News compiled by Ginny Leap from past issues of
Switzerland County newspapers
10 YEARS AGO
The Switzerland County Community Church, in partnership with the Future Homemakers of America club at Switzerland County High School, has announced the opening of a new Switzerland County Youth Center. The center will open on Monday, January 5th, with an open house from 3-6 p.m.
Pfc. David Reynolds has completed Marine military police training at Fort McClellan, Alabama. He is the son of Oscar and Kathy Reynolds of near Quercus Grove.
Brian Dixon, a junior at Switzerland County High School, has been selected to attend an international summit meeting of high school students in Washington, D.C. in February. The sessions will be held February 7th-14th. The Presidential Classroom for Young Americans was founded during the John Kennedy administration, with over 76,000 students from around the country participating since the program began. Brian Dixon was selected from more than 200 applicants from Indiana.
15 YEARS AGO
Kimberly A. Hon and Mark A. Covington were united in marriage in a ceremony performed Saturday, November 7th, at the Concord Community Church. Kimberly is the daughter of Jerry Hon of Florence and Anna Beckett of Rising Sun. Mark is the son of Donald and Pansy Covington of East Enterprise.
Randy Brown of Vevay has found many, many Indian artifacts in the Switzerland County earth, but the arrowhead he found Saturday is special. “The large size and the quality of the workmanship is very rare,” he said. He discovered the arrowhead — it’s so well made, he said, it could have been used as a knife — in the Vevay river bottoms being dug up for the town’s riverfront park project. It’s probably somewhere between 300 and 3,000 years old. An avid collector, Randy Brown said, “Finding something like this makes it all worthwhile.”
20 YEARS AGO
Department of Natural Resources Director Jim Ridenour reports the state’s 1987 deer harvest is 14 percent higher than the record-breaking 1986 total. With two weeks remaining in the late archery season, preliminary figures show that 48,539 deer have been taken by hunters in Indiana this year. The harvest includes 27,955 bucks and 20,584 antlerless deer.
The pairings for the upcoming Jefferson County Invitational Tournament have been announced. Possession of the American Legion Post No. 9 “Old Oaken Bucket” could go to any one of the five teams participating in this year’s tourney. The tournament will be held Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, January 7th, 8th, and 9th at the Southwestern High School Gymnasium. In game one, Thursday, January 7th, at 7 p.m., New Washington will play against Shawe. Southwestern plays Rising Sun in the second game at 6:30 p.m. Friday, January 8th. Game three will see Switzerland County plays the winner of game one at 8:15 p.m. on Friday.
35 YEARS AGO
J. C. Ramsey has resigned as Switzerland County clerk and former auditor Wilbur Allen has been recommended as his successor. Ramsey’s resignation takes effect December 31st. He will assume duties as field examiner for the State Board of Accounts on January 2nd. Allen’s name has been officially recommended to Governor Edgar Whitcomb, who under Indiana law must fill the vacancy created by Ramsey’s resignation.
A massive stack of more than 175 brand new shoes are being offered as Christmas gifts to any families in Switzerland County needing or wanting them for their holiday celebrations. The shoes were donated to the Committee for the Underprivileged, which annually collects clothing, toys and other items for distribution at Christmas time. The U.S. Shoe Company gave most of the shoes — all of them brand new and the latest, most modern design. Raymond Osborn, Jr., of Osborn’s Store in Vevay donated about 30 pairs of shoes.
45 YEARS AGO
United States Shoe Corporation has announced $1,145,112 has been distributed to eligible employees in accordance with the firm’s employee profit sharing plan. Under this plan, employees of the firm’s Vevay factory who have been with the company over a year will participate in profit sharing amounting to $124,083.09.
Newell D. Fox, formerly of Vevay, has joined the Miami office of Francis I. DuPont & Company, nationwide investment firm, as a registered representative. Fox, son of Mrs. Herman L. Fox, of 201 Arch Street, Vevay, was previously associated with Colgate Palmolive, and the Ford Motor Credit Company in Atlanta.
65 YEARS AGO
Mr. and Mrs. John A. Gregory, former residents of Switzerland County, now residing in Aurora, have been notified that their son, John Edward Gregory, 18-year-old sailor of the U.S. Navy was “Missing in Action.”
By order of the federal government no new automobile license plates will be issued for 1943. Instead motorists will retain their 1942 plates and will be issued a small metal tab to be attached to the top of the rear 1942 plate.
Relatives of three Switzerland County boys, all with General MacArthur in New Guinea, were notified this week that they had been wounded in action against the Japanese. The three are Raymond McFarland, Louis Patterson and Nathan Osborn.
The County Defense Committee has announced the sale of 447,000 pounds of scrap iron and rubber to William McAllister of York Township at a price of 45 cents per hundred pounds, or around $17,000. Mr. McAllister is now hauling the scrap in a specially built truck to a steel mill in Covington, Kentucky.
Perry F. Gullion, farmer of Cotton Township, died suddenly at his home near Fairview December 10th after suffering a heart attack.
75 YEARS AGO
Everett Bledsoe, aged about 55 years, Vevay barber, committed suicide by shooting himself near the heart with a shotgun Tuesday afternoon.
Raymond Ricketts, aged 27, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Ricketts of Markland, passed away at the home of his parents Thursday evening following a lingering illness of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Henry S. Pickett, former sheriff of this county, passed away at his home on Tapps Ridge Sunday morning following a long period of ill health.
For the second time within the past few years Warsaw, Kentucky, has been visited by a disastrous fire. On Sunday morning an entire city block was destroyed by a blaze which consumed the Warsaw Masonic Lodge hall, the McCann shoe store, four homes and the building occupied by the Warsaw Fire Department.
Ernest Danglade, aged 67 years, Superintendent of Schools in Switzerland County, died at his home here early Sunday morning following a sudden stroke of paralysis.
115 YEARS AGO
The President has appointed Honorable A. P. Twineham, a Switzerland County man now residing at Princeton, Indiana, a commissioner to appraise lands within the Round Valley Indian Reservation in California.
Ova, the 15-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Chittenden of Patriot, died Tuesday night of consumption.
Edward Poston, son of Mr. and Mrs. William S. Poston, died at his home near Patriot of typhoid fever.
135 YEARS AGO
Julia, 22-year-old daughter of Zachariah Cotton and wife, died on November 22nd at the home of the parents in Craig Township.
William E. Kennedy of Canaan and Miss Hannah Simpson of Bennington were married December 8th, at the parsonage of Pleasant Township by Reverend Moore.
Henry B. Phillips and Miss Nannie Henry, both of Switzerland County, were married December 1st near Center Square, Reverend I. C. Smith officiating.
William Lee died at his home near Fairview December 12th. He was born in Ohio in 1812 but came to Indiana while young. He had been in ill health for the past three years. The wife, several sons, and daughters are left to mourn his loss.
145 YEARS AGO
Civil War news: Reports of a major battle at Fredericksburg, Virginia, on December 13th state that “It appears that Burnside’s original plan was to move suddenly to Fredericksburg, cross, and then open a base of supplies from Acquia Creek and push rapidly to Richmond. He expected to get 30 or 40 miles south before the rebels came and felt confident he could crush them. He was promised pontoons and supplies at Falmouth. This was the fated omission given. A delay of 10 days enabled the rebels to fortify and concentrate. His plan was to carry the first line of the rebel works by storm and then follow them so rapidly that they could not make a stand, then to drive and scatter them with his reserves.”
Official reports of our losses in the battle make the number less than first reported, being less than 1,400 killed and 8,000 wounded. A large portion of the wounded were but slightly hurt. We lost 800 prisoners and took about as many, which were exchanged. The rebel loss is almost equal to our own.