Memories of Downtown Terre Haute

Remembering Downtown Terre during a vibrant time---before shopping malls and Wal Mart.

[@t.ricker2398]

used to go downtown with my grandma as a child I'll never forget the good times thanks for the video, Richard in San Diego

[@AndrewKonkey]

I still enjoy going downtown sometimes and eating at the Saratoga for Friday night. It's a great place to meet friends still.

[@nista4ever]

It is so nice to see how beautiful and vibrant Terre Haute once was!

[@billdenehie498]

It was a wonderful part of growing up in this town. I remember going to the Goodie Shop with my granny in the early 50’s. Then I remember going to the Grand Theater-at 7th and Cherry and also at 8th and Wabash after it moved.

[@stevecooper223]

I moved from Terre Haute to Des Moines back in 06 I so miss my home and I am glad to see so many things being added to my home town

[@angelbears44]

Great video. I remember some of the stores there. Meis, Roots, Woolworth I loved eating there.

[@tortega888]

Nice video!! Thanks to all of you for putting this together. It's incredible how vibrant downtown was! Hopefully, things will continue improving and more merchants will make it great again.

[@Thunderchicken1997]

I remember going downtown with my Grandma in the early 60's. Roots, Meis, Horning & Hawn shoes, Sears. We would go to Woolworth's at 7th & Wabash and have a burger, fries, and a Coke for 35 cents. I saw my first movie, Bambi, at the Grand Theater. I loved downtown Terre Haute, especially at Holidays, especially Christmas, when ALL of the stores had special window displays. What was the name of that really popular Club on Wabash where the big bands played? I still visit from time to time, and can't pass up the Prime Rib at the Saratoga. It's the best in the world! I hear that they are making a limited edition of Champagne Velvet at Mauger's, the former location of the Terre Haute Brewing Company on 9th Street. I've lived in Columbus, Indiana for nearly 20 years, longer than I lived in Terre Haute, but I still have family & friends there, being a grad from North High School in 1977. Columbus is home, but Terre Haute is where my roots are and where I will be buried. I truly miss the vibrant version of Downtown compared to the way it is now. Tearing down the Terre Haute House was a real slap in the face.

[@OzArt]

Brought back sooo many memories

[@CombatDoc54]

I remember my granny taking me to the Grand and Indiana theater. It was around Nov. or Dec of '62 or Jan, Feb of '63 she took me to The Indiana theater to see a WWII movie. I always thought the name of the show was "The Helmet" because during the opening credits there was a scene with a soldiers helmet on the beach. But the name of the movie was actually "The Longest Day."

[@gedisdiop]

Hey, Todd. We went to school together at North. Great job with the video.

[@tkshr]

My Aunt was a hairdresser in the Aldens store for many, many years. I remember Meis, Roots, and all the other downtown stores of the past. We lived in West Terre Haute and would go to Terre Haute on Saturdays!

[@bryanbaker5942]

The Indiana Theatre still at 7th and Ohio. For the time being. I'm sure a developer will want that corner to build something stupid and tear it down like every other old building in down town.

[@CombatDoc54]

LOL!!!! I REMEMBER those brass feetprint!! I forgot about Root's.

[@CombatDoc54]

THE GOODIE SHOPPE!!! I was trying to remember the name of that place. It was a smorgasbord!!!! Those women never did put enough on my plate. Granny called it a blue plate special. In the 80's, Kmart had a cafeteria and sold the best fried chicken dinners ever. 25th and Bash was where the orphanage used to be.

[@CombatDoc54]

At the 1:10 mark, that's 7th and Wabash. Back in the 70's I was a bus driver and we parked there. On the corner was a Fanny May chocolate shop and at the mentioned time stamp you see the canvas awning with "679" on it. In the 70's, that was Walter's Bakery. I used to get braunschager sandwiches there on toast with onion and horseradish. Then when I drove the 12 points route, I parked by the Terre Haute house and would go in there and buy lunch. Then they built a new transfer station at 5th and Bash, there was a small diner next to it by the alley and sometimes I would go over to Saratoga for a burger. Was Kressges the one that you parked around back and could go in the backdoor? I remember when you stepped in, there was a couple of steps that you had to go down. When my mom was a teen, she worked at Oakley's RX as a soda jerk working her way through The St. Anthony school of nursing. I believe Oakleys was around So 7th and Margaret. My granny would take me shopping and we would go in Sears and Penneys which were right next to each other. She would pay the cashier and they put the money in a can then hook the can on a chain that was on a track and it would go upstairs to the cash office and your change would come back down in the can. There was always an old black man that sat on a stool working the elevator. Another thing I remember was this old WWII vet with absolutely no bottom half of a body. He sat, (or what ever one calls it), on a board with casters on it and used his fists to move around on it. He sold pencils. That was on the SW corner of 7th and Bash. I remember going with granny once a month to Hulman and Co. buying flour in these big flour sacks. In the 70's Headstone was right across the street from Hulman & Co.

[@grayfur2011]

So good. Thank you.

[@georgef1776]

Thanks, great video - I went to ISU 72-77 - downtown was pretty vacant by that time, but there were a few local clubs that hosted regional bands, especially Bacchi's Hoagies. There were also a couple of good record stores, including Headstone Friends, that brought up-to-date rock and pop music to town. And I remember Eugene Debs' old house, which at the time sat isolated on the edge of a big parking lot. Viva Terre Haute!

[@paulacorreal1675]

Enjoyed the walk down memory Lane…thank you for sharing this!

[@matthewulm9103]

Wonderful video! Where did you source all the audio interviews? Great stories :)

[@terrehautehouse]

Great video !

[@davidthomas8366]

The boy on the bike at 5:36 looks like me don’t remember the picture being taken .Have seen a picture of me in a suit just like that .

[@gedisdiop]

In my youth, I was so proud to be from Terre Haute. It was a great place to go to school, to grow up, and to toot your horn about. But now, I only go back a few times a year. Now, Columbus, Indiana is my home. Columbus is waayyyy nicer than Terre Haute. Now, when I get back there, it's just a shadow of it's former glory. It will never be the same.

[@AppleSlicesUnite]

a christma story brought me here

[@typeviic1]

Time traveler at 2:40. Notice the vape pen on the edge of the table?

[@bryanbaker5942]

So what happened if a bunch of Garfield or Gerstmeyer rebels showed up at Gillis Drug Store? Did a rumble break out?

[@thecookinwithkennychannel6820]

Kressge became K mart

[@MuddieRain]

Sad what it is now

[@SmittyIN]

The Loft.

[@SoSoDEVIL]

It's really pathetic how great this place used to be now it's a cesspool

[@billbill9392]

if everyone stopped shopping w/ Amazon/Walmart ect ect, Wabash avenue could be back in full glory,it's never going to happen but if the majority of the united states refused to shop from the big corporations, mom and pop's would thrive again.

[@jjthompson5938]

Someone should shut terre haute Indiana down

[@HighSpeedNoDrag]

Terre Haute has it Ups and Downs. Some of the people here are pathetic and have no problem with Murdering anyone, especially if you are Not From Here. They are called Gang Stalkers.

[@terrehautehouse]

Great video !