Indiana State University Newsroom

Indiana State University on Tuesday (March 29) will commemorate the 205th anniversary of the commissioning of the Cumberland Road by President Thomas Jefferson.

The university will dedicate the National Road Plaza at Seventh and Cherry streets. The 1 p.m. ceremony is open to the public and will include a reception featuring historical characters in period dress. The characters, portrayed by members of the Vigo County Historical Society, will mingle with guests and relay stories about traveling along the National Road.

Program participants include Dan Bradley, president of Indiana State; Marsha Jones, principal of Lost Creek Elementary School; John Jackson, landscape architect with Ratio Architects; and Marylee Hagen, executive director of the Vigo County Historical Society. Cliff Lambert, executive director of the Terre Haute Department of Redevelopment, will serve as master of ceremonies.

The university has partnered with Lost Creek Elementary, which is also located on the National Road, to sponsor an essay contest for the school's fourth graders. Five classroom winners and a grand prize winner will be recognized at the ceremony.

The National Road Plaza features a physical map of the road's route from Baltimore to Vandalia, Ill. imbedded in the concrete patio. There are also several narrative panels explaining the history of the National Road, how it was built and the impact it had on Terre Haute.

The plaza is also the site of two commemorative markers. One honors legendary baseball player and Terre Haute native Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown. The other recognizes former ISU President Lloyd W. Benjamin and his wife Wieke for their contributions to the arts community in Terre Haute.

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/photos/1224914204_mCr6G-L.jpg

Media contact: Dave Taylor, media relations director, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3743 or dave.taylor@indstate.edu