The Steele Home

Description:	The Steele Home - Six miles south of the city - Drawing by Juliet A. Peddle, Terre Haute Artist and Architect. The Steele Home - Six miles south of the city - Drawing by Juliet A. Peddle, Terre Haute Artist and Architect.The above house, which in a modified form has been known as the Steele house in recent years, was built by Jesse Jones in 1820. It was located six miles south of Terre Haute, about a mile west of U. S. 41, on what was in earlier days the principal thoroughfare between Vincennes and Terre Haute and points north.Jesse Jones and his wife came west in 1817, shortly after they were married, and bought this farm, which then had only a cabin standing on it. They later built a brick house for themselves, probably the one-story portion on the left in the picture, which has a chimney at each gable end. At some later date the two-story portion on the right was added.Latch String Always Out.In this house they raised seven children and always found room for the passing stranger who could not make his destination by nightfall. The log cabin was converted into a blacksmith shop, which provided an added service for the traveler who passed by. The Jones house was one of the regular stopping places for traveling ministers in early days, and Mrs. J. M. Hedges tells of her joy as a little girl in being allowed to accompany her father, who was a minister, when he was to stay at the Jones house, as, they always had such a good time there. They were hospitable to all.Jesse Jones very early cleared land for an orchard and nursery, which were the first in this community, and he continued for many years to provide the neighborhood with trees and plants he had raised. Until comparatively recent years the house was owned by the Jones heirs. They sold it to William J. Clute, who had the property for 17 years. In 1920 Malcolm Steele bought the farm and has since made a fine dairy farm out of it. The Steeles gradually worked the old house over into an attractive and comfortable modern house, retaining the simple lines of the original house, but adding plumbing and other modern appointments to make the house livable today. The above picture shows the house as it was when the Steeles bought it, before they started to work on it.Razed by Flames.In May, 1939, they had just about completed, the changes they contemplated making when fire reduced it to a pile of ruins, cleaning out everything that would burn and even damaging the brickwork. What its future will be has not been determined. It is said to be the second brick house in Honey Creek township and the third one in Vigo county and for this reason and its historical importance along the early road, including the fact that it was one of the stations along the underground railroad. it was about to be given a historical marker when it was burned. Perhaps it may yet receive this recognition, even though it should not seem practical to rebuild it.
Origin:	01/01/2005
Contributor(s):	Peddle, Juliet, 1899-1979
Source:	http://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/rose/id/801
Collection:	Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Logan Library
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/
Copyright:	Copyright Undetermined
Subjects:	Architectural drawings Architecture Houses Steele, Malcolm Architecture Domestic Life The Underground Railroad

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