Terre Haute's historic Clabber Girl Baking Powder billboard is believed to be the oldest billboard in existence in Indiana and, with its large clock, one of the first electric billboards in the country.

The 44-foot-long billboard along U.S. 40 has welcomed visitors to the city for more than 80 years.

“I’m looking forward to restoring this iconic sign to its past glory so that it can greet visitors to Terre Haute, my hometown, for many years into the future,” says Wabash Valley professional artist Becky Hochhalter, a lifelong artist who is repainting the sign with the same colors and images.

Late in 2018, a restoration project for the historic Clabber Girl Baking Powder billboard in Terre Haute, Indiana got underway by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Clabber Girl Corporation.

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology took over ownership of the beloved state landmark as part of its purchase of more than 1,100 acres of property from the Hulman family, founders of Clabber Girl Baking Powder.

Then they flipped it, Hulman and Company announced it had sold Clabber Girl to B and G Foods. on May 15, 2019.

Mary Fendrich Hulman, whose family owned Clabber Girl died a few years ago, and her sprawling horse farm was sold to neighboring Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, expanding its campus.

As part of the restoration project, trees were trimmed around the sign, its wooden frame was improved, the Clabber Girl message was made over, and the mechanics of its working clock were repaired.

“The mounting and removing it required for some adjustment in the actual structure itself to strengthen it, so it could withstand the weather. It took a little longer than we had hoped originally, but we are really happy with the end product,” said Robert A. Coons, president of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Clabber Girl Corporation is headquartered in downtown Terre Haute. It has produced Clabber Girl Baking Powder since 1899, making it the top-selling baking powder brand in the United States.

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, founded in 1874, has an enrollment of approximately 2,100 undergraduate students and nearly 100 graduate students.

https://www.bakemag.com/articles/11441-historic-clabber-girl-baking-powder-billboard-being-restored
https://www.bakemag.com/articles/12083-terre-hautes-historic-clabber-girl-baking-powder-billboard-is-restored
https://blog.jimgrey.net/2019/05/17/restored-terre-hautes-1930s-clabber-girl-billboard/
https://www.tribstar.com/news/local_news/clabber-girl-billboard-fully-restored/article_2131545a-5c8a-568d-a3ef-19abb931e43c.html?fbclid=IwAR24AhxqWwHucUxBZ1Ri3Rdk6VEoDhK_LH0vJ53BIjVBuHHlez3L_i97i7Y
https://www.rose-hulman.edu/news/2019/Historic-Clabber-Girl-Baking-Powder-Billboard-Restored-to-Past-Glory.html