10 YEARS AGO
Deaths this week: Jim Gifford, Wanda Johns, Charlene Johnson, Roy Darnold, Ed Cook, Pauline Frazier, Joy Cable.
Following the retirement of Dr. Chris Sieglitz, the optometrist office on Main Street has been re-opened by Dr. Tom Lisle. It will now be named “The Eye Care Group.”
In honor of former Switzerland County High School teacher and coach Mike McClure, who passed away earlier this school year from cancer, the Switzerland County High School boys and girls basketball teams will be hosting “Mike Night.”
20 YEARS AGO
Madison resident Ann Centers-Geyman was officially hired Monday night as the new business manager and treasurer for the Switzerland County School Corporation. Superintendent Tracy Caddell told those in attendance that Ann Centers-Geyman comes to the school post after serving as the comptroller for the past five years at Jim Hadley Chevrolet. She has a bachelors degree in business with a major in accounting; and has also been involved with the Madison Regatta for many years. She was present at Monday’s meeting and officially began her duties Tuesday morning.
Switzerland County senior point guard Dan McAlister was honored at Monday night’s meeting of the Switzerland County School Board. Dan McAlister was highlighted for an “Exemplary Sportsmanship Award” by the Indiana High School Athletic Association. He was nominated by an official who worked a Switzerland County game. He was congratulated by school board member Jim Phipps.
Switzerland County will hold its fourth annual “Relay for Life” event to raise money for cancer research on June 6th-7th. The event will again be held in the Paul Ogle Riverfront Park; but there are also plenty of new events being planned to help make this year’s Relay for Life more “family friendly.”
30 YEARS AGO
Isabel Sullivan of Vevay, Switzerland County’s most senior citizen, celebrated her 102nd birthday on Tuesday. She was born Isabel Long in Vevay on January 26th, 1891. Her father was a well-known riverboat captain. She lived in her home at Market and Vineyard streets for nearly a half century. It’s often called the Sooner House, for the leading role it played in ‘A Girl Names Sooner’, the television movie filmed in Vevay in 1974.
Zula Madison of Vevay will celebrate her 98th birthday next week on Tuesday, February 2nd. Her family plans to take her out for a birthday dinner, and they expect her to honor custom by hosting a euchre party for her many card-playing friends.
Duke Boles, a Switzerland County native, has been named Director of Physical Therapy at King’s Daughters’ Hospital Rehabilitation Center.
40 YEARS AGO
The Town of Vevay received a real scare last Friday afternoon when an anonymous phone caller informed the Switzerland County Sheriff’s Department that 10 pounds of cyanide had been dumped into the water system somewhere in the county. Sheriff Garry Forwood acted quickly by getting the water shut off in Vevay just minutes after the phone call was made. The town was without water for approximately four hours as inspectors from the county and state tested the water and added a chemical to the water tanks around the county to eliminate the cyanide, if there was any in the lines.
Kenneth G. Adams was recently promoted to the rank of Aviation Ordnance man Chief Petty Officer by the U.S. Navy. Chief Adams is the son of Eleanor Adams and is an air crewman flying with Patrol Squadron 56.
50 YEARS AGO
About two years ago, Cincinnati salesman Bill Hill and his wife Ginny discovered Switzerland County. Soon after they began making weekend trips here to build their own “country retreat” for weekends and vacations. Now they’re full-fledged Switzerland County residents, having purchased the Western Auto store in Vevay and having moved, along with their two and a half year old son Jimmy, into their recently-completed home near Indian Creek west of Vevay. Claude and Dorothy Roland, who are retiring from the Western Auto business after 14 years, will continue to reside in this area.
The planned bridge over Markland Dam is moving slowly toward reality. The usual bureaucratic hurdles still need to be cleared as always but the bridge’s future is assured at this point. Although “no plans at all” have been made in terms of the bridge design, final design and specifications for the project are expected to be completed by the end of 1973, according to Congressman Lee Hamilton.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Osborn of Vevay will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary Sunday with an open house at their home on Seminary Street in Vevay.
Two Switzerland County girls will participate in the Miss Indiana Teenager Pageant at Indianapolis this summer. Mary Jane Smith, route 1, Vevay, and Karen Sue Morton, route 1, Vevay, will be among the hundreds of Hoosier girls at the pageant to be staged June 1st and 2nd at the Sheraton Motor Inn. Miss Smith is the 17-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clair Smith. Miss Morton is the 16-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leon Morton.
60 YEARS AGO
Two Switzerland County youths are high on the lists for entrance to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Congressman Earl Wilson of Indiana’s Ninth District announced this week. Robert C. Stout of Vevay, a senior at Vevay High School, is a principal appointee to the academy, Wilson said, and has first choice for entry into the New York academy. David W. Minks of Patriot, a senior at Patriot-Posey High School, is a second alternate to a principal for an appointment.
Miss Jo Ann Whitton, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Whitton, rural route 1, Canaan, Indiana, is Homemaker of Tomorrow for Vevay High School in the 1963 Betty Crocker Search for the American Homemaker of Tomorrow. Having achieved the highest score in a knowledge and aptitude test given senior girls December 4th, she now is eligible, along with winners in other state high schools, for the title of ‘State Homemaker of Tomorrow’.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Osborn will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at their home near Fairview.
Melvin P. Keith, 59, died January 17th at his home near Quercus Grove following a six month’s illness.
Mrs. Ona B. Martin, 53, died suddenly Sunday evening at the home of a brother, Harry Brown, in Elizabethtown, Indiana, where she had made her home for the past two years.
70 YEARS AGO
Glen Conover resigned recently as coach and teacher in the Patriot High School in order to accept a position with the Gruen Watch Company of Cincinnati in that company’s testing program at the Jefferson Proving Ground.
Mrs. India LeClerc, 83, member of two of Switzerland County’s earliest families, passed away at her home in Mount Sterling Friday morning.
Spencer Ellsworth Couch, 79, one of the best loved citizens of Patriot, died suddenly at his home in Patriot early last Friday morning. His death was attributed to a heart attack by Dr. George Ellerbrook who was called as coroner.
Mrs. Dean Adams of near Moorefield was notified last week of the sudden death of her uncle, William J. Downey, of near Danville, Indiana, who fell dead on a Danville street on January 14th. Mr. Downey was 57 years of age and was a native of Cotton Township in Switzerland County where he resided for a number of years.
80 YEARS AGO
Hezzie K. Satterfield resigned his position as Chief of Night Police here and William Bowen given a temporary appointment to fill the vacancy.
Robert McKenzie for the past four years Superintendent of the County Infirmary, here will leave this week with his family, to make his home in Muncie, Indiana. Amie Peelman has been appointed to take his place.
George Hankins, native of Craig Township and well known violinist, died suddenly at his home in Madison of a heart attack last week.
Miss Lorraine Gullion of Markland and Robert Lueking of St. Louis, Missouri, were united in marriage at the Markland Baptist Church, Saturday evening by Reverend Robert McNeely.
Born, a son, Paul Eddie, to Mr. and Mrs. Dilver Ford of Bethel Ridge.
90 YEARS AGO
Harvey Elliot, aged 84 years, a former resident of Patriot, was killed Sunday afternoon at Kent, Indiana, when he stepped in front of a passenger train. The aged man was deaf and partially blind.
Claude Cotton, a World War veteran and native of Mount Sterling, died at the Soldiers and Sailors Home in Marion, Indiana, January 19th following a complicated illness of more than a year.
Miss Mary Dufour and Charles Romans, both residing near Vevay, were married Saturday at the home of the officiating minister, Reverend H. T. Rafnel.
Marshall Cook and Miss Thelma Webster, both of Posey Township, were united in marriage by Reverend Frank Hammel at his home in Vevay Wednesday morning.
Raymond Cheever of near East Enterprise and Opal Gulley of Ohio County were married here Saturday by Reverend Jarboe.
Mrs. Blanche Scudder was married January 3rd to William J. Moran of Cincinnati.
100 YEARS AGO
Mrs. Cogley Cole of Vevay last week was appointed deputy prosecuting attorney to fill out the unexpired term of her brother, George B. Hall, Jr., who resigned.
Postmaster James S. Wright and his new force consisting of clerks, Miss Sada Hall and Rex Peabody and city carrier Louis Teats, began their duties Friday morning.
Charles Tietz, manager of the Kroger Store in Vevay, has been recalled to Cincinnati and Grant Johnson has been appointed to take his place.
Miss Mary Taet of this city died Friday at King’s Daughters’ Hospital in Madison after a week’s illness of pneumonia.
110 YEARS AGO
Robert Bakes, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred S. Bakes, died at Albuquerque, New Mexico, last Thursday of tuberculosis. He was 22 years of age.
It now seems probable that Vevay may have a button factory.
George B. Davidson, well known baker, died at his home in Vevay Tuesday night at the age of 62 years.
The Committee on Arrangements to provide for the Homecoming in honor of this city’s centennial will hold a meeting at the Mayor’s office tonight.
130 YEARS AGO
L. F. Works has located in Vevay and has opened up an office on Pike Street.
The records in the clerk’s office show that during 1892, 156 marriage licenses were issued.
Died in Vevay Friday, January 20th, Mrs. Catherine Edgar, aged 69 years and 15 days.
Died at her home in Mount Sterling January 20th, Mrs. Eleanor M. Cotton, wife of Warren Cotton.
Died in Vevay Sunday, January 22nd, Mary R., daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John W. Moxley, aged 1 year, 8 months, and 18 days.
Married Sunday, January 22nd, by Reverend H. C. Pelsor, Peter Pelsor and Miss Belle Gibbs.
Born January 19th, a son to Alice and Chester Moore of East Enterprise.
150 YEARS AGO
Marriage licenses have been issued to W. L. Dickings and Martha Jane Ostrander, Charles Dibble and Lou E. Cheever, Charles Houze and Annie Fulton; John B. French and Flora Cooper.
William Smith, who has been seriously ill with pneumonia, is recovering.
160 YEARS AGO
A letter from Captain Rous of the 50th Indiana Regiment from Jackson, Tennessee tells of engagements in that vicinity. J. H. Fisher was slightly wounded.
The ram Switzerland arrived at Cairo January 16th and reported the taking of Arkansas Post on the Arkansas River, 100 miles from its mouth by the land and naval forces under McClellan and Porter.
Congress has authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to issue Treasury notes to the amount of $150,000,000 and it is to be used exclusively in paying the Army and Navy.
The gunboat Indianola weighed anchor at Jeffersonville this week and departed for Cairo, passing over the falls without difficulty. Previous to her departure one of her immense guns was fired, which shattered windowpanes in some of the buildings on the Indiana shore.
On Wednesday of last week we had a continuous rain which at night turned into snow, continuing all that night and the greater part of Thursday. The depth of the snow was from 20 to 24 inches. Snow of so great a depth was never before known in this region of country. All manner of locomotion was suspended for two days.