Unexpected Vincennes

10 Locations | Curated by Norbert Brown, Knox County Public Library

Vincennes and the surrounding community are fortunate to have well-known historical sites and attractions including the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park; Grouseland, the Indiana Territorial Capital; Fort Knox II; the Indiana Military Museum; and the Old State Bank. This tour will focus on these sites as well as a few of the lesser-known sites and the history and stories associated with them in Vincennes. The tour will include how the evolution of transportation and our culture has influenced our city and stories about some of the more interesting people who once walked the streets of Vincennes.

You will learn about Israel Brown, who liberated himself from slavery, made his way to Vincennes from Georgia during the Civil War, and eventually reunited with his wife after 43 years. You will discover why Rosa Gillenwaters’ body laid safely in a crypt beneath the former Gardner Funeral home for over ten years before being buried. You will also learn how an industrious man named Adam Gimbel walked to Vincennes from New Orleans and created what would become one of the world’s most successful department store chains. You will also discover the Old Cathedral’s Bishop Simon Brute Library, Pearl City, Terrace Gardens, The Union Depot and Hotel, The City Cemetery, and some historic houses as well.

This unassuming corner is the former site of the Vincennes Streetcar Barns. For over fifty-five years this area was hustling and bustling with activity and played an important role in the evolution of transportation within the community. Streetcars were stored and serviced here, and the business…
View Story Show on Map

The name “Pearl City” originated sometime between 1900 and the early 1930s, when the mussel fishing industry here sparked a “pearl rush.” This stretch of the Wabash River was once filled with people, mostly squatters, who lived in tents, shanties, and houseboats. Many of these people most likely…
View Story Show on Map

The “McGrady-Brockman House,” located at 614 N. 7th Street, is a nineteenth century home currently owned and utilized by the Knox County Public Library as a regional history and genealogy center.
View Story Show on Map

The “Bonner-Allen House,” located at 505 Main Street, was built around 1842 in the Federal or Greek Revival architectural style. Most of Vincennes’ citizens to this day refer to this architectural gem as “Gardner’s Funeral Home.” David S. Bonner is believed to have had the house constructed. Among…
View Story Show on Map

The Greek Revival House was constructed for Abner T. Ellis in or around 1838. He lived in the home until his death in 1864. Over the years Ellis wore many hats. He had been a probate judge, a borough president, state senator, and an early proponent of the Grand Rapids Locks and Dam on the Wabash…
View Story Show on Map

You are now standing on the corner where one of the world’s largest department store empires began. Adam Gimbel was a Jewish man who came to the US from Bavaria (in what is now Germany) and arrived in New Orleans around 1830. At the age of twenty-five he made his way, mostly on foot, to Vincennes…
View Story Show on Map

“Terrace Gardens” was once one of the hottest and most popular entertainment venues in Vincennes. It was the dream of a man named Earl Conrad. Opened in 1930, its design was inspired by George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Terrace Gardens was situated right on the junction of what is referred to today…
View Story Show on Map

You are now looking at what remains of a once grand structure that was one of the main hubs of activity in the city. In the early 1850s, with the persistence of people like Abner T. Ellis, the railroads arrived in Vincennes to the absolute delight of the citizens here. Edward Watson and Isaac…
View Story Show on Map

The Vincennes City Cemetery is made up of three sections of land named “Greenlawn,” “Fairview,” and “Memorial Park.” Greenlawn, dating all the way back to 1788, is recognized as being the oldest public cemetery in the state of Indiana. It was once known as the “Public Burying Ground” (to…
View Story Show on Map

Loading Stories
Map