The Eugene V. Debs House, on the campus of

Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...

in Terre Haute, Indiana, was a home of union leader

Eugene V. Debs Eugene Victor "Gene" Debs (November 5, 1855 – October 20, 1926) was an American socialist, political activist, trade unionist, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and five times the candidate of the Soc ...

. It was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1966. and The museum is maintained by the Eugene V. Debs Foundation, a non-profit educational foundation. Eugene V. Debs and his wife, Kate, built the two-story frame house in 1890, after their fifth wedding anniversary. Debs was criticized for the house not portraying working-class lifestyle; his wife was a beneficiary of her wealthy aunt's will and could furnish the house affluently. Visitors to Debs' house during his lifetime included friends

James Whitcomb Riley James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...

and

Carl Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...

; one room in the house to this day is known as the Riley bedroom. When Debs died in 1926, a funeral sermon was given for him at the house, attended by 5000 people. Original features of the house include the cobalt blue

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

tile fireplace imported from

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, the mahogany dining and parlor furniture, and the entire set of Haviland china. The house is also a museum, with many memorabilia of Debs' life and some of his personal library, much of which is across the street at the library of Indiana State University. One room is covered by murals depicting Debs' life. After Debs' death, the house would see different owners. One was a professor at Indiana State University. It was used as the

Theta Chi Theta Chi () is an international Fraternities and sororities, college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 at Norwich University then-located in Norwich, Vermont, and has initiated more than 200,000 members and currently has over 8,700 c ...

fraternity house from 1948 to 1961, and briefly was let as apartments. In 1962 the home was bought by the Eugene V. Debs Foundation, which continues to own the house. In 1965 it was made an official Indiana historic site by the

Indiana General Assembly The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate. Th ...

. In 1966 the home was made an official

of the National Parks system of the Department of the Interiorbr>
Today the preservation of the property is monitored by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

. In 2004 it was removed from threatened status after sufficient repairs to the structure occurred to ensure its permanence.Landmarks Removed From Threatened and Watch Status in 2004
/ref>

References

External links

*
Eugene V. Debs Foundation
preserves home and museum within
"Eugene Debs, Presidential Contender"
from C-SPAN's '' The Contenders'', broadcast from the Eugene Debs Home {{DEFAULTSORT:Debs Home, Eugene V. 1890s architecture in the United States Houses in Vigo County, Indiana National Historic Landmarks in Indiana National Register of Historic Places in Terre Haute, Indiana Indiana State Historic Sites Museums in Vigo County, Indiana Historic house museums in Indiana Biographical museums in Indiana Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Buildings and structures in Terre Haute, Indiana Tourist attractions in Terre Haute, Indiana Home