Highland Lawn Cemetery - Terre Haute, IN
Posted by: vhasler
N 39° 28.547 W 087° 20.955
16S E 469961 N 4369634
Opened in 1884, many significant deceased members of the Terre Haute community rest in Highland Lawn Cemetery.
Waymark Code: WM5GDX
Location: Indiana, United States
Date Posted: 01/03/2009
Views: 21
From the city website (secondary link below): "Highland Lawn, was opened in 1884 and has 139 acres. The first person buried was Samantha McPherson, age thirty, who died of typhoid fever. She was buried on October 29, 1884 in Section 2, Lot 6. There are twenty-three sections in Highland Lawn Cemetery.
The chapel was built in 1893 at a cost of $10,000.00. It was designed by architect, Jesse A. Vrydaugh. It is a fine example of "Richardsonian Romanesque" architecture popular from the early 1870's to 1900. The chapel was renovated in 1987 and was completed in March of 1988.
There are single and double monuments in the cemeteries. The larger the monument the more prominent, or more wealthy, the family. Section 18 is the only section with a limit on the size of the marker, where they are restricted to flat markers.
The mausoleums in the cemeteries are individually owned. They are of varying size with some having the capabilities of holding as many as sixteen. Some of these mausoleums were constructed over 100 years ago. They are constructed of granite and marble, and built on the lot.
The Heidenreich Company built the Bell Tower in 1894. The gateway arch was contracted to Edward Hazledine. The Terre Haute Stone Company did the stone work. A Rest House was built attached to the gate. This was built in accordance with the general scheme of the gate and is considered an architectural gem. It is the design of W.H. Floyd of Terre Haute, patterned in the Colonial architecture style. It is thirty-six feet long and nineteen feet wide. Our current office was originally built in 1909 as the Old Interurban Trolley Car Waiting Station and was later converted into an office.
Highland Lawn was placed on the National Register and State Registry of Historic Places in 1991. It is recognized as one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the country and the second largest in the state of Indiana.
Highland Lawn is an outstanding example of late 19th century Romantic (Victorian) landscape design. It is also significant for its Romanesque architecture. Designed in 1884 by Joseph Earnshaw, Highland Lawn exhibits the typical characteristics and details of Romantic landscapes; graceful, meandering paths, extensive plantings and grouping of trees and shrubs, and the selective placement of lakes, vistas, and open spaces. Earnshaw's design concept for the cemetery was the "lawn plan" in which existing landscape took precedence over the erection of large monuments. The cemetery also contains a number of remarkable examples of artistic landscape design and sculpture that reflect the 19th century use of funerary art as a demonstration of social standing. Today much of the original landscape design remains in tact and is well respected and maintained by the city of Terre Haute. The original plan can be seen in the Bell Tower."
Street address: 4520 Wabash Ave Terre Haute, IN USA 47803
County / Borough / Parish: Vigo County
Year listed: 1990
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949
Historic function: Funerary
Current function: Funerary
Privately owned?: no
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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