Week 11 was about the composer of our state song, Paul Dresser. Dresser was raised in Terre Haute and, at the urging of his father, attended St. Meinrad’s Seminary for two years to become a priest. He quickly realized that priesthood was not for him and left the seminary to pursue a life of the road with a traveling medicine show. Dresser performed songs to entertain the crowds that gathered around the medicine show and gained popularity as an entertainer and singer. This life on the road led him to some trouble and he spend some short stints in jail along the way.
in 1894 he became a silent partner in a music publishing firm and was wrote nearly 50 songs between 1886 and 1893. His popularity exploded nationwide and even globally when he wrote what would become the state song of Indiana, “On the Banks of the Wabash Far Way”, in 1897. Although his song is truly the state song of Indiana, the song “Back Home Again in Indiana” which borrowed some lyrics and notes from Dresser’s song is more widely thought to be the state song due to it’s popularity and use at the Indianapolis 500 race.
Over his short lifetime, Dresser wrote and published 106 songs, but due to poor investments and his extravagant lifestyle, he died penniless in the home of his sister in New York in 1906.
Dresser’s life story was portrayed in the 1942 popular film “My Gal Sal”.
Week 11 sculpture was a relief sculpture of Paul Dresser and the hunt took place at Fairbank’s Park which is the modern day location of Dresser’s boyhood home. Here are the winners from week 11!
The sculpture was found by Shaun Hussey and his daughter Sophia (upper left), the first coin was found by Jeremy and Jessica Johnson and family (lower left), the second coin was found by Trevor Bridgewater, Stefani Pichonnat and her daughter Julie (lower right), and the third coin was found by Joe Syester (upper right). Congratulations to all hunters and I’m glad you joined the hunt!
Raiders of the Lost Art 