Vigo County Historical Society

1915 Terre Haute was bustling

At the Vigo County Historical Museum, our final exhibit of the 1900s is one of looking back over the past 100 years in Vigo County.

Through the decades of fashions, photographs, paintings, artifacts and newspaper articles, our yearlong exhibit to "Celebrate the Century" focuses on the people, events, entertainment, businesses and buildings that shaped our community into what it is today.

Enlarged photos of the changing faces of Wabash Avenue provide the continuing theme that carries the display from the beginning to the end of the century.

The photograph pictures as this week’s Historical Treasure depicts Wabash Avenue looking west from Seventh Street around 1915. The streetcars are running parked cars line the curbs, every storefront is occupied, and shoppers abound.

Readable names along the block are the Root Store, the Princess Theater, Moore’s Lunch, Levinson’s, Piggly Wiggly and Dr. Callahan, Optometrist.

While it’s impossible to fit a century into a room, this exhibit provides a sampling of what Wabash Valley residents saw and did during the past 10 decades. Visit the Historical Museum to see and celebrate 100 of our country’s past years. There’s sure to be a memory for everyone.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.