendent Robert Haworth and by the Board of Trustees including: President; Joseph Irwin III, Vice President; Dr. Susan Powers, Secretary; Jackie Lower, Mel Burks, Paul Lockhart, Rosemarie Scott, Joni Wise. The school board holds meetings two times a month on Mondays.

The VCSC contains one building that was once a church on the National Register of Historic Places, the Woodrow Wilson Middle School building known for its Tudor Revival architecture and large-scale interior murals by Gilbert Brown Wilson.

All enrollment data is accurate for the 2020-2021 school year from the Indiana Department of Education.^[15]