News compiled by Ginny Leap from past
issues of
Switzerland County newspapers
10 YEARS AGO
Representatives of Dow Corning Corporation attended Monday night’s meeting of the Switzerland County School Board. Officials announced donation by the company to benefit Switzerland County children, including two scholarships, a partnership with the school on issues; and providing the funding for a science teacher to attend a seminar in Colorado on environmental issues during the summer.
Switzerland County High School sophomore Brian Cox has been invited to participate in the “Parkroyal Down Under International Games VII” in Australia in July of this year.
Switzerland County High School Academic Super Bowl teams competed at the Batesville Invitational super Bowl meet held at the Batesville Middle School on Monday, March 3rd.
20 YEARS AGO
Switzerland County junior Aaron Hughes will be shooting the basketball at the Hoosier Dome on Friday nigh. Aaron, a junior at Switzerland County High school, will be participating in the dunking contest at the Hoosier Dome. The contest was initiated by the Indiana High School Athletic Association for the first time this year. Aaron will be representing the South Dearborn sectional and will be among 64 boys who will be competing in the dunking contest at the state finals. At the state, Aaron will make three dunks and will be judged on style, form and overall performance by four judges.
Chester “Chet” James, 80, of Vevay, passed away Thursday, March 11th, at King’s Daughters’ Hospital in Madison. He had served as a Switzerland County Councilman since 1978.
A decision on whether to trim the size of the Vevay Police Department was delayed until next month by the Vevay Town Council at its meeting last week. The department which now has four full-time officers and round-the-clock daily service, could be cut in half to just two full-time officers.
There may be a new apartment complex in Vevay in about a year. Monte Childers, who is in charge of development for Megan/Childers Development Corporation of Quincy, Illinois, was at last Wednesday’s Vevay Town council meeting to announce that the company is seeking a Farmers Home Administration loan for construction of the apartment complex.
30 YEARS AGO
Kenneth N. “Kelly” Kemper, 72, route 3 , Vevay, died last Wednesday, March 16th, at King’s Daughters’ Hospital in Madison following an extended illness. He was a retired superintendent of U.S. Shoe Corporation in Vevay. He had held the position of assistant superintendent and superintendent for a period of 30 years prior to his retirement. He had been a 50-year employee of the shoe company.
Robert W. Owings, route 4, Vevay, has just returned from Kansas City, Missouri, where he successfully completed the course in Auctioneering and Auction Sales Management at the Missouri Auction School.
Indiana State Police trooper David Scranton has been officially sworn in as the assistant District Commander in charge of enforcement patrol at the Versailles State Police Post.
Wayne Sullivan has been chosen to play AAU Junior Olympic basketball. He is coached by Hugh Boyd. The tourney will be played in Brownsburg April 8th, 9h, and 10th. He is the son of Robert and Judy Sullivan of North Vernon and the grandson of Beulah Sullivan and great-grandson of Zula Madison, both of Vevay.
40 YEARS AGO
Warren Lundy has resigned as president of The First National Bank of Vevay, effective April 14th. Edward S. Furnish of Vevay, chairman of the bank’s board of directors, has been named acting president. Lundy, president of the bank since June of 1969, will assume duties as executive vice-president of the new First National Bank of Scottsburg on April 16th.
Jonas Swanson, Sr., 75, of route 2, Dillsboro, near Bear Branch, passed away last Thursday at Dearborn county Hospital in Lawrenceburg.
Mr. and Mrs. Gayten Thomas Blizard of Seymour announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Susan Jill, to William Tilford Cord, son of Mr. and Mrs. William H. Cord of Vevay.
A new $15.5 million sternwheeler steamboat to serve as sister ship to the Delta Queen will be plying the Ohio a couple of summers from now. Green Lines, Inc., owner of the Delta Queen, last week announced plans to build the new boat as “the first of a new fleet to expand and develop recreational travel on American rivers.”
Fire destroyed the trailer home of Mr. and Mrs. Dave Gridley near East Enterprise Monday around 9 p.m. The Gridleys escaped the fire without injury, but the trailer and their possessions inside it were lost.
50 YEARS AGO
Backlashing waters below Markland Dam continue to eat away at Indiana’s shoreline, bringing ever increasing danger to three homes in the area. Two government reservation homes and a home and barn on Ken Williams’ property were perched precariously on the lip of a steep cliff above the swirling muddy waters.
Neither snow, nor train, nor heat, nor gloom of night stay these courier from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. Elizabeth “Liz” Burleson carried the mail 25 miles Saturday to finish first in the local women’s hike through a steady drizzling rain and flooded roads which had threatened postponement of the event. Nine of 39 starters finished the 25 miles in soggy weather.
Mrs. Della N. Knox, 64, wife of Bennie Knox of Craig Township, died Sunday morning at their farm home there. Mrs. Knox had been in ill health for the past three years and had recently undergone surgery.
Stanley Baker, 50, died suddenly Sunday night at his home on East Main Street, following an apparent heart attack. He had been in ill health for a long period of time but his death was unexpected.
60 YEARS AGO
Charles Pratt of Vevay, owner and operator of the Service Express trucking company, has made application before the Public Service Commission of Indiana to buy the franchise of the Greyhound bus company and to resume the bus service from Madison to Cincinnati via Vevay. The service was discontinued last year when the Rising Sun bridge was wrecked by a truck.
Wallace Rieman, 68, a well known farmer of near East Enterprise, died at his home about noon on Monday following a long period of ill health due to a series of strokes he had suffered.
George N. Woodfill, 84, passed away Sunday evening at his home in Vevay following a critical illness of about one week’s duration.
Mrs. Alma Burke has been appointed state oil and gasoline inspector for this district and assumed her duties last week. Mrs. Burke succeeds Jimmy Orem and had served previously in this capacity.
A son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Vernon D. Ray, March 10th at King’s Daughters’ Hospital. The baby weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces and has been named Larry Michael. Mr. and Mrs. Ray recently moved from Vevay to Dillsboro where they bought the garage at Lake Dilldear.
70 YEARS AGO
Flood waters of the Ohio River began receding Tuesday evening after reaching a crest of 59.9 at Cincinnati and 53.8 at Dam 39.
The belfry of the Ebenezer Church near Moorefield was struck by lightning last Tuesday but resulted in only slight damage.
Born March 20th, a son, Robert Allen, to Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Kent of Patriot.
Born March 16th, a daughter, Agloria Agnes, to Mr. and Mrs. Delmar Asbury of Bennington.
Mrs. Almira Burke, widow of Charles M. Burke, passed away in the Madison hospital Saturday evening, following an illness of several weeks.
80 YEARS AGO
Under the new Indiana law concerning reclassification of cities, Vevay will revert from the status of a city to the status of a town at noon on Monday, January 1st, 1934.
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Stephenson of Posey Township celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary March 9th.
Snow flurries and near freezing temperatures have served to check the downpour of rain which fell during the weekend and caused the worst Ohio River flood since 1913.
Mrs. W. S. Humphrey passed away at her home in Patriot Sunday. She had been in ill health since Thanksgiving and just 11 days before her death had suffered a stroke of paralysis.
90 YEARS AGO
William Gockel, aged 79 years, died at his home in Madison Sunday morning as the result of a heart condition. Until just a few years ago the deceased had operated a general store in Patriot and was greatly loved and admired by people in that community.
On Saturday, March 25th, 12 Vevay children will go to Indianapolis to present to the Federated Music Clubs of Indiana “Speed the Plow,” an American folk dance. The group under the direction of Miss Dorothy Campbell, is composed of James C. Scott, James E. Miller, Orville O’Day, A. V. Danner, Medney Tardy, Harold Kiesel, Doris Kern, Jeanette Sullivan, Evelyn Pritchard, Mary Jo Krummel, Margaret Ferguson, and Mary C. Protsman.
Mrs. Sylvanus Lanham who has been seriously ill for the pat 10 weeks passed away at her home in Vevay Thursday morning.
Mrs. Sarah A. Whitton, aged 89 years, died last Friday at the home of her son, Jerry, near Florence having suffered from the infirmities of old age for some time.
Born March 17th, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Cliva Schroeder of Egypt Bottom.
100 YEARS AGO
Vevay’s first automobile and vehicle show, under the sponsorship of Protsman and O’Neal, will be held Friday and Saturday. Included in the display will be Studebaker automobiles, Rex buggie, Troy wagons, Indian motorcycles, and Goodyear tires. Representatives of the various factories will be on hand to assist the local sales force.
The bus from Rising Sun to Vevay made its initial trip Monday.
Representative Louis N. capelle of Cincinnati asks the Ohio legislature to proscribe fashions for women within the state to check “a great wave of ammortality” sweeping over the country due to the immodesty of feminine attire.
Mrs. Martha Richter, widow of Jacob J. Richter, died at her home in Moorefield March 14th, aged 79 years, 10 months, and 20 days.
Charles B. Tague died Saturday evening, March 15th, aged 33 years and 15 days.
John March, Sr., formerly of the Humphrey Corner neighborhood, died March 11th in Rising Sun.
120 YEARS AGO
Ed Pleiffer of Patriot is leaving for Illinois this week to make his home. This leaves an opening for a harness maker as there is no other shop in the town.
The remains of Mary A., widow of John Stewart, formerly of Craig Township, who died in New Albany Tuesday, were returned to Vevay for burial.
Licensed to marry – Samuel L. Benedict and Ica D. Snider; Newton McCreary and Zellie Sturgeon; Francis D. Foggin and Daisy D. Plew.
Mrs. Sallie Sedam died suddenly at her home near East Enterprise Sunday.
Died in Vevay Wednesday, March 22nd, Mary, wife of Henry H. Hatch.
Died in Vevay of diphtheria March 17th, the infant son of Mr. and Mrs. James Leap, aged 1 year, 1 month and 25 days.
Died in Vevay Thursday, March 16th, of consumption, Thomas R. Lazenby, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Lazenby, aged 42 years.
Died in Vevay Sunday, March 18th, George Kerth, son of Jacob Kerth, aged 47 years.
140 YEARS AGO
One day last week a house belonging to James Stewart one half mile above Moorefield was destroyed by fire. It was occupied by William Seavers who lost most of his household goods.
David Armstrong has laid out an addition to the city and already two house are being built upon it, one by John Muelen and one by George Oakley. Pike Street has been extended through this addition.
Recently a smoke house of William Holden’s in Craig Township was consumed by fire. He lost a lot of meat and two barrels o flour.
Mrs. Jane E. Long, aged 66 years, died at her home in Vevay March 14th.
150 YEARS AGO
Daniel James, late of Company D., 93rd Ind. Reg. has returned home.
Allen Smith of the same company has arrived home, discharged on account of his wound. Young Bray, of the same company, died on the wharfboat at Vevay on Tuesday. He was from Craig Township and has been sick a long time.
President Lincoln has issued a proclamation to the soldiers now absent from their regiments without leave, giving them until April 1st to return without being punished, except by the forfeiture of pay and allowances during such absence. All who do not return by that time will be treated as deserters and punished as the law provides.
Died in Vevay March 5th, Mrs. Mary R. Gordon, consort of Lawrence W. Gordon, aged 33 years.