Lost Vincennes

Book excerpt: The closures of local stores, factories, schools, and movie theatres over the decades have left residents of Vincennes with only memories of what once was. Many fondly recall working at the Brown Shoe Factory, shopping at Gimbel-Bond, watching the latest movie at the Pantheon, or enjoying the rides at Uncle John's Kiddieland. Some significant buildings, such as the Pantheon, have survived and are now used for other purposes, but others have been razed, or otherwise destroyed, and disappeared with hardly a trace except for perhaps a historical marker. Collecting more than seventy period images, Sun-Commercial columnist Brian Spangle tells the story of these once thriving Vincennes landmarks that long ago passed from the scene.