Editing West Terre Haute, Indiana (section)

==History==
Originally called '''McQuilkinsville''', then simply '''Macksville''' or '''Maxville''', West Terre Haute was laid out by Samuel McQuilkin on November 22, 1836. The first building had been put up in 1833, and in 1834 McQuilkin opened a general store on the [[National Road]] between present-day Third and Fourth Streets. The store proved useful to those working on the National Road and made McQuilkinsville an important town in the area. Because of the town's fertile soil, soon people started settling there as vegetable farmers.<ref name="VCIR">{{Cite book | last = Vigo County, Indiana. | title = Vigo County Interim Report.  | year = 1984  | location = Indianapolis  | pages = 15–16  }}</ref> John Griggs and his son Edward put up a [[flour mill]] in 1867, but the structure was burned in 1870.<ref name="Bradsby">{{Cite book  | last = Bradsby  | first = H.C.  | author-link = Henry C. Bradsby  | title = History of Vigo County, Indiana, with Biographical Selections  | publisher = S. B. Nelson & Co  | year = 1891  | location = Chicago  | pages = [https://archive.org/details/historyofvigocou00brad/page/479 479]  | url = https://archive.org/details/historyofvigocou00brad  }}</ref> The town expanded quickly, with Smith Hinch building a tavern on the National Road and Richard McIlroy building a brick general store and post office in 1872.

In 1894 citizens of the town voted to change its name to '''West Terre Haute'''.

The West Terre Haute post office has been in operation since 1899.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=IN&county=Vigo&searchtext=&pagenum=3 | title=Vigo County | publisher=Jim Forte Postal History | access-date=July 13, 2016}}</ref>

[[Bethany Congregational Church (West Terre Haute, Indiana)|Bethany Congregational Church]] was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 2003.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

===Growth of industry===

By 1878, industries included a [[lumber mill]], a [[cigar]] factory, and a [[roof shingle|shingle]] manufacturer, and the town had grown to a population of 250.<ref name="VCIR" />

With coal-bearing bluffs immediately to the town's north and west, [[coal mining]] became a major industry in the town. By 1906, West Terre Haute had eleven mines in operation, served by both railroads and wagon roads. These mines averaged a daily output of 2,000 tons.<ref name="VCIR" />

[[Clay]] deposits in the town led to the production of clay products including building [[brick]], paving brick, sewer pipe and drain [[tile]]. Four separate companies in the area worked in this industry, including the Vigo Clay Company, the Miller Brick Company, Terre Haute Brick and Pipe Company (also known as the Vitrified Brick Company), and the National Drain Tile Company.

Just north of West Terre Haute was a large [[gravel]] pit a mile in length at its widest point. The gravel was mainly used in railroad grades.

Due to increased employment opportunities, the population of West Terre Haute increased from several hundred in the 1880s to approximately 3500 by the mid-1890s. To accommodate these new residents and commuters, in 1905 a new bridge was built to cross the Wabash River including tracks for the city's streetcar and [[interurban]] line. The Bank of West Terre Haute was established that same year.

===Decline of commerce===

Beginning in the early 1920s, the coal, clay and gravel industries slowly declined. West Terre Haute became a mainly residential community for factory workers and miners. After the [[Great Depression]], the town's businesses included [[automobile]] repair shops and grocers. However, business faded when [[I-70]] was constructed and circumvented the town.<ref name="VCIR" />