We visited three
sites in Vincennes, Indiana on August 19th. Vincennes is located
about an hour from Evansville, Indiana and was very important to our
nation’s expansion. It served as the seat of government for the
Indiana Territory.
Our first stop was The Red Skelton Museum on the campus of
Vincennes University. The museum opened five years ago, so it is
still fairly new. Through 1971, Red Skelton was must see television
in our home. “Freddie The Freeloader” and “Clem Kadiddlehopper”
were brought to life by this Vincennes native each week on CBS. Red’s
characters were simple folk with generous spirits and a lot of common
sense. In this regard, they reflected their creator who dropped out
of school, but would later earn a GED. Red, a 33rd Degree Mason and
a “Shriner Clown”, lent his talents to many philanthropic
endeavors.
Red, a patriotic WWII veteran, headlined several USO shows
throughout the rest of his life. In addition, this entertainer of
international acclaim performed for Queen Elizabeth in the 1980’s.
The museum has many items from his long history in show business,
along with some fascinating photographs of his family and original
oil paintings that he created. In visiting the museum, we discovered
that Red did not have an easy, idyllic life. He suffered tragic losses before his birth and as an adult, too. Long after his TV show
was cancelled, he was still performing to sold out audiences around
the country and the world.
If you get the opportunity to visit Red’s Museum, you won’t be
disappointed. It will bring you a smile and some laughter for
certain.
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"Grouseland", William Henry Harrison's Home
Vincennes, Indiana |
Our second stop was Grouseland, the mansion built by William Henry
Harrison. Most of us recall from high school history that he was
elected president and ran on the slogan, “Tippecanoe and Tyler
Too”. Our two docents shared many interesting facts about the first
“Whig” to be elected president and his time as the first
governor of the Indiana Territory.
John Adams appointed him to be governor when he was only
twenty-five years old. Harrison had wanted to become a doctor, but
because he was not the eldest son, he would not inherit family money
and he felt he could not become financially successful in that
profession.
Therefore, he decided to become a soldier. He was dating a young
woman that he wished to marry, however, her father did not approve of
his daughter dating a soldier and would not give his permission for a
marriage. On an occasion when her father was out of town, Anna
Tuthill Symmes’ mother gave her blessing to the marriage and they
eloped. Their union produced ten children. One of those children was
the father of Benjamin Harrison who would also become president.
Harrison’s years at Grouseland were productive and his
negotiations with Native Americans increased the area of the United
States substantially. His victory over Tecumseh at the Battle of
Tippecanoe in 1811 would help propel him to the White House in the
1840 election.
As you enter the front hall of Grouseland, two paintings are
positioned on opposite walls and facing one another. One is an oil
painting of William Henry Harrison, made to look several years
younger than when he posed for it. And the other is of Anna, dressed
in mourning after his death in 1841. The portrait of Anna is a copy
and the artist did not make her appear younger. When Harrison was
inaugurated, Anna was ill and remained in Indiana. He died after a
month in office, so she never got to serve as first lady. A future
first lady bought the original oil painting and had it placed in the
First Ladies Portrait Gallery at the White House, thus allowing her
to finally be in the White House. Grouseland is a fascinating window
into our country’s early history and the family that lived there.
We enjoyed visiting Grouseland and believe you would as well.
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George Rogers Clark Memorial
Vincennes, Indiana |
The third place we visited in Vincennes was the George Rogers
Clark National Historical Park located on the banks of the Wabash
River. The memorial is built on the site of Fort Sackville, the
British fort George Rogers Clark captured in 1779. This victory was a
significant step in the Americans’ campaign of winning the Old
Northwest. A marker on the site states this conquest resulted in the
United States gaining Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin,
and Minnesota.
The memorial was begun in 1931 and construction concluded in May
of 1933. President Roosevelt dedicated it on June 14, 1936. Congress
made the building and grounds part of the National Park Service in
1966 and President Johnson signed the measure on July 23, 1966.
The Clark Memorial is over 80 feet high and 180 feet across the
base. Inside the rotunda are seven murals, each created on a single
piece of Belgium linen 16 feet wide by 28 feet tall. The artist, Ezra
Winter, painted them over a two and a half year period. Prominent in
the center of the rotunda is a bronze statue of Clark. Around its
base is inscribed a quotation of Clark’s: “If a country is not
worth protecting it is not worth claiming.”
By the entry doors are four flags: the United States flag; the
red-and-green flag used by the Americans during Clark’s campaign;
the red-white-and-blue British flag; and the yellow-and-white French
fleur-de-lis flag. This memorial is not only a tribute to our
history, it is also a beautiful piece of art.
Although not a part of the Memorial, the nearby Lincoln Memorial
Bridge was built around the same time and was designed to compliment
it. We did not cross the Wabash River into Illinois on the bridge, so
we did not see the magnificent stone carvings of Native American
Chiefs on the Indiana side. The bridge crosses the Wabash River where
Abraham Lincoln was said to have first crossed into Illinois from
Indiana by flatboat.
We had a great time in Vincennes and recommend it. Just remember
Vincennes is in the Eastern Time Zone!
