When Harry G. Sleight retired in September 1910 after 37 consecutive years of service as the car accountant for the Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad (TH&I;), he was honored by his employer and the Association of Transportation and Accounting Officers.
Feted by the accounting organization at their annual dinner in Cape May, N.J., Sleight was introduced as a man “who belongs to that class, far too small, whose influence is felt more by what they do than by what they say.”
He began working for the TH&I; on March 17, 1873. Harry and his wife Harriet, who resided at 526 S. Fifth St. in Terre Haute for many years, moved to Boston in early 1911 to be closer to maiden daughter Hattie, a supervisor of the Boston public schools.
Son Harry H. Sleight also was residing in the East, making a name for himself in New York theater. Referred to on Broadway as H. Hartwell Sleight and H.H. Sleight, Harry was a clerk for the TH & I until early 1901.
Sleight made his New York stage debut Sept. 24, 1901, in “Miranda of the Balcony,” the first show presented by producer -director Harrison Grey Fiske after he leased the Manhattan Theater at 102 West 33rd St. from owners William Brady and Florenz Ziegfield.
Fiske acquired an interest in the playhouse to provide his wife, Minnie Maddern Fiske, with more exposure. The venture was successful. “Mrs. Fiske,” as Harrison’s wife was known, was considered as one of Broadway’s most popular actresses
H. H. Sleight often appeared at the Manhattan Theater, most of the time in a play with Mrs. Fiske in the leading role, including “The Unwelcome Mrs. Hatch” (1901), “Captain Molly,” (1902) and “The Earl of Pawtucket” (1903).
In 1916, Sleight had a major role in “The Co-Respondent,” at the Booth Theater.
III
Sleight was not the only former Terre Haute resident doing well on Broadway.
Beatrix Doane, who grew up with her uncle, Elva Wallace, at 118 S. Fifth St. in Terre Haute, catapulted to stardom after appearing in “Funabashi” at the Casino Theater at 39th and Broadway in early 1908.
“Miss Doane” next was cast in the musical, “The Golden Butterfly,” starring Grace Van Studdiford at the Broadway Theater at 41st Street. It opened Oct. 12, 1908.
On June 22, 1911, Doane (now spelling her name “Beatrice”) debuted at the Globe Theater at 205 W. 46th St., known today as the Lunt-Fontanne Theater, in “The Red Rose,” with Terre Haute actress Valeska Suratt having the marquee role.
Married to Harry Stein, Doane played Tita, the lead chorus girl, in the musical. Suratt not only was the lead actress and vocalist in “The Red Rose,” but also was in charge of scenic and costume design.
Coincidentally, Terre Haute actor Ira Lyndon Law was lead tenor in “The Old Town,” based upon a book by Hoosier author George Ade, when it opened Jan. 10, 1910. It was the first performance in the Charles Dillingham’s Globe Theater.
On July 16, 1911, Suratt presented the New York City Park Commissioners with $5,000 to install a fountain in a small triangular plaza at 46st and Broadway near the Globe Theater.
“Out in San Francisco,” Valeska told a New York Morning Telegraph reporter, “there is a tiny square just like this one and, 30 years ago, the actress Lotta presented the Lotta Fountain to that city. It is still one of the landmarks of San Francisco.
“I hope you will accept this fountain,” Suratt told New York Park Commissioner Stover, “which will in time, perhaps, become known as a landmark of upper Broadway.”
Valeska did not insist that the fountain be named for her but did not object to a suggestion that it be called “The Suratt Fountain of Youth.”
III
Anna M. Hoffman-Hancock, the 26-year-old daughter of John W. Hoffman, yeastmaker at the Terre Haute Brewing Co., and his wife Amelia, spent the 1910-11 theatrical season in “Judy Forgot,” a musical starring Marie Cahill, at a vaudeville theater in Brooklyn, N.Y.
In late June 1911, she was engaged to play the principal role in “The Larboard Watch,” a summer musical comedy presented by the Butler Opera Company at the Cort Theater in Chicago, which opened July 8.
Anna’s brother Charles B. Hoffman, manager of the Terre Haute Automobile Co., attended the grand opening, as did Pearl Ellis.
Though Hoffman studied under some of the best-known voice teachers in the world, she considered Ellis, her Terre Haute tutor, better than any of the rest.
III
By July 1911, the chain of 25-cent department stores established by the three Rothschild brothers from Terre Haute — Will, Harry and Ed — had grown to 25 units
The first eight stores in the syndicate, formed in 1910, were located in New York and eastern Pennsylvania.
The brothers were sons of Louis Rothschild, a former partner with Samuel Frank in the Terre Haute garment-making business.
The Rothschild boys gained experience in syndicate management by acquiring six “five-and-ten-cent” stores. Later, they expanded the concept by originating the idea of a “25-cent” department store.
The Rothschilds’ “five-and dime” stores were sold in 1910 to Kresges, then a relatively unknown competitor to the Woolworth and Knox chains.
History
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: The summer of 1911 … that was an interesting time for former TH residents
- History
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BRUCE'S HISTORY LESSON: This little-known compromise may have saved the union
When the Constitution was signed in September of 1787 and sent to the Congress that then existed under the Articles of Confederation, Congress was instructed to send that Constitution to the states to be ratified … or not. The message to the states was clear: Accept the Constitution or reject it, but don’t try to change it.
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Traveling Civil War exhibit makes history personal
Civil War history will come alive for visitors to the Sullivan County Public Library who experience “Faces of the Civil War,” a traveling exhibition created and managed by the Indiana Historical Society.
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GENEALOGY: Virginia Historical Society takes on ambitious project
Over the past few months, the Virginia Historical Society has launched an ambitious project to scrutinize more than 8 million 17th, 18th, and 19th century documents in order to identify the enslaved population of those times.
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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: The Legacy of ‘The Old Silkworm House’
In 1837, and for several years thereafter, a gray sandstone obelisk was installed next to a one-story frame residence at the northwest corner of Sixth and Eagle streets.
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HISTORICAL TREASURE: A blast from valentines past
Valentine’s Day — it brings to mind simple paper valentines and the elaborate, fancy store-bought cards with multiple verses and glittery covers.
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LOOKING BACK: 1962: Flu outbreak forces Schulte closed
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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Original copy of 13th Amendment at Lincoln Library & Museum
A fully signed and recently restored copy of the Congressional resolution for a 13th Amendment to the Constitution, the official act that would abolish slavery in the United States, will be on display in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum’s Treasures Gallery.
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BRUCE'S HISTORY LESSON: Freedom of religion — beliefs and actions
Because religious faith is, arguably, the quintessential example of our right to privacy, to say nothing of its prominent place in our First Amendment, throughout our history court cases involving the free exercise of religion have been handled with great trepidation and with particular care. One of the milestone “free exercise” religion cases, Davis v. Beason, was decided by the Supreme Court this week (Feb. 3) in 1890.
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GENEALOGY: SoCal Genealogical Jamboree coming up in June
The Southern California Genealogical Society announces its 43rd Annual Jamboree, to be staged for three days on June 8-10, at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel in Burbank, Calif.
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LOOKING BACK: 2002: Disco Ernie featured on Maury
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: Flashing the mayor's badge
This mayoral badge was presented to the Vigo County Historical Society by Elizabeth K. Schultz, the granddaughter of Samuel E. Beecher Sr., who served as mayor of Terre Haute from 1936 to 1940.
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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: Deadly tornado devastates York in 1907
John T. Staff loved water and, particularly, the Wabash River.
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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: Notorious Western desperado Ellsworth Wyatt captured in Clay County
In October 1892, Terre Haute police received a circular from the State of Kansas containing a description of Ellsworth Wyatt and offering a $1,200 reward for his capture.
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LOOKING BACK: 2002: ISU students honor Martin Luther King Jr.
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: News letter filled with wonderful local news
We recently received five bound volumes of copies of the “Terre Haute Onizette,” the Owen-Illinois Glass Company news letter for the Terre Haute Plant.
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GENEALOGY: Peyton, Downey, Fifer queries and a plea for help from Scotland
This week, we have several queries.
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Extension plans seminar on land use
The Purdue Extension Land Use Team is hosting a video seminar titled “Welcome to the Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals” from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday.
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BRUCE'S HISTORY LESSON: Kennedy, Camelot, and other myths
This week (Jan. 20) in 1961, John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as our 35th president, and his tragic death by assassination notwithstanding, his was a mediocre presidency that, undeservedly, became the stuff of legend — in part because of his assassination.
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Actor to portray Lincoln at dinner for historical society
A special program, “And Lincoln Wrote,” is coming to Harlan Hall in Marshall, Ill., with a featured presentation by Dick Benach as Abraham Lincoln and Chuck Hand as the publisher of the Prairie Beacon.
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GENEALOGY: Celebrate MLK Day with the Indiana Historical Society
On Monday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Indiana Historical Society will offer free admission to celebrate Martin Luther King Day.
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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: Light Guards savor military and social experiences
Never during the Civil War was there a time when the City of Terre Haute was in danger of hosting an armed conflict involving one or more armies.
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LOOKING BACK: 1962: 87 high school hoops teams compete in 47th annual Wabash Valley Tournament
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: A bottle of clove oil at the pharmacy
The Historical Treasure for today is a bottle of Clove Oil.
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LOOKING BACK: 1987: St. Mary’s Parish congregation celebrates 150th 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 TREASURE: Fire up the jukebox for a great night
The jukebox existed long before Glenn Miller’s “Juke Box Saturday Night” swing version.
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GENEALOGY: 1752 is one memorable year for genealogists
The year 1752 is one to remember if you have ancestors who lived in areas controlled by Great Britain; and this includes the American colonies.
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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: Terre Haute teenager arrested in Cincinnati brothel
A newspaper headline in the Terre Haute Gazette on Jan. 3, 1895, grabbed your attention: “A Terre Haute Girl Goes to Cincinnati to Lead a Life of Shame.”
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BRUCE'S HISTORY LESSON: Ford’s five dollar days increase productivity
This week (Jan. 5) in 1914, Henry Ford, the head of the Ford Motor Company, stunned the business world by announcing that, henceforth, Ford employees would not only share in the car company’s profits, they also would be paid the unheard of sum of $5 a day. That doubled their previous wage.
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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: Some events not given adequate attention
On May 25, 2011, a large white oak tree — one of the 2,000 or so numbered trees on 324 platted lots in “Edgewood Grove Beautiful” subdivision — fell on our residence.
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LOOKING BACK: Carty, Skelly, Oxford celebrate with first baby of the year in 1962, 1987, 2002
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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BRUCE'S HISTORY LESSON: This little-known compromise may have saved the union
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