Dana, Indiana, to Keep Ernie Pyle Museum-- Part 2

The state was planning to move the contents to the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, but the residents of Dana would have nothing to do with it. After all, Ernie Pyle was born in Dana, not Indianapolis.

Ernie Pyle did not write about the generals and commanders in the war, but rather about the regular-Joe soldiers, the rank and file. He was killed by a Japanese machine gunner April 18, 1945. None other than the president broke the news to the country.

The museum is housed in the white frame tenant farmer house in which Ernie was born and contains many of his and family's personal items. It became a state historic site in 1976 and the local American Legion raised $100,000 to have the home moved from the outskirts of town to the center.

This is not the first time Indiana has walked away from one of its historic sites. In the 1980s, they did the same with the Wilbur Wright Memorial Birthplace in Millville. A private group took it over and it has worked out well. Last year, they recorded a record 9,000 visitors thanks to billboards along I-70 (which don't mention the long distance once you get off).

Dana is 25 miles north of Terre Haute and I-70. It is at the intersection of US-36 and Indiana 71. US-36 is called the Ernie Pyle Memorial Highway.

Here's Hoping for the Best. --RoadDog