Dresser Birthplace – situated on Dresser Drive in Fairbanks Park – is a house museum preserved in honor of the famous musician and composer, Paul Dresser. It was in this two-storied edifice in Terre Haute, Indiana, that Dresser was born, in 1859, just before the beginning of Civil War. The museum is now owned and maintained by Vigo County Historical Society.
The house was built in 1850 and purchased by the Dressers in 1859, just in time for the new arrival. The brick structure was originally single-storied and consisted of a living room, bedroom, and lean-to kitchen.
Later, Dresser’s father added a second story and a front porch to the house, the upper story being accessed by an outside stair way. The architecture of the house is typical of the mid-19th century and reflects the lifestyle of Hoosiers in the pre-Civil War period.
The Dresser Birthplace has been designated a State Shrine and Memorial and is accorded a place on the National Register of Historic Places.