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 May 28, 1896

Stilesville: Three couples came through here on their wheels Friday evening. They had been having a muddy time of it. One of the couples was on their wedding tour.

New Winchester: Uncle Jimmy Crews, seventy-five years old, is “raslin” with the measles. He advises everybody to have them while young.

Workmen have this week been arranging for the sewer from the new bank building. It will connect with the county sewer. It is proposed the basement of the new building will be occupied by a barber shop. The building will be the most pretentious structure in town, its front being of stone.

The class of ’96 planted its banner high and succeeding classes will do nobly to do better. Will G. Bennett spoke on “The Immigrant and Our Future Civilization.” Mr. Bennett is the first colored boy to complete the High school course and is the second colored graduate. He spoke with energy and received an ovation in applause when he finished. He commenced to read law Monday and intends to enter the State University.

Coatesville: Cheivor Davis has traded his wheel for a horse. Cheivor thinks it is too much like work to ride a wheel.

In you want to be in the swim go to Evergreen Park and take a plunge in the Lagoon.

There was a very pretty wrestling contest Tuesday evening between C.H. Dale, a representative of the Chicago Times-Herald and Marvin Thistlewaite, a student.

Amo: Miss Lena Patterson and her brother, Carl, came out on their wheels from Indianapolis, Sunday.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO Issue of May 26, 1921

Still the cry goes up, more babies needed in Hendricks County. The school enumeration this year shows a loss of 33 compared to last year. In five years, there has been a loss of 323 in the county.

The window of Edwards’ grocery has an instructive exhibit showing the return to normalcy. A sack of 100 pounds of sugar is shown and this a year ago would have cost $30. A list of articles is shown which $30 will today buy, including the 100 pounds of sugar. A year ago the same list of articles would have cost $69.51.

The Pennsylvania System will run a special train on Decoration Day from Terre Haute to Indianapolis on account of the Speedway races.

Helen Leak, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M.E. Leak of Lizton, finished her eight years of common school without missing a day or a recitation and was never tardy. She has eight honor rolls to her credit. She is thirteen years of age.

Clayton: Edward Burris, of Detroit, Michigan, arrived here unexpectedly Sunday afternoon for a visit with the family of his brother, Benjamin F. Burris, midway between Danville and Clayton. It had been nearly thirty-six years since the brothers had seen each other.

Four generations were represented, Sunday, at the family dinner in honor of Mrs. Julia Wills’ 75th birthday at her home on East Broadway. There were forty-nine present and the dinner was all that could be desired.

At a meeting, Saturday night, of the directors of the Hendricks County Federation of Farmers and the directors of the Farmers Cooperative Company, it was agreed that W.F. Franklin, the executive secretary of the Federation should be the manager of the Cooperative Company.

There are several scattered cases of smallpox in Danville. No one is alarmingly sick but the physicians agree that the wise thing to do is for people generally to be vaccinated. Then the disease will stop for lack of material on which to work.

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of May 30, 1946

Many names of young men in the military service were added to the Hendricks County Memorial board in the rotunda of the court house last Friday.

Baker & Son will open an annex to their store in the rooms formerly occupied by the Rationing Board, Saturday. The rooms have been remodeled for the display and sale of an number of items which taxed floor space in the hardware store. On sale in the new store will be linoleum, wallpaper, electric appliances, radios and paints. The radio service will also be set up in the new store.

Danville’s buzzing with race fan traffic today and many will remain in Danville homes tonight, as rooms cannot be had in Indianapolis. It is reported that one home is preparing to keep twelve persons overnight at a rate of $5 per person.

An office has been opened by John W. Scatterday in the rooms of Taylor & Taylor, abstractors, on the west side of the square. A graduate of Purdue University, Mr. Scatterday is an engineer and specialist in sewage and water problems and has had experienced in home designing.

FIFTY YEARS AGO Issue of May 27, 1971

Tuesday afternoon, Seth B. Lewis, Hendricks County Prosecutor, filed a complaint for injunction in the Circuit Court in an attempt to prevent the assembly, May 28-30 at Maplecroft Drive-In Theater on US 40, of the “Christ Festival.”

Melvin R. Lind turned over a shovel of dirt, Sunday afternoon, at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Northview Christian Church on SR 39, north edge of Danville. The church is presently having services on the south side of the public square.

Coming Tuesday, June 1, Medical Arts Pharmacy (formerly Turner Pharmacy) in Our New Building on Meadow Drive, just east of the Hospital.

Avon High School senior Dale Flood has placed fourth in the International Science Fair at Kansas City, Mo. It was the highest placing of U.S. entrant.

Mr. and Mrs. James T. Barlow of Plainfield observed their silver anniversary yesterday. They own and operate Radio Station WJMK-FM, Plainfield.

Mrs. Theda Stewart and children attended the North Salem commencement, Sunday night, in which her nephew, Dennis Leathers, was a graduate.

Beverly Martin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. laurel Martin of North Salem, and Susie Trent, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennie Trent, Pittsboro, have been accepted as members of the Ball State University Marching Band’s Cadette Corps for 1971- 72.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of May 23, 1996

A Memorandum of Understanding has been OK’d by the Hendricks County Commissioners, County Council, and County Redevelopment Commission with Qualitech Steel Corp. for a steel mill in Pittsboro.

The Town of Danville has received approval from the Governor’s Office for $631,000 for Downtown Enhancement and Streetscape. The town’s share is $157,000.

Michael Tulli is the first salaried employee of the Town of Avon. The Marion County resident is the new building commissioner for the town.

Danville High School will graduate approximately 167 seniors of Friday, May 24.

Cadet 4th Class Christopher N. Garcia has completed his freshman year at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He received his wings at an official Recognition Ceremony at the Academy on April 27.

Jenny Hobbs, S. Tennessee St., Danville, has served as a Student Ambassador at Taylor University for the 1995-1996 school year.

TEN YEARS AGO Issue of May 26, 2011

The Board of Trustees of the Danville South Cemetery Association invite the public to meet with them at the main entrance to the cemetery during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, on Saturday 28, between 1-3 p.m. and learn more about the cemetery.

Oliver William Wilhoite was the only law enforcement officer from Danville to be killed in the line of duty, on May 26,1911, while service a warrant.

Sara Hauswald, Brownsburg, a senior nursing major at Indiana Wesleyan University, will spend the fall 2011 semester in Zambia.

2011 Sagamore Conference champion Lauren Callahan, a senior a Danville, advanced out of sectionals for the 4th time in her high school career to the Lafayette Track & Field regional meet.

Residents and staff of Ivy Trace at Danville enjoyed an outing to the 500 Speedway Brickyard Crossing Restaurant. While there, they were invited by Doug Boles to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the track and Louise Vandivier’s 100th birthday with a visit to the Pagoda at the track. Doug works for IMS Public Relations and is Mrs. Vandivier’s grandson.

The Brownsburg Chamber of Commerce announced the 33rd Annual Festival of the Arts to be held Saturday, July 16, in Arbuckle Acres Park