Indiana Broadcast History Archive

"Legends of the Valley," Part 5: The Preston House

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Aired

1981-07-17

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David Goodnow, anchor
WTHI. Fifth of six-part series on Legends of the Wabash Valley. The Preston House was one of the oldest houses in the Terre Haute area. According to the legend, the original owner, DeWeese, murdered his wife and bricked her up inside the house and told people she had moved out. The Preston family owned the house for a century and one person said she saw the ghost of a woman in her bedroom.
The house burned in 1979 and at the time of this story, the hope was it could be restored. Sometime after this story, it was torn down.
Interview with former owner Richard Van Allen, who verified the bricked up area around a fireplace and said he hopes no one ever tries to find out if the legend is true.
Photographers: Bob Smith, Brian Cundiff
Reporter/intern: Mike Conway