The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, August 25, 2021 D-3 HISTORY Submit history photos: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: news@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Source: www.history.com • Photo source: www.autoweek.com Wednesday, August 25 • Englishman swims the Chan- nel (1875) • "The Wizard of Oz" debuts (1939) Thursday, August 26 • First televised Major Leage baseball game (1939) • 19th Amendment adopted (1920) Friday, August 27 • Red Scare dominates American politics (1952) • Krakatau explodes (1883) Saturday, August 28 • Charles and Diana divorce (1996) • Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks to March on Washington (1963) Sunday, August 29 • Hurricane Katrina slams into Gulf Coast (2005) • Soviets explode atomic bomb (1949) Monday, August 30 • Thurgood Marshall confirmed as Supreme Court justice (1967) • Cleopatra commits suicide (30 B.C.) Tuesday, August 31 • Jack the Ripper claims first vic- tim (1888) • Edison patents the Kinetograph (1897) net edition pressdispatch.net/edition Web, Smartphone, Tablet 812-354-8500 • 820 Poplar St., Petersburg, IN • ads@ pressdispatch.net SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO The Petersburg Press Friday and Tuesday, Aug. 23 and Aug. 27, 1946 Even as you and I would complain, a resident of Cal- ifornia stopped at the Sher- iff's Office last Friday to com- plain about being shot at while driving down Highway 57, just west of Petersburg. Seems that a .22 shot went through the car glass on one side of the car, right past his wife's head and out an open win - dow on the other side of the car. Rather rough way to treat visitors they thought and the sheriff has issued a warning to all sharpshooters to be cer- tain before they shoot. Five Petersburg young men were injured in an auto wreck last Friday night, just east of the city limits of Petersburg. One of the injured, Robert Tretter, is thought to be in a serious condition with a pos- sible spinal and internal inju- ry. Others injured were Clif- ford Chew, driver, cuts and bruises; Hubert Hawkins, cuts and bruises; Leland Bo- ger, mashed nose; and Gilbert Warren, possible fractured rib. The accident happened on Hwy. 57, near the Freeland Filling Station, when the car slid on the wet pavement into a Federal Produce Truck from Evansville. The car, owned by Mrs. Bernard Marsee, was badly damaged. Clifford Chew was fined Saturday morning in city court for reckless driving. The Kerr Grocery Compa- ny of Evansville will open their new house on lower Main St. in Petersburg on Wednesday, August 28. The building was purchased quite some time ago, but through waiting for the former tenant to move to other quarters and the scar- city of materials, it has taken more time than was anticipat- ed to open this branch. The lo- cal branch will be operated by Floyd Jone, who is well-known in Pike County and the sur- rounding territory. The com- pany will stock a line of gro- ceries, staples, cereals and grocer supplies. Births: To Mr. and Mrs. Howard Harvey, a daughter, Helen June, August 17; To Mr. and Mrs. William Ritter, a daughter, Judy, August 16; To Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Palmer, of Bowman, a daugh- ter, Laury, August 20. Marriages: Helen Holman and Charles E. Hendrix were united in marriage on Satur- day afternoon, August 24 at 4:30 p.m. in Main St. Presby- terian Church. Deaths: Robert Rhodes, of Winslow, died Sunday evening at his home; Home E. Haw- kins, 64, of Petersburg, died Thursday morning. Bowman school in 1938 The Bowman school was a two-room schoolhouse. Grades one through eight attended there. They are, front row: Jim Sutton, Kenny Smith, Violet Johnson, Helen Good- pasture Newkirk, Barbara Jones, Lola Mae Deffendoll, Lelah Smith, Nadine Hoggett, Joan Gladish, Peggy Robinson, Maxine Beck, Mary Ann Howard and Georgia Sut- ton Coleman; second row: Charles Stradtner, Norma Lee Craig, Roscoe Miley, Mary Sutton Fowler, John William Sutton, Gerald Weaver, Norma Smith Woolsey, Joy Reed Wilson, Dixie Stradtner, Charles Howard, Dorothy Chamberlain Hollis, Triliby Stradtner and Patty Lucas; third row: Buell Johnson (teacher), Earl Johnson, Clara Klotz, Dixie Carter Fredrick, Marion Smith, Jack Jones, Harold Weaver, Billy Don Phillips, Louis Eisle, Billy Carter, John Chamberlain, Bob Sutton and Faye Sutton Buchta (teacher); fourth row: Kathryn Klotz, Carrie Ann Deffendoll, Agnes Hager, Floyd Thomas, Junior Gladish, Ralph Johnson, Bill Chamberlain, Iva Mae Chamberlain, Do- ra Miley Smith, Ruthanne Coleman and Betty Jones. SIXTY YEARS AGO The Pike County Dispatch Thursday, Aug. 24, 1961 Where would you go if your community should suddenly be designated as having been within the area which would be contaminated with radio- active fallout? If you had plen- ty of time, you could go to a community shelter, if your community had one. There is not one in Pike County. If you had time, you could construct a fallout shelter in your base- ment. But if you were within a contaminated area and had not been killed by the bomb itself, you would have only a matter of minutes to reach safety. It takes a man, with the help of a neighbor, approximately two weekends to construct a fallout shelter in a basement. These facts are not stated to scare you. They are stated so that all of you may do an about- face and look a possible real- ity straight in the eye. Radio- active fallout respects no per- son and no place. There is not a home in America that could not be affected by fallout af- ter a nuclear attack. Our on- ly hope is to be protected. Ant he single greatest protection for you and your family is your own fallout shelter. The Office of Civil and Defense Mobili- zation has prepared a booklet which may be followed in the construction of various fallout shelters. The book tells how to construct each type of shel- ter in detail with small draw- ings of the shelters. It can be acquired from members of the Pike County Civil Defense Po- lice. A 23-year-old Washington youth, who was well-known in Petersburg, was instantly killed at 2 a.m. Sunday morn- ing when the 1955 Chevrolet he was driving left Highway 57, about a fourth of a mile south of Sandy Hook curve, sheared off a 55' light pole, plunged down a 40' embank- ment and crashed into a tree nearly 500' off the highway. The youth, Vincent Phillip Pickett, was estimated by driv- ers of cars he had just passed to be doing 120 miles per hour. He was traveling south toward Petersburg and marks on the highway indicated he made an effort to start around the curve, but lost control of the car and went straight into the pole and over the embank- ment. The young man, who had been discharged from the Air Force in July of this year, visited Petersburg often. He was thrown from the automo- bile as it reached the bottom of the embankment. He suffered multiple skull fractures and a shattered leg and foot. Twen- ty feet from the point where Pickett was thrown out of his car, the wheels of the car came to rest. Ten feet farther south lay the twisted mass of metal, which was all that remained of the automobile. The engine lay against a fallen tree and small bits of wreckage were strewn over a wide area. Births: To Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hammond, of Winslow, a son, Rickie Allen, born July 26 in Daviess Coun- ty Hospital; To Mr. and Mrs. George Kinman, a daugh- ter, Carla Dawn, August 8 in Daviess County Hospital; To Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Curtis, of Winslow, a son, Gregory Wayne, Thursday, August 17 in Good Samaritan Hospital. Marriages: Betty Jean Kent and Larry R. Houchins were united in marriage Fri- day evening at 7 p.m. at the Free Methodist Church. Deaths: William E. Ward, 79, of Algiers, died at Daviess County Hospital at 3:52 p.m. Monday; Clarence E. Walts, 84, of Bowman, died at his home at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. FIFTY YEARS AGO The Press-Dispatch Thursday, August 26, 1971 Open Letter to Parents: As principals of the high schools in Pike County, we feel that dress and good grooming are important aspects of a stu- dent's educational experi- ence. Dress which is appropri- ate and not distracting in the classroom should be the rule. Hair on boys should be neat and trim so that cleanliness and safety are not a problem. It si our intent that the above general statements will be in- terpreted with fairness to all students. We hope that par- ents will cooperate with us on this endeavor. The school must operate in a climate of mutual respect and coopera- tion, not in a climate of disrup- tion and strife. Parents can be an important factor in the at- titude of these young people. Howard Anderson, principal of Otwell High School, Rich- ard P. Mory, Pprincipal of Pe- tersburg High School, and Howard Briscoe, principal of Winslow High School. Fire broke out in the garage containing 50 bales of hay and other miscellaneous items at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Eu- gene Griffith on the south side of Winslow, Wednesday noon of last week. The building was practically destroyed but on- ly part of the hay was ruined. Contents destroyed were a fine saddle, several tires, win- ter potatoes and various other items. When discovered, fire and smoke were coming out from around the eves of the garage. Upon arrival of the Winslow fire truck, the fire was soon extinguished. Births: To Mr. and Mrs. Elbert Blackwell, of Winslow, a son, in St. Joseph Hospital; To Mr. and Mrs. Dallas Wayne Frederick, of Petersburg, in Deaconess Hospital, Thurs- day, August 12, a son, Kerry Dean; To Mr. and Mrs. Dan- nie Willis, of Winslow, in Jas- per Memorial Hospital, Fri- day, August 20, a daughter, Shawna Kay; To Mr. and Mrs. Gene Miller, of Oatsville, in Gibson General Hospital, Sat- urday, August 21, a son, Per- ry Gene; To Mr. and Mrs. Cle- neth Bruce, of Arthur, a son, Jay C., Thursday, August 19 at Good Samaritan Hospital. Marriages: Sandra K. Blue and John A. Miles were unit- ed in marriage on August 20 at 7 p.m. at the First Christian Church in Petersburg; Ann Adele Chappell and John Ed- win Moore were married at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 21 at Sts. Peter and Paul Cath- olic Church in Petersburg; Marilyn Tyring and James Mc- Cord were united in marriage on Saturday, July 31 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Lynnville. Deaths: William Edward Lemond, 70, fo Velpen, died at 7:15 a.m. Monday, August 23 at his farm. TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO The Press-Dispatch Thursday, August 22, 1996 Monday night, the Peters- burg Water Board voted to take drastic measures in an attempt to collect what was described as a "substantial water bill" from the owner of Dairy Queen on Main St., Pe- tersburg. A check of the water department records indicated Bill Disinger, owner of Dairy Queen, is $ 6,023.26 in arrears to the water department. The last payment logged by the wa- ter department was received in June. The current bill of $1,500, which is to be sent out, is not included in the arrears amount. The board members voted to have city attorney Russell Mahoney send a let- ter to Disinger, of Hunting- burg, notifying him that if the water bill is not paid in full by noon, Sept. 3, water service to the Dairy Queen restaurant will be shut off. The board took the action after discuss- ing the problem with Scott Eisenhower, of Cincinnati, Ohio, who appeared before the board as a representative of the Dairy Queen. Eisenhower is the manager of the restau- rant. Eisenhower explained he is planning to buy the lo- cal Dairy Queen, but wants all of Disinger's bills associ- ated with the restaurant tak- en care of before he does so. "I'm running his business and I need to know what to do," Eisenhower said. He told the board he believes a water leak has caused the water bill to in- crease significantly over the past few months. "We've gone from using 137,000 gallons per month to using almost 400,000 gallons per month. There's no way we could use that much water. That's outrageous." Ei- senhower said Disinger has had two different plumbing companies come in to check for a water leak but added that neither one could find a leak. He asked that someone from the water department to come out and look at, adding they were using 300,000 more gallons of water than any other Dairy Queen in the area. The board agreed to send someone to look for the leak. Births: To Jason and Mi- chelle Roberts, of Peters- burg, Saturday, August 17 at St. Mary's Hospital, a daugh- ter, Kendall Lauren. Deaths: Lisa K. Willis, 43, of Hazleton, died at 2:36 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18 at her residence; Virginia A. Tall- ey, 65, of Petersburg, died at 1:20 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 15 at Wilow Manor Nursing Home in Vincennes; Nancy J. O'Ne- al, 63, of Oakland City, died Thursday, Aug. 15 at 12:20 p.m. in Welborn Baptist Hos- pital; Paul Stewart, 61, of Pa- toka, died at 4:33 p.m. Sun- day, Aug. 18 at Gibson Gener- al Hospital.