Vigo County Historical Society

Cigar press used by city tradesman

On the downstairs level of the Vigo County Historical Museum is a wooden cigar press. This was used to make cigars long before the modern assembly line production method. This cigar press was owned and used by William C. Piepenbrink.

Tobacco is native to Western Hemisphere and was brought to Spain from Santa Domingo in 1550; Jean Nicot introduced it to France the same year. Sir Francis Drake brought tobacco to be rolled into cigars to England in 1585, and Sir Walter Raleigh later taught the English dandies about pipe smoking.

The rolled cigar became the choice smoke for the American industrialists of the 19th century, and small local factories sprang up. Piepenbrink was one such cigar maker and the city directory for 1888 lists William C. Piepenbrink, cigar manufacturer, 1421 S. Fourth St., residence same. In 1912-13, Piepenbrink was still listed as a cigar manufacturer, but his address for his business and residence was listed at 1207 S. Fifth St.

Piepenbrink died Oct. 27, 1915, at age 57. His obituary listed him as a cigar maker and a member of the local union for 30 years. His wooden cigar press was later presented to the museum by his daughter, Anna Piepenbrink Moultrie.

Visit the Vigo County Historical Museum to see the many artifacts that tell of the changes that have taken place in Terre Haute in the last 150 years.