TERRE HAUTE — John Dillinger has an historical link to Terre Haute, even paying to establish a hideaway in the city for members of his notorious bank robbing gang in the 1930s.
Now that link will include a new restaurant, “JD’s Steakhouse & BBQ,” at 1936 S. Third St.
“I wanted to have a theme, which started out as a Western theme, but we found out by coincidence the tie with Depression-era gangsters,” said owner W. Todd Jackson. “I didn’t realize John Dillinger has so many ties to Terre Haute.”
The new restaurant opens Monday — June 22 — the same date Dillinger was born in Indianapolis in 1903. Plus, a Terre Haute radio station plans a promotional event at the new restaurant to give out tickets for the July 1 debut of the movie, “Public Enemies,” featuring actor Johnny Depp as Dillinger, Jackson said.
The restaurant will hold 70 people. Jackson plans to have 15 servers and six cooks working two shifts. The restaurant will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., plus offer a Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. “We will have steak and eggs, gravy and biscuits or hashbrowns. It will be a limited brunch menu. Everything I do, I do different, but simple,” he said.
As an example, Jackson plans to offer every child, age 12 and under, a free root beer float.
“I got into the restaurant business by accident. My wife makes Italian food and I wanted steak,” he joked. “I am a steak-and-potato guy.”
Jackson and his wife, Michelle, had been working in real estate “flipping houses and selling houses. When the mortgage market when south, we sold some properties and bought on the north end and remodeled it,” he said, adding his wife continues to work in real estate.
The couple opened JD’s Steak Grille & Pub at 1330 8th Ave. a year ago. Yet, Jackson said the restaurant business never really got established, as the location has been a long-standing site as a tavern.
“We thought we could bring the people there, as there was not anything near there, but most people go to the south end to shop and end up eating near there,” he said.
An area south of Hulman Street is close to many restaurants, Jackson said. Plus, the new restaurant is near the Umi Grill, a Japanese restaurant. The two businesses form a restaurant destination, he said.
Jackson makes his own barbecue sauce, his own seasoning salt and seasoned flour for food at the restaurant.
“You know what you like. I make what I like, and it seems that everyone else likes it, too,” he said. “We have our own way we cook. Just about everything goes on the grill, which is what a steakhouse should be, not on a fry pan or skillet,” Jackson said.
“We have smoked ribs, smoked chicken, smoked pork shoulder, pulled pork and the steaks, with the ribeye, sirloins and filet. We are introducing the filet here, which we did not have on the north end,” Jackson added.
Jackson has yet to put up his store-front sign. On Thursday, he planned to install curtains to cover half the large windows that surround the restaurant, plus he planned a training session for employees, cooking and tasting food to be served at the restaurant.
Jackson said he chose “JD’s” because he liked the name for a steakhouse. Now that name fits the John Dillinger theme.
Dillinger’s link to Terre Haute includes gang members Russell Lee “Boobie” Clark and Edward W. Shouse Jr., both of Terre Haute. In September 1933, Dillinger gave Kokomo brothel owner Peal Elliott $27,000 to buy and equip a Terre Haute hideaway. A house was bought for that purpose at 2531 Fenwood Ave., according to Vigo County Historian Mike McCormick’s book, “Terre Haute: Queen City of the Wabash.”
Confessions from Shouse, apprehended by police, placed some of Dillinger’s gang in Terre Haute before a robbery of the Peru police station for guns and a bank in Greencastle in October 1933, according to McCormick’s book.
On Nov. 8, 1933, about 150 Indiana National Guardsmen, Terre Haute police and Indiana State Police raided 2531 Fenwood and 2346 Second Ave., but missed the gang, whose members had fled in the middle of the night.
Articles from McCormick about Dillinger will be placed under glass tops on tables in the restaurant. “We also have some large photos of John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Bonnie and Clyde, and Pretty Boy Floyd on the walls. They all have ties to the Midwest,” Jackson said.
Streetscapes from the 1930s of downtown Terre Haute along Wabash Avenue will be part of the decor, too.
“We also hope to get help from the public, for a free dinner or something, if they bring in something copy-ready for us to hang on the walls, so eventually we want to have everything with Wabash Valley history,” Jackson said.
Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Restaurant ready to embrace Terre Haute’s ties to John Dillinger
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Patriotism & Honor
From his vantage point, Sonner Faught could see almost every volunteer in the cemetery.
-
Graduation turns to mourning in Clinton
Jeana Lunsford’s graduation from South Vermillion High School Saturday should have been a time of celebration.
-
School choice proponents foresee growth of vouchers
Twenty-seven Vigo County students benefited from tax-supported vouchers during the first year of the Choice Scholarship Program, and that number is expected to grow for 2012-13, say Indiana school choice leaders who visited Terre Haute Thursday.
-
Tales of obstruction meet first takeover attempts
A decade after Indiana legislators gave the state the power to take over chronically failing schools, the first implementation of the law is meeting with resistance, skepticism and questions about its costs.
-
THE OFF SEASON: Raising a flag for my father, veteran or not
My daughter, Ellen, and I stood at my parents’ graves on Mother’s Day a few weeks back and talked about how it couldn’t possibly have been so long since we lost them. My dad, for instance, has been gone for 16 years, and that is nearly unimaginable
-
3 rescued from burning residence
Quick action on the part of some first-responders is credited with saving the lives of three people in a Vermillion County fire early Saturday morning, according to the Vermillion County Sheriff’s Department.
-
He never forgot a name: Friends remember victim of fire at Garfield Towers
When Freddie Poore met you, he never forgot you.
-
Hometown boy embraces ‘Promise I Made’: Clinton native Ken Kercheval takes role in Dreams Come True production
Thanks to some help from a hometown boy in Hollywood, “This Promise I Made” is still on track to be kept in Clinton.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Many say they don’t vote in primary because of tag that comes with it
A couple of columns ago, I posed a question about why most Indiana polling places on primary election day had so few customers.
-
Police looking for convenience store robber
Police are seeking a robbery suspect following a Saturday morning armed robbery at the Jiffy MiniMart at 25th Street and Eighth Avenue.
-
Graduation ‘responsibility’: Rose-Hulman stages 134th commencement exercises
Inventor Dean Kamen gave a first-hand demonstration Saturday of how to be an innovator.
-
THE OFF SEASON: To the seniors, one last lecture before you go …
It dawned on me one day last week, as I sat at my desk in my teacher clothes and shoes, a stack of ungraded essays calling to me from a rather tall and depressing pile, that I hadn’t missed a high school graduation in 33 years.
-
Water rescuers
Emergency personnel wheel a man who was removed from a vehicle that had been driven into the water at Crystal Lake on Boston Avenue near 14th Street at about 9 p.m. Friday.
-
For many, camping outdoors is the way to beat the heat, enjoy nature
Stringing up fishing poles in the shade of American flags, households full of Hoosiers are packing into parks across the state this weekend.
-
Towns along National Road readying for next week’s miles-long yard sale
Stretching 824 miles from Baltimore to St. Louis, the National Road — known as U.S. 40 through Indiana — will soon be the host site for perhaps the longest bargain market in the country.
-
Rose grads honoring late president Branam at commencement today
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Class of 2012 will honor the memory of Matt Branam during today’s commencement ceremony by wearing special pins with the phrase “Make It Happen; Make It Fun,” a favorite saying of the former Rose-Hulman president, who died unexpectedly on April 20.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 26, 2012
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Thursday and Friday, based on jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers but are not final until the Vigo County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
-
A fallen soldier returns home
An Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Spc. Arronn D. Fields early Thursday morning at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
-
Official touts trade with northern neighbor
A top Canadian diplomat told a Terre Haute audience Thursday his country was “disappointed” when President Obama at least temporarily rejected a proposed transcontinental oil pipeline from Alberta to Texas.
-
Caution urged for summer’s kickoff
Lane restrictions in construction zones on Interstate 70 and other highways around the state will be lifted to accommodate holiday travel for the Memorial Day Weekend.
-
Letters delivered
Several positions will be eliminated this summer at the Terre Haute mail processing facility as the U.S. Postal Service begins moving the operation to Indianapolis, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman has confirmed.
-
Companies seek Vigo tax abatements
Two Vigo County companies are seeking tax abatements for expansion projects, one of which is included as part of a county incentive package.
-
High-speed chase suspect caught in West Virginia
The suspect in a cross-country, high-speed chase originating in Terre Haute last week was reportedly in federal custody Thursday evening.
-
Second victim of deadly I-70 semi-trailer crash identified
The Vigo County Coroner’s Office has identified the passenger of a semi-tractor crash on May 16 in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near the 12-mile marker.
- VIGO COUNTY JAIL LOG: May 22-24, 2012
-
Burn ban in effect for Vigo County through holiday weekend
Vigo County officials have issued a burn ban effective Thursday and remains in effect until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
-
Brazil remembers a Fallen Son
A small town seemed sadly quiet Wednesday, waiting to honor a local fallen warrior.
-
ISU OKs four-year degree guarantee
Indiana State University has announced a four-year “graduation guarantee” for students enrolling this fall and beyond.
-
Dems tout good side of compromise
Indiana Senate Minority Leader Vi Simpson, chosen to run as the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate John Gregg, said during a stop Wednesday in Terre Haute that bipartisan experience is a key factor in creating jobs and legislation to help Hoosiers statewide.
-
Motorcyclist dies, motorist charged after accident
A Terre Haute man has died of injuries he sustained in a two-motorcycle, one-car crash that also injured another motorcyclist late Tuesday. The incident has led to the arrest of the car’s driver.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Obama Honors Fallen Troops at Arlington Cemetery
Raw Video: Cop Shoots Man Eating Another's Face
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: National Mall Concert Shut Down
Beryl Threatens Rain, Winds on Southeast Coast
Tropical Storm Beryl Strengthens, Nears US Coast
Romney Promises World's Strongest Military
Beryl Knocks Out Power in Florida
Raw Video: Deadly Explosion at Minn. Paper Mill
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Raw Video: Obama Lays Wreath on Memorial Day
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Obama Pays Tribute to Vietnam Veterans
Raw Video: Memorial Day Aboard Intrepid
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Shell Readies Arctic Drill Ship
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Keira Reveals Engagement Ring
Man in Crane at Texas College Says He's Armed
Justin Bieber Accused of Assaulting Photographer - Glen Walker reports
J.Lo and Marc's Friendly Reunion
Woman, 80, Falls Out of Skydive Harness Mid-Jump
Dog runs alonside cyclists for 1,100 miles
Lady Gaga Cancels Indonesian Show After Threats
Long Story Short: Beyonce back on stage
Raw Video: Man Rescued From River in China
Celtics crush Sixers in Game 7
Alleged Lego Thief Faces Felony Charges
Has Snooki Named Her Baby?
Heat Wave Warms Holiday Weekend
Beyonce Entertains the First Family
Inspiration for the class of 2012
Colorado College Student Shot While Trespassing
