News compiled by Ginny Leap
from past issues of
Switzerland County newspapers
10 YEARS AGO
Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell Lee Fowler of Marion, Indiana will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on December 5th. Maxwell Fowler and Roberta Konkle were married on December 5th, 1954, at the Bennington United Methodist Church.
Lyonal and Ruby Hysell of Madison will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on December 18th. Lyonal Hysell and Ruby Ray were married on December 18th, 1954, by Reverend Frank Reed at his home in Vevay.
Edith (McKay) Reed will be the guest of honor at a 90th birthday celebration this Saturday, November 27th, at Union Baptist Church in lamb.
Betty Lucas was the guest of honor Sunday afternoon at a celebration honoring her on 40 years of service as a county employee.
The Patriot Town Council on Tuesday, November 16th, received the final draft of a master plan for improvements needed to be done to the Patriot Water System. The master plan is the result of studies on the system by Strand Associates Inc., SIECO Engineers Division and Patriot Town Council. This is the first master plan used to determine short and long term needs of the system. It will be used to steer the utility to make improvements based on a 20-year projection.
The Switzerland County School Board approved a resolution at its meeting on November 15th that would move the election of School Board members from the primary election in May to the general election in November.
20 YEARS AGO
In basketball, he did it all. He played, at Vevay High School and Hanover College. He coached basketball, at Vevay and Lawrenceburg high schools. And he played a leadership role in basketball statewide as a prominent member of the powerful Indiana High School Athletic Association. Few people, if any, have done so much in so many varied ways to shape the sport of basketball in the basketball-crazy Hoosier state. Now he is being honored for his long and fruitful career. Harold C. “Red” Benedict has been elected to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
Carol Huttsell of Switzerland County was among several students to be inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honorary society in ceremonies held recently at Ivy Tech State College. She is the daughter of Ronnie and Betty Hayes of East Enterprise.
Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Green announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Charla, to Frederic Killion Azbell III. The wedding will take place Saturday, December 10th, at Northminister Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis.
30 YEARS AGO
Ed Furnish has been working in tobacco all his life. He reports that this year’s crop looks good, and could be one of the three biggest in history. He reports that the Tobacco Department estimates that this year’s crop should go about 731 million pounds, and if that holds true it will be one of the three largest crops in history.
Comedy and good times will be the order of the day on Monday evening, December 3rd, when the basketball-playing Globe Travelers bring their show to the Switzerland County gymnasium. Featuring “Goose, Jr.,,” and Rex “Showboat” Jones, the Globe Travelers promise to thrill you with their ball handling, assorted dunks, and their famous Magic Circle in darkness, performed under black lights.
Park and Pearl Byram will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on December 19th. In observance of this, their children will be hosting an Open House in their honor on Sunday, December 9th, at the Aberdeen United Methodist Church in the Fellowship Hall.
40 YEARS AGO
Jefferson County’s popular Sheriff, Harold “Jug” Raisor is going to continue his long-time career in police work in Switzerland County. Raisor, who steps down January 1st after eight years as sheriff in Jefferson County, will on the same day become a deputy to newly-elected Switzerland County Sheriff Ralph Brown.
The Markland Bridge has another delay. Inflation has pushed the cost figure upward and the cost will now be $6,261,000. Officials say the extra 2.5 million is going to have to come from Congress and that may take some time.
Prices paid for tobacco on the markets at Carrollton and Madison continued to set new records this week, with the average burley price soaring to $115.06 per hundred pounds at Carrollton and $114.60 at Madison.
“Mister Bill” Morrison’s long and healthy life came to an end last week. At 98 years of age Switzerland County’s oldest citizen, William Morrison passed away last Thursday, November 28th, in King’s Daughters’ Hospital at Madison. Throughout those 98 years, right up to the end of his life, Mr. Morrison was well-known in Switzerland County for his vigor and robust health.
Mr. and Mrs. Herman Hoffman Sr., of Madison, announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Mary Ellen, to John Marshall Truitt, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Truitt, Vevay.
Miss Vicky Kay Giessler and Mr. James Whitham were married in a ceremony performed November 23rd in Decatur. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Giessler of Decatur and the groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Whitham of route 2, Vevay.
Mrs. Cletus Werner announces the engagement and approaching marriage of her daughter, Martha, to Mr. Richard Blodgett, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Blodgett of Switzerland County.
50 YEARS AGO
In two and one-half weeks of construction through Monday night, 750,000 feet of Patriot Water System pipeline had been laid and workers hope to be in East Enterprise by tonight. Work will then proceed along state road 250 toward Allensville, said Brett Scudder of Patriot Town Board.
A note of pessimism was cast this week on prospects for a Markland Dam bridge as Kentucky’s highway commissioner said that the state is not now prepared to give priority to such a project. Henry Ward, Kentucky commissioner, told Vevay Newspapers Tuesday that his state recognizes the desirability of such a bridge, but at this time has no money available for allocation for construction in the near future.
Sales on Madison’s loose leaf tobacco market shifted to Hughes warehouse on Walnut Street. Tuesday after the opening round Monday night at the Morrow house on the hilltop brought growers an average of $62.51 per hundredweight – a whopping $4.12 higher that last year’s opening day average.
60 YEARS AGO
In presentation ceremonies which were held in Taegu, Korea, Captain Edwin Downey, was awarded a Bronze Star medal and a citation for meritorious service.
More and bigger turnips have been brought to our office this week. On Saturday, John Ashcraft of below Vevay brought in a fine specimen, weighting 4 pounds, 9 ounces and some icicle radishes, the biggest weighing 1 pound, 7 ounces.
L.S. Towers of near Bennington sent one in that weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces and measured 24 inches around.
Howard Rieman of near Bennington has brought the largest in so far. It weighed 7 and one-half pounds measure 27 inches around.
The last ones were two from Everett Hatton, one 24 inches around weighing 6 pounds and the other 26 inches and weighing 5 and one-half pounds.
70 YEARS AGO
Mrs. Flora Humphrey has been appointed assistant librarian to fill the position left vacant by the resignation of Miss Dora Peters.
Miss Faye Manford of Vevay and Virgil Gardner of Williamsburg, Ohio, were married in Cincinnati November 25th.
Albert McKay, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dyer McKay, below Vevay, is reported killed in action in France on November 11th.
Private Gerald White of near Quercus Grove, has been slightly wounded in action on November 17th in Germany.
80 YEARS AGO
Miss Helen Stewart and Graham Demaree, young couple of the Greenbriar neighborhood, were married by Reverend F.E. Hammel Friday afternoon.
Mr. and Mrs. M.H. Gray of near Moorefield celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a quiet family dinner on Sunday.
90 YEARS AGO
Miss Falba Armstrong of Parks Ridge and Charlie Woodfill of Craig Township were married in Madison last Wednesday.
While Edgar Graham and son Floyd were en route to Switzerland County recently from a visit in Illinois, their car was stolen in Indianapolis. Several hours later the police found the car in the outskirts of that city. The tires had been removed and everything loose had been stolen.
100 YEARS AGO
Former employees of the factory are circulating a petition to reopen the plant here.
Several hundred people attended the dance given in the mess hall of Dam 39.
A burglar stole ham, money, and a number of paperback novels from the Graham confectionery.
Miss Julia Hertz is very ill.
Thieves stole clothing, shoes, money, and groceries from the home of Tom Disbro at Bascom.
110 YEARS AGO
The Hugh Manford saw mill at Moorefield was destroyed by fire with no insurance.
Frank Hanly of Lafayette was inaugurated as Governor of Indianapolis at a salary of $8000 per year.
Charles E. Cole of the Regular Army arrived here for a visit with his father, Attorney James R. Cole.
John Morris and son Eugene were painfully injured near the Bud Schoffner farm when their horse ran away.
Drinking water is scarce in Patriot with only the well at 3rd and Main Street in operation.
120 YEARS AGO
A musical society has been organized in Ghent under the name of “Ghent Oratio Club.”
A.S. Humphrey has started a huckster wagon from his store in Mexico Bottom, Theodore Douglass being the driver.
Willie J. Baird Jr., is in charge of the telegraph office during the absence of Mr. Ernest Bennett, who was called to Rising Sun by the death of his father, George Bennett.
Miss Ida Long entertained at her handsome new home on Main Street Saturday evening. The spacious parlors of the “Jolly Crowd” were filled with members who spent a pleasant evening with dancing and cards.
140 YEARS AGO
Charles Mellick, living near East Enterprise, while out chopping wood, cut his foot and came near bleeding to death before he was found.
C.B. Lamson of Craig Township is suffering severe bruises received when a tree he was cutting down fell across him.
Samuel Henry of Switzerland County and Miss Emma Storm of Jefferson County were married November 25th at the Baptist Church near Canaan.
Amount of toll collected during the month of November on the Vevay, Mt. Sterling, and Versailles turnpike was $279.47.
John Wiles and Miss Sarah Wiley, both of York Township, were married November 21st.
Andrew Lambertson and Miss Bella Rayl, both of Switzerland County, were married November 29th by Esquire David Lee.
150 YEARS AGO
We have ordered printing material and are making other necessary preparations to enlarge our newspaper in January 1865.
Next year there will be four eclipses, two of the sun, and two of the moon.
Civil War News: The steamer Bostona while making her trip up yesterday was fired into by guerrillas at Carrollton, Kentucky. Six balls passed through the pilot house but no one was hurt.
Elliot Driver of this county who has been a prisoner in Georgia, has been exchanged. He informs us by letter that William P. Baird has also been exchanged and that they are now both at Annapolis, Maryland. He also stated that Henry Sparks and William P. Cany were there and well. He says the following Switzerland County soldiers were in prison when he left there. Norman Buckly, Albert Grenet, George Wade, Lewis Trusdle, Joseph Fulton. He added that he had heard Albert Gaudin was dead.