SERVING HENDRICKS COUNTY SINCE 1847
Page A-2
The Republican
Delving Into Yester~Year
Local historian and writer Paul Miner uses items from The Republican’s YesterYear column to develop an interesting, informative and often humorous article.
To the Editor: The Avon school house magic lantern show in mid-February 1896 pleased the kids and “some of the older inhabitants were caught laughing out loud.” Pittsboro’s Squire Jordan, “a gifted cachinnation,” with a newborn boy had just cause that month to laugh. The correspondent hoped he wouldn’t injure himself. The good squire was known for raucous and immoderate laughter, and possibly inappropriately loud chortling. But would that hurt him? The greater risk was awakening the infant from a nap, plunging him into a paroxysm of wailing. Someone I knew sneezed so loudly it scared a visiting child of 10. I feared the boy would cry so I assured him the sneezer was highly skilled in the art of sternutation, and may have been in the military. I don’t think the paper’s writers and correspondents realized when they inadvertently amused. William Brown, candidate for county prosecutor, in June 1882 attended the Old Settlers picnic. Brown, who won the election, was “a man in every sense of the word.” Were his vanquished opponents less manly? Was he equal to those old settlers who had conquered virgin land? Manly Justice, resting in Amo Cemetery, had a more fitting prosecutor’s name. Around then, a wealthy county farmer was seen stepping from the courthouse at noon, whereupon he drew “from the yawning depths of his coat pocket” two slices of bread, a cold potato and an onion. He feasted while his horse, hitched to the rack, looked up at the tower clock, “apparently longing for a cold potato or anything else.” I have tended horses, doling rations as instructed, but never have I been required to feed steeds at lunchtime. Yet the paper reproved the man. Did horses enjoy three squares back then? Could they tell time? Do horses like potatoes? An unscientific check revealed potatoes and onions aren’t good for horses, but don’t take me to veterinary court over this. They shouldn’t drink coffee or be fed meat, although I read about a pony that ate chickens. Horses can eat peanut butter, but I’ve never accorded one a dollop even as a snack. They can eat mangoes, but only in season. Collecting autographs was a local man’s hobby. By December 1881, he’d amassed quite a few from “our most noted soldiers, statesmen, etc.,” but “great man” Frank Landers had “failed to comply.” Who? I unearthed a photo of a dour older area farmer in a cowboy hat, sporting a bandanna bandit-style, cradling a shotgun, and with what appeared to be a sledgehammer at his side. If that was the guy, I’d not press the issue. Could have been former Congressman Franklin Landers, but I’d prefer a rejection from the first fellow. An August 1886 article described a German professor’s laborious method of turning wood into bread. Wood fiber and sawdust are mixed, pounded and then boiled to remove impurities. An alternative is placing the mix in a sling sack, immersing it in a cold stream, and beating it with a stick or repeatedly stepping on it. That sounds indecent bordering on cruel. Perhaps The Republican in a later issue revealed how to make wine from lawn clippings. Perhaps the paper also explained whether a sling sack is a rucksack or backpack or something else. The sack or kettle contents, once fully dried by sun or fire, were then repeatedly ground at the local mill. Baked in cakes, the ground wood was “rendered slightly mucilaginous by the addition of some decoction” (think gooey) from a selection of choices. I chose leaves, as I never venture into unknown territory when it comes to diet. Those cakes were then beaten and ground some more. The harder the wood, the more beating and grinding. Tree species was not mandated, but I suppose some might prefer sturdy oak bread while others take a shine to poplar. After a dog and two pigs survived his concoction, the professor served it without seasoning to his family as gruel, dumplings and pancakes, but not bread. They pronounced it “palatable and wholesome.” I’ve decided why certain people back then used all those big words. It was to sell quackeries, patent medicines and sometimes crazy notions to ninnyhammers and fopdoodles. And dictionaries. Big ones. These days, shorter and simpler words, emphatically employed, are just as effective in fooling people. Paul Miner Lizton ______________________________________________________________________
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It’s News To Us
Birthday parties, new babies, anniversaries, visits from long-lost cousins -these items that make up the kind of news you only find in the pages of The Republican. If you have a local news item you’d like to contribute, you can call us at 317-745-2777, send by fax to 317-647-4341, e-mail to therepublican@ sbcglobal.net or drop by the office at 6 East Main in Danville. Our deadline for submitting news items is noon on Monday for Thursday’s edition.
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Yester~Year
The Republican has published local news weekly since 1847. We offer this column as a look back at events from our archives and to help connect today’s readers to the people and events in our past. ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of March 19, 1896 Petitions are out for a new school building at Dover Dale to be built by Clay and Liberty townships. A barber remarked Saturday: “Every man that enters our shop with a smile is either candidate or has maple syrup to sell. W.R. Shirley is in correspondence with Supt. Charlton in regard to giving a course of lessons in singing in the Reform School. If Mr. Shirley accepts, he will have a class of 600. Avon: Operator Barker has added to the beauty of his new office by placing blooming flowers in the windows. Hazlewood: The home of Louis Cooper has been made happy by a bouncing baby boy. Plainfield: Prof. Kinnaman, of Danville, gave a series of experiments in air and water and a lecture, at the town hall. He was assisted by Mr. Wright, elocutionist, who gave some good selections. This office has just received an elegant line of cards for ladies and gentlemen, wedding note and regret cards. The latest thing in calling cards for ladies is a thin card. It can be had at this office. Dr. John G. Wishard, who is in Persia, writes to the Republican that his copy of the paper reaches him in good shape notwithstanding the disturbed conditions in Turkey. Brown township is proud that a man has never gone to prison from there. ______ ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO Issue of March 17, 1921 In common with a considerable portion of the upper Mississippi valley, Hendricks county felt the earthquake, Monday morning, about 6:15. There was the rumble as of a distant explosion. Some here noticed slight quiverings following. Some people still sleeping, were awakened. Dishes rattled in pantries. Aaron Laska, the colored lad, who for years lived at the Courtney homestead, has fallen in pleasant lines in New York City and Tuesday sailed for South America as valet for a wealthy man of New York. Amo: Sunday, an all-day meeting will be held in the Methodist church. In the morning, the service flag will be demobilized, the services at 10:30. Basket dinner in the basement. At the last meeting of the town board, Chief Reeder was ordered to paint the fireplugs. “What colors?” asked the Chief. “Any old color just so it is red,” said Councilman Walls. Fred A. Thomas, of New York City, has presented the Danville library with a handsomely bound copy of the biography of his aunt, Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson, who died at Santa Barbara, California, a few years ago. The memoir was written by Mrs. Stevenson’s youngest living sister, Mrs. Nellie Vandergrift Sanchez. Dr. Sharp has returned from Battle Creek, Mich., where he has been taking a special course in Diatetics and Physical Culture at McFadden’s International Health Resort. The Clayton I.O.O.F. 205 will have a social at their hall next Friday evening in honor of Urban West, their last soldier member to return home. ______ SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of March 21, 1946 Any resident of Hendricks county who has graduated from high school is eligible for free tuition to Central Normal College according to a resolution adopted at a recent meeting of the board of trustees of the college. The Danville town board approved plans to erect temporary barracks on property owned by Central Normal College, at a called meeting, Monday night. The units will include two house-type buildings, 20x100 ft., to be used by boys and placed on the parking lot across from the gym. Another building containing three apartments will be set up on a vacant lot owned by the college on East North street. Mrs. Irene Sheffer has purchased the operating equipment of the Danville Beauty Shop from Rechaby McAllister and will move to the new location under the Ridgeway Jewelry store. Donald “Dempsey” Nickels, of Belleville, has received an offer to play baseball for the New York Giants. Rough sketches of a wing to be added to the Center township school building in Danville have been drawn by school authorities and presented to the architects, McGuire & Shook of Indianapolis, who were the original architects for the present building.
A new plaque honoring men who lost their lives in World War II will be hung in the lower hall at the Danville high school this week. Nine names of graduates of the school are on the plaque. The 27th anniversary of the American Legion was marked at the annual birthday supper, held at Crawley’s hall, Thursday evening. A birthday cake was served after the pitch-in supper. ______ FIFTY YEARS AGO Issue of March 18, 1971 The administration office of the North West Hendricks Schools has moved from the office on S.R. 39 to a new location ½ mile east of Lizton on S.R. 136. Judith E. Grimes, Danville Community High School band director, will present the second annual Jazz Festival, tomorrow evening, 8 o’clock in the Danville South Elementary School. Wilfred Peter Himsel of Plainfield has been appointed a new manager for the Lizton Elevator, a branch of the Hendricks County Farm Bureau Co-operative. Mingle’s of Danville will present the “Portrait of Fashion” at the Plainfield Tri Kappa card party and style show, March 27, at the Public Service Indiana cafeteria. The Faith Baptist Church of Avon was organized 13 years ago and met for the first year in private homes and the American Legion Hall in Brownsburg. It then moved to Avon where the second year the congregation assembled in the Avon Community Building. On Easter Sunday, 1960, the church met it its own building for the first time. A teen-age TOPS Club has been organized in Danville. The group of approximately 24 girls met, March 9, in the upstairs room over the First National Bank. Statistics released by the Danville Community High School Athletic Department indicates that John Hunter was the leading scorer with 538 points for a 25.62 average per game Rex Parsons led the team in free throw percentage converting 44 out of 63 for 70 percent. _____ TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of March 14, 1996 Summer school, except for English remedial, will not be offered in the Danville Community School this year, as was agreed upon by the school board at its meeting Monday night. Reason – money. The second annual Hendricks County Business Expo will be on March 27, at the Community Center, Fairgrounds, Danville. The Hendricks County Economic Development Partnership and the Chambers of Commerce of Brownsburg, Danville, and Plainfield are sponsors of this event. The Danville Public Library is featuring Ginger Battershell’s collection of GOP elephant mugs during the month of March. The North Salem Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, will dedicate its recently refurbished sanctuary on Sunday, March 24. Brian Stegemoller of Danville was selected to attend the National Young Leaders Conference from Jan. 23-28 in Washington, D.C. Because of the happiness and caring she gives to both her patients and co-workers, Chris Gillespie is the March Ambassador at Hendricks Community Hospital. About 150 Purdue University students have been inducted into the Golden Key National Honor Society. Kristopher George Kopack of Brownsburg is among those honored. _____ TEN YEARS AGO Issue of March 17, 2011 A memorial and dedication ceremony will take place in the Hendricks County Court House Tuesday, March 22, to honor the late Bob Carroll, whose vision helped to bring the 1915 building back to its original splendor. The Hendricks County Museum will hold a Dinner Theater Fundraiser on Thursday, April 14. “Lest We Forget” will be a commemoration of the Civil War in word and song, presented by Hendricks County native, Gary Vidito. On March 5th, the Brownsburg Police announced the launch of their new program, “Are you OK?” The telephone reassurance program makes computerized monitoring calls to the subscribers. On Tuesday, March 22, at 7 p.m., Superintendent William Roche will talk about our new county park, Sodalis Nature Park, opening this spring, at the Plainfield Public Library. USA Football announced the hiring of Geoff Bradley, of Avon, as its market coordinator for the Indianapolis area. __________
