Alice of Old Vincennes

You never know what you’ll find when you visit the Wabash Valley Visions & Voices (WV3) website. Take this Alice of Old Vincennes tomato can. First of all, what beautiful artwork! And secondly, thanks to William D. Walker of Vincennes for saving this treasure!

William was one of many people who took advantage of digitizing artifacts, documents and photographs during the Knox County Regional History Day in 2006. To view this image more closely, click here.

To visit the WV3 site, click here.

Turkey Day Game

Thanksgiving and football — at one time in Terre Haute, Ind., these two things were inseparable. In the late 1990s, Mike McCormick, Vigo County historian, wrote about the Wiley-Garfield Turkey Day Game in an ad sponsored by Terre Haute First National (Financial) Bank, Wabash Valley Profiles: A series of tributes to hometown people and events that have shaped our history.

In this article, McCormick noted that for nearly 40 years, a football game was held on this holiday. By 1953, the game was no longer played on Thanksgiving, but the Turkey Day Game moniker stuck.

The victor of the Turkey Day Game took home the prized bronze turkey. With school consolidation in the early 1970s, the turkey trophy found a home at the Vigo County Historical Museum, 1411 S. 6th Street, Terre Haute.

To read the entire Turkey Day Game profile, click here. To view images from Wiley High School, visit here. To view Garfield High School memories, click here.

The Educational Heritage Association collection also features memorabilia from Vigo County schools. The association is a volunteer-based organization focused on collecting, preserving, and promoting education in the Wabash Valley.

African American heritage in Terre Haute

Mark Shepard of Houston, Texas, has generously shared part of his collection of images celebrating the African American community in Terre Haute with Wabash Valley Visions & Voices. The photograph at left is one such image.

The Jones Pharmacy was the only African American owned and operated pharmacy in Terre Haute. It was founded by Dr. Winton D. Jones Sr., a graduate of the Butler University College of Pharmacy. Dr. Jones opened his drug store on the corner of 13th Street and College Avenue in 1925. In 1942, he built the pictured pharmacy at 1024 South 14th Street. Dr. Jones remained at this location until 1977.

To view other images from the Mark Shepard collection, click here.

Digging deep

Mining — it’s a tough and dangerous job. Those who work in mines risk their lives every time they go underground.

In Clinton, Ind., the Coal Town and Railroad Museum focuses on the coal and railroad industry, immigration, and cultural development from 1850 to 1960. The museum is owned and operated by Little Italy Festival Town Inc. (LIFT). The museum is housed in a renovated 1904 Chicago & Eastern Illinois railroad depot located at the corner of Main & Vine streets.

Click here to view items in the museum’s collection like the photograph of this Atlas Powder Company wooden box that was used as packaging for the high explosives produced and marketed by the company. Click here to learn more about the Coal Town and Railroad Museum.

Wedding bliss?

Just look into the eyes of this young couple. What do you think they were thinking? What do you think were their hopes and dreams?

This 1920 photograph appears in the collection of the Princeton Public Library at 124 S. Hart St. in Princeton, Ind. The collection includes photographs, documents, and public records pertaining to the city of Princeton and Gibson County.

To view this image in the Princeton Public Library collection, click here. To learn more about the library, click here.