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 September 17, 1896

Amo: A “snap-shot”artist, of Indianapolis, made and sold eighty-eight pictures of residences, shops, etc., last week.

Cartersburg: Grant Martin smiles over the arrival of a new ten pound voter at his house.

Brownsburg: The canning factory is turning out about 18,000 cans of tomatoes a day, working full time.

Henry Harrison is improving his property on East South street with new verandas.

Mat Gregg has a pear that grew on a tree at his home that takes the ribbon for size. It looks like a green squash and measures fourteen inches in circumference and weighs one pound the and one-half ounces.

The discovery of oil at Broad Ripple has revived the talk of sinking a few more wells in this county. Who knows that Hendricks county may become a great oil field.

The tent revival at Quebec is largely attended and much interest is being manifested. Sunday night there were about 1,400 present, 900 under the tent and fully 500 outside.

Mrs. Louise Pollock, colored, of Friendswood, is dead. She was the largest woman in the county and weighted 380 pounds.

Plainfield: Gibbs and Hagee have started a meat route to Cartersburg and the adjoining country.

Oak Ridge: Editor Hogate and wife were in this vicinity the first of the week. Call again, Mr. Editor.

New Winchester: Will Ridpath, Ira Dooley and Harry Osborne, with their lady friends, drove to Stilesville to Alf. Cosner’s last Sunday and were royally entertained by Mr. and Mrs. Cosner on musk and water melons, etc.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO Issue of September 15, 1921

Nearly ten years ago, John I. Alberton launched into the telephone business at Hazelwood, starting with one hundred and twenty-six subscribers. Now there are two hundred and thirty subscribers.

Miss Herringlake, of Plainfield, in a Ford coupe, turned the corner at Main and Washington streets with such enthusiasm, Saturday morning, that her machine climbed the curb and one fender struck a stone column at the First National Bank and then broke a large plate glass window in the Schwartz Department Store.

Yesterday, patrons, school board and church trustees agreed to use the church gym another year. Danville is to have an immense gymnasium with a seating capacity of from 1,200 to 1,500 if tentative plans by the school board are carried out.

An attraction quite worth while is being exhibited at the home of T.B. Adams – his granddaughter, Doris Jane Adams of New York City.

Ed Caldwell, who built the Royal theater n Danville and ran it for some time, died in Lafayette yesterday.

Coatesville: Schools opened Monday with the following teachers – Maurice Sutherlin, Catherine West, Delia Phillips, and Olive Baugham.

Hadley: John Shelton has purchased a new Ford.

Miss Kate DePew has been chosen supervisor of the English Department in the East Chicago schools, having seven teachers under her leadership.

Vernon Nichols has the contract for a four-room addition in the dormitory conducted by Mrs. Breeding. This addition will be used as a cafeteria where students may obtain lunch at any hour.

Band concerts will be given every Wednesday evening until the weather is too cold for them. Raoul Ayers has been the director and had remarkably well.

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of September 19, 1946

Among the ten Flying Farmers of Prairie Land at the Indiana State Fair was John Stubblefield, Coatesville. It was decided by the Hendricks Count Post No. 118 not to purchase the North Center school house for permanent quarters.

Charming in all its appointments was the artists’ tea given Wednesday at the home of Mrs. Thomas R. Barker with Mrs. Paul K. Thiery of Indianapolis as co-hostess, honoring their cousin, Mrs. Nellie Scearce Haller of Los Angeles, formerly of Danville.

Apples - a good crop of Jonathans, also Red Delicious, King David, and York Imperial. Oak Ridge Orchard, 5 miles southwest of Plainfield, near Joppa.

The first rehearsal of the Hendricks Symphony Orchestra occurred at Chapel Hall of Canterbury College, Sunday afternoon, under the direction of Thomas Wilson.

Hey, Skinny! The carnival is in town! The Hendricks County Post No. 118 of the American Legion wants to buy a home for permanent headquarters and in order to raise money they sponsored a carnival.

The Misses Lucy and Betsy Blanton have gone to Indianapolis to attend Tudor Hall.

Mrs. Orville Applegate was the hostess for a stork shower honoring Mrs. HarselWilhite, Tuesday evening. Games furnished the entertainment for the thirty guests present.

FIFTY YEARS AGO Issue of September 16, 1971

Sunday, the Danville Conservation Club will inaugurate a new program for the benefit of youth in the Danville area. The object is to teach young boys and girls to shoot a .22 rifle under closely supervised conditions.

Vandals hit the men’s room in the new concession stand at Brownsburg’s Roark Stadium last Friday night.

The Hendricks County Hospital has a new service - a Surgical Hostess Program, a communication link between the family of the surgery patient and the recovery room nurse.

Ray Fisher of Pittsboro, owner-operator of the Fisher Elevator in Maplewood, announces the leasing of the business to Hassil Wing of Brownsburg after 48years of continuous business.

Members of the Hendricks County Council sharpened pencils last week when they scrutinized budget requests of the county officials and decided they could operate on $1,088,753 instead of the $149,549 they requested.

Nellie Mae Moran has resigned as director of the Opportunity Cottage in Danville. She is being replaced by Mrs. Harry (Freda) Norman, Danville.

Gary French of Brownsburg and Mark Hauser of Plainfield, are among members of the 1971 Marching Hundred Band, Indiana University’s marching musicians of football half-time fame.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of September 12, 1996

Another Danville tradition has bit the dust - Swap & Shop Days. Last week, William Bair, Danville Chamber of Commerce executive director, said the Chamber Board voted to let Swap & Show, such as it is, end and a new change in format promised that would be introduced in 1997.

Lance Simon, lead singer with the Southern Draw Band, entertained at the Labor Day festivities at Old Fashion Days at North Salem.

Danville Community High School Principal Dave Marcotte asked the school board approval for investigation into student substance abuse testing in the high school.

Last week, Danville’s Flag Man, Roy Walter, ordered 103 flags from Senator Richard Lugar’s office.

The third annual Jon Mitchell Walk, Jog, Run is set for Saturday, September 21, 9 a.m., at Clayton.

AccuBanc Mortgage Corporation has announced that Jack Segner has joined the Indianapolis office as a Senior Loan Official to serve the west suburban market.

North Salem: C.R. (Bob) Fleece was honored on his 60th birthday with a family pitch-in, Sunday evening.

TEN YEARS AGO Issue of September 15, 2011

Saturday, September 17, 2011 will mark the kick-off of Danville Community Network. The DCN is a public-private partnership providing tele-communication services in the greater Danville area.

Hendricks County Sheriff Dave Galloway recently announced the winner of the 2011 Harley Davidson Road King motorcycle that was raffled of the Indiana Sheriff’s Association. The winner was April Franklin of Plainfield.

Local musician Landon Keller will open for Jennie DeVoe at the final concert for the 2011 Summer Sounds series.

Nearly 600 students at Avon White Oak and Maple elementary schools got a close-up, hands-on lesson in modern farming techniques, in the school parking lot. The event was sponsored by the Hendricks County Farm Bureau.

Danville Fire Department honored the 343 firefighters who died in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, with a display of American flags at Station 91.