Terre Haute in Vigo County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Home Packing Company

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, June 16, 2021

1. Home Packing Company Marker

Inscription.
On the morning of January 2, 1963, the deadliest workplace accident in the city occurred on this site.

A massive explosion occurred when a gas main on First Street leaked natural gas through the soil and into the plant.

The Home Packing Company, originally the Home Packing & Ice Company at its founding in 1907, was a global company.

In its early years, it processed about 350 hogs a week and that gradually swelled to more than 10,000 hogs at its peak.

The Dependable brand of bacon, hams, bologna and lard was shipped all over the world in addition to every state in the Union.

At about 7 o’clock on that fateful morning, seventeen men died and another 52 were injured in the explosion that led to the collapse of the building.

The plant never reopened.

The seventeen men who died from injuries sustained in the blast on January 2, 1963, on this site:
Carl Bender, 48, Terre Haute • Jim Buttery, 18, Terre Haute • John Joseph Callahan, 23, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods • Henry James Cottrell, 37, Clinton • Larry Lee Crum, 20, Terre Haute • Joseph Davitto, 56, Universal • Darl Gene Garred, 21, Terre Haute

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• Jack Raymond Hayes, 30, Shirkleville • Wallace V. Hughes, 24, Terre Haute • Homer Isle, 57, West Terre Haute • John A. Joseph Sr., 59, Terre Haute • George David Kahl, 19, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods • Earnest B. Reed, 31, Paris, Illinois • William Howard Reners, 42, Clinton • Andrew A. Rupska, 45, Terre Haute • Donald W. Scott, 47, Terre Haute • James Trooper Jr., 33, Clinton

Erected 2015 by Indiana State University.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Disasters. A significant historical date for this entry is January 2, 1963.

Location. 39° 28.245′ N, 87° 25.009′ W. Marker is in Terre Haute, Indiana, in Vigo County. It is at the intersection of North 1st and Penn Central Railroad St and Chestnut Street, on the left when traveling north on North 1st and Penn Central Railroad St. marker is on the campus of Indiana State University at the Gibson Track and Field Complex. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 398 N 1st And Penn Cent RR St, Terre Haute IN 47807, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Indiana

and in the Wabash Valley.

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, June 16, 2021

2. Home Packing Company Marker

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Wabash and Erie Canal (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Claude L. Herbert (approx. 0.3 miles away); Civil War Memorial - Vigo County (approx. 0.3 miles away); Colonel Richard W. Thompson (approx. 0.3 miles away); World War I War Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); World War II Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Little Syria on the Wabash (approx. 0.4 miles away); Medal of Honor Recipient (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Terre Haute.

Additional keywords. Indiana State University

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, June 16, 2021

3. Home Packing Company Marker

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, June 16, 2021

4. Home Packing Company Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 8, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 26, 2021, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,970 times since then and 107 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 26, 2021, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.