Strong winds swept through Terre Haute on October 8, 2025, as visitors gathered at the Vigo County Public Library’s Twelve Points Branch. They were there to join Vigo County Historian Suzy Dunning on a guided tour of the town’s historic Twelve Points District and Collett Park. This specific tour took visitor back in time to examine the 1869 murder of businessman John Petri at the hands of Oliver Morgan.
Dunning, who serves as the curator of the Vigo County History Center, has led numerous tours highlighting Terre Haute’s past, including tours through the historic Twelve Points District, Collett Park, and local legends such as Terre Haute’s “Stiffy Green,” as well as guided tours through the town’s historic cemeteries. In addition to her tours, she conducts research of items donated to the center and has assisted in several preservation projects throughout the county with a strong emphasis that history should be experienced where it unfolded, stating that the county’s stories “belong to the people, not just us.”
Guests traveled to Gold Medal Plaza, once known as the Triangle Lot, located at the intersection of North 13th Street and Maple Avenue, it was here that Dunning began to describe how on a Sunday afternoon in September 1869, John Petri and his wife exited their two-story brick home, unaware that a violent encounter was moments away. Petri, of German descent and a respected businessman, had recently reopened a shop and saloon in the Twelve Points area after a fire devastated his original business downtown a year prior.
Whilst passing around images of the Petri home and the surrounding neighborhood, Dunning described how Mrs. Petri spotted a man dressed in only a nightshirt jump their fence. Holding up an example of period clothing, Dunning explained how Petri turned the carriage around to investigate. According to Petri’s deathbed statement, the couple returned home to find that their home had been ransacked, the drawers pulled open, and their belongings scattered throughout the house. Petri, armed with an unloaded shotgun, discovered the intruder, later identified as Oliver Morgan, hiding under his bed with only $4 (about $156 today) in stolen change. “The shotgun was never loaded [but] this gun was.” Dunning noted, explaining how the fatal shots struck Petri in the stomach and cheek before Morgan fled westward on foot.
Guests were next led to the area now known as Collett Park, where authorities eventually cornered Morgan. Recounting Morgan’s troubled post-Civil War life, which was marked with hard labor, imprisonments, and alcoholism earning him a reputation as the town’s drunkard. When word spread of Petri’s death, an angry crowd formed at the Vigo County Jail as Morgan awaited trial.
The tour concluded with Dunning’s description of the controversial legal proceedings that followed Morgan’s arrest. She underlined the concerns that arose regarding the impartiality of local jurors and whether Vigo County was an appropriate venue for the trial given the town’s sentiment toward Morgan. Dunning emphasized that such circumstances would not be permitted in today’s justice system. Despite all his attempt, Morgan was convicted in both his original trial and his appeal and was ultimately executed for the murder of John Petri.
Under Dunning’s guidance, guests retraced the killer’s steps, traveling back in time to visit the crime’s locations. Each stop offered new facts while highlighting the case’s enduring mysteries.
If you are interested in learning what other events are offered by the Vigo County Public Library, you can visit their website at vigocounty.librarycalendar.com/events or if you would like to learn more about Vigo County’s history you can visit the Vigo County History Center at their website at vchsmuseum.org for more information.
