Paul Dresser Birthplace - Terre Haute, IN
Posted by: 
GwynEvie
N 39° 27.398 W 087° 25.020
16S E 464124 N 4367534
The restored and relocated house in which famed German-American songwriter Paul Dresser was born.
Waymark Code: WMC2F7
Location: Indiana, United States
Date Posted: 07/17/2011
Views: 11
Johann Paul Dreiser (he would later change his name to Dresser) was born in this house on April 22, 1859. His father was a German immigrant from the Eiffel region; his mother a German-American Mennonite from Ohio. His famous younger brother, the novelist Theodore Dreiser, was born after the family had moved from this home.
Paul Dresser did not see eye to eye with his strict, religous father and he became something of a juvenile delinquent. He eventually left Terre Haute to seek his fortunes elsewhere, but returned to his home town at points throughout his life. Dresser soon discovered his talent for songwriting and settled in New York to pursue his career. In 1896 he wrote his most famous song "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away," which became the second-best selling song of the 19th century (to Stephen Foster's "Suwanee River").
Musical tastes began to change in the early 20th century, and Dresser soon squandered his fortune. He died, penniless, in 1906 and was buried in Chicago.
The Dreiser/Dresser home was slated for demolition in the 1960s, but the Vigo County Historical Society was able to raise the funds to move it to its current location in Fairbanks Park--on the banks of the Wabash! The house is open for visitors on Sundays, 1-4 PM, during the summer months. There is no entrance fee.
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