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.

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.