Historical Houses
Williams-Warren-Zimmerman House
900-904 South Fourth Street
Built 1849, Greek Revival
This one-and-one-half story Greek Revival home is the oldest surviving house in Farrington’s Grove. It was built for Henry D. Williams, founder of the largest pork packing firm in Terre Haute. In 1859, it was purchased by William B. Warren, who was involved in the dry goods and pork packing businesses. He was also the first president of the Terre Haute Opera House Company and president of the Terre Haute Gas & Light Company. The house was originally located on Sixth Street, but was moved to its current location in 1874. The house was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
501 South Fifth Street
Built 1880, Italianate
This two-and-one-half story brick house was built around 1880. It features an elaborate bracketed cornice as well as window hoods. The home is characterized by a large, three-story square tower on the northeast corner. Towers of this sort were common in Italianate architecture but this house features the only surviving example in Farrington’s Grove. Most notably, perhaps, this house was the childhood home of painter John Rogers Cox (1915-1990). Cox was an adherent to the Magic Realist style, and is known for his oil paintings depicting vast Midwestern landscapes. In 1941, Cox became the first director of the Sheldon Swope Art Museum and assembled its founding collection. He later taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, until 1965. Several of Cox’s oil paintings feature a solitary Victorian house in the background, a homage to his childhood home in Farrington’s Grove.
805 South Fifth Street
Built 1870s, Italianate
This two-and-one-half story frame house was built in the 1870s. It is historically significant for being the home of poet Max Ehrmann (1872-1945), a Terre Haute native known for his poem “Desiderata”. Ehrmann resided in the house, owned by his older brother, in the early 1900s while employed at the family meat packing business. The home has been altered over the years but still retains some original features. At one point, the house possessed a large wrap-around front porch with classical elements, but it has since been replaced. After years under vinyl siding, the front facade was recently rehabilitated by owner Red Brick Property Management, LLC.
Grover-Shannon-Lee House
823 South Fifth Street
Built 1856, Greek Revival
This one-and-one-half story brick structure was built in the Greek Revival style. The original owner, Joseph Grover, was one of the pioneer manufacturers in the area and owned and operated the Eagle Foundry at the corner of First and Walnut Streets. The Grovers were one of the first families to build in this section of town, when it was still largely woods and meadows. Patrick Shannon, a prominent Terre Haute banker, purchased the house in 1873. It was later owned by James P. Stunkard in 1897 and by J. G. Lee in 1955. The home suffered catastrophic damage during a severe thunderstorm in summer 2021, when its northeast corner was crushed by a fallen tree. Luckily, the house was saved and is currently undergoing an exterior restoration by Indiana Landmarks.
Potter-Steele-Tabor House
824 South Fifth Street
Built 1870, Italianate
This dignified, two-and-one-half story Italianate brick structure was built in 1870 by Samuel Potter who sold it in 1874 to Col. George Kirkpatrick Steele, a prominent Indiana businessman, Republican state politician, and Union Army officer. Mr. Steele was instrumental in bringing several of the railroads from Indianapolis to western Indiana. He served for many years in the Indiana legislature where he opposed slavery and the Southern secession. He also worked to elect Abraham Lincoln president in 1860 and was chairman of the state committee which welcomed President Lincoln to Indiana on February 11, 1861, when he was en route to his inauguration.
Courtesy of Vigo County Public Library
R. N. Hudson House
507 South Sixth Street
Built 1868, Italianate
This fine two-and-one-half story Italianate brick home was built around 1868 by S. T. Reese for Col. Robert N. Hudson, a lawyer and publisher who served in the State Legislature in 1849 and 1853. In 1882, Thomas B. Johns bought the house and in 1891, sold it to Benjamin G. Cox, a partner in Hulman & Company. The house was purchased in 1918 by Alfred M. Ogle, a coal operator. It was later sold in 1923 to Paul N. Bogart, a banker. The Women’s Department Club occupied the house from 1931 until 2022. Over the years, the house has undergone a number of exterior alterations. Most notably, a large cupola on the north side was removed due to structural concerns. The portico at the front entrance is also a later replacement for the original porch.