The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/879797
C-8 Wednesday, September 27, 2017 The Press-Dispatch HISTORY Submit history photos: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: news@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO The Petersburg Press Tuesday, August 11, 1942 Frank Anderson living near Petersburg has a fe- male Chow dog that has became the mother and guardian of two small kit- tens. The kittens were born on the Anderson farm and abandoned by their mother. An old tom cat also living on the farm could not stand the kittens and was doing his best to ease them out into the cold world when the Chow dog arrived and took things in- to its own hands. The kit- tens now get fresh Chow milk and the protection of the dog. As the boys and girls gathered together last week and assembled the pets, livestock, handi- crafts and baked products did you who attended the show stop to think about the fact that there are very few places on this old world of ours where such a show could be held. In most countries the display of pets and livestock would have caused their seizure and consignment to the food departments of the respective army in control. It makes you think what a grand place the United States is. The Pandora Club met at the Algiers School build- ing on July 20, with the county, senior and junior leaders present and sev- en members and one visi- tor, Barbara Wallace. The evening was spent dis- cussing the County Exhib- it. A clothing judging con- test was held with Mozelle Nance taking first place. These two girls will enter the county judging contest on August 1 at the Court House Auditorium. Jack L. Leas, son of Prof. and Mrs. J.B. of this city will teach English, social studies and Spanish in the Jasper High School during the coming school year. Marriages: Mary Sin- clair, daughter of John and Nellie Sinclair of Wash- ington, and Edwin White, son of Luther and Geor- gia White of this city were married at the residence of Rev. Floyd Cole, in West In- dianapolis at 5 p.m. Satur- day, July 25. Births: Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Youngs are the proud parents of a baby boy born on Saturday morning. He has been named Krieg Adelmar.; Born Saturday to Mr. and Mrs. Gillispie Willis of Petersburg, an 8 pound girl named Sharon Darleen; Born to Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Willis of Glezen, a 7 pound boy. Deaths: Much grief was manifest in the Otwell community last Friday when the death of Horace R. Auly became known; Ellsworth Houchin, a na- tive of this county, died at his home in Evansville ear- ly Monday morning; Mrs. Anna Stuckey died Sunday morning after an illness of several months. SIXTY YEARS AGO The Petersburg Press Friday, August 16, 1957 Two cars were damag- es in a crash at 11:20 a.m. Sunday near the Semi Inn north of Petersburg on highway 57. The car driv- en by Frank Weisheit had about $75 damage after it collided with a car driven by Kenneth Courtney, Pe- tersburg. The Courtney car's damage was negligi- ble. Neither driver was in- jured. Deputy Alan Smith made no charged. Bulbar polio Saturday struck a Petersburg girl, Sharon Bakies, 17, daugh- ter of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Bakies who live on high- way 57 south. Sharon quickly became critically ill. She was taken to Wel- borne hospital in Evans- ville on Monday. Sharon is a senior in Petersburg high school this year. A military convoy roared through Petersburg Sat- urday morning, leaving in its wake two badly shak- en women and two badly wrecked cars. A crowd of several hundred persons quickly gathered at 9th and Main Street when the acci- dent occurred at 9:30 a.m. Injured were Miss Hazel Ruth Preston, an employ- ee of Fred Malotte Ma- chinery Company, who re- ceived facial injuries, an injury to the hand and nu- merous bruises, and Mrs. Wanda Lee Parke, 22, who was bruised by the impact. The black panther of Pike was reported to have been seen last week by Charles Rogers, mechan- ic at Blackfoot, and he es- timated its weight at seven- ty five pounds. It was spot- ted between Spurgeon and Winslow. Lookout, War- rick! Here comes our cat. A valuable manuscript which is an original geo- graphical and historical survey of Pike County has become the property of Barrett Memorial Library where it will be preserved for use by researchers and other interested readers. The manuscript was au- thored by Lowell I. Dillon, Evansville College lectur- er who recently prepared the study as his thesis for a doctor of philosophy de- gree from Indiana Univer- sity. Only three copies of the manuscript exist. Marriages: Miss Mar- velee Boger, daughter of Prentice Boger and Chris- tena Stone Boger, of Pe- tersburg, became the bride of Albin Harper, son of Ar- chie Harper, of Otwell, Saturday evening at 7 p.m. Rev. Carl Boyd of the First Baptist Church of Peters- burg performed the dou- ble ring ceremony. Births: Born to Mr. and Mrs. George Smith a daughter, Terri Lynn; Deaths: Funeral servic- es for Mary Eliza Ward, 89, were Monday at 3 p.m. at the Winslow Methodist church; Funeral servic- es for Claude Beck, 45, were at 10 a.m. Thursday, August 15 at White River Chapel; Funeral services for Lorinda Elkins Cox, 91, were at 2 p.m. Tues- day, August 13 at the Ar- nold church; Carolyn Su- san West, the six year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wilton Newcomb West of Ware Shouls, S.C, passed away Aug. 6 at Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia; Funeral services for Benjamin A. Carroll, 74, were at 10 :30 a.m. Wednes- day, August 14 at the Har- ris Funeral Home. FIFTY YEARS AGO The Press-Dispatch Thursday, August 31, 1967 Fifty-three pine trees grown on surface-mined land in Pike County will play an important role in the nation's Christmas Pageant of Peace this year in Washington, D.C. It has been learned that the 53 trees, grown on land owned in the county by Ayrshire Collieries Corpo- ration, will be representa- tive of the States and Ter- ritories during the nation- al Christmas observance. Recent cool weather ex- perienced during the past few weeks, a slight turn- ing of the green leaves to gold, mark the coming of a new season in Southern In- diana- it's fall and football season here. Local resi- dents passing the Peters- burg High School Athletic Field, during the past two weeks have seen the red clad jerseys of the 1967 Petersburg Indians hard at work preparing for the season's opened under the direction of head coach, Howard Briscoe and assis- tant coach, Stan Shoultz. Something new in the way of festivals will be at Oakland City during a three day period begin - ning Thursday afternoon, August 31 and ending Sat- urday night, September 2. The Oakland City Lions Club is sponsor for the fun time, which will be known as the Sweet Corn Festival. Explosives set by an un- known party or parties Tuesday night was respon- sible for the complete de- struction of a bulldozer be- ing used for the construc- tion of the new Stendal wa- ter line. Marriages: Monroe City Methodist Church was the setting for the wed- ding ceremony in which Miss Grace Marie Like became the bride of Hillis Emil Brown, Sunday, Au- gust 20. Births: To Mr. and Mrs. Donald Robling of Petersburg, a son, Colin Andrew; To Mr. and Mrs. James Robb of Petersburg, a daughter, Cindy Ann; To Mr. and Mrs. David A. Re- senbeck of Mt. Vernon, a son, Brian Dean; To Mr. and Mrs. Earl Wayne Cox of Oakland City, a daugh- ter, Tammara Ann. Deaths: Bonard P. Al- ford, disabled veteran of World War II, died Satur- day afternoon; William Dale Smith, Jr., "Bushy" as he was famously known, native of Spurgeon, was killed Tuesday near Eoon, Iowa, while helping un- load pipe at a railroad sid- ing; Arthur "Socker" Wood of Oakland City died at 10 a.m. Monday in St. Mary's Hospital; Funeral Servic- es for S. Sgt. James W. Ra- gie, 39, first Viet Nam war casualty from Pike Coun- ty, will be today, Thursday, August 31, at the Arthur General Baptist Church; Mrs. Sylvania Drew, Pike County native, died at 8 p.m. Tuesday night at a nursing home in Chandler; Ross Reavis Stele, 84, life- time resident of Oakland City, died Saturday after- noon at the Hedges Good Samaritan Home. TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO The Press-Dispatch Thursday, Aug 27, 1992 A Petersburg native and her husband weath- ered what is being called the worst hurricane to hit Florida in the last 57 years. Dorothy Gould and her husband Jim of Deerfield Beach, Florida were about 35 miles north of Miami, the area that was hit hard- est by Hurricane Andrew. Jim said they lost a couple of roof tiles and a tree limb or two, but that was about as severe as it got. "God was looking out for us." A county road grad- er spread fill dirt over the area that will soon be manned trash pickup site for the county in Peters- burg. It is adjacent the current dumpster site on Illinois St. County Super- intendent Tom Deen said that the site would be com- plete soon and the county should begin work on the Otwell site before the end of the week. A head-on collision and possible tragedy was nar- rowly avoided Monday night when a wrecker driv- er swerved to miss a driv- er police believe was intox- icated. Bruce Hensley, 50, of Oakland City was towing a car north on Highway 57 about six miles south of Petersburg, when Pamela Johnson, 35, of Evansville was driving south on High- way 57 and crossed the center line, according to State Trooper Paul Bastin. School opened in Pike County last Thursday with- out any major problems. The new Petersburg Ele- mentary School opened its doors to students for the first time. Principal Steve Meadors said things went smooth. A dedication for the new school has been set for this Saturday, Au- gust 29, at 10 a.m. followed by tours of the new $ 9 mil- lion, 77,000 square foot fa- cility. Two women who came to blows in Small Claims Court two weeks ago have been charged with disor- derly conduct. A fter re- viewing the incident, dep- uty prosecutor Val Fleig filed disorderly conduct charges against both. Dis- orderly conduct is a class B misdemeanor. Marriages: Brian Peter Michael Wamser, 35, 1707 Walnut St., Petersburg, son of John Peter Wamser and Mary Louise Altman Wam- ser, both of Milwaukee, Wisc., to Rebecca Lynn Bement, 25, 1707 Walnut St., Petersburg, daughter of John Douglass Bement I and Linda Kay A xsom Be- ment, both of Route 3, Pe- tersburg. Births: To Mr. and Mrs. Philip Lueke of Winslow, Thursday, Aug. 13, their first child, a son, Max Phil- ip; To Mr. and Mrs. Barry V. Smith of Orlando, Fla., Monday, Aug. 10, their first child, a son, Jordan Brad- ley Parks. Deaths: Richard B. Shover, 83, of Petersburg, died Saturday, Aug. 22 at 1 a.m. at Memorial Hospi- tal in Jasper; Arrah Wanna M. Huey, 79, of Princeton, died at 10 :28 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Good Samari- tan Hospital in Vincennes; Harley W. Loveless, 80, of Petersburg, died at 6:25 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 23 at his residence; Katherine F. Mosby, 67, of Peters - burg, died Friday, Aug. 21 at 11:10 p.m. at Peters- burg Healthcare Center; Jesse N. Campbell, 98, of Hazelton, died Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 7:20 p.m. at Pe- tersburg Healthcare Cen- ter; Clifford Cassiday, 83, of Oakland City, died Fri- day, Aug. 21, at 11:15 a.m. at Wirth Osteopathic Hos- pital in Oakland City. By Sandy McBeth Pike County Historical Society The Public Square where the County Courthouse now stands was the center of the community. It was there the pound (a fifty foot square enclosure used to contain stray livestock and impound- ed property) and the public whipping post were locat- ed. The first courthouse was located on lot #107 fac- ing the Public Square where the Methodist Church now stands. The first post-office was located in the courthouse as Major John McIntyre, the first Postmaster was al- so the county recorder, clerk and auditor. The Major also taught school at the court- house six hours each day. Among the earliest busi- nesses in the village were a hotel and tavern operated by James Kinman; a mill, which was the first in the county, owned and operated by Hen- ry Miley; a copper distillery operated by John Young- man; a carding machine operated by Peter Brenton and his father James Bren- ton; William Dedman's mil- linery; and a sawmill owned by Jacob Stuckey. Petersburg has two cem- eteries within its boundar- ies. The earliest was the Old Town Cemetery located in front of Petersburg Elemen- tary School on Hwy 356. The earliest known burial there was Eliza A. Bass on August 3, 1815. On October 25, 1845 Henry Miley officially deed- ed the land where the ceme- tery is located to the County Commissioners for $134.00. He was buried in the same cemetery on September 13, 1847. The land for Walnut Hill Cemetery located on Hwy 61 North in Petersburg was purchased from Good- let and Emily Profitt Morgan for $1,200.00 in February 1876. The first burial in the new cemetery was Thomas Tucker on March 20, 1876. The inscription at the base of his monument read "the first person buried in this cemetery." There are many interest- ing stories told of early life in Petersburg. One of those was about a young boy, John S. Stuckey, who was playing marbles in front of George H. Profitts' store. He lost a marble under the door step. When he turned the step over he found it full of rattle- snakes. Mr. Profitt killed the snakes, including one which was over eight feet long. In 1856 the Wabash-Erie Canal era was coming to an end. People who were ready to move on to find new jobs were unable to find buyers for their property. A man named Jones, unable to sell his small house left town one night telling those around him that the first person who claimed the house in the morning could have it. Two young girls, Sarah and Mary Osborn, who want- ed to move closer to Main Street carried their feath- er bed to the house around midnight and slept there. The next morning when people arrived at the house they found the girls already in possession. Petersburg lost three dif- ferent blocks of Main Street to fires in the 1880's, one across from the Court House and the other two facing each other the next block south. The frame buildings were rebuilt of brick result- ing in Main Street as we know it today. A fter the canal era, Pe- tersburg became a ma- jor railroad shipping point for livestock, produce and coal. In the late 1800's at the height of prosperity there were four operating hotels in town, three ma - jor saloons, several general and dry goods stores, mil- linery stores, implements establishments, livery sta- bles, blacksmiths, brick yards, a saw mill, creamer- ies, two flour mills, several restaurants, grocery stores, an opera house, horse race tracks, a dance hall, skating rink and a couple of "houses of ill-repute." Petersburg was found- ed in 1817, incorporated in 1880 and became a city in December of 1923. The last annex in 1975 enlarged Pe- tersburg to its present size of 825 acres. In 1940 Peters- burg recorded its largest population at 3,075. In 2010 the population of Petersburg was 2,383 with a total area of 1.474 square miles. Gleanings From the Pike County Democrat, 1902 1970 Winslow Eskimo 5th Grade Cheerleaders Pictured above are the 1970 Winslow Eskimo 5th Grade Cheerleaders. Front row: Julie Coleman, Karen Gieselman, Keil Thom- as, Theresa Price and Cheryl Weeks. Back row: Paula Jones, Debbie Carter, Alicia Lewis and Kim Williams. Continued from last week