117. Ridgeville, Winchester, Parker, Farmland, Union City, Spartanburg & Blooming_port.

Ridgeville Centennial.

  Ridgeville's centennial celebration closed Saturday with a crowd of approximately 5,000 persons thronging the city during the day for the event.
  A complete day's program began in the morning with contests for the children and a concert by the Eaton band.
  The Indian frontier marker on the Citizens State Bank building corner was dedicated Saturday afternoon. This marker is on the exact line of the "Twelve Mile Purchase" established by a treaty with the Indians from 1809 to about 1819.
  It was an interesting fact that this line, which crosses Ridgeville from northeast to southwest, so far as possible settlement was concerned, was actually the extreme northern boundary of the state of Indiana at the time of its admission to the Union in 1816.
  The marker was unveiled by Miss Mary Stone who was selected as "Miss Ridgeville" to reign as queen of the city during the centennial.
  The program which followed was opened by the invocation by Rev. Saunders; Al Cobe., full blooded Indian, delivered the address; and Rev. Cromer said the benediction. Al Cobe and an Indian family presented a typical Indian war dance to conclude the program.
  A two-mile long parade of floats, pets, Indians, autos, bicycles and bands, led by "Miss Ridgeville,"  wound through the midway in the afternoon.
  The Ridgeville Grain Company was awarded first place for the best of the decorated floats. The Kraft Cheese company won second place and the Ridgeville Sales Company, third. Armstrong's Grocery was given honorable mention. Judges of the parade were from Muncie, Hammond and Elyria, Ohio.
  Winners in the children's bicycle and wagon division were Junior Zimmerman, Billy Painter, Betty Gimmel, Lilith Zentgraff and Lee Arthur Painter. Pet division winners were Phyllis Ann Keener, Betty Cull, Virginia Patterson and Esta Mae Hester.
  Features of the evening program were WLS Radio station free acts and a free talking picture show. Preceding the picture show, slides showing scenes of Ridgeville business houses of thirty years ago were shown on the screen and explained by C. F. Young. The slides are owned by William Edwards and were used in his picture show about thirty years ago.   Winchester Jrl-Hrld  Aug. 30, 1937. 82 years ago.


A Parker "Blind Tiger" Raided.

  Randolph County Sheriff Albert King made a raid the other evening on the "blind tiger," (a booze/gambling den) which R. B. Barnhart has been operating in Parker City for several years. The sheriff was assisted by a number of local citizens who were sworn in as deputies. The raid was a complete success and Barnhart was surprised beyond a doubt. An effort has been made before, it is said, to put a stop to his unlawful methods of doing business, but without success. This time all arrangements were made "on the quiet" and but a few people were aware that anything of the kind was to take place.
  A short time after dark the sheriff and his deputies made the raid and two wagon loads or seventy-five cases of beer were confiscated and taken to the town hall.
  Barnhart has been carrying on a smooth business for some time and because Parker City is a "dry" town so far as saloons are concerned, he has been doing an enormous business it is said.
  The building in which the "booze" was found is adjacent to a livery stable and the only entrance was through a secret door in the back of a horse stall.
  Barnhart was arrested and taken before a squire. He was later bound over to the circuit court under a bond of $200.   Winchester Herald, March, 1907.


An "s" in Bloomingsport. Yes Or No?

  In the Smith-Driver "Past and Present of Randolph County, Indiana," on the organization of Washington Township, it states that it is "ordered that all elections in Washington Township shall be held at the house of Jonathon Beeson in the town of Blooming Port."
  The latter spelling, "Blooming Port," brings up one of the biggest controversies of Bloomingsport since its birth 147 years ago. That is whether the name of the town includes the "s." Charles Engle, a farmer near Bloomingsport who knows quite a bit of the history of the town, is among those who believe that the name is with the "s." In a detailed map of Washington Township in the Tucker History of Randolph County, 1882, the town's name includes the "s" so that it supports Mr. Engle's opinion. However, Bill Reed, who lives on the town's outskirts, opposes that theory. He says that it is an "absolute fact"-the proper name is "Bloomingport" as it has been stating on the sign on Highway 36 for many years. After thorough research by this writer, I've come to the conclusion that the question is unanswerable. Official records show both names as well as quite a few other odd spellings such as "Blooming Port and "Blooming's port." With that bit of information, the only fit conclusion to the argument is "Case Closed."   This is taken from a story by Ken Thomas, date and source unknown. Possibly the Richmond Palladium-Item.


Winchester.    They'll be the "Golden Falcons."   Driver High School students chose this nickname for their athletic teams Thursday morning, putting an end to the Winchester Yellow Jackets and the Giants of White River.
  Principal Robert Jones said "Golden Falcons" received nearly 300 votes, while Golden Dragons, Tigers and just plain Dragons trailed far behind.
  The students Wednesday, had chosen gold and white as the school colors.   Winchester Jrl-Hrld, Sept. 17, 1959. 60 years ago.


Farmland.   Foster's Shoe Store.  Ground has been broken for the site of the new Foster's Shoe Store in Farmland. The new store will be located on the east side of Main street where formerly were located Christine's Beauty Shop and the Steiner furniture repair shop.
  Owner Gene Foster says he hopes to have the new store open in August. Farmland has had a Foster Shoe store since 1883. It was established by C. E. Foster on the northwest corner of the square. The building on the southeast corner was built in 1894 and leased to C. E. Foster and purchased from Mr. Cramer of Dayton, Ohio.
  In 1928 H. G. Foster purchased the store from his father. In 1949 the store passed to the third generation when Gene Foster took over the operation. H. G. Foster died in 1951. A son-in-law of Gene Foster, Bill Glover, has been associated with the store for several years.   Lynn Herald, June 8, 1961. 58 years ago.


A Coal Mine For Spartanburg?

  Some years since, in digging a well at Spartanburg it was discovered that there was coal under the skirts of that hamlet. No further steps were taken to find out the extent of this now antiquated fuel (for us gas cities). It comes to us that a gas well will, with probability, be sunk in that town and if they fail to get gas, they may at least know the depth of that coal vein. They are going to "kill two birds with one stone," so to speak.   Winchester Journal, May, 1889.


Riding An Interurban Car From Winchester To Parker Then To Union City.
By Joe Hamilton, Lynn Herald, July, 1950.

  I said earlier that I would explain why a journey on the traction car was always so exciting and interesting to a small boy around 1910.
  We were on the car in Winchester, settled in our seats and the bell had clanged out the information that we were about to start our trip.
  The first leg of our journey covered but a short distance-only a little less than 200 feet. The car started up and went only to the Pennsylvania railroad crossing at West Washington street and then came to a full stop. The conductor got out and went to a pole near the tracks and pulled on a lever while the car went slowly across the crossing. Once on the other side the car stopped again while the conductor got back on the rear platform. But his stay in the car was to be brief for we were to stop again a block farther down at Jackson Street and again at the old creamery at the city limits. Next stop was Lykins, a little station house about six feet square, less than a mile from the city limits. There was always someone to get on or get off at most of the rural stations. In some cases there were 10 gallon milk cans to be loaded or unloaded. There was a steady flow of commerce along the traction right-of-way.
  After Lykins came a procession of rural station stops: Moorman's Orphans' Home, Funk's Lake, Green's, Moorman's crossing, Franklin's, Maxville, Mills' Lake, Botkin's and then came the long curve toward  Farmland and one of the highlights of the trip, crossing White River on the high trestle!
  As boys we were thrilled no end at crossing the river valley high above the tree tops. But the big thrill was in the spring of the year when the river was out of its banks and the lowlands flooded. Then the car would approach the trestle gingerly and would cross at a snail's pace, prolonging the feeling of danger mixed with high adventure that welled up in a small boy's breast.
  At Farmland a full station stop was made with all the bustle and excitement of loading and unloading passengers, freight and express. We always watched the faces of those who got on, hoping to see someone we knew.
  Leaving the station in Farmland we soon came to the sharp curve to the west, thrilling because the car wheels screeched as they bit into the rails and the car seemed to be going sideways! These things were big events in a young boy's life in those unsophisticated days!
  After Farmland came Gray's Stop and Hill's, with every road remembered until Parker, our destination. There was a power sub-station in the rear of the station and we always paused there to listen a while to the mysterious humming of the generators.
  One trip we went beyond Parker to Mud Valley in the distant, unknown prairie between Parker and Muncie, but that is a different tale to be told at another time.
  The eastbound trip to Union City from Winchester was equally as interesting. Stops were made as follows: First, the siding between Meridian street and Tell Wilson's large stable and livery barn where the east and west-bound cars always passed on East Washington street: then East street, Union street and Litschert's stop at the east edge of town. Then came Stringtown, Hiatt's, Crowley's, Marlatt's, Saratoga Road, Wayne, Harrisville, Chapel, West Union, and finally, after crossing under the Big Four Railroad, the terminal at Union City. Here our car backed onto a "Y" preparatory to turning around and going back to Muncie.
  Among the other boys I enjoyed a certain distinction on account of having an uncle who was
 a motorman on the traction line! I was supposed to have the absolute inside track on what was going on in the Indiana Union Traction Company!