The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1422416
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, October 27, 2021 C-5 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.britannica.com Wednesday, October 27 • New York City subway opens (1904) • Quakers executed for religious beliefs (1659) Thursday, October 28 • Gateway Arch completed (1965) • Statue of Liberty dedicated (1886) Friday, October 29 • John Glenn returns to space (1998) • Hancock resigns as president of Congress (1777) Saturday, October 30 • Orson Welles causes nationwide panic with "War of the Worlds" (1938) • Naval committee established by Congress (1775) Sunday, October 31 • Martin Luther posts 85 theses (1517) • Harry Houdini dies (1926) Monday, Nov. 1 • Sistine Chapel ceiling opens to public (1512) • United States tests first hydro- gen bomb (1952) Tuesday, Nov. 2 • Spruce Goose flies (1947) • John Paul Jones sets sail (1777) PUZZLED ABOUT WHAT TO READ? ..and you will have your solution. subscribe to 812-354-8500 Spurgeon High School 1948 class The Spurgeon High School class of 1948 will be celebrating their 60th class reunion. Members of the class are, front row, Joan Tharp Davis, Rosalie Bailey Henager, Susie Copeland Owens, Violet Oxby Mason, Joyce Erwin Harper, Jane Winland McGregor, and Yvonne Parks Stogsdill; Second row: Chester Wallace (teacher), Louis Pow- ers, Richard Skinner, Paul Gene Riddle, Haskell Mason, Bobby Joe Fleener, George Fettinger, and Calvin Theiring; Third row; Victor Oxby, Robert Chapman, Charles Luff, Norman Erwin, Alfred Fleener, Paul Edrington, Eugene Crooks, and Colleen Logston (not present). Photo sent in by Don Parke. SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO The Petersburg Press Friday and Tuesday, Oct. 25 and Oct. 29, 1946 Starting November 8, the Greyhound Bus Line will service Petersburg on an In- tra State basis giving Peters- burg direct service to India- napolis. This will give Peters- burg three buses daily to Indi- anapolis, leaving Petersburg at 7:23 a.m., 11:23 a.m. and 4:23 p.m. The permit allow- ing Interstate service is now under consideration and a de- cision should be rendered al- most anytime. The location of the bus station has not been announced yet, but a represen- tative of the Greyhound Bus Company will be in Peters- burg next week to complete arrangements for the service. Vernon Walter, 79, was found dead in the barn at his home near Glezen Mon- day morning by Mrs. Walter. He had been shucking corn and hauling it into the barn on a sled. When his wife no- ticed that the horses had been standing in one place longer than usual and the corn not un- loaded, she investigated and found him dead. His death had occurred around nine o'clock, according to County Coroner Opal Brenton. Starting November 1, the Otwell Star will be discontin- ued and subscribers of the Star will receive the Peters- burg Press to fill out the un- expired term. Increased cost of newsprint, labor and oth- er necessary materials has caused this situation. This consolidation will mean that the Petersburg Press will then enter about 3,050 homes, giv- ing the fullest coverage of any Pike County newspa- per. There will be an adjust- ment of advertising rates at this time to take in consider- ation the added coverage with classified advertising advanc- ing to a minimum of $ .35 per inch insertion in the place of $ .25 and display rates being moved forward accordingly. It will be somewhat of a strug- gle for sometime to print this additional coverage with the old press, but our new roll fed press is now being shipped so we will soon produce a better and larger paper which will carry more features for our readers. Births: To Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Warner a son, Charles Edward, at their Petersburg home, Tuesday, October 22; To Mr. and Mrs. Gene Dors- ey, of Winslow, a son, at Wash- ington Hospital, Tuesday, Oc- tober 22. Marriages: Barbara Cox became the bride of Merle Mc- Cormick Saturday evening at 7:30 at Main St. Presbyterian Church. Deaths: Mary Etta Springt- ston, 68, of Stendal, died at her home Sunday, October 27. SIXTY YEARS AGO The Pike County Dispatch Thursday, Oct. 26, 1961 Mr. and Mrs. Fred Sanders, of Indianapolis, were injured when their car left Highway 56 between Petersburg and Princeton when they were en- route to see Mr. Sanders' fam- ily. Mrs. Sanders is hospital- ized in the Daviess County Hospital in Washington from a blood clot in one arm and fractured vertebrae in her neck. Mr. Sanders received bruises and was discharged from the hospital. The driver of the small, foreign car was Jerry Hughes, of Park Forest, Ill. He received a broken collar bone, but was released from the hospital after treatment. Mrs. Sanders is the former Janet Anderson, daughter of Irid Anderson, of Petersburg. A kindergarten for four and five year olds was opened in Winslow October 2 by Mrs. Donna Stinson. The school is located in the lower lev- el of Mrs. Stinson's home at the north edge of town and is being called, "The Winslow Kindergarten." Mrs. Stinson graduated from Winslow High School and attended Ball State Teachers' college and Oakland City college, majoring in ele- mentary education. Parents of other area children may enter their children in the school at the beginning of any week. Births: To Mr. and Mrs. Don Bellner, of Stendal, a daughter, Tamara Elizabeth, October 21 at Stork Hospi- tal; To Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Parke, of Oakland City, a son, Monty Kent, born Monday, October 9 at St. Mary's Hos- pital; To Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Smith, of Winslow, a son, Ste- ven William, born Monday, October 23 at Welborn Bap- tist Hospital. Marriages: Carol Joy Pow- ell and James Douglas Barker were married at 6:30 p.m. Sat- urday in the First Methodist Church in Petersburg. Deaths: Ida Mae Cox, 52, of Petersburg, died at 10 :58 a.m. Sunday in Good Samar- itan Hospital; Joseph L. O'Ro- urke, 87, of Petersburg, died at Good Samaritan Hospital at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday; Prentice S. Warren, 69, of Petersburg, died at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Daviess County Hospital. FIFTY YEARS AGO The Press-Dispatch Thursday, Oct. 28, 1971 Petersburg water will soon be coming from drilled wells. Two 20 -inch wells, 85 feet deep are presently being drilled about one-half mile west of the water plant by Heldt-Monroe Company of Evansville. Tests showed that the wells will pro- duce 2,200 gallons per minute. This is the combined produc- tion of both wells. Cost of the wells is being paid for with capital improvement funds de- rived form the state cigarette taxes. The money is a state re- bate which can only be used for capital improvements and will have no bearing on water rates. River pollution has de- creased the quality of water to the point it was considered necessary to drill the wells. Frank Dougherty, driving a large Autocar diesel trac- tor-trailer, lost control of the outfit and ran off the road near the junction of Highways 61 and 56. The tractor-trailer be- longed to Buchta Trucking Co., of Otwell. He was headed west on Highway 56 and as he approached the junction and applied the brakes, he jack- knifed and ran across High- way 61, landing in the ditch. The driver was not injured. The truck was loaded with about 46,000 pounds of rock for the county highway depart- ment. The accident happened around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, but before the truck could be pulled out, the load had to be shoveled out of the trailer. It was sometime Friday before it could be pulled form the ditch. Damage to the tractor amount- ed to around $500. The trailer was not damaged. No charges were filed. Births: To Mr. and Mrs. Kermit E. DuPont, of Peters- burg, in Daviess County Hos- pital, a son, Stanley Eugene, Monday, October 25; To Mr. and Mrs. Norman Hoover, of Oakland City, a daughter, Vic- toria Ruth, Monday, October 18 at Gibson General Hospital. Marriages: Beverly Sue Quiggins and Stephen K. Siev- ers were united in marriage Saturday, October 15 at 2 p.m. in St. John's Catholic Church. Deaths: Rev. Basil O. John- son, 73, of Oakland City, died at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, October 26 enroute to Gibson General Hospital; Elijah P. Davis, 64, of Winslow, died Monday, Oc- tober 25 at 2:10 a.m. in Wirth Memorial Hospital; Pauline Howe, 69, of Oakland City, died Thursday at her home; James R. Kennedy, 74, of Oak- land City, died Thursday at his home. TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO The Press-Dispatch Thursday, Oct. 24, 1996 A Pike County native was killed Friday near Glezen and his wife was seriously injured when the car he was driving was hit broadside by an oncom- ing Indiana Southern train en- gine at about 9:30 a.m. Byron H. Brenton, 63, of Wadesville, was pronounced dead at the scene Friday morning, accord- ing to the Pike County Sher- iff Jeff Clements. His wife, Lila Brenton, had to be extricated form the car by rescue person- nel and was taken to Welborn Hospital. She was listed in crit- ical condition in the intensive care unit of Welborn Hospi- tal on Tuesday morning. Cle- ments said the Indian South- ern train, which consisted of three engines, was traveling south at about 30 mph. He said John Wilhite, engineer on the train, told him Brenton approached the crossing and stopped. Then proceeded for- ward attempting to cross the tracks. The train slammed into the driver's side door of Brenton's 1989 Lincoln Conti- nental and pushed it 516 feet south of the County Road 125 W crossing into a woods. Pike County Squad 51, Pike County EMTs, Gibson County EMTs, as well as the North and South Patoka Fire Department per- sonnel assisted at the scene. Because the car was pushed about 500 feet into a wood- ed area between CR 125 W and Division, rescue person- nel had to carry Mrs. Bren- ton about an eight of a mile down the railroad tracks to an ambulance. Clements said the Brentons were believed to have been on their way to vis- it a friend, Rosie Elmore, who lived about three houses from the railroad tracks. Brenton, a native of Petersburg, had retired from a long career in Posey County schools, where he had served as teacher, football coach, principal and school superintendent. He was a graduate of Petersburg High School. Marriages: Jennifer Ann Schiller and Gary Franklin Chanley were united in mar- riage on September 14 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Boone Township at 2:30 p.m. Deaths: Cecil E. White, 57, of Petersburg, died at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, October 15 at his residence; Austin J. Eck, 75, of Petersburg, died at 9:50 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19 at Good Samaritan Hospi- tal in Vincennes; James Wil- liam Pankake, 55, of Hazleton, died Thursday, October 10 at his river camp.