Dresser was a small town in Steuben Township

Steuben Township, Warren County, Indiana

Steuben Township is one of twelve townships in Warren County, Indiana, USA. It was established in 1834. As of the 2000 census, its population was 427. It contains no incorporated towns and is largely agricultural.-History:...

, Warren County

Warren County, Indiana

Warren County lies in western Indiana between the Illinois border and the Wabash River in the United States. Before the arrival of non-indigenous settlers in the early 19th century, the area was inhabited by several Native American tribes. The county was officially established in 1827 and...

, Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It was founded shortly before the turn of the 20th century and consisted of several residences and a post office. The post office operated only from 1899 to 1903. The town was named after Paul Dresser

Paul Dresser

Johann Paul Dresser, Jr. was a popular American songwriter of the late 19th century and early 20th century. As a child and adolescent he was frequently in trouble and spent several months in jail before joining a band of traveling minstrels...

, the American songwriter who wrote "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away

On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away

"On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" was among the best-selling songs of the 19th century in terms of sheet music sold. Written and composed by American songwriter Paul Dresser, it was published by the Tin Pan Alley firm of Howley, Haviland & Co. in October 1897. The lyrics of the ballad...

" (which became Indiana's state song); Harvey Porter Layton, the first postmaster, had met Dresser at the Hotel Mudlavia

Hotel Mudlavia

Hotel Mudlavia was a hotel and spa built on the site of a natural spring near the town of Kramer in Warren County, Indiana. The spring was discovered by Samuel Story, a Civil War soldier who, in August 1884, was reputed to have been working in the mud digging a drainage ditch...

and was so impressed with the man that he named the town after him.