TERRE HAUTE —
Dorothy Jerse looks back at local history from 10, 25 and 50 years ago as reported in the Tribune and Tribune-Star.
2002
• Indiana State University students paraded from the Dede Plaza fountain to downtown Terrre Haute remembering the struggle led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Other events were staged throughout the community during the week in honor of his memory.
• Members of Downtown Terre Haute Inc., elected Todd Nation, Norbert Gottschling and Marlene Lu as their 2002 officers.
• Eight employees were affected when Alpharma Inc. suspended activity at its plant, 1331 S. First St. The building, completed by Pitman-Moore in 1990 for the production of a drug to be used for pigs, stood idle awaiting approval by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
n Woodrow Wilson Middle School hosted a community open house and rededication to mark its 75th anniversary.
• The United Way of the Wabash Valley honored Pete Gustafson with the Richard D. Newport Award and Suzanne Van Reed with the Solomon Award. A total of $2.3 million had been raised in the 2001 campaign.
• The Sisters of Providence launched their 20-year plan to combat prejudice at an anti-racism workshop at St. Ann’s Catholic Church.
1987
• A two-day USA Mud Racing Super Series was staged in Hulman Center.
• Jim Morris, Garfield High School graduate and Lilly Endowment president, was one of the 10 most powerful people in Indianapolis as listed by the Indianapolis Magazine.
• Specialty Bottlers Supply, 2055 N. 13th St., began accepting glass from the general public for recycling. Steve Kostyo was the manager.
• Lt. Wilburn Ennen, commander of the Vigo County Jail, retired from the Sheriff’s Department to become superintendent of Vigo County Juvenile Center. Lt. Bob Busiere was the new jail commander.
• Russ Arnold, general manager of WTHI-TV and radio, announced his retirement. He had been associated with the station since 1947. Dave Bailey was named interim general manager.
• The Banks of the Wabash Chorus members chose the name “Harmony Hall” for their new home in the former Village Cinema, 1257 Lafayette Ave.
• The United Cerebral Palsy telethon, featured on WTHI-TV, raised $55,795. Eric Meister was the honorary local chairman with Pat Ralston and Rick Card as co-chairmen. April Osborne was the UCP director.
1962
• Survey work by Miller, Miller & Associates was the first phase of a federal program to determine immediate fallout protection in 28 Indiana counties.
• The new North Terre Haute Post Office, 3048 Lafayette Ave., was dedicated. Mrs. Winnie Johnson was superintendent with Bert Boyll and Max Fullmer as window clerks.
• A capacity crowd filled the annual four-day Tribune-Star Cooking School at the Indiana Theater. Admission was free to this “Galaxy of Foods” event.
• The congregation of the Maple Avenue Methodist Church, 1203 Maple Ave., announced a $90,000 remodeling project. Roy LaFollette chaired the building committee.
• Ed Jackman, Joe Claretto, Frank Oberbacher and Douglas Craighead were the newly elected officers of the 12 Points Merchants Association.
• A statewide meeting for the Laryngectomees of Indiana was held at the American Legion Krietenstein Post, 2238 N. 13th St. The local NuVoice Club, organized in 1958, was the first club in the state formed to rehabilitate people who had lost their voice boxes due to cancer. Ralph Buck was the president of the local club.
History
LOOKING BACK: 2002: ISU students honor Martin Luther King Jr.
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BRUCE’S HISTORY LESSON: Emperor Constantine changes the world
The Emperor Constantine, the first Christian ruler of the Roman Empire and the man who ended that empire’s persecution of Christianity, died this week (May 22) in 337 AD, having lived a life that would change the world.
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GENEALOGY: Library archives contain tons of information
Inside the archives room of the Vigo County Public Library, row after row of fragile documents, rare out-of-print books, and historic photographs are kept on shelves in a humidity and temperature-controlled room.
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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: Historic efforts to open Center Street from Cherry to Swan
Efforts to open Center Street, from Cherry to Swan, spanned a half century or more.
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LOOKING BACK: 2002 — Valley drenched in wettest spring in 107 years
Dorothy Jerse looks back at local history from 10, 25 and 50 years ago as reported in the Tribune and Tribune-Star. -
HISTORICAL TREASURE: Some history wreathed in hair
From the unfortunate occurrence of Prince Albert’s death in 1861 came the social mores of proper mourning practices and accoutrements witnessed and endorsed by the admirers of Queen Victoria in her reign-long state of grieving.
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LOOKING BACK: 1987: League of Women Voters reorganizes
Dorothy Jerse looks back at local history from 10, 25 and 50 years ago as reported in the Tribune and Tribune-Star.
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HISTORICAL TREASURE: Here comes the bride
The newest major exhibit at the Historical Museum, which opens Tuesday, showcases wedding gowns worn by Vigo County residents.
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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: Downtown changes featured in early 1927
During March and April of 1927 – about 85 years ago – the owners of interests in four major downtown Terre Haute theaters were negotiating to transfer their interests to representatives of Paramount Studios.
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GENEALOGY: Genealogy isn’t for the easily embarrassed
The saying goes, if you’re easily embarrassed or afraid of what you’ll find, don’t start doing genealogy.
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BRUCE’S HISTORY LESSONS: The long, lost, last — the 27th —Amendment
Our very last constitutional amendment — the 27th Amendment — was ratified this week (May 7) in 1992 when Michigan became the 38th state to approve it.
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BRUCE’S HISTORY LESSONS: The Haymarket Square Massacre
One unhappy byproduct of the Industrial Age was the growing discontent of its industrial workers, who constantly agitated for better pay and more humane working conditions.
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LOOKING BACK: 1962: Stands packed as Wiley takes county track title
Dorothy Jerse looks back at local history from 10, 25 and 50 years ago as reported in the Tribune and the Tribune-Star.
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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: Death of Terre Haute jeweler gains national headlines
Terre Haute sought national publicity in 1910 through “Boosterism,” lauding the city’s significant advancements during the decade ending Dec. 31, 1909.
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GENEALOGY: Cemetery Committee to conduct restoration workshop
The Wabash Valley Genealogy Society’s Cemetery Committee will conduct an all-day cemetery restoration workshop on Saturday at the Smith Cemetery near Youngstown, Honey Creek Township, Vigo County, Ind.
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HISTORICAL TREASURE: Harmonious history
In 1923, a group of singers calling themselves the Harmony Four entertained regularly over the radio and at civic and various club events.
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BRUCE’S HISTORY LESSONS: Cleveland observes Lincoln’s funeral
The death of America’s greatest president, Abraham Lincoln, resulted in an outpouring of national mourning, the apex of which came in late April of 1865 when a specially outfitted train carried his body on a thirteen-day, 1,700-mile, eleven-city funeral procession from Washington, D.C., to his home and final resting place in Springfield, Ill.
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GENEALOGY: Many people can trace ancestry to Titanic
This month marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, which occurred on April 14-15, 1912.
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LOOKING BACK: 1987: ISU bowling team at nationals again
Dorothy Jerse looks back at local history from 10, 25 and 50 years ago as reported in the Tribune and Tribune-Star.
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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: Sullivan County mine explosion kills 8 in 1878
Shortly after 4 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 21, 1878, an enormous explosion rocked the Handford Brothers mine about one-half mile north of the Evansville & Terre Haute Railroad depot in Sullivan County.
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HISTORICAL TREASURE: A common feature, but memorable
As an absolute architecture nerd, I tend to look at buildings noticing the odd ball things such as door hinges and door locks in addition to admiring the overall building.
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BRUCE'S HISTORY LESSONS: MLK’s letter written from a jail cell in Birmingham
This week (April 16) in 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. sat in a jail cell in Birmingham, Ala., having been arrested for violating a trumped-up court order that prohibited him and his followers from conducting various protest activities, most of which you can read about in the First Amendment.
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LOOKING BACK: 1962: Swope celebrates 20th anniversary
Dorothy Jerse looks back at local history from 10, 25 and 50 years ago as reported in the Tribune and Tribune-Star.
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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: 1955 Babe Ruth League championship team to be feted
Currently in his 25th year as a college baseball coach, Rick Heller is in the midst of his third winning season at Indiana State and has embraced the university and the community.
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GENEALOGY: Long-awaited 1940 census is now available for the public
The long-awaited release of the 1940 census took place on April 2.
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HISTORICAL TREASURE: Memories baked from scratch
On my Historical Treasure hunt, I was drawn to a pasteboard barrel 28 inches high and 18.5 inches across with the words “Calumet Baking Powder Bakes Best, Received Highest Award” on one side and “Calumet Baking Powder Always Pleases, Try It” on the other.
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BRUCE'S HISTORY LESSON: Thomas Jefferson's flights of fancy
Thomas Jefferson, born this week (April 13) in 1743, is — deservedly so — in the pantheon of American heroes.
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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: J.K. Emmet’s first appearance at the Terre Haute Opera House
The first season of the magnificent Terre Haute Opera House, which featured many of the world’s premier celebrities, was a resounding success.
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GENEALOGY: Black Death had a monumental effect on world
One event in the past had a monumental effect on our ancestors, indeed determining who they would be. This was the advent and spread of bubonic plague, the Black Death. The plague originated in China in 1333. It was caused by a bacterium in fleas, which were carried by rats. The plague spread out of China via trading routes with the West (the Silk Road) and especially on ships, which carried flea-infested rats and provided a closed environment for people to infect each other.
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LOOKING BACK: 1987: 'Banana king' opens Farmer's Market
Dorothy Jerse looks back at local history from 10, 25 and 50 years ago as reported in the Tribune and Tribune-Star.
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HISTORICAL TREASURE: Hunting for sugary Easter treats
Among the many varieties of the Easter egg, none is more charming than the panoramic Sugar Egg. Three were recently given to the Vigo County Historical Museum by Judy Lowe and are shown in an Easter-themed display case in the entry hall.
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BRUCE’S HISTORY LESSON: Emperor Constantine changes the world




