News compiled by Ginny Leap
from past issues of
Switzerland County newspapers
10 YEARS AGO
Deaths this week were: Edward L. Skirvin Sr., Maurine C. Scott, Lorene Dunlap.
Sara Allen has been awarded membership in the Chi Beta Phi National Science Honorary at Franklin College. She is the daughter of Rick and Toni Allen of Fishing Worm Ridge.
The engagement and approaching marriage of April Dawn Gray and Jeremy Neal Konkle has been announced for Saturday, May 14th, at Cathedral of Praise in Columbus. She is the daughter of Jeff Gray of near Pleasant and he is the son of Gary and Sharon Konkle of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Sharon Wright and Darrell Hansel were married on Tuesday, March 22nd, in Las Vegas, Nevada at the historic Little Church of the West.
20 YEARS AGO
Late last Friday evening, an agreement was reached between officials of the U.S. Shoe Corporation and the Luxottica Company of Italy that clears the way for the Italian firm to purchase the Cincinnati-based company. The agreement removes the sticking points that now allows Luxottica to complete their stock acquisition of U.S. Shoe. Reports are that the offer is $28 per share, meaning that the entire price tag stands at $1.4 billion. A previously announced sale of the footwear division of U.S. Shoe Corporation to the Nine West Group of Stamford, Connecticut still stands.
Riverboat gaming comes to Switzerland County today as the Indiana Gaming Commission opens public hearings here for three southeastern Indiana counties. The Commission will hear presentations, both for and against, from representatives from Switzerland, Ohio and Dearborn counties.
30 YEARS AGO
This Sunday, while we’re all asleep, a demon will ascend onto Switzerland County. This demon will do no real harm to any of us, although he may indeed cause a few embarrassments to those who forget his coming; but he will spend the summer and part of the fall trying to make life in Switzerland County miserable for us all. The demon that is coming is the switch to daylight savings time by most of the country by moving their clocks ahead one hour. This will allow more time for leisure activities through the summer months before it gets dark.
“The Wizard of Oz” is coming to Switzerland County. The Switzerland County High School Drama Department will be presenting the classic musical this Friday, Saturday and Sunday as the climax to their performances for the year.
Lori Allison and Randy Smith were crowned as Queen and King of the 1985 Switzerland County High School Prom during the dance that was held last Saturday at the Clifty Falls Inn. Lori is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Allison of Florence and Randy is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Lucian Smith of Florence.
40 YEARS AGO
Mr. and Mrs. Loren E. Roberts of Louisville announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter Marcia A. Roberts to Bruce M. Kuchenbrod, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles J. Kuchenbrod of Louisville. The wedding will take place May 24th at the First Baptist Church in Jeffersonville.
Jeanette Rowland, a junior at Switzerland County High School, is one of about 60 students from throughout the United States selected as participants in the annual Indiana University Science Institute to be held this summer at Bloomington.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Christman of route 1, Canaan will observe their 65th wedding anniversary Wednesday. They were married April 23rd, 1910 at Vevay.
Switzerland County’s Homecoming for “A Girl Named Sooner” promises to be a popular affair. Set for June 7th in Vevay, the “world premiere” showing for the movie filmed here last summer has drawn a huge response from a lot of “Sooner” people since it was announced last week by Vevay Newspapers, local sponsors for the showing.
The Switzerland County High School Choir participated in with six other area school singing groups in the 37th annual Valley Choral Festival Tuesday night at Jennings County High School in North Vernon.
50 YEARS AGO
Seaman Recruit Robert W. Carver, 18, USN, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Carver of rural route 1, Patriot, is undergoing nine weeks of Navy basic training at the U.S. Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois.
Frank Bye was congratulated by LeRoy Bay on becoming Vevay’s Kiwanis Club’s 1965 King of Swat by virtue of being the local little leaguer selling the most tickets to Friday’s Kiwanis Talent Show. Bye is a student of Jefferson-Craig School and sold $50 worth of tickets. Bay is Kiwanis President.
Members of Switzerland County National Farmers Organization will meet with farmers of other Southeastern Indiana NFO chapters at 8 p.m. Friday in Osgood.
A daughter was born April 5th to Mr. and Mrs. Luther Giltner, Jr., at Tell City Hospital, Tell City. She weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces and was named Samantha Louise.
60 YEARS AGO
Aaron Leroy Scott, 16, of Rising Sun, formerly of Florence, accidentally shot himself fatally Sunday night at the home of Sheriff Robert L. Brown in Rising Sun when he discharged a revolver during a prank.
Robert Thomas, 69, passed away Saturday morning at his home in Florence following a long illness.
At a special meeting of the Patriot-Posey school board held on Saturday night Loren Lanham of Cannelton, Indiana, was elected as Superintendent of the Patriot-Posey Schools to fill the vacancy left after the resignation of Guy S. Harris.
Nick Kodrea of New Albany has been appointed deputy prosecutor of Switzerland County by John O’Conner of Madison, prosecuting attorney of Jefferson and Switzerland counties.
70 YEARS AGO
J. A. Brooks, aged 79 years, died at his farm home near Brooksburg early Monday morning. He had suffered a heart attack some time ago.
The 90th birthday of Mrs. Harve McClintock was informally celebrated at her home in Vevay Friday.
James F. Davis of Vevay received a telegram from the Navy Department Wednesday morning informing him that his son, James E. Davis, S2e, U.S.N., is missing in action.
Raymond Cole had been appointed High School Principal, succeeding John A. Danglade, who recently resigned.
Mrs. Belle Z. Wiley, 66, died at her home near Florence Thursday, April 19th, after an illness extending over a long period of time.
Born, a son to Mr. and Mr. Clifford Chandler of Bear Branch.
Miss Martha Louie McHuron of Patriot and Frank Warner of Cincinnati were married Saturday afternoon at the home of the bride’s mother by Reverend Robert McNeely.
Mr. and Mrs. Milton Moreillon of East Enterprise celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Tuesday, April 10th.
Miss Carrie Griffith, a former resident of Vevay passed away Thursday, April 19th, at the home of her sister, Mrs. Stella Brown, in Crittenden, Kentucky.
Born Sunday, April 22nd, a son, Timothy Louis, to Mrs. Robert Swango.
80 YEARS AGO
John L. McMakin passed away at his home near Bennington Wednesday, April 17th.
Miss Aldean Courtney of near Florence and Warren Heath of Lawrenceburg were married in Lawrenceburg by Reverend Ellis Holt.
James Chittenden who has conducted a general store in Markland for the past 23 years, has traded his business to G. R. Vanlandingham for a farm near Versailles.
Mrs. Blanche Detmer Davis, wife of Lloyd Davis, formerly of Patriot, died at her home in Helena, Montana Thursday.
90 YEARS AGO
Main Cross Street from Market Street to the hill will be graded and graveled in the next few weeks.
Tilley Pickett will be given a tryout next Sunday with the Lawrenceburg, Indiana team in the K. I. Baseball League.
Fire of mysterious origin destroyed a large barn on the Oscar Brindley farm near Moorefield Thursday morning.
Mrs. Franklin Houze, aged 17 years, died Saturday morning at her home in Vevay after an illness of only a few days.
Frederick A. Leep, a native of Switzerland, died at his home in Anaheim, California, on April 13th.
Theodore R. Yates, colored, known to his friends as “Teddy” died at his home in Vevay Tuesday morning after a nine-day illness of pneumonia.
Mrs. James Oaks, a former resident of Mt. Sterling, dropped dead at her home in Carrollton, Kentucky, last Sunday.
Mrs. Alvera Gleason died at her home on Tapps Ridge Thursday, April 9th, following a fall in which she sustained a broken hip. She lacked but a few days of being 90 years of age.
Born, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Scott of Moorefield.
George McSwain, resident of Posey Township, died at Bethesda Hospital, Cincinnati, Monday morning.
100 YEARS AGO
Edith Marsh, aged 6 years, died at the home of her father, Ernest Marsh in Markland Tuesday afternoon as a result of eating rate poison. The child’s father is wharf master at Markland and he had sprinkled the poison over the boat to kill rats.
Oliver Peters, Plum Creek farmer, about 50 years old, was overcome with heat Saturday afternoon while plowing. The thermometer registered 88 degrees and this is probably the earliest sunstroke on record in Switzerland County.
Work at Dam 39 is rapidly picking up and more than 200 men are employed there.
Leslie Marshall, aged 60 years, Florence citizen, died suddenly Sunday afternoon while in the office of his attending physician, Dr. Henry Todd, in Florence.
Andy Detmer of near Antioch was in Vevay Tuesday on business. Although he is practically one of Vevay’s next door neighbors, yet it was his first visit to the city in six years.
Born to Jesse Noel and wife of the Zoar Neighorhood, a son.
Miss Jane Bennett, a former resident of Patriot, died at her home in Peoria, Illinois, April 13th.
110 YEARS AGO
W. T. Button of Cincinnati has leased he southeast corner of the Tandy building and will open a new hardware store here.
Isaac V. Banta, formerly of this county, was seriously injured in a wagon accident in Indianapolis.
Judge Friedley of Madison and Mrs. Joseph Bush of Hammond, Indiana were guests of Dr. and Mrs. Armand Rouse here during the weekend.
James H. Curry became the sole owner of the Vevay wharfboat.
The new engine for the Vevay Light Plant is in operation here.
Ed Findley has been promoted to be foreman of the Reveille.
John Grammer has a big force of men remodeling the National Hotel here.
William Lamson is moving a big raft of logs toward Louisville.
Danner’s Hardware Store is advertising hammocks at 75 cents, lawn mowers, at $2.75, garden hose at 11 cents per foot and complete screen doors at 90 cents.
Curt Lawton, Fred Montanye and Andy Colton, all of Mt. Sterling were painfully injured when their buggy overturned.
Lawrence Parker, 16, of Florence, obtained a year’s license to teach in the examinations held at Vevay.
Fred Binder of Vevay s papering the Sugar Branch church.
Enoch Adams is entertaining with his phonograph at the Hageman home in Center Square.
Professor E. H. Potter entertained the young folks with a dance at his home near Patriot.
Elmer Palmer is building an entire woven wire fence around his farm in Posey Township.
Married at the home of the bride’s parents, Miss Nola Humphrey and George Moredock.
120 YEARS AGO
Mrs. Albert Vandever last week removed from Sugar Branch to Ghent, Kentucky.
Born a daughter to John Boddle and wife of Aaron.
Born a daughter to Marion Cole and wife of Aaron.
Married April 16th at the Reverend U.G. Abbott’s, Newton Farrell and Lizzie Morrison, both of Avonburg.
Licensed to marry: Edwin E. Smith and Mary A. Carnine.
Died in Vevay, April 17h, Mrs. Emma M. Smiley, widow of Carter Smiley, aged 81 years, 1 month and 16 days.
Died in Vevay, Eva Elizabeth, daughter of James Leap, aged 1 year, 2 months and 14 days.
140 YEARS AGO
A fire occurred in Rising Sun on April 20th with seven residents losing a total of about $4,000.
A new two-story brick building is being erected in Pike Street.
Vevay has two of the largest hay warehouse in the state.
(Editor’s Note): “Young onions are ripe. The more you eat, the more room you will have when you go to church.”
Vevay is in a very good financial state – only owing $4,100 in bonds.
Reverend John Scot has opened school classes in the Academy in Moorefield.
Vevay has $640 in its treasury.
A noted item – “The same sun that takes away the snow, brings out the loafers.”
150 YEARS AGO
The Baptists of this place have secured the services of Reverend R. B. Godfrey as their minister.
The style is now to comb the hair back upon the top of the head, a fashion said to owe its origin to the growing baldness of Empress Eugenie. We suppose if she is forced to wear a wig the ladies will be fool enough to shave their heads to follow suit.
Rowdyism is fast on the increase in our town. The “turbulents” are generally stripling youth, who have learned the fine art of chewing tobacco and lounging on the street corners from day to day. We would respectfully ask the parents of these boys what kind of men will they make?