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 August 27, 1896

The J.O.B. club of Avon entertained the S.R.G. and C.O.M. club at the home of Alva Huron last Friday night.

Stilesville: The people saw something very unusual Saturday. It was a rainbow made by the moon.

Stilesville: Frank Miller has invented a new pneumatic buggy cushion and has put one in Philip Kreigh’s new road wagon to try it.

Elmer Miller says he saw a water melon grow so large they had to lay down the fence to get it out of the patch. Can anyone beat it?

Lizton: Dr. S.O. Leak, having finished his course at the Medical College at Chicago, has returned home.

Hazlewood: Our watermelon growers report a larger crop of melons and a shorted crop of boys than they have seen for years. The boys say they are too cheap to steal.

Oak Ridge: John McClain has presented his wife with a fine yard fence.

The Brownsburg Record is gradually climbing into a front seat in the Populist band wagon.

There is talk of an Episcopalian church being established in this city.

A tennis tournament for the championship of Hendricks County will be played on the grounds on East South street Saturday afternoon at 4:30 between Bert Sears and Ornan Baker who have been the champions for three years and Charley Brewer and Tom Barker.

An eight week’s term of kindergarten conducted by Miss Mabel Reid, of Indianapolis, closed Friday. Many parents and friends witnessed the last day’s work, after which the children had their pictures “tookt” as one of them was heard to say.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO Issue of August 18, 1921

Hendricks county will be one of the few counties to have more than one girl enrolled in the Indiana State Fair School of Home Economics to be held in connection with the State Fair. Miss Ruth Dickey, from Brown township and Miss Cora Candy, from Liberty township have been appointed to the school by the Hendricks County Federation of Home Economics clubs.

William Crow, of Guilford township, is laying out a fine in jail on a plea of guilty in ‘Squire Barlow’s court to taking watermelons from a neighbor’s patch.

Next week, the second Hendricks County Fair will be held on the county’s land on the north side of the Rockville road east of Danville. The buildings erected to house the county’s road-working machinery will be utilized in addition to many tents to protect the exhibits.

Avon: Miles Tudor invites his friends in for a social hour. On departing, he presented each a fine melon to keep as a souvenir.

Miss Ruth M. Dix, from St. Louis, Mo., will begin her work in the county as Home Demonstration Agent, Saturday, August 20.

Will Walton, of Indianapolis, and B.H. Canine, of Danville, have leased the room now occupied by J.O. Tinder where they will open an electric shoe repairing shop, shining parlor and cleaning a pressing parlor.

After September 1, the Buick home will be on the south side of the square in a room occupied by C.E. Mithcell, who has sold the building to J.O. Tinder.

E.H. Conn believes he has the prize peach, weighing slightly over three-quarters of a pound and measuring ten inches around.

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of August 29, 1946

Plans have been completed for the establishment of two new implement businesses on Road 36 a mile east of Danville, on land located east of county home. James Hill, owner of the Hill Implement & Truck Sales, will build a repair shop this fall. H.R. Humphries, John Deere dealer in Danville, will move the Danville Implement Sales there when construction is completed this spring.

Mrs. George M. Walker of North Salem joined the staff of The Republican this week as advertising manager and reporter. Mrs. Walker comes to the staff after fifteen years of service for the paper’s correspondent from North Salem.

Dr. W.T. Lawson, Indiana’s oldest practicing physician, will celebrate his ninety-seventh birthday, Tuesday.

According to college officials, a reasonable rent for rooms approved by the college would range from $3 to $5 per week, depending upon the size of the room and whether it has single or double beds.

Between 175 and 200 of the 300 students expected to attend Canterbury College will be veterans studying under the G.I. Bill of Rights. About 80 students will be obtaining their tuition free as residents of Hendricks county.

Two hundred members of the Hendricks County Farm Bureau attended the annual picnic at the Danville Park. Prizes of silver dollars were awarded winners of contests. Flossie Bryant of Union township won the hog calling contest, Mrs. Conrad West of Guilford won the husband calling contest. The wife calling contest was won by John Woodard of Union township.

FIFTY YEARS AGO Issue of August 26, 1971

Miss Julie English’s “Clyde” – Hendricks County’s 4-H Grand Champion Hereford steer, took the honors home again at the Indiana State Fair. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marvin English of Clayton.

The Evelyn Miller Artificial Kidney Fund topped the $7,000 this week.

An Independent Party and the American Party will have its first confrontation in 20 years at North Salem, September 7, in a special “petitioned” election.

Leland Cooper of Clayton placed second in the National Professional Sheep Shearing final contest at the Indiana State Fair, Sunday.

Mr. and Mrs. Meredith Kincaid of near Lizton has been accepted as a Country-side Family Test Group with the Farm Journal magazine.

Remodeling has started on the former E.J. Roberts Ford building on North Washington St., Danville The building has been purchased from the Roberts estate by Robert Rader of Yorktown, a dealer in draperies and coverings.

The tool shed at the Danville Park was dynamited last Wednesday at 11:32 p.m. Investigation is being conducted through the co-operation of the U.S. Treasury, the Ft. Harrison Bomb Squad, the State Fire Marshal, the Indiana State Police and the Danville Police Department.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of August 22, 1996

The closing ceremony of the 1996 Summer Reading Club, “Hat’s Off to the Olympics,” was at the Danville Public Library, Thursday, August 8. The All-Around Champions were John Gramley, senior, and Megan brooks, junior.

Mr. and Mrs. Jason Kehrein announce the arrival of their first child, a boy, on July 23, at Hendricks Community Hospital, weighing in at 7 lbs. 7 oz., 21 in. long. He has been named Tyler Matthew Kehrein.

J.B. Hayes, son of Ruth Hayes and the late James Hayes of Danville, was selected to play on the United States Tennis Team in The Gordon Trophy Cup this year in Cleveland, Ohio.

Town Manager Gary Eakin is to obtain some quotes on a traffic study from other engineers. R.W. Armstrong was $12,000 for such a survey. None of the councilmen wanted to spend that amount.

The 13th annual Coatesville Harvest Festival is this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It will be a BBQ and Fish Fry, sponsored by the Volunteer Fire Department. Parade at 2 p.m., Saturday.

TEN YEARS AGO Issue of August 25, 2011

The Hendricks County Health Department announced last week that a pool of mosquitoes in the county has tested positive for the West Nile Virus. Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman and Indiana Agriculture Director Joe Kelsay presented Pat Wethington the Centennial Farm Award. Mr. Wethington’s farm is located near Brownsburg and has been owned by the family since 1891.

State Bank of Lizton is offering an exclusive Bulldog Checking Account with Bulldog check debit card, checks, and check book cover .

Mad Hatter’s Cups & Cakes will have its grand opening on Friday, Sept. 2, at 5 p.m. at 57 S. Washington St. The shop offers cupcakes, cake pops, specialty cakes, wedding cakes, and birthday parties.

A comprehensive tree inventory was presented to the Danville Town Council on August 15. All trees within the street rightof-way and park/public spaces were inventoried.

All great baseball players have nicknames. We understand Brenda now goes by “Shiner Sutton.”