We Must Never Forget

Located on 1532 South 3rd street, there is a museum entitled the C.A.N.D.L.E. holocaust museum and education center. This museum tells of the terrible events of the holocaust. However, it centers around a woman named Eva Kor, who founded the museum in 1995. Eva Kor was an Auschwitz prisoner with her twin sister Miriam. Together they were subject to terrible experiments by Nazi doctors. While visiting, I saw a little room inside the museum that had various items that looked as if they had been burned. The man giving me a brief tour informed me that in 2003, someone had firebombed the original museum and destroyed most of the contents inside. Then he told me that the entire Terre Haute community gathered together to help rebuild the museum. This is an important statement about the people of Terre Haute. Not only are the people of Terre Haute not as apathetic as some may think, but they also have a sense of community value. With the help of the people in Terre Haute, Eva Kor rebuilt the museum and still teaches visitors about the atrocities of prejudice. One of the key philosophies that Eva discusses is the ability to forgive. I am told that she has forgiven the Nazis for their role in altering her life as a young child. However, as is stated on a painting inside the museum, forgiving is not forgetting.

For the last two blogs, I have talked about my experiences with two important buildings in Terre Haute. However, I didn't know much about the city itself. After googling information about Terre Haute, I discovered that there is an official website devoted to the many aspects of the Terre Haute area, not only for the people who live there, but also visitors passing through. The website is www.TerreHaute.com and it provides information about various features including important buildings and museums. The website also includes a list of the many resturant options available to anyone in the area. I plan on using this website to get the information I need in order to better familiarize myself with this exceptional city.

Coffee and History

Today, I broke from my regular routine of Starbuck's coffee to visit the Clabber Girl bake shop. The shop is located at the corner of Wabash and 9th street. Once inside, my eye was caught by an old-style indy racecar. After ordering a coffee, I began to tour around the shop. It was established in 1848 and displays many products from the 19th century era. These items include many household products typical of the time period. They even have old-style bicycles on display in the window. Anyone who wants a little taste of Terre Haute history should stop by from some good coffee and some interesting history.

Unexpected Creativity

I live about an hour east of Terre Haute and only passed through on my way down to Vincennes University. However, this last fall I decided to transfer over to Indiana State University. I am beginning to appreciate my decision because not only am I pleased with what the University has to offer me, but I am slowly but surely coming in contact with many unique aspects of Terre Haute. Today, I visited the Swope Art Museum which is located on 7th street between Wabash Avenue and Ohio Street. I have always had an interest in art and have been to a couple other art museums. The Swope Art Museum is very small in comparison to some of the museums I had experienced. But, I made the mistake of thinking this to be a flaw in character. To my surprise, it was quite the contrary. The woman at the front desk informed me that many of the works of art in the gallery were purchased in Europe during the 1930's and 40's. However, the museum also has exhibits from local artists from Terre Haute. Among these artists is a man named James Farrington Gookins. His paintings are amazing and eye catching. I was especially impressed with a painting of his entitled, "Hummingbird Hunters." His use of color in this particular painting makes him a worthy opponent of many European artists of the same time period. After visiting today, I can honestly say that not only will I recommend the Swope Museum to my friends, I also plan to become a regular visitor myself.