Deming Park's Origins

One of Terre Haute’s shining assets is Deming Park. It is the largest park in Terre Haute, consisting of more than 177 acres. While working as a day camp counselor at the park, I was told many stories surrounding the park’s origin. One story reported that a great mansion sat in Deming Park and all of Ohio Boulevard was its driveway. Another claimed the land was gifted to the city by a rich resident of Terre Haute. No one could produce any facts about the real history of the park.

I have decided to answer the mystery of Deming Park’s origins. I now know why there is so much lore surrounding the park. Hardly any paperwork, information or stories can be found about the Deming family. After scouring countless websites and records, I stumbled upon page 162 from History of Indiana from its exploration to 1922, Volume 3 by Logan Esarey, William F. Cronin. This particular page documented the creation of Deming Park.

Demas Deming Jr., was born in Terre Haute on April 4, 1841. An ambitious man, be became President of First National Bank of Terre Haute at the age of twenty seven. He also built the Deming Hotel and was President of the Deming Land Company, located east of Nineteenth Street and south of Wabash Ave. Deming Jr. was a philanthropist, donating much of his time and money to charity. In 1921, the Terre Haute Board of Park Commissioners sought to build a public park on land west of Fruitridge Ave and North of Poplar Street. Demas Deming sold 177 acres for $155,000. He kept none of the money, giving $100,000 to Rose Polytechnic (now Rose Hulman) as a memorial to his parents. The remaining $55,000 was used to improve Ohio Boulevard, making it a beautiful entrance to the park. It is still unclear whether the entrance sign with the Deming name is from the $55,000 road improvement project or the entrance to the Deming Land Company. Either way, Demas Deming’s land has allowed Deming Park to be enjoyed for almost ninety years.