STATEHOUSE (Oct. 6, 2026) – With the conclusion of September, designated as Indiana Archaeology Month, State Rep. Tim Yocum (R-Clinton) is highlighting local efforts to preserve the places, people and stories that shaped the Wabash Valley. Gov. Mike Braun designated September 2026 as Indiana's 31st Archaeology Month, coinciding with the nation's 250th anniversary.
"Preserving our history has always been important to me, because once an artifact or a historical site is gone, you don't get a second chance to save it," Yocum said. "The Wabash Valley is home to an incredible history, and that's why it's so remarkable that we have people volunteering their time and working hard to preserve it for future generations."
This year, Yocum was involved in one of those efforts, working with volunteers to restore the Chunn Cemetery near the Vermillion-Vigo county line. The once overgrown cemetery contains the graves of many early Wabash Valley settlers. Among the buried there is Major John T. Chunn, a settler and military officer who fought at the Battle of Tippecanoe and commanded Fort Harrison.
Yocum's preservation efforts also extended to the legacy of Ernie Pyle, the Pulitzer Prize-winning World War II correspondent born in Dana, Ind.
Earlier this year, Yocum helped initiate discussions between the Indiana State Museum and the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum in Dana, Ind., that resulted in a new loan agreement bringing several artifacts belonging to Pyle back to his hometown. The agreement marked the first time in more than 17 years that the artifacts could be viewed in Dana.
Yocum has also joined other community members in restoring Clinton's Four Seasons Fountain, a longtime landmark overlooking the Wabash River. After bids for the project proved costly, Yocum and other volunteers donated labor to bring the project to completion.
The projects continue preservation work that Yocum has supported since his tenure as a Vermillion County commissioner. In 2018, Yocum sought support for a historical marker recognizing Henry Dana Washburn, a Civil War veteran, congressman and explorer with ties to Clinton, Ind. The marker was installed at Riverside Cemetery that same year, and the Indiana General Assembly passed a resolution renaming the State Road 163 bridge over the Wabash River in Clinton after Washburn.
"History is everywhere, it's not always sitting behind glass in a museum," Yocum said. "The landmarks, cemeteries and stories that give Indiana its' history are all around us, and they give the next generation a chance to understand what makes our communities special."
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State Rep. Tim Yocum (R-Clinton) represents House District 42, which includes
all of Parke and Vermillion counties, and portions of Clay, Fountain and Vigo counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
