Growing
Cucumbers starting to climb trellises.
Davis Gardens, A Long-Lost Secret of Terre Haute
ACRES OF VEGETABLES UNDER GLASS BY CHRIS WEBER | PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF VIGO COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
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edible INDY summer 2016
“O
n the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away,” Indiana’s state song, written by Terre Haute native Paul Dresser, is but one of the many things Terre Haute has contributed to our state history. As Indiana celebrates its bicentennial, so does Terre Haute—possibly one of the most interesting, yet overlooked, cities in the state. Terre Haute has a rich history that many know: from Hulman & Company, the industrialists that created Clabber Girl Baking Powder and saviors of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to the internationally relevant Sheldon Swope Art Museum, with an amazing collection of American art. Much of the city’s history, however, remains memories from the past; few know that the seventh largest brewery in the United States, Terre Haute Brewing Company, was once located here, or that the banks of the Wabash were once lined with distilleries, including the world’s largest at one time. Terre Haute has a long association with many types of food and beverage production. A few examples were Anne Page products, made by the Quaker Maid Company and distributed by the A&P Co., which were available nationwide, and the Miller-Parrott Baking Co., which was known for crackers. However, there was also a strong community of growers in and around the city. To me, the most interesting of these was the J.W. Davis Company. Locally known as Davis Gardens, the operation was located on US 41 roughly three miles south of the intersection with US 40, commonly referred to as the Crossroads of America. These two arteries were important to Terre Haute in general, and Davis Gardens in particular, in that they were the two longest federal highways before the interstate system was adopted. In addition, US 40 was originally the National Road, the first federal highway and conduit for much of our early westward expansion. Being situated at the convergence of the two main arteries for road transport gave the company a huge advantage. They could move products from Terre Haute to not only other cities, but also to ports for international sale. The company also sent produce by rail, and Terre Haute was once a robust rail hub. In addition, with the opening of Hulman Field (later Terre Haute International Airport), the J.W. Davis Company started to utilize airfreight. At one time, Davis Gardens produce was available on luxury ocean liners, at the tables of restaurants around the globe and even in the White House. Started in 1914, the J.W. Davis Company was unique in that it was an indoor production facility. Originally, there were two or three greenhouses and the focus was on flowers; however, they would grow into a facility that had at least 39 greenhouses covering over 35 acres and growing primarily vegetables. By 1974, when they ceased operations, Davis Gardens was the largest indoor food production facility in the world. The facility was so large that, until recently, the outline of the greenhouses was still visible on satellite maps of Terre Haute. The facility even had its own coal-fired power plant. In addition to other uses, the plant produced steam that heated the greenhouses when needed. The temperature, moisture and soil pH were completely controlled to provide a consistent growing environment. The gardens had their own beehives housed inside 10 of the greenhouses in order to pollinate the plants year round. And the operation was certainly year round; with the exception of August and September, when the soils were prepped and competition from other producers was high, the greenhouses were always producing flowers or vegetables. Even in the down months, the company was busy preparing for their busy winter season. Although originally focusing on flowers, the J.W. Davis Company is mostly remembered as a producer of vegetables. In an era where
