INDIANAPOLIS —
While doors to the Ernie Pyle State Historic Site remain closed in Dana, the Indiana Natural Resources Commission voted Tuesday to table a decision that would allow the state to sell or auction off the historic property along Indiana 71.
The state commission voted to table a decision of “deaccession” until its Nov. 16 meeting.
“So far it’s just a glimmer of hope,” said Phil Hess, a member of the not-for-profit Friends of Ernie Pyle, which wants the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to continue to fund and operate the museum dedicated to the birthplace of the World War II Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist/war correspondent.
“We wanted it to stay in the Indiana state historic site system and be operated again,” Hess said. “Many [such as the Scripps-Howard Foundation which donated to the museum] expected the Ernie Pyle site to be open for generations.”
Hess said the Friends of Ernie Pyle in early May appealed to Gov. Mitch Daniels to keep the site open. “At least the decision by the governor will not be pre-empted” by the state Natural Resources Commission, Hess said. “Any concession that we get that we can reopen will sure be welcome by us. This will probably give us time to hear from the governor and re-enter talks with the DNR [Department of Natural Resources].”
Hess said the group expects to hear from the governor by early June.
The state closed the doors to the historic site on the last day of December. The state since has offered the site to the Friends of Ernie Pyle, Vermillion County government, the town of Dana or any community group.
John Davis, DNR’s deputy director of land management, said the decision to table the museum’s deaccession stops a process of disposing of the property, yet still allows for conversations for “alternative arrangements.”
“It is possible that we can have a relationship with the Friends of Ernie Pyle or the [town of Dana] or the county that would still have some state involvement. Our objective was to not spend state dollars on operation and improvements,” Davis said.
“We want to be open to any possibility. The only possibility we don’t want to be open to is continuing to operate it on our own as a standalone” historic site, Davis said.
“There is no doubt that Ernie Pyle is a Hoosier that we can all be proud of or are proud of,” Davis added.
Deaccession allows historic property, plus historic artifacts that perhaps are duplicates or are deemed no longer needed, to be deeded or sold to community groups or local government. The state took such actions with two former historic sites. They include the birthplace of Wilbur Wright in Henry County near Millville and Pigeon Roost near Scottsburg in Scott County, said Phil Bloom, DNR spokesman.
The Ernie Pyle State Historic Site was established in 1976. State officials contend that fiscal concerns started in 1996 shortly after the opening of a visitor center. Over the past five years, visitation has been 1,000 to 1,800 visitors per year, less than one-third any other state historic site, with annual revenues averaging about $7,200. The site also had $50,000 in improvement costs over the past five years.
Hess said the site’s total operating costs in 2009 were $14,000, of which $4,000 was for labor and the rest for utilities. Those costs were offset by a gift shop, admission fees and donations, making the net cost about $6,000 last year, Hess said.
In addition, the site was only open for 308 hours, which is one-sixth of the average of the state’s 12 historic sites, Hess said. The museum was open two days a week (Fridays and Saturdays) from May to September, while the rest of the year it was open one day a week.
In addition, Hess contends that $50,000 of the cost was for roof repair, painting and repair of a porch, which was offset “at least 60 percent or more” from a will bequest from Paige Cavanaugh, a longtime friend of Pyle.
“Really, the savings doesn’t justify the closure and is a betrayal of the trust of the people who have made donations,” Hess said.
Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com
News
State puts off decision on Pyle historic site
Panel to consider ‘deaccessing’ property at November meeting
- News
-
-
Rockville correctional facility program teaches life skills
It’s hard to know who benefits the most: the inmates or the dogs.
-
AAA mag recognizes city for arts works
The nonprofit organization that uses outdoor sculpture to draw attention to Terre Haute is getting some notice of its own.
-
State pushing for convenience stores to make safety a higher priority
In 2002, after New Mexico forced convenience store owners to put sweeping security measures into place for clerks working late-night hours, the number of robberies dropped by 92 percent. Assaults, murders and other crimes at convenience stores also dropped dramatically.
Now Indiana officials are hoping voluntary compliance with similar safety standards will bring about similar results.
-
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.
-
MIKE LUNSFORD: 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.
-
HOT MEMORIAL DAY weekend ahead for workers, campers, garage salers
The Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff of summer, and this weekend is expected to be a scorcher with consecutive days of temperatures in the low to mid-90s.
-
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.
-
Quiz King
Matt Aselage doesn’t usually watch TV game shows, but he is certainly up-to-date on current events.
-
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.
-
Brazil remembers a Fallen Son
A small town seemed sadly quiet Wednesday, waiting to honor a local fallen warrior.
- More News Headlines
-
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Obama Honors Fallen Troops at Arlington Cemetery
Man in Crane at Texas College Says He's Armed
Raw Video: Deadly Explosion at Minn. Paper Mill
Raw Video: Cop Shoots Man Eating Another's Face
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Romney Promises World's Strongest Military
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Obama Pays Tribute to Vietnam Veterans
Beryl Knocks Out Power in Florida
Raw Video: Earthquake Shakes Evacuees in Italy
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
Raw Video: Memorial Day Aboard Intrepid
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
LeAnn Rimes Rocks Short Shorts
Drunk Women Breaking Into Houses: A New Trend?
Beyonce Shows Off 60 Pound Weight Loss at Concert
Gordon Ramsay Carried Off Field
Man Dies Getting Lap Dance
Bear cools off in Calif. family's pool
Kim Kardashian Claims Items Stolen from Her Luggage
Ep. 3: Chopped Desserts
Air Force dad surprises family at baseball game
Justin Bieber Wanted for Questioning for L.A. Scuffle
J.Lo and Marc's Friendly Reunion
Jet makes emergency landing after debris falls off
Cynthia Nixon Ties the Knot
Woman, 80, Falls Out of Skydive Harness Mid-Jump
Keira Reveals Engagement Ring
Dog runs alonside cyclists for 1,100 miles
Lady Gaga Cancels Indonesian Show After Threats
