News compiled by Ginny Leap from past issues of
Switzerland County newspapers.
10 YEARS AGO
The future of the old town barn on Jackson Street is still undecided as the Switzerland County School Corporation informed the Vevay Town Council on Monday that it may be interested in locating the barn on school property. At Monday night’s Vevay Town Council meeting, local resident Pete Furnish, who has been heading the drive to save the old barn, told the town council that the school corporation and superintendent Chester Meisberger have expressed an interest in having the barn moved to school land, if the state Build Indiana Fund grant comes through. The Vevay Town Council indicated they would wait and see what could be done to save the barn.
The Switzerland County Middle School Student Council sponsored a “Penny War” fundraiser for “Kids sharing and Caring” at Riley Hospital. This is a statewide project of student councils to help fund various projects at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis.
Erin and Elyssa Swango of Vevay recently toured Australia on vacation. They were invited by Elyssa’s friend, Kova Kolondzie who goes to Valparaiso University with her. Kova’s parents were transferred to Sidney, Australia from Pittsburgh last year. The girls were in the air almost 24 hours from the time they left Greater Cincinnati Airport until they landed in Sidney. They just barely made their flight from Los Angeles and flew all night.
20 YEARS AGO
Denny Markland of Vevay has two answers for those having problems keeping track of two time zones. One clock he put together has a fast and a slow hour hand, and the other one has two faces adjusted so they show fast and slow time. Fast time goes into effect Sunday, April 7th, for some area residents and businesses who work in or with the Cincinnati area. Vevay Newspapers will again be printing all times of news items on slow time.
Members of the Vevay Town Council and the Switzerland County Public Library have taken a major step in the process toward the building of a new public library for the county. They recently switched deeds, transferring the Town’s Market Square property and the library property to each other.
30 YEARS AGO
A high-spirited President Reagan, turning his hospital room into a temporary Oval Office, is described as ready to take charge in any emergency while he recovers from an assassination attempt that sources said may have been planned to gain the attention of a young actress.
Jeff McCabe, 28, is the new administrator of Swiss Villa Nursing Home in Vevay. The home is tentatively set to open in May.
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Boggs will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary Sunday, April 5th. The couple was wed Easter Sunday, April 5th, 1931 at Mrs. Boggs’ home on Parks Ridge.
40 YEARS AGO
James Shrode, Switzerland County High School senior, has been selected as a participant in the 1971 Musical Friendship Tour. He is the son of Mrs. Carolyn Burke of Vevay and plays sousaphone in the Swiss High band directed by Tom Taylor. He will be featured as a soloist on the tour program.
Two students from Vevay, Janet Buchanan and Denny Brown, were among 443 seniors from Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond to have begun student teaching in schools throughout Kentucky. Both are graduates of Vevay High School.
Becky Brett of Allensville Elementary School has been named first place winner in a pollution prevention contest among Switzerland County sixth grade students conducted by Vevay Eggleston Club. Konna Kinman of Patriot Elementary School and Carol May of Jefferson-Craig Consolidated Elementary School were named second place winners in the contest.
Over 93,000 of Indiana University’s 187,645 alumni reside in the Hoosier state, including 73 in Switzerland County. There are IU alumni in each of the state’s 92 counties, all of the other 49 states, and a number of foreign countries. The 73 in Switzerland County include 33 men and 40 women.
50 YEARS AGO
Charles L. Blodgett, aviation electronics technician airman, USN, son of Louis D. Blodgett of route 1, Bennington, is serving aboard the anti-submarine warfare support aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge operating out of Norfolk, Virginia.
Vevay’s second minor fire in the last five days broke out at the home of Roscoe Shadday Wednesday as Vevay volunteer firemen reached the scene to prevent serious damage.
George E. Moredock, a retired executive of the International Harvester Company of Chicago, and a well known farmer of Posey Township, passed away Sunday morning, March 26th, at Miami Hart Institute at Miami Beach, Florida, after several months of slowly failing health, at the age of 83 years.
Vevay volunteer firemen were called to the home of Mrs. Stella Gray, just off Seminary Street, Saturday evening to put out afire causing approximately $200 damage. Mrs. Gray and family had moved into the Buford Harlow-owned building only a few hours before the blaze broke out.
The possibilities and advantages of a technical school located locally were discussed at a meeting of the Switzerland County Development Committee Monday night. Jim Wagnor, director of the Southern Indiana Adult Education Department of Purdue University, explained a possible workable program for such a school and answered various questions concerning the program’s merits, feasibilities and expenditures.
60 YEARS AGO
Captain Ralph W. Blodgett, son of Mrs. Pearl Blodgett, of near Bennington, was recently assigned to the Sonthofen Sub-Post in Sonthofen, Germany near Augsburg. Captain Blodgett who came from Fort Houston, Virginia, has assumed duties as assistant Post Chaplain with his new unit.
The friends of Andrew Rayles of Vevay will be interested to know that on Friday Mr. Rayles will attain his 81st birthday.
The first Switzerland County mother to be officially notified that her son has been killed in Korea is Mrs. Henry Johnson of near Bennington. Her son, Private Robert R. Schirmer, was killed in action in Korea March 8th, 1951.
A showing of the latest styles from the John Shillito Company in Cincinnati, which was so much enjoyed her in the fall, will again be sponsored by the Bennington Rebekah Lodge on Tuesday night, April 3rd, at 8 p.m. in the new gym in Vevay.
Dr. Warren Dibble Howe of Bristol, Connecticut, a native and former resident of Patriot, died March 8th at Daytona Beach, Florida. Dr. Howe was a son of Major Silvas Howe and a great-grandson of Silas Howe, pioneer merchant of Posey Township, who established the first tan yard at Norths Landing about 1820.
The Red Cross campaign for funds which is under way in Switzerland County, has fallen far short of its goal of $2,637.00 and on Wednesday only $529.70 had been collected.
70 YEARS AGO
The Boy Scouts of Patriot have organized a Safety Guard Patrol through the cooperation of the Cincinnati Automobile Club.
Richard Corns of Lawrenceburg has opened a new restaurant in the Klein building on Ferry Street.
A fire from a defective flue partially destroyed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Carpenter near Patriot Friday morning.
A son was born March 21st to Mr. and Mrs. William Duvall. He has been named Charles Raymond.
80 YEARS AGO
The following students from the Vevay schools represented the various Latin divisions in the district contest held Saturday at Greensburg: Clarence Klophenstein, Geneva Briggs, Charlene Romerill, Marguerite Brameier, Alice Brameier and Marie Wolf.
Dannie McCreary is convalescing from a broken leg.
Walter Bennett and Rollin L. Curry have started a new freight line and paper route from Vevay to Indianapolis.
90 YEARS AGO
The heavy freeze which visited Switzerland County Monday night in common with other communities, is believed now to have killed the entire crop of peach, cherry, pear and other delicate fruits.
Fire destroyed a barn on the farm of Herman Washmuth near Long Run on Thursday afternoon when lightning struck the building during a severe storm.
At a meeting of the county board of education held Tuesday, steps were taken to employ a county agricultural agent for Switzerland County. Mr. Paul Ewald, who was sent here through Purdue University for approval, was employed and will begin his duties on April 11th.
Vevay has been in the throes of a mystery for the last two or three days which has not yet been solved and for which many solutions have been offered. Checks running in amounts from $4.87 to $130 have been coming to various families since Saturday. It is a coincidence that the recipients of the checks were stockholders or heirs of stockholders in the Union Furniture Factory of Vevay, which went out of existence in 1918.
Work has begun on the new parsonage at Moorefield. Everett Owens has been hired to superintend the job and it is hoped by all to have the building completed by the first of June.
Wilbur Stow of East Enterprise had the misfortune of getting one of the bones in his right arm fractured while cranking a Ford, owned by Dr. B. D. Potter, also of East Enterprise.
Word has been received that the body of Charles Griswold, who was killed in France during the World War, has arrived in New York and will probably reach here sometime this week.
100 YEARS AGO
The Vevay Council has voted to enforce the state law limiting auto speed to 8 miles per hour within the city limits, 15 miles in residence portions and 20 miles in the country.
The old Vevay-Mount Sterling and Versailles Turnpike Company, thought to have gone out of existence, recently paid a 1 percent dividend on its $32,000 capital stock.
O. S. Johnson and Company have moved to the room next to the Danner Hardware Company.
Culbertson Brothers have taken the Buick automobile agency.
William H. Madison, 74, cashier of the bank of East Enterprise and former deputy county auditor, died Monday at his home near East Enterprise, after a brief illness.
The wind was so strong on one day last week that the steamer, Hattie Brown, was forced to take shelter in the Kentucky River and finish her trip next day.
Mrs. Flora Scott of Pleasant Ridge in York Township, entertained a crowd of friends and relatives last Friday. The feature of the day was sewing carpet rags. They were entertained while sewing with music from the gramaphone. Mrs. Scott has about 200 of the latest Edison records and it was quite a treat to hear them. A sumptuous dinner was served by Mrs. Scott at noon to the 26 guests present.
120 YEARS AGO
The old Mendenhall residence near the Opera House on Ferry Street caught fire and was discovered by Miss Lena LeClerc who gave the alarm. The old home which was used as a dress making establishment by Miss Annabelle Coleman, was partially destroyed.
Vevay’s city tax has been raised from 35 cents to 60 cents.
Dr. P. C. Holland is taking a course of lectures in Ohio Medical College.
Dr. J.H. Shadday has gone to visit friends in northern Indiana and to attend a post-graduate medical course at Chicago.
Reverend C. L. Bovard, pastor of the Vevay Methodist Church, has accepted a pastorate at Tucson, Arizona.
The Madison Courier says that last Monday morning the nine-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. James A. Adams on Pleasant Ridge was bitten by a dog supposed to be mad. Mr. Adams took the boy to Milton, Kentucky to apply the famous lane “Mad Stone.” The stone adhered to the wound for 10 hours and 40 minutes. Watch for mad dogs ian Switzerland County.
Court commenced Monday with Judge William H. Bainbridge on the bench, attorney R. L. Davis, prosecuting attorney, and George S. Pleasants, deputy prosecuting attorney.
140 YEARS AGO
A temperance society has made its appearance near Patriot called the “Knights of Peace.”
Mr. George W. Told will leave today for the south with a flat boat of furniture.
The Vevay Fire Company is fully organized and patiently awaiting a fire.
The Patriot public schools closed on Friday.
150 YEARS AGO
The Congress of the southern confederacy has adjourned until May.
It has been stated that the confederated states are organizing a naval force of light-draft steamers, to be placed under the command of Commodore Tatnall, late of the U.S. Navy.