Historic Treasure of the Week - November 10, 1991
By Helen F. Mitchell
Vigo County Historical Society
Historic Treasure of the Week - November 10, 1991
By Helen F. Mitchell
Vigo County Historical Society
Sea captain’s memories travel back to city
The original owner of these tiny baby shoes traveled far, but the little shoes remained in Terre Haute.
William Earle had a dream of being the captain of a ship and he was able to live out that boyhood dream to the fullest. Capt. William Earle, as he was known when an adult, sailed the high seas for many years but never forgot his place of birth and early childhood.
In March 1871, at the age of 53, he wrote a long and now celebrated letter to a newspaper in our city. He described Terre Haute as he remembered it beginning with the year 1823 when he was but 5 years old. The exact date of his departure from Terre Haute is not known, but it probably was in the middle 1830s as in the letter he mentions having been present at an event which took place in 1834.
The celebrated letter was written from the barque "Emily Morgan," which was sailing a few miles south of the equator about 750 miles west of the coast of Ecuador, South America. Capt. Earle’s description of people, places and events is so accurate and detailed that the letter, either in part or in its entirety, is included in most of the histories of early Terre Haute and Vigo County.
Some historians name William Earle as the first male child born in Terre Haute, while others give this honor to William Hodge. One historian states simply that William Earle and William Hodge were the first two male babies born her in 1818.
Since we have William Earle’s baby shoes, we will let William Hodge rest in peace and continue with our story.
Earle was born in a log and frame house at the corner of Water and Poplar streets. The father, who ran a small store in part of the house, died in 1819. William seemed to thrive, although he does not say who cared for him. He did say, however, "I remember people as being very kind to me."
He was fascinated by the river traffic and recalls the first steamboat, "Florence," arriving at the dock in 1824 or 1825.
His memory of events and personalities is almost uncanny as he names and describes politicians, business men and other citizens. Chauncey Rose and Demas Deming were held high in his esteem.
He returned to the city for two short visits. The last one was in 1853 and the letter was written 18 years later.
Capt. Earle, while sailing on a long voyage, wrote, "How I long to linger over the past. In memory I live my young days over again. May I again feel the touch of a vanished hand or hear the sound of a voice that is still . . . I have tasted the bitterness of death from cold and hunger and beneath a burning sun I have suffered with thirst . . . I have battled with the mightiest creatures of God’s creation . . . Through a thousand perils I have been safely brought. From the puny sickly boy I became a strong and hearty man--from the green backwoodsman I became what I am--a sailor."
Capt. Earle died in 1888 and was buried somewhere on the East Coast.
The little shoes came to the museum as a gift from Gertrude McIntire, a long-time resident of Terre Haute. We don’t know how they came into her keeping unless she was related to the captain. Miss McIntire died several years ago.
The lovely little faded and worn red baby shoes are a pleasant reminder of one of Terre Haute’s earliest residents who soon outgrew the shoes and left for a life on the sea, but kept the memories locked in his heart only to return them to us in his letter.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.