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 October 8, 1896

Brownsburg: The sewer is completed which adds another improvement to our town.

Amo: A young man from Pecksburg broke out with measles in the school room the first day of school and the result, there are twenty-five or more cases of measles in town and the surrounding country.

The pole-raising at Fay Masten’s Saturday was a great success, the crowd being estimated at 1,000. James L. Clark delivered a vote-getting speech.

The first month shows an enrollment in the city schools of 370 with an average attendance of 350.

The Entre Nous Club was organized at Miss Maude Biddle’s, Monday evening.

Albert Orth came in Tuesday noon for a short visit. He will be in Lynchburg this winter.

The city schools have been adjourned until Monday on account of diphtheria. There are three mild cases – one each in the families of Messrs. Bolton, Wooton, and Gentry.

Maplewood: Our school is too crowded. We are in the need of more room. Why can not Center, Union, and Middle townships united and have a graded school at this place?

Rainstown: The Rainstown choir will furnish the music at the soldier’s reunion at Mr. Fulwider’s next Thursday.

The Republican hosts of Hendricks County rallied in Danville yesterday in numbers that have been estimated from 12,000 to 15,000.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO Issue of October 6, 1921

To the amazement of all, the town board met in regular monthly session, Monday night, allowed the usual grist of bills and adjourned without a single indignant citizen appearing to make a kick about anything.

The beautiful home of Mr. and Mrs. John C. Taylor, East Broadway, the first reunion of the Jackson and Whyte families was held, Sunday.

Sunday afternoon the body of Oscar Holtsclaw, killed in the Argonne forest, was laid to rest in the South cemetery, the Danville post of the American Legion officiating.

Stilesville and community are crazy over baseball. Last Sunday, over 700 fans gathered to see their team beat the Colored Giants of Indianapolis. The score was 5 to 3, and it was some classy game.

At a meeting of the local post of the American Legion, Friday night, there was a unanimous vote favoring the appropriation by the county of $35,000 for a county hospital.

M.O. Hadley has sold his farm southwest of Danville to John Nickerson. Mr. Hadley is building a modern bungalow on his lot on East Broadway, just east of the S.L. McCurdy property.

Oliver Stout, of Cloverdale, is the new Overland automobile salesman for this locality and has opened a salesroom in the Farmers’ Loan Company building, formerly known as the County Fair block.

New Winchester: At 3 o’clock Sunday afternoon at the home of Wm. Branson, occurred the marriage of his daughter, Edna, to Abey William Woods, son of Gideon Woods. The color scheme was pink and green. The bride was dressed in white silk with shadow lace and carried a bouquet of pink roses and ferns.

A parent-teacher association was organized in Washington township through the efforts of the Civics Home Economics Club.

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of October 10, 1946

The Danville Business and Professional Women’s club have arranged to have their meetings in the club room of the court house.

Neil Hagen of Rushville and John Rodgers of Clayton have been chosen yell leaders of Canterbury College.

Miss Barbara Halfaker of Danville has been appointed business manager and advertising solicitor for the Ball State News.

The total enrollment of the Avon school is 366. Two hundred and eight are in the grades and 88 in the high school..

North Salem: The Dead Leaves Guild of the Woman’s club folded bandages at the Riley hospital, Friday. Those attending were Mesdames Verne Walton, Fred Smith, R.C. Wyncoop, Thomas Durham, E.R. Cooper and Earnest Hicks.

A covered dish luncheon began the new year for the Stilesville Friday club at the home of Mrs. Clara Reitzel.

The sixth annual reunion of the Tilden school will be Sunday, October 20.

Two new members were added to the Canterbury College board of Trustees: Willis B. Conner, Jr. and Homer P. Hargrave.

Born, to Mr. and Mrs. Glen Harvey, at the Witham hospital, Sunday, a son, Max.

FIFTY YEARS AGO Issue of October 7, 1971

Lawrence Martin, president of the Avon School Board vowed to fight busing all the way to Congress in his letter dated September 30.

Tuesday was the last day for the Little Brick on the Danville Square. The building was originally a covered drinking fountain and later was enclosed for the Danville Police Station. Now, progress has caused it to be razed to make way for widening of Washington street and three sides of the square.

Plainfield now has a new five-member advisory park board. Members are Ronald Schultz, Silvia Eastman, Geral E. Glen, Foster Jennings and John Reed.

A resolution was introduced and unanimously adopted to change the name of the Danville Park as a way of honoring the man who has so carefully maintained it for the past 40 years, H.D. Ellis.

Mrs. Leslie Sandefur, Danville Welcome Wagon hostess, reports new Danville residents include Rev. and Mrs. Ron Mc- Dugle from Lima, Ohio. They have two children, Jonathan, age 2 ½ and Melinda, age 7 weeks.

Irle Miner and family recently visited her father, Roy Pratt, and wife of Huntington, Ind., then motored through Kentucky and the Cumberland Mountains.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of October 3, 1996

The Twin Bridges Recycling Dropoff Center will be celebrating its Grand Re-opening Saturday, October 5, from 8 a.m. to noon. The Center was closed several months due to public abuse.

A Brownsburg angler has picked up $280 from the Red Man Hoosier Division Tournament Trail on the Ohio River. Russell Zolles landed two bass weighing 5 lbs. 4 oz. to place sixth.

The new neighborhood Sears Hardware store will open its doors on October 21, at 10400 E. US 36, Avon.

A petition is being circulated to create a Fire Protection District in Liberty Township.

The Danville Flag Fund nears $3,500 according to Roy Walter, who spearheaded the campaign after the present flags have been twisted, ripped and otherwise damaged.

The Hendricks Community Hospital Guild is hosting a Bake Sale on Nov. 14 and 1, from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., in the hospital’s main lobby.

The Danville Community High School Choir is bursting at the seams this year with its biggest enrollment in over a decade, 70 members.

TEN YEARS AGO Issue of October 6, 2011

The Hendricks county Symphonic Society will open the season with “Heroes and Villains” on Friday, October 17, at Avon Middle School North.

Hendricks County Clerk Cindy Spence was recently named the 2011 Outstanding County Clerk by the Association of Indiana Counties.

Hendricks County’s first half marathon race started with a chill in the air on Saturday, October 2, on the court house square in Danville.

In the shortest session of 2011, the Danville Town Council repealed two ordinances, approved another, and adopted the 2012 budget. Ordinances 2-2007 and 11-1996, prohibiting deadly weapons in public buildings were repealed.

Lots of little ones came dressed as scarecrows to take part in the Downtown Danville Partnership’s Scarecrow Look-Alike Contest. First place went to 17 month old Brenden Clements.

The Rev. Andy Burnett will deliver his prize-winning sermon at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church on Sunday, October 9. The speech received the Heartland Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association sermon award for excellence in preaching.