SERVING HENDRICKS COUNTY SINCE 1847
Page A-2
The Republican
Delving Into Yester~Year
Local historian and writer Paul Miner takes items from
The Republican’s Yester-Year column to develop an interesting, informative and often humorous article.
To the Editor: Before Velveeta, the uncontested king of modern plastic cheese, North Salem’s cheese factory in late 1896 produced a “superior quality” product. The factory by 1898 could sell more cheese “if it were possible to get a sufficient supply of milk.” A 93-year-old in 1973 remembered the place was on South Broadway. The site originally was a creamery. That old-timer claimed to recall the precise formula: two ounces of rennet and an ounce of coloring to 1,000 ounces of milk. A horse-drawn wagon delivered the cheese as far away as Greencastle and Marshall. Then the business petered out. Plainfield had a cheese factory, too. The new A. Kellum & Co. outfit produced a thousand pounds of cheese each week in 1877. Kellum took “best cheese” at that year’s county fair. “Indiana Farmer” sent someone to check out Asher Kellum’s operation in July that year. The guy brought his wife and they enjoyed the midday meal with Kellum and his wife, along with the field hands at the 200-acre farm roughly two miles southwest of Friendswood at Guilford Township’s southern edge. The cheese factory was a two-room one-story affair a mile from the farmhouse. One room contained the curdling vat, scales and the cheese presses. The second, filled with shelves, was the curing room. Each cheese, made from “pure, whole milk,” was dated (month and day). Danville fielded an inquiry from Binghamton, New York, about launching its own creamery and cheese factory in 1889, but I don’t know whether that panned out. Hadley had a cheese factory in the early 1880s. E.H. Hall, Danville, advertised “New York Factory Cheese” in 1883. A place on Washington Street in the Capital bought homemade Hendricks County cheese, bacon and hams “at highest market price” as far back as early 1849. Imagine walking into William Cline’s new store, recently purchased in October 1851 from Black Hawk War veteran Colonel Thomas Nichols in the new Nave Building at the Public Square’s northeast corner. He sold cheese, and he had 10,000 pounds of bar, rod and hoop iron, and nails. That store had almonds, all kinds of dishes, dry goods, a wide selection of clothing materials, mackerel, salt, grindstones, gunpowder, boots and shoes. Cline accepted cash and country produce. In 1887, The Republican reported Italians were making cheese from tomato pulp at a New Jersey cannery. The 1888 Cincinnati Exposition had a microscope which revealed cheese dust was filled with insects “as large (apparently) as cockroaches.” I assume that’s American cheese and not any of that stuff named after some place in a certain country with devices for slicing necks rather than cheese. Folks were told they could make their own electric rat trap – the “latest” – in 1898. Just take a small piece of cheese, insert an electric wire “and the instant the rat touches the cheese he receives a shock which kills him.” Was the wire live prior to insertion, how was it hooked up to power, what was the UL listing? I learned how to eat cheese from an 1898 recommendation. The cheese is grated and heaped in a bowl which is passed from diner to diner. Each takes a spoonful and places it on the tiny plate to the left of the big plate. Then celery stalks are handed around and they’re dipped into the cheese. Since celery usually isn’t passed around until after dessert, it appears that’s when you eat the cheese. That year, the Dutch supper was in vogue in New York for Sunday night teas, especially when the hostess had only one maid handy. Cheese was involved. Blue delft plates were recommended. Imported frankfurter sausages were dropped into boiling water in a chafing dish. Sauerkraut was already prepared for the gathering, scalded and then baked a couple hours with fresh pork. There was Dutch mustard, black bread or pumpernickel, potato salad, pickled red cabbage, pretzels, “plenty of good cheese” and fine coffee. The affair “will be a delight to friends, who will welcome such a change from the regulation Sunday suppers.” I assume the maid instructed the sophisticates how to fork their sausages and wrap bread around them, and then managed the rest, herself. Some put mustard on pretzels, but I don’t. Paul Miner Lizton ______________________________________________________________________
Publisher’s Point of View Bits & Pieces Around the Office This is a busy time of year for most and that is certainly true here at The Republican newspaper. We continue to welcome new readers every week, advertising is increasing, staff is growing and the apprentice is learning the craft of setting type from our in-house journeyman. Spirits in the office are high so stop in and say “hi” when you are in Danville. While you’re here, get a gift subscription for the hard-to-buy-for friend or relative on your list. No News November By the time you are reading this, No News November will have been over but, as of this writing, it ends today. Those of us that made it all the way will agree that its been nice. There’s not a strong desire to rush back into the world of constant newsfeeds and “Breaking News.” Regardless, it is likely that important events have occurred since October and we should probably sift through the noise to try and figure out what the problems really are versus what people say they are. It’s draining to think about. Wisdom might say, “Young padowan, it is the time of year to be thankful and merry not sullen and angry. Don’t rush into it. Little bites.” That sounds wise. Maybe by Spring we will be acclimated to the new normal. That’s too bad. I like Spring. Start Talking Series In an attempt to encourage dialogue over division, the next topic being tackled by our two guest writers will be “Masking and Vaccine Mandates as related to COVID-19”. Their perspectives will be published in the December 16th (next week) edition of the newspaper. To refresh our readers, our guest writers are respected Danville Town Councilman and stalwart conservative, David Winters and recognised Quaker Pastor and discerning progressive, Philip Gulley. For their debut last month, each wrote their perspective on critical race theory being taught in public schools. Don’t get excited, though. This is not a format for fighting, it’s just an attempt to see if you 6 East Main Street ~ P.O. Box 149 and I can learn anything Danville, IN 46122 Phone: 317-745-2777 / Fax: 317-647-4341 about what is separating us. E-mail: therepublican@sbcglobal.net The Republican encourBETTY JO BARTLEY ages you to read each essay Editor out loud and discuss with SUBSCRIPTION RATE $40 PER YEAR others. Last week some SINGLE COPY 50¢ readers let us know they PUBLISHED WEEKLY enjoyed the discussion that came from it and they are PRINTED ON RECYCLED looking forward to the next MEMBER SINCE 1933 PAPER WITH SOY INK one. The Republican Hendricks County, LLC __________ Gerald W. Vornholt, President Periodicals Postage Paid Danville, Indiana 46122 (USPS PERMIT NUMBER 462200) POSTMASTER SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO P.O. BOX 149, DANVILLE, IN 46122
Never despise what you can’t understand. William Penn
Thursday, December 9, 2021
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 December 10, 1896 A job lot of tramps came to town Tuesday, some thirty-five of them all told. Phonograph parties are quite the thing now-a-days. C.A. Hargrave, of the college, has a splendid instrument and will call at your residence and entertain your party for a small sum. Clayton: Wood White is so far the champion hunter. The scalps of twenty opossums, eleven skunks, 8 coons, six musk-rats and 4 minks are dangling at his belt. Col. Hargett, the meandering typographical artist with an unquenchable thirst, called again Thursday morning. He did not tarry long before went on his way toward the rising sun after telling the gossip of the print shops along the Wabash. Something should be done to keep our young men and boys off the street corners at night. Some good citizen should start the ball rolling to organize a literary society or debating club. “Three weeks in Wonderland” is an illustrated lecture by Rev. F.S. Tincher and will be given in the Methodist church Tuesday evening, Dec. 15th. Seventy magnificent views of Colorado, California, and Yellowstone Park will be presented on large canvases. Adults twenty cents; children ten cents. Mrs. Mary K. Regan has filed a plat of an addition of twenty-seven lots to the town of Clayton in the Recorder’s office. Hazelwood: It being the request of the state board of health, and the command of the trustee, the janitors at our school building are required to scrub the floor and wash the tops of the desks once a week. Pecksburg: The measles are about to run out for want of material to work on. _____ ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO Issue of December 8, 1921 Tuesday night, the safe in the Amo post office was blown. Nothing was secured, as the safe contained neither money nor stamps. James Paxton Vorhees, poet laureate and novelist of Plainfield, announces that he will seek the Democratic nomination for Congress next spring. Catholic ladies of Danville have organized a club of fourteen members. The first meeting was at the home of Mrs. R.R. McDaniel and Rev. Maher, of Brownsburg, was a guest. With the mercury at 40 and a keen wind blowing, Seniors and Juniors at the College had a tug-o’-war at the Park, Saturday morning. The Juniors won. The pull was across the creek. Just as the contest was to begin and many had gathered on the suspension bridge to see the contest, one strand of the bridge gave way and the bridge hung at an angle of about thirty degrees. Two or three slipped off the bridge into the water. The first game to be played in the new gymnasium at Lizton was played between Lizton and Ladoga last night. On Wednesday evening of last week, the Athletic Association of Stilesville gave a banquet at the school house for the parents of the members of the basket ball team and for the new banker, Orville Carpenter, who gave to each member of the team a handsome sweater. Danville euchre fans entertained their brethren from Plainfield, Tuesday evening, and, after treating their guests to one of “Jumbo’s” finest oyster suppers, defeated them by the score of 115 to 79. _____
and Small Grain Association. For a long time it has been the custom of the Danville Commercial club to provide and install gala decorations for the public square during the Christmas season. For various reasons, the practice had been abandoned during the war years. Morton Ayres, who lives on the O’Dell farm near Hadley, reports that a pet hen belonging to his two small sons comes to the kitchen door daily, and pecks on the door. When let in, she flies to the top of the kitchen cabinet, where she lays an egg. _____
SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of December 12, 1946 J.I. Skidmore, band director of Center township schools, was elected state chairman of Class C musical organizations for the third time. Canterbury College has recently established a new athletic award to be known as the Lyman b. Whitaker Medal. The medal will be given each spring to the senior who has been the most outstanding in athletics, general character qualities, and scholarship. The Danville Conservation club has completed the purchase of a twenty-acre tract of land, located one mile east of Danville on East 10th street road and was. Part of the Oliver Merritt farm. The club will erect a club room, also trap and skeet ranges. There will be a seven-acre lake for fishing. One hundred sixty-three of corn, wheat, and oats were attractively displayed in the rotunda of the court house, last Thursday through Saturday, during the three-day program of the Hendricks County Corn
TEN YEARS AGO Issue of December 8, 2011 The Town of North Salem, known for its Old Fashion Days celebration on Labor Day weekend, will host a holiday version with its Old Fashion Christmas , Friday Dec. 9 and Saturday, Dec. 10. On Monday of this week, visitors to the Hendricks County Court House found the north, east and south doors locked. Now, the only public entrance to the building is on the west side. Those entering must go through an airport security-style metal detector. The Hendricks County Sheriff’s Dept. recently received a $1,500 grant for their K9 program from the Duke Energy Foundation. The Hendricks County Extension Office will host a retirement open house for Office Manager Sharon Wilson on Wed., Dec. 14, from 2-4 p.m. Bartlett Chapel United Methodist Church invites the public to help celebrate the retirement of Beverly Griffith, who has served as the church’s secretary for 46 dedicated years.
FIFTY YEARS AGO Issue of December 9, 1971 Swinford Park at Plainfield has a new skating rink. This is the first project of the newly-formed Town Park Advisory Board Committee. The Brownsburg Jaycees are sponsoring a Christmas decoration contest for all private homes within Brownsburg city limits. Complaints from area residents about chickens at the Roy Lewis residence caused Police Chief Merle Funk to enforce an 1878 ordinance prohibiting the keeping of swine and poultry within the corporation. Miss Alice J. Parker, Stilesville, junior at Ball State University, has been selected to appear in the 1971-72 edition of “Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities.” Monday, the Hendricks County Commissioners studied the new specifications and estimates for construction of the jail . Armstrong & Associates of Indianapolis, came up with a new estimate of $554,000 for the project. The Harold Hiser family is moving to their new home on the old Greencastle Road. Dale Denny was elected fire chief, Sunday, by the Clayton Volunteer Fire Department. The Danville Community High School will present the annual Christmas Concert, December 16, 8 p.m., in the Bosstick Gym. “Dear Santa, I want a bathinette, a training wheel bike, a play game doll, a red purse, and a talking Barbie and some surprises. Love, Tammy Houser.” ______ TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of December 5, 1996 Danville’s traffic count per day in 20 years is predicted at 46,000 vehicles as compared to 26,000 per day through the town at present. James Summers retired December 1, after 22 years as head of maintenance at the Danville schools. He will be honored at a retirement party, Sunday, December 7, at the Danville Christian Church. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Leach Jr. will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, Sunday, Dec. 7. Tri-West and Carroll went to the Class A state finals and Tri-West won, 37-14. Also, this is Tri-Wests first unbeaten season, 140, and the second Hendricks County team to win a state title in any sport. Brownsburg took the 4-A state title in 1984-85. Hendricks Civic Theater is currently in rehearsal for the fifth annual Christmas musical revue, “Reason for the Season V” on Dec. 12, 13, 14 & 15 at the Royal Theater. The new bath house at Gill Pool in Ellis Park, Danville, is under roof. It is located at the west end of the pool. Danville Kiwanis Club, in co-operation with the Hendricks County Sheriff’s Department, has plans underway for their annual holiday project, Project A.N.G.E.L. _____
