News compiled by Ginny Leap from past issues of Switzerland County newspapers
10 YEARS AGO
After operating the Western auto store in Vevay for 22 years, Bill Hill has become a full-time mail carrier. He is keeping the store open in the late afternoon and early evening, and hopes to find a buyer who will keep the store open full-time.
All family and friends are invited to an open house for Mason J. Uhlmansiek on Sunday, September 24th, from 1 to 3 p.m. slow time. The surprise celebration is in honor of his 50th birthday and will be hosted by his children at his home. Mr. Uhlmansiek is a rural letter carrier based in the rising Sun Post Office. Most of his route extends into Switzerland County on route 2, Rising Sun and route 1, Florence.
Betty Strohl of Switzerland County was recognized as a 1995 “Tribute to Women” honoree at the Indiana Federation of Republican Women’s annual dinner at the Ritz Charles in Carmel. She was honored for her outstanding service and leadership to the Republican Party in Indiana.
Jefferson Proving Ground will conduct its official inactivation ceremony and retirement of colors at 2 p.m. Tuesday, September 26th. This ceremony will end JPG’s existence as a military installation.
Organizers have proclaimed the Storyfest ‘95 program a success, with over 1,000 schoolchildren coming to Vevay last Thursday and Friday to attend the education-enhancing storytelling extravaganza. Storyfest was sponsored by Historic Vevay, Inc.
15 YEARS AGO
Harold C. “Red” Benedict was honored September 12th for 55 years of membership in Kiwanis and his service to the local club which celebrated its 55th anniversary the same night. Red is a charter member of the club.
Martha Cole won first place in the needlework category at the Tri Kappa Province Two convention she and others from the area attended last Saturday. Her quilt was one of about 100 entries in the contest. The quilt, which is all hand pieced and quilted, will move on to state competition at the state convention next April. She said it took five to six weeks to make.
Ladies from the area who attended the Tri Kappa convention were, Mary Baker, Ruth Hines, Virginia Briggs, Mary Lib Branham, Martha Cole, Karen Miller, Leah Buchanan, Patricia Williams, Judy Moore, Peggy Jackson, Betty Swango, and Fay Olds.
Local members of the Girl Scouts have adopted area parks to clean up on a regular basis. Cleaning Jennings Park recently were Amanda Owings, Kelsey McNamera, Jessica Tague, Mary Allhands, Elizabeth Phipps, and Amanda Bailey. The group’s leaders are Shannon Phipps and Kathy Owings.
Navy Seaman Recruit Jason F. Hall, son of Howard L. Hall of route 1, Vevay, has completed recruit training at Recruit Training Command in Orlando, Florida.
Kurt R. Marksberry has been appointed a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. He is the son of John L. and Darlene H. Marksberry of Rising Sun.
20 YEARS AGO
Friday the 13th: You know something was bound to happen. Well, it did. Everything appeared to be running smoothly around Vevay last Friday when all of the power went out at the Vevay Newspaper office. It was not a blown fuse. The report from the sheriff’s office was that a limb had fallen on some power lines near the U.S. Shoe Corporation plant and power lines had been knocked down which in turn knocked out a generator, thus killing the power to the entire town.
Bennington Homecoming organizer Betty Bovard says that it’s that time of the year again. The leaves are beginning to change color here in the hills of Switzerland County. The farmers are busy harvesting their crops before the first frost and the folks at Bennington are getting ready for their annual Homecoming. It all started 12 years ago and thanks to everyone pitching in it’s been an annual event ever since.
Dale and Ethel Curry wish to announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Janie, to Steven Konkle, son of Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Konkle of route 2, Vevay. The marriage will take place at the Caledonia United Presbyterian Church located north of Moorefield of Saturday, October 12th, at 6:30 p.m.
30 YEARS AGO
No confirmed cases of encephalitis have been reported in Switzerland County, but the dreaded disease that is suspected of causing 11 deaths in Indiana and many more throughout the nation continues to alarm and worry local residents.
Theresa Noble and her fiddle entertained the folks at the Canaan Fall Festival last weekend. She’ll be a featured performer at the Bennington Homecoming.
Warren R. Banta, Jr., 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. Warren Banta, of 609 Liberty St., Vevay, has enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He is a 1975 graduate of Switzerland County High School.
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Kinman, of near Patriot, announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Rinda, to Kenneth Devers, son of Mr. and Mrs. Deward Devers, of Quercus Grove.
Chris Works of Allensville has been selected to attend the 21st annual National 4-H Dairy Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. Chris is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Norris Works. Miss Works was chosen as one of twenty-one 4-H’ers from Indiana to attend the conference, held in conjunction with the World Dairy Exposition.
40 YEARS AGO
Vevay Kiwanis Club celebrated its 30th birthday Wednesday night as members, wives, state officials, and area guests attended a 100-plate banquet and program at Jefferson-Craig Elementary School cafeteria.
Doug Keith, potentially a starter or leading reserve on Vevay High School’s 1965-66 basketball team, was officially withdrawn from school Friday for the remainder of the school year. Coach Jim Mitchell said Tuesday that the 16-year-old junior is suffering from a virus infection similar to rheumatic fever which has clogged a valve to the heart, causing the organ to beat irregularly.
The 63rd annual Versailles Pumpkin Show will be held on the town square in Versailles tonight, Friday night, and all day Saturday.
50 YEARS AGO
Edward S. Furnish of Vevay was elected a director of the Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association by delegates from five Indiana counties at a meeting which was held Monday morning in the office of County Agent O.H. McNary.
Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Eaglin and their four sons, ranging in age from 1-12 years of near Bennington, miraculously escaped death Tuesday evening when their truck turned over on the Shull hill as they were rushing the baby, Rickie, who had drunk fly spray, to the doctor. All suffered injury and Mrs. Eaglin and the oldest boy, Arthur, were hospitalized.
Clyde Hall, 49, a tenant farmer on the property owned by John Middleton on Dry Fork, west of Moorefield died about noon Thursday after his throat was slashed by an undetermined assailant. Held in the Switzerland County jail for further questioning is Fred Ashcraft, 55, a close neighbor. [ Ashcraft later pleaded guilty to a charge of voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced for a term of two to twenty-one years in the Indiana State Prison at Michigan City.]
Arthur Clay Park Jr., 30, of Lamb, was killed in an automobile accident near Brooksburg about midnight last Wednesday night.
60 YEARS AGO
Wesley Marion Campbell, of Champaign, Illinois and Marion Ashby Campbell, of Lamont, Missouri, 83 year old twins, arrived in their native Switzerland County last week for a visit with relatives. This is the first visit for Marion A. Campbell to his old home for 53 years.
Miss Irma E. Browning and Bernard Paul Vernon were married Thursday, September 13, at the Baptist parsonage by R.C. Briggs.
Ohney Peelman, of Vevay, has rented the building on Ferry Street known as the Klein building and will open a show repair shop.
The general store owned by Mr. and Mrs. James Madison in Mount Sterling has been sold by them to Wilford Buchanan of Ohio County, who will take possession October 1st.
Born Monday, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Harold Cook of Quercus Grove.
70 YEARS AGO
A.L. Young and Company of North Madison have been awarded a contract to build the new Moorefield school and commenced construction on Monday.
The gasoline tug Lucille, under the command of Leslie Breeck, of Lamb, was destroyed by fire about ten o’clock Wednesday morning in the Ohio River above the Lamb ferry.
Miss Myrtle and Arthur Roberts, both of Vevay, are announcing their marriage which took place June 10th, 1934 in Louisville, Kentucky.
80 YEARS AGO
The Ohio River, Sunday, gave up the body of Nathan Littrell, 28, Craig Township man, 31 days after he was drowned. The body was found floating about five miles from the scene of the accident.
Mrs. B.N. Searcy, formerly of Patriot, but recently of Rising Sun, died in Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, Saturday morning. A son was born to her on August 18th. She died due to complications.
Competing in a class of 60 exhibitors, Eugene Spencer of near Pleasant was awarded third prize of $15 in the B and O State Fair Potato Club show at Indianapolis last week.
At a meeting of the County Council last week, $800 was voted for a memorial to take the place of the old roll of honor recently torn down in front of the Courthouse.
90 YEARS AGO
James Aldred, Saturday, sold his entire apple crop to Hartwood and Thompson of Louisville, Kentucky, for $2.00 per barrel. Mr. Aldred estimates that the crop will run between 600 and 700 barrels.
Isaac Hanna and Mrs. Henrietta Davis, both of near Markland, were married Tuesday afternoon at the Baptist parsonage by Reverend Seeley.
Born Monday, a daughter, to Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Tinker, of Allensville.
The new Lyric Theatre is rapidly nearing completion and will be opened next Monday night. Sometime during the latter part of October the serial picture “The Broken Coin” will be started and will continue for 22 weeks.
100 YEARS AGO
Enoch Adams has placed a new Edison phonograph in the Reveille booth at the East Enterprise Fair.
A new daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Schirmer of Ghent.
Detraz Brothers received a barge load of brick here to be used in building the new addition to their furniture factory.
The old Smith schoolhouse near Moorefield was destroyed by fire.
Wallace Tilley is assistant postmaster in Vevay.
Miss Anne Southerland entered Western College at Oxford, Ohio.
Lucian Harris of Rising Sun addressed the Vevay K. of P. Lodge here this week.
110 YEARS AGO
The Fair at Vevay last Saturday provided a gala day, the weather being delightful, and the town filled with happy people. They viewed the water works, saw the firemen throw water very high in the air, enjoyed walking on the finest sidewalks in the state, drove over smooth streets with covered gutters, were sheltered from the sun by magnificent trees in the Courthouse square, feasted their eyes on the soil and the artistic skill of the people of Switzerland County, met their friends, and all were made happier and wiser.
Henry Downey of Allensville and Miss Nellie Sedam, of East Enterprise, were married, Thursday, September 12th, by Reverend Elwyn.
Max Blach, son of Julius Blach of Vevay, is in New York where he will attend a mercantile school and make purchases for his father.
The livery stable at Ferry and Market streets, belonging to Eli Schoonover, was destroyed by fire with a loss of about $1,000 with no insurance. Tommy Delaney lost most of the contents of his saloon along with a roll of money of about $500. William Furnish, of Vevay, was arrested for the incendiary act and will be tried later before Squire M. W. Tague.
John L.A. Danglade is advertising a river farm of 100 acres below Vevay.
The Catholics of Vevay laid the corner stone of their new church building at Ferry and Jackson streets here September 12th. The ceremonies were conducted by the Very Reverend Bide O’Conner of Vincennes.
140 YEARS AGO
Last Friday night someone entered the residence of Major William Patton on Market Street and stole some clothing. On Saturday night someone entered John G. Anderson’s residence and stole $190 from him. We are also informed that one night last week a thief stole $40 from the residence of James Shaw at Braytown.
Yesterday morning a team belonging to Eugene Tardy ran away, smashing up a wagon belonging to J.R.S. Smith at Braytown.
Married, Tuesday evening, September 19, by Reverend William Montgomery, M. W. Tague to Miss Emily Bettens, both of this place.
General Lee is to have an indefinite leave of absence, for the purpose of visiting Europe.