“On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away” is the state song of Indiana, written by Paul Dresser in 1899 and adopted by the state legislature in 1913. The song captures the state’s natural beauty and rural heritage, with the Wabash River playing an important role in Hoosier culture. Dresser, a nationally and internationally acclaimed songwriter, lived in Terre Haute, Indiana, and wrote over 100 songs. His birthplace is now a museum owned by the Vigo County Historical Society.
The state song of Indiana is “On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away”. The lyrics and music were written by composer Paul Dresser. Written in 1899, the song was adopted by the Indiana legislature as a state song on March 15, 1913. The Wabash River is an important natural resource and considered emblematic of Indiana, also known as the “Hoosier State”. Dresser’s song is thought to capture the state’s natural beauty, its rural heritage, and its people’s sense of home.
Indiana is located in the Midwestern region of the United States and borders the states of Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Kentucky. Indiana has its roots in an agrarian society. Rivers also play an important role in Hoosier culture. The Wabash River is large and is still used for commerce and recreation. It is also the subject of many songs and poems and represents the shared memories of many people living in Indiana.
The Indiana state song was very popular at the time it was written and is still played and sung at important events and social occasions. The chorus of the song is about a late summer night in rural Indiana. As it recalls a lost love, it also recalls “the breath of freshly mown hay” and the light of farmhouse candles shimmering through the sycamore trees “By the banks of distant Wabash.”
Paul Dresser lived in the city of Terre Haute, Indiana, in Vigo County. His brother was the famous writer Theodore Dreiser, author of the acclaimed novel “An American Tragedy.” Dresser’s early music career began with a part in a medicine show in Indianapolis, the state capital. After many different attempts at various jobs, he eventually became a songwriter and music publisher. He went on to become a nationally and internationally acclaimed songwriter and composer.
During Dresser’s career, which included the “Gay Nineties” period of the late 1800s, he wrote over 100 songs in addition to the Indiana state song. Focused on his creative life and reportedly generous to an excess, Dreiser did not handle his financial affairs well. His publishing business eventually failed. Although his music was hugely successful, in his later years he had little money.
Dresser died on January 30, 1901. The Vigo County Historical Society now owns the house that was his birthplace and where the Indiana State Song was started, on what is now Dreiser Street, Terre Haute. The historical society maintains the house and it is preserved as a museum, which is open to the public for viewing.
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