News compiled by Ginny Leap from past issues of Switzerland County newspapers
10 YEARS AGO
Things didn’t go exactly as planned when Pacer Jason Wiesmann participated in the Slam Dunk finals Friday night at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. But he did represent all of southeastern Indiana well in his efforts. Jason finished behind eventual state champion Christopher White in the Indianapolis Semi-State preliminaries. Christopher White, who is from Northwood High School, brought the house down with a series of thundering slam dunks that distanced himself from all of the other competitors. Jason Wiesmann received high marks for his attempts, but a miss in the early-going sealed his fate. This was the fourth straight year that a member of the Switzerland County basketball team has advanced to the slam dunk finals. Jason is the son of Ronald and Eileen Wiesmann of near Allensville.
Betty Bovard suffered a broken leg in a fall at her home last week, causing considerable pain for herself and the temporary loss of her popular Bennington news in the county paper. She slipped and fell on icy ground Tuesday evening as she went out to feed her pet donkey. An Amish neighbor heard her cries and came to her rescue.
15 YEARS AGO
Wilbur R. “Toots” Buchanan died last Thursday after a heart attack. He was 76. In 1956, he was elected county commissioner and served four terms, reportedly the most terms anyone in the county served as commissioner. He was in his second year as a county councilman when he died.
A spectacular array of Switzerland County quilts is being assembled for an exhibit entitled “For Love of Family.” The Switzerland County Historical Society is presenting the show at the 4-H Community Building on May 4th-5th.
Navy Seaman Apprentice Christopher A. Edwards, son of Allen R. and Margie J. Edwards of Vevay, has completed recruit training at Recruit Training Command in San Diego, California.
Clint May, a second grader at Switzerland County Elementary School, won an “Always a River” T-shirt for his winning essay on the Ohio River.
20 YEARS AGO
The Ogle Haus Inn will officially open on April 15th. The Homemaker Extension Clubs will have their annual Achievement Day at the inn on April 10th, and on April 15th it will be open to the public.
Switzerland County High School juniors have been chosen to attend the Hoosier Boys State and Hoosier Girls State at Indiana State University in June. The Kiwanis Club is sponsoring Troy Smith, son of Mrs. Rhonda Tingle, route 1, Bennington, as the delegate. Brian Browning, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Browning, route 1, Vevay, has been chosen as the alternate. The American Legion is sponsoring Eric Cole, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Cole, route 2, Vevay, as their delegate. Larry Cain, son of Mr. and Mrs. Chester Cain, route 3, Madison, is the alternate. The American Legion Auxiliary is sponsoring Carol Tilley, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Tilley of Vevay. The alternate is Danna Jackson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Danny Jackson, route 1, Florence. Tri Kappa and Vevay Athletic Club are sponsoring Stacy Hocker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ron Hocker, Vevay. The alternate is Susie Davis, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Davis, Vevay.
30 YEARS AGO
The target date for completion of the bridge over Markland Dam has been moved up about a half-year, thanks to better-than-expected progress on the project in its early stages. Project engineer Rick Courtney told Vevay Newspapers this week that “hopefully, we’ll have the bridge built by the Fall of 1977.”
The Fairview United Methodist Church was the setting Saturday, March 27th, for the wedding of Miss Rhonda Lynn Hughes and Mr. Larry Dale Tinker. Parents of the couple are Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Hughes of Madison and Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Tinker of Fairview.
A lovely wedding was held Saturday afternoon, April 4th, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. William Scott, route 3, Vevay, where their granddaughter, Sherry Scott, was united in marriage to Claude French of Anderson.
Switzerland County High School basketball star Terry Turner has been named to the honorable mention all-Indiana all-star team selected annually by the sports staff of the Louisville Courier-Journal.
40 YEARS AGO
Ray Nally of Vevay and Cliff Robinson of route 4, Vevay, have been named by Edwin C. Danner Post of the American Legion and Vevay Kiwanis Club, respectively, to attend Boys’ State this summer. David Wilson of route 4, Vevay, will be Nally’s alternate, while Sherley Sample of Bennington will be alternate for the Kiwanis choice.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry R. Tapp are parents of a baby girl born March 27th at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has been named Robbin Shene.
Construction agreements for a manufacturing plant in Vevay were reached this week and plans now call for erection of the Randall Company plant to be completed by the Fourth of July week.
50 YEARS AGO
Carroll “Hokey” Hollcroft, widely known judge of bird dogs, officiated at the Marion County Field Trials, held at the Versailles State Park Sunday, April 8th. Mr. Brooks Johnson of Anderson, Indiana, also served as judge.
The Switzerland County Spelling Contest, sponsored by the Louisville Courier-Journal, the Louisville Times, and Radio and TV Station WHAS, was held at the Jefferson-Craig School in Vevay on Saturday, April 7th. Joy Ann Robinson, an 8th grade pupil of the Jefferson-Craig Consolidated School, was winner, spelling correctly 100 words out of 100.
60 YEARS AGO
Mrs. Minnie Douglas and Jacob Smith, residents of Patriot, were married in Vevay Wednesday morning at the home of the officiating minister, Reverend R.C. Briggs.
Born, April 7th, a daughter, Shirley, to Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Pike of McCreary’s Ridge.
Miss Ruth Housemeyer and Edward Wells of Bear Branch were married in Dillsboro Saturday.
70 YEARS AGO
Miss Margaret Park of Vevay and Carl Whitney of Lawrenceburg were married Thursday in Rising Sun by Reverend Williams.
Adolphus Leep, retired framer, died at his home in Vevay April 2nd, his death being indirectly due to severe burns which he had suffered a few weeks ago.
Torrential rains falling in the Ohio and Kentucky valleys Saturday and Sunday quickly checked the fast fall of the river here and started it climbing into the lowlands again.
Louis Rosenberger is preparing to open a used furniture store on Ferry Street in Vevay.
Frank A. Perham and Ursula VanTyle were united in marriage here Saturday by Reverend Leland Courtney.
Andrew Brown is repairing the iron fence around the Courthouse.
80 YEARS AGO
Fire of mysterious origin destroyed a two-story building on the Grant McKay farm Tuesday morning. A Chevrolet automobile belonging to Everett House, a tenant, was also destroyed.
R. N. Fancher and wife moved to Vevay last week and their new variety store in the Fisk building is now in operation.
Ed Fox, formerly of Fairview, now of Aurora, and Miss Pearl Miles of Milan were married Saturday at Madison by Reverend W. S. Roeder.
Born Saturday, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Bert Thornton of Bennington.
90 YEARS AGO
During the past winter there has not been one particle of ice in the Ohio River. Rose Cole, John Baird, Captain Graham and other Vevay river men will agree that the past winter is the first one in their memory when there was not floating ice in the river at Vevay sometime during the winter months.
While cleaning out his money drawer last week O. S. Johnson found among some old papers a money order for three dollars and some cents which had been issued in November two years ago. He took it to the post office but payment was temporarily held up until the proper steps could be taken to get the okay from Washington.
One of the heaviest snows in recent years fell on Switzerland County Friday night and Saturday. The snowfall continued unabated for 16 hours and drifts were formed in some places two and three feet deep.
Miss Savilla Agnes Cole of Center Square and Albert Cole of Fairview were married Saturday afternoon in Vevay at the home of the bride’s sister, Mrs. Jesse Corns, Reverend Walter Mains officiating.
More than a 1,000 pounds of Sears and Roebuck catalogues were received in the Vevay post office the first of the week for distribution in Vevay and the county.
Clarence Brown and Bernice McKenzie of Craig Township were married last Wednesday.
A daughter was born Monday to Louis Walston and wife of Craig Township.
Born, a daughter to Manly Chase and wife of East enterprise.
Robert Coy and Miss Emma Phillips of Florence were married at Warsaw Saturday.
The greenhouse owned and operated by William Waltz several years ago was sold recently to authorities of Cragmont Hospital near Madison. Several teams came to Vevay and moved the sash and fixtures to the state institution.
100 YEARS AGO
The Dawson Dramatic Company of Cincinnati is putting on a series of plays at the Opera House here this week.
At a meeting of the council on next Monday night a petition will be presented by the officials of the Civic Improvement League, asking the council to see that the law prohibiting livestock running at large is enforced.
A committee composed of James M. Scott, Samuel Stucy, John B. Andrew, and James K. Pleasants is canvassing the town to secure funds with which to complete building the pavement to the cemetery. It was begun last year and when work was stopped in the winter only $30.50 remained in the treasury. Several hundred more dollars will be needed to finish the sidewalk.
110 YEARS AGO
Miss Perle Malcomson and Stephen F. McKay were married Wednesday, March 25th, at the home of the bride’s parents in Craig Township by Reverend Lowe.
Born March 25th, a son to Willie Bales and wife of Bethel Ridge.
Born, a son to S. Lockwood and wife of East Enterprise.
Born April 1st, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Allie McCreary of Bethel Ridge.
At a monthly meeting of the Switzerland County Medical Association the following officers were elected: Dr. Scott Culbertson, president; Dr. Greenleaf, vice president; Dr. Rous, secretary; Dr. Thiebaud, treasurer; Dr. Dalgleish and Dr. Bear, censors.
Artemus Scudder, 9 years old, of near Center Square saved his 5-year-old brother from drowning when the younger boy fell into the creek while the two children were walking over a log foot-bridge. Artemus jumped in and pulled his brother to safety.
130 YEARS AGO
Joseph B. Voris of Pleasant Township has removed to Vevay.
Augustus Welch has tired of the dust, noise and confusion of city life and has packed up and gone out to his farm in Pleasant Township.
Married in Vevay April 2nd by Reverend R. D. Black, Mr. Albert Brown of Quercus Grove and Miss Hattie Hyde of East Enterprise.
Married at the residence of Mr. A. Culver in Moorefield April 9th by Reverend R. L. Kinnear, Mr. Lysander Smith and Miss Minerva A. Brook.
William Daly who has had a tailor shop in Vevay has removed to Indianapolis.
While engaged in working at a sawmill a few days since, Charles Bosaw was badly bruised and his right arm broken in several places.
Jack Neal, architect of Bennington, is very busy this spring. Five new buildings have already gone up.
Last Friday evening a four-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. William Melton of Soapville, while playing about the fireplace, caught fire. He was so badly burned he died Sunday morning.
150 YEARS AGO
There was a severe wind storm along the Ohio River Saturday evening. The steamer Paul Jones had her pilot house blown overboard.
A company consisting of Henry Barricklow, Farrington Barricklow and David Johnson and their families will leave Rising Sun this week for Kansas.
152 YEARS AGO
Vevay was visited by a violent storm Sunday and the mail boat Jacob Strader was unable to land here because of the high wind. The Empire State was forced to land and tie up a short distance below town. During the storm a bolt of lightning struck a tree in the beech grove above town and 29 black birds were killed instantly.
Auditor Robert N. Lamb and Treasurer George H. Kyle are advertising the sale of land to the highest bidder for the benefit of the Seminary fund. The land was donated for the use of the school by the following owners, Francis S. Lindley, William Protsman and John David Dufour, and totals 26 acres.