Letter to the Editor

Moore's bar building has musical past

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

To the editor:

It was very interesting to read Beth Arnold's column about Moore's Bar in the Monday, April 21 edition of the Banner-Graphic.

I enclose additional information about this building, and possibly its first use in Greencastle.

Emanuel Marquis was an early modern language instructor at DePauw, who arrived in Indiana in 1852 and taught German and probably French at the (then) Indiana Asbury University between 1857 and 1859. He was also a musician, and at various times gave private lessons on various instruments, composed music, and also taught languages at IU.

After settling permanently in Greencastle, Mr. Marquis opened a music store on Indiana Street in the same building which now houses Moore's Bar, visibly one of the oldest remaining buildings in its block on South Indiana St. The 1886 "3-D" map of Greencastle, which was reprinted in 1992 by the Heritage Preservation Society of Putnam County (and can be seen in the Putnam County Library and the DePauw Library's archives), lists "E. Marquis, Pianos, Organs, Sheet Music, &c." as a local business and shows a sketch of the store, recognizable as today's building.

The name "MARQUIS" is clearly visible in the top arch in the illustration, but it has now been removed.

In 1877 Marquis was contracted by Indiana Asbury president Alexander Martin "to furnish instruments of good quality and in sufficient number, and to give instruction on the piano and organ, with privilege of practice," to Indiana Asbury students. These were the first arrangements for offering music for credit at the university, but it was not until 1883 that a Department of Music was formally inaugurated. One other interesting footnote is that Marquis' daughter, Rosa Marquis, graduated from DePauw and taught stringed instruments in the Music department between 1886 and 1894. Her photo with her violin can be seen on p. 165 of the Phillips-Baughman illustrated history of DePauw.

Jim Rambo,

Greencastle