News compiled by Ginny Leap from past issues of
Switzerland County newspapers
10 YEARS AGO
The Friends of the Historic Vevay Roller Mill hosted a group of 22 residents last Saturday afternoon for a meeting, and they heard two mill experts state that the old City Roller Mills here can – and must – be saved.
About 30 Switzerland County residents braved the rain last Thursday afternoon to witness the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new senior citizens center for Switzerland County. The Community Focus Fund grant is providing $440,500 cost of the new senior center, and the Paul Ogle Foundation is providing a grant of $150,000 to help construct the center. It will be named the “Jack Sullivan Senior Center” in honor of the longtime county pharmacist.
Paul R. Reed has been promoted from assistant shift operating engineer to shift operating engineer at the Indiana-Kentucky Electric Company’s Clifty Creek plant in Madison.
Kay Deems of Vevay is the 1998 recipient of the “Older Hoosier of the Year” award from the Area 12 Council on Aging and Community Services.
Sophomore Natasha Duke was selected as the “Queen of Hearts” at the annual pageant held Monday night in the Switzerland County High School cafeteria.
President Bill Clinton came to tobacco country last Thursday when he visited Carrollton, Kentucky, Switzerland County’s across-the-river neighbor. What he got was a warm welcome and stern warning from tobacco farmers from around the region not to mess with the nation’s tobacco program.
15 YEARS AGO
Melinda S. Hillebrand, senior manager of the Hawthorne, California branch of Avco Financial Services, recently received the distinguished President’s Award. She was selected based on customer service and outstanding performance. She is the daughter of Marsha Patterson of Vevay and Roy L. Patterson of near Markland, and the granddaughter of Olive Ricketts of Vevay.
Raymond Selmeyer of near Fairview enjoyed the highlight of his long farming career recently when two of his Charolais cows gave birth to twins. The twin sets of twins were born within a 24-hour period. Mr. Selmeyer has been farming for 57 years and he has had numerous twin calves, but never at the same time.
20 YEARS AGO
Switzerland County High School Academic teams placed first in Hoosier Academic Super Bowl II regional in class 2 competition at South Dearborn High School, Tuesday evening, April 12th. Winning teams were Science, Math, and Fine Arts. The All-Around team placed second, the English team placed third, and Social Studies placed fifth.
A fire which broke out shortly after noon on Friday destroyed a barn owned by Howard Hall of near Moorefield. The fire was apparently caused by a short in the electrical wiring system. A preliminary estimate set the damage at over $6,500 to the building and contents. There was no livestock in the barn but several thousand dollars worth of horse harness and other equipment was lost in the blaze.
40 YEARS AGO
Stacy Cole was awarded the first prize trophy in Madison in a contest for the largest bass caught. The largest bass ever entered in this area, the catch also won Cole awards from national magazine “Sports Afield” and “Field and Stream” and Garcia Manufacturing Company. The lunker was taken on a one-eighth ounce black and gold Abu Reflex and weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces.
Airman Kenneth G. Adams has returned home from a nine-month tour of duty off the coast of Vietnam aboard the attack aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea.
Roger Lynn Hall, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert N. Hall of route 4, Vevay, has been promoted by Captain James E. McCough to specialist 5 in the U.S. Navy.
A 2,500 hour pin for volunteer work for mental health was awarded Monday night to Mrs. Leona Sullivan, president, Switzerland County Mental Health Association.
Norris Works was elected chairman of a National Farmers Organization county dairy bargaining team for 1968 as Switzerland County NFO met last Monday night at Center Square school house.
U.S. Army Private Walter W. Robinson, 21, son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter S. Robinson of route 1, Florence, has been assigned as an instrument repairman with the 43rd Heavy Equipment Maintenance Company near Kaiserslautern, Germany.
50 YEARS AGO
Harry James, his famed trumpet and orchestra, will appear in Vevay on May 6th for a one hour show and two and one half dance, according to an announcement at press time by the Vevay Jaycees.
A daughter was born Monday, April 7th, in the Milan hospital to Mr. and Mrs. James E. Aldred of near Vevay. She weighed 5 pounds, 11 ounces, and has been named Jama Lois.
Workmen for the American Telephone and Telegraph Company arrived in Vevay this week to begin erection of a new microwave tower near East Enterprise. It is expected that it will require several weeks to complete the booster type tower for long distance service.
A baby daughter was born April 4th in the Madison hospital to Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Farrar of Vevay. She weighed 6 pounds, 1/4 ounce and has been named Jennifer.
Mrs. Charles Krummel has sold her restaurant on Main Street to Mr. and Mrs. Orville Bliss of Indianapolis who took possession on Wednesday of this week.
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Bailey (nee Mary Works) are the proud parents of a baby boy, Michael Thomas, born Friday, March 28th at the Bethesda Hospital in Cincinnati. The baby weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces.
60 YEARS AGO
The Furnish Shoe Store, under the management of Ed and Bob Furnish, is scheduled to hold its opening on Saturday according to an advertisement to be found in another column of this newspaper.
Two thousand pounds of Lake Erie channel catfish will be placed in Lake Geneva about 10 o’clock this Thursday morning according to the owner, Wilbur Works.
An 8 pound son was born Saturday, April 11th, at King’s Daughters’ Hospital in Madison to Mr. and Mrs. Dalbert Whitham of Vevay. He has been named Dennis Lee.
Barbara Ann Stewart, graduate of Vevay High School, class of 1948, and resident of Canaan, was awarded a state scholarship to Indiana State Teachers College in Terre Haute, Indiana. Miss Stewart is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George T. Stewart.
George Starr, director of the local Soil Conservation office in Vevay has recently furnished farmers in the county around 5,000 trees without cost to any individual. Black locust, red pine and Virginia pine were included.
Mrs. Louis Searcy of Posey Township, recently found a chicken egg on their farm that weighed five sixteenths of a pound and measured 9 1/4 inches by 8 1/4 inches. The egg had two separate, hard shells and two separate yolks and was laid by a Plymouth Rock hen.
70 YEARS AGO
Mrs. J. L. Schad is suffering with a fractured left wrist which she sustained in a fall at her home Sunday evening.
Work on the new state road from Vevay to the intersection of Road 129 at the Heady farm was begun here Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Bakes have moved into the property on Ferry Street recently purchased from J. T. Prichard.
Miss Virginia Stewart, having completed a course at the Littleford Business College, has accepted a secretarial position with the Procter and Gamble Company of Cincinnati.
Fire, starting from an unknown source, entirely destroyed the fine country home of Mr. and Mrs. Uly Spencer near Pleasant Sunday afternoon with a total loss of all the household furniture and personal belongings of the family. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer were visiting at the McFarland home near Dupont at the time.
80 YEARS AGO
At their meeting Monday the county commissioners voted to erect a bridge over Indian Creek near the home of Tom Protsman which will form a direct connection between the Park’s Ridge pike and the Bennington-Mount Sterling highway.
Shaw Green has resigned his position with the Vevay Deposit Bank to accept a position in the accounting department of a public utilities concern in New Orleans, Louisiana.
O. S. Johnson left Thursday for Idaho where he will probably locate.
James A. Works last week purchased Reverend Elmer Knotts residence on Market Street.
A daughter was born March 29th to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bunger and has been named Lois Maxine.
90 YEARS AGO
A large audience attended the formal presentation of a service flag by the faculty of Vevay High School at the auditorium Friday afternoon. The flag contains 41 stars, representing the students who are now in the United States military service. Two of these are gold – for Edwin Danner and Edward Cole.
Ralph Scudder won third place in the district oratorical contest at Batesville Friday.
The family of Paul Boright of Mount Sterling received a telegram Tuesday notifying them of the death of Frank Mitchell who was killed at Camp Greene, North Carolina. No particulars of the tragedy were given. The deceased had been reared by the Borights.
A surprise dinner was given Sunday for William Brandon at his home near Bennington in celebration of his 68th birthday.
Mr. and Mrs. Grant McKay received word last week that their son George had enlisted in the U.S. Marines. He left Monday to begin training at Port Royal, South Carolina.
Clair Curry, employed in Indianapolis, who enlisted with the 400 automobile mechanics of Indiana has been sent to Kelley Field, Texas for training.
100 YEARS AGO
A deal has been completed by which the Christian Church people have purchased the Universalist Church and parsonage.
A meeting of the stockholders of the new Vevay Creamery was held in the Courthouse Saturday afternoon. Work on the industry will begin within a few days and it will be in operation by the first or second week in May.
Harry Dupraz received a few minor injuries Tuesday when the team of horses he was driving to his milk wagon became frightened and ran away. The wagon was demolished and one of the horses fell injuring it so badly it will probably die.
Last week the firm name of Riley Land was changed to Riley Land and Son, Will Land, being taken as half owner in the business.
Commencing last Thursday, Vevay experienced what might be termed as a water famine. The big pump in the well at the water works station went out of commission and Superintendent John Waldenmaier was formed to curtail the supply to the furniture factory, the mills and the Reveille plant. Some of the industries closed down entirely but the Reveille plant ran steadily having water hauled from the river in barrels.
Sam Fallis, aged 61 years, was accidentally drowned in the Ohio River last Thursday. The first known of his death was when his body was discovered on Friday morning by Dick Ridgeway.
Frank Shirley of Saunders spent Saturday visiting friends. Mr. Shirley said the night riders were getting entirely too close for comfort as their last raid was made within four miles of where he lives.
A canning factory for Patriot seems to be an assured fact.
110 YEARS AGO
Invitations are out announcing the marriage of Miss Anna Grace Kirkpatrick and Joseph C. Lamson Tuesday evening, April 19th, at 7:30. Both are prominent young people of Craig.
Messrs. Otis Waldo and Charles Keiffer of Rising Sun have bought out the bakery of George Gegner on Pike Street. In connection with the bakery they will conduct an ice cream parlor.
Miss Edith Worstell is very ill at the home of her uncle, Fred Stucy, in Ghent where she has been visiting for several weeks.
Dr. R. G. Simpson has sold his practice in Rising Sun to Dr. Ford of Dillsboro.
A son was born Friday to Muz Scranton and wife of Patriot.
120 YEARS AGO
Last Sunday morning about 1 o’clock the one-story frame cottage belonging to Mrs. E. H. Adkinson was discovered to be on fire. The alarm brought both fire companies to the scene but the fire had gained such headway that the building was destroyed.
Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Turner have a pretty blue-eyed young lady at their home.
Isaac Smith recently sold his farm in Pleasant Township and went to Kansas to invest but after looking over the state he came back to Switzerland County.
Clendenning Brothers have sold their grocery store to George Haskell and W. P. Hall.
William H. Green has sold the Brookville American to Louis L. Burke, formerly of Washington, D.C.
130 YEARS AGO
Will Shaw and Mathias Madary of Craig started to California Tuesday evening.
The Madison Courier states that one night last week an attempt was made to burn Cosby & Boyd’s saw mill.
Amount of toll collected at the gate near Vevay on the Vevay and Mount Sterling and Versailles turnpike road for March, $262.23.
Hugh Tyler, seven-year-old son of a widow living near Allensville was accidentally drowned in a cistern Sunday evening.
140 YEARS AGO
Will M. Smith of this county will be a candidate for Prosecuting Attorney of the Circuit Court.
Last Saturday night the weather was very cold freezing ice half an inch thick. Peaches and early pears are thought to be killed.
150 YEARS AGO
The body of a man was found a few days ago in the river at the head of the Vevay Island.
The recent heavy rains have caused a rapid rise in the Ohio River and it is nearly bank full.
Judging from the large arrivals of goods at the wharfboat this spring, some of the merchants in this county must do a very large business.
152 YEARS AGO
Utah is taking legislative measures to be admitted into the union.
Hay is selling in New Orleans for $26 per ton.
A Presbytery of the N.S. Presbyterians will be held here this week. Some 30 ministers are expected to attend.