News compiled by Ginny Leap from past issues of
Switzerland County newspapers.
10 YEARS AGO
Ivy Tech State College has released its dean’s list for the fall semester of the 2000-2001 school year, and the list contains many Switzerland County residents. To be included on the dean’s list, a student must attain at least a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Those students from Switzerland County earning a spot on the dean’s list include: Michelle Gates, Rochelle Christman, Stacey Mathews, Robert Bosse, Shona Sebree, Pamela Voris, Nancy White, Patty Brady, Bobbie Edward’s, Darlene Terry, Mickie Hughes, Emy Ray, Jamie Duke, Linda Leap, Connie McCarty, Patricia Miller, Vicki Peters, Evelyn Rohmann, and Sharon Vann.
Henry and Maxine (Knigga) Bushman of Bear Branch will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this Sunday, February 4th. The celebration will be held from 2-5 p.m. at Saint Peter Lutheran Church in Bear Branch.
Scores are in from the state concerning this year’s ISTEP examinations given to students around the state in the third, sixth, eighth and tenth grades, and again all of the grade levels here in the Switzerland County School System are doing well.
20 YEARS AGO
Members of the Switzerland County High School Academic Team who won last week include Leah Thomas, Robin Wilson, Vincent Valenzuela, Jonathan Sandidge, Keith Jackson, Ryan Redmon, and B.J. Watkins. Janet Hendricks is the team’s coach.
Over 120 people attended last Friday night’s annual meeting of the Switzerland County Soil and Water Conservation District to hear the featured speaker, Tom Turpin and honor those receiving special awards.
30 YEARS AGO
For the umpteenth time Monday night the Patriot Town Board discussed appointing a Town Marshal, and for the equally umpteenth time no progress was made towards appointing or not appointing someone to fill the post that has been vacant since 1972. Legally, the town is required to have a marshal. The hang-up has not been that the Board doesn’t want a marshal, but the question has been how to pay him.
Four high school students achieved superior ratings in the district vocal and piano competition in Clarksville. They are Shelly Lewis, Rae Jean Johnson, Joey Green and Carol Penick.
Two Switzerland County Junior High students received superior ratings while competing at the high school level in the district piano and vocal competition in Clarksville. They are Stephanie Sublett and Audra Stump.
40 YEARS AGO
Cashier Larry Kinman was named a vice president of First National Bank as the bank held its 107th annual stockholders meeting with president C. Warren Lundy reporting a 10 percent growth. In other staff changes Mrs. Mary M. Wiley was promoted to assistant cashier, Leslie Byram was made a vice president, and Mrs. Walker was named teller to succeed Mrs. Jeannie Rayls who left the bank.
George E. Furnish, Jr., 53, of route 1, Bennington, near Fairview died Tuesday at King’s Daughters’ Hospital in Madison. A veteran of World War II, he was wounded during the Normandy Invasion for which he received the Purple Heart and other medals.
Deborah L. Kinman of route 1, Patriot, is among a record number of 160 students at Vincennes University qualifying for the dean’s list with a grade index of 3.5 or better for the fall term. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Kinman.
Fire struck the two-story frame home of John Porter, 1 mile west of Florence at 11 a.m. Friday, causing extensive fire and smoke damage plus additional water damage necessary for fire-fighting.
50 YEARS AGO
Miss Linda Lou Giltner, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Giltner of Canaan route 1, has been named the 1961 Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow at Vevay High School.
A 38-year-old construction worker, employed on the job only since mid-December, was crushed to death Monday morning at the Markland Dam project.
Mrs. Elizabeth Wentworth was appointed by the Switzerland County Board of Commissioners Wednesday to fill out the unexpired term of county treasurer, left vacant by the passing of her husband Howard Wentworth.
Fire believed to have been caused from faulty wiring did considerable damage to the bungalow home of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Marshall shortly after 3:15 p.m. Saturday.
To add to the misfortune of fire outbreak, Mrs. Marshall was the victim of a heart attack – the direct result of her shock after witnessing the flame.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was keeping a close watch on the Ohio River at the site of the new Markland Dam construction Saturday as ice forming on the river above the dam threatened to damage the $22 million structure.
Purdue Day, Soil Conservation District meeting held in VHS gymnasium last week was a huge success. The program consisted of guest speakers, a panel discussion and a free lunch. Besides an enjoyable program, a total of 67 persons who attended the festivities took home door prizes donated by businessmen and farmers throughout the area.
60 YEARS AGO
August Mead, proprietor of the Mead Print Shop in Vevay, was awarded the Mrs. Mark A. Brown prize for the best group of prints entered in the 27th Hoosier Art Salon.
A calf owned by James David Heath, co-owner of the Heath Stock Farm near Vevay, became a gold medal calf by making a gain of two pounds per day plus 70 pounds birth weight by July 1st, last year. This calf was champion at the Lawrenceburg, Osgood and Martinsville fairs in the Gold Medal class and in the open class at Lawrenceburg. He won second in the Gold Medal and open class at Brownstown and eighth place in the Gold Medal class at the Indiana State Fair.
Miss Mildred Pangburn has resigned her position at Amy’s Beauty Shop to accept one in the office at the local shoe factory.
70 YEARS AGO
Kathrine Jackson has bought the Patriot bank building and will remodel and add offices to the lower floor. She and her mother will move there soon from Ft. Wayne.
A recent article written by Horace Reynolds and published in the Christian Monitor describes Vevay and local Ohio River traditions, including the packet “Hattie Brown.” It also has these complimentary remarks about our newspaper. “It has (the town) in the Vevay Reveille Enterprise the best small town paper I’ve ever read.”
Switzerland County’s replacement quota, composed of Dalbert F. Whitham, Thurman Roberts and Harley H. Hankins left Tuesday to be inducted into the army. They were called to replace Joe Sexton, Clyde Lewis, and Perry T. Brown who failed to pass their physical exams.
Miss Christina Cobus has resigned her position as public health nurse here to enter Western Reserve School at Cleveland, Ohio, to take a special course in orthopedic nursing.
Allen Coy of Florence celebrated his 90th birthday Sunday at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Peters where a family dinner was held.
80 YEARS AGO
Employees of the State Highway Commission visited town recently and erected yellow stop signs on streets that intersect the state highways going through Vevay.
Charles Thompson of near Bennington was painfully injured last week when he was pinned to the ground by a falling tree limb.
Stacey Cole has returned to his home in Vevay following a month’s stay in a Cincinnati hospital.
90 YEARS AGO
Mrs. Mary Mennett, Switzerland County’s oldest lady, celebrated her 99th birthday Saturday at the home of her son, Grant Mennett, in Vevay. A family dinner was held.
Miss Eva Lena Cole, who is ill with sleeping sickness in a Cincinnati hospital is much improved.
Curtis Coy of Illinois has rented the new store building of Carl Joyce at Moorefield and will operate a general merchandise store.
Edward Tinker of Tennessee is visiting relatives at Fairview, his first visit to his old home for 17 years.
100 YEARS AGO
Frank V. Kern, who left here about two weeks ago for New Mexico for his health, was robbed of about $60 while en route there.
William E. Ogle is attending business college in Cincinnati.
Harry Green of Patriot has a position as clerk to the committee on roads and dikes in the Indiana Legislature.
The members of the Mount Sterling Baptist Church will give a series of entertainments in the way of oratorical contests commencing about March 15th. The best speakers in the county are being invited to participate.
“The Portland Oregonian,” the leading paper of the great northwest, in a recent issue deals at length with Edward Eggleston’s book the “Hoosier School Master.” The newspaper is of the opinion that the book is responsible for an unfavorable opinion of Indiana as portrayed by its “uncouth” characters. The article is reprinted in its entirety this week.
The whereabouts of Robert B. Kanouse, local piano dealer, who left last Friday on the mailboat and mysteriously disappeared, are still unknown.
John W. Johnson, cashier of the Patriot Deposit Bank is the new correspondent from Patriot to this newspaper.
While coasting in the school yard at Patriot Thursday Miss Freda DeHart fell and cracked a bone in her leg.
120 YEARS AGO
Died January 29th at his home in Craig Township, Archibald Shaw, aged 80 years. He was born in Scotland and came to this country with his parents when he was four years old.
Professor Glenn Culbertson of Moorefield, writing from Bangkok, Siam tells of being aboard a ship which was struck by a typhoon off the coast of China.
Oliver M. Pleasants is home from Harriman, Tennessee, for a visit. He and Rhoda Grisard are engaged in merchandising at Harriman.
Last Saturday a little daughter of James Smock of Avonburg narrowly escaped drowning when she fell from a foot-log while crossing Indian Creek. She was swept about 100 feet in the swift water before she was rescued.
150 YEARS AGO
An ordinance declaring the secession of Georgia from the United States passed the state convention January 19th.
Since the secession of South Carolina and since the embargo of their port, large quantities of cotton are coming up the Mississippi and Cincinnati and Pittsburgh and thence by railroad to the east. The following steamboats are now en route to Cincinnati with loads of cotton, Lady Franklin with 1,010 bales; Wenona, 950 bales; Arizona, 1,200 bales; Izetta, 1,150 bales.
The resignation of Governor Lane, as governor of Indiana, was read to the Indiana legislature January 16th and Lieutenant Governor Morton appeared and took the oath of office as governor in the presence of both Houses. Thus has Indiana had four governors within a period of less than four months.
The state officials of Indiana borrowed $125,000 of Winslow, Lanier and Company, New York to pay the interest on the state debt due on the first day of January.
The governor of the Mississippi Nation has withdrawn the blockade from the bluff above Vicksburg.