TERRE HAUTE — Although Evangeline Evelyn Harris Merriweather was widely known in Vigo County as a teacher, writer and musician, it was her writing that likely will earn her a historical marker.
James Flinn, 75, of Terre Haute has been researching and putting together the pieces of Merriweather’s life for the past eight years. He submitted an application to the Indiana Historical Bureau’s Historic Landmarks Administration, hoping he had gathered enough information showing her life was worthy of such an honor.
Flinn’s research began after he bought the Harris family home in Terre Haute after it was heavily damaged by a fire, he said. When he was tearing out the ceiling, he found a diploma wrapped in brown paper. It turned out to be from Edna Harris, the oldest of the five Harris children.
In the attic, he found enough books to fill about four boxes. The books belonged to members of the Harris family, but many were books Merriweather used to teach with, Flinn said.
Among “about six inches of junk and clutter” Flinn found in the basement, he found planks of wood with engravings on them that turned out to be the printer’s blocks for Merriweather’s books, he said.
“It was interesting, It’s like doing a puzzle,” Flinn said about the research process. “… It sort of put me into their shoes, into the family’s shoes.”
Flinn’s application has passed the first two stages of the process and is in the final stage.
According to Jeremy Hackerd, historical marker program manager, the marker process usually takes about a year.
Once an application is received, the bureau and an advisory board review them to determine which should move on, he said. This year, 27 applications were submitted and 17 advanced, he said.
After the application is approved, the bureau does the research to verify there was a significant impact made on the state or country as a whole.
“Typically with the state markers we are trying to show something did have a major effect in that local community,” Hackerd said, “but in the state and nation just so people can get an idea of how important something was in Indiana history.”
From the time the marker is approved to when it’s finished Hackerd said it can take several months because there are so many to research. Also, they spend one month developing what the text for the marker will say and look like, he said.
All markers are made out of cast aluminum, so it takes another two months to receive them after they’re ordered, he said.
At the earliest, the marker could be placed this fall, he said, depending on where it is in the line of 17 markers to be researched.
Hackerd said the only thing that could hinder the marker process would be if they can’t find a location for the marker.
“We can’t force people to have markers on their property,” he said.
When Flinn initially sent in the application he wanted the marker to be placed in front of the house the Harris family lived in for 106 years, but now wants to place it in front of Booker T. Washington school, because she taught there and more people will see it, he said.
Dan Tanoos, superintendent of the Vigo County School Corp., said a proposal like this would need to be brought to him and then presented to the school board because the board would be the one ultimately to decide.
He, however, encourages issues like this be brought forward because it’s “important to honor our past,” he said.
Daughter of Ida Mayzeek Harris and David Harris, Evangeline Evelyn Harris was born in Vigo County on Aug. 16, 1893.
She graduated from Wiley High School, received a master’s degree in education at Indiana State Teachers College and studied privately at the Oberlin, New England and Boston Conservatories of Music, and Columbia University, according to Vigo County Public Library archives.
She married a captain of a local fire department station, Charles Merriweather.
According to a letter from L.N. Hines at the Indiana State Teachers College, Merriweather and her “Singing Four” group were paid $15 for an hour-long performance in 1935. Today, that would be equivalent to about $220.
In 1938, Merriweather composed the official song for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., according to “Hometown with Tom Roznowski.” She was one of the five charter members of the Terre Haute Alpha Eta Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha in 1928, according to library archives.
As part of her thesis work, she wrote a series of readers called “The Family,” which was published in 1938.
Merriweather went on to publish “Stories for Little Tots,” in 1940, a book directed toward black elementary school students that included brief biographies of prominent black men and women’s achievements, library archives stated.
About Merriweather, George Washington Carver is quoted as saying, “I sincerely hope as the years come and go that you will take just pride in knowing that you were one of the early pioneers of the movement destined to grow and bless not only the present but the unborn generations.”
Flinn agreed.
“… her writings, simple as they were, evidently were like breaking the dike, opening up the flood gates for black children; to have books written for them, not the white children, by a black, for the blacks and about the blacks,” he said. “Up until that time, there was almost nothing.”
Terre Haute City Councilman Charles “Chuck” Miles, D-6th, knew her because he worked with her husband on the city Fire Department.
“She was very intelligent and she was a great lady,” he said.
He said she was one of those people that could be considered ahead of her time.
“She was a wonderful person,” he said. “A lot of people had a lot of respect for her.”
At age 57, she died in Terre Haute on Oct. 5, 1950.
Crystal Garcia can be reached at (812) 231-4271 or crystal.garcia@tribstar.com.
Black History Month
February 25, 2007
Black History Month: Evangeline Merriweather heads toward historic marker
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