121. Winchester Misc.

First Moto-Scoot Wreck Of 1943.

The first moto-scoot casualty of the season occurred Tuesday afternoon when a large group of local residents accumulated almost instantly to watch Paul R. Grubbs pick himself, and the pieces of what used to be a moto-scoot up from the middle of North East street after colliding with the railroad tracks. Witnesses said that  Grubbs, the moto-scoot and the rail tracks each had a difference of opinion as to which way the scoot and rider were going upon negotiating the intersection.
  Mr. Grubbs, a resident of North Main street, was sorely bruised in the fray.   Winchester Journal, July, 1943.


School Songs From Alumni Banquet Booklet, 1986.

  The Yellow And The Blue. This was the WHS school song around 1900.

Here's to the colors that float on the air.
Hurrah for the yellow and the blue!
Here's to the hearts that are true.
Violets and roses in beauty combine with sparkle of sapphires and the gleam of sunshine. Hail!
(Repeat first four measures)

  Winchester High School:

Love and Honor to Winchester High School, old and grand.
Proudly we shall ever hail thee Over all the land.
Rah! Rah! Rah!
Blue and Yellow how we praise thee,
Sing joyfully this day.
Love and honor to Winchester
Forever and a day.

   Driver High School:

Sing a song, loud, D. H. S.
Go, Go, Go, Go, Go, Go
She's a winner
She's known from East to West
That she'll fight - to victory
Fight! Fight!
Let high schools remember her name
As an omen of fear and disaster
And known for her worth and her fame
That she will beat them
She'll defeat them
Driver High School. Fight!

   Winchester Community High School:

Let's go you Golden Falcons
Let's fight to win this game
With a victory we will win fame And honor for our name
Let's Fight! Let's Win!
We will cheer our mighty Falcons And our colors, gold and white
Remaining always loyal to the Winchester Community High
Fight! Fight!


The Keys Bear, 1943.

 The war has struck a cruel blow at Winchester's one animal menagerie, the Keys & Son bear, because everybody's been so busy that no one has had time to find a name for the two-year old animal.
  Even worse, her owner, Herman Keys, hasn't had time to train her properly and she's had to learn such things as drinking from a bottle and begging for food without the aid of a trainer.
  The bear was found as a cub when Mr. Keys and seven others were on a hunting trip at Timiskaming, Quebec, two years ago and Mr. Keys bought it for $10 from a Canadian who found it in a tree. Others on the hunting trip were Mr. Keys' father, the late John Luther Keys, the late Carl Summers, Elwood Keys, Ed Fidler, Bob Huffman, Arla Rowe and Anderson Damewood.
  The bear, which was brought to Winchester as a six-months-old cub, is kept in a specially built wire cage at the Keys garage on East Washington street, across from the Rainbow restaurant. The animal seems to have taken a liking to Winchester and Winchester apparently likes it, judging from the friends who regularly feed it candy, peanuts, table scraps and other food dear to a bear's heart.
  Among its best friends are Guy Reuter, Fred Cummins, Charles Ashville and John Lenkensdofer who see that it is well supplied with gastronomic delicacies, Mr. Keys says. The bear is particularly fond of honey and has learned to beg for food from her visitors.
  The bear is a particular treat for children, Mr. Keys points out, because for many of them it is their only opportunity to see such an animal. Eating an ice cream cone and drinking pop from a bottle are two of her tricks that amuse them most.
  Mr. Keys contemplates giving his zoo to the city some day so that it can be taken to Goodrich Park to form the basis of a city zoo.   Winchester Journal-Herald, Aug., 1943. (The Keys station was where the fire department/city bldg. is today, 2019)


Rhoades Drive-In, 1957.

Located at 727 W. Washington street, across from Sullivan's Drive-In.
   Owned and operated by Richard and Carolyn Rhoades. (Today the building is Dr. Howells            
   Veterinary Clinic, 2019)



Waltz Drugstore Closes. July, 1978. 41 years ago.

  An era in history ended some time ago where the old corner drug store or soda fountain was the "in place," the hangout for all the high school kids. Many of today's present generation, myself included, don't really know what that era was all about. We may have seen movies, or read books about it, yet, to hear our parents talk about the "good old days," it's just not the same.
  Winchester had three such soda fountains, Reed's, Leonard's and Waltz's, where kids would come after school to talk, eat and have a good time.
  Another part of the history ended earlier this month when Homer Waltz was forced to close his drug store and put his business up for sale due to health reasons. Homer is retiring after 45 years in the business.
  The history of Waltz Drug Store actually begins before the turn of the century when J.H.B. (John) White first opened a store where Bob Oliver's office is now, on South Meridian st. Homer said that Mrs. White told him that the store was moved to its present site on South Main in either 1897 or 1898.
  "John sold a lot of liquor in the basement and stayed open on Sundays," Homer says. "The men would come in and order Abe Sheeleys (drinks) after church. He was arrested several times for selling liquor."
  Later, John White went into business with C.P. Overmyer and founded the Overmyer Mould Corp.
White was to run the foundry. In order to have the money to join Overmyer, White sold a half-interest in the drug store to Jim Brady of Union City and the store became the White-Brady , White soldDrug Company.
  A few years later, White sold his interest in the foundry to Overmyer and started a bottle cap company. White nearly went broke in the bottle cap business, so he bought Brady's interest in the drug store. White died in 1921 and Mrs. White ran the store until 1939 when Waltz bought it from her.
Homer, originally from Union City, graduated from the Indiana College of Pharmacy (now a part of Butler University) in 1933 and was hired by Mrs. White.
  "Because she wasn't a resident pharmacist she had to have two men in the store with her. John Reynard from Farmland was the other male employee," Waltz recalls. "We could sell liquor only on a doctor's prescription," he adds.
  Homer purchased the store from Mrs. White in 1939.
  "There were shelves clear to the ceiling. We had a ladder on a round track that went all the way around the store."
  "There were bottles everywhere," Mrs. (Josephine) Waltz adds. "Perfumes and medicines used to come in big bottles and if a customer wanted a small amount we had to pour some from the big bottle into a smaller bottle."
  "Yes, at that time we might only receive an order or shipment once a month. Now, we get things every day," Homer chimed.
  Homer says the biggest change in the drug business has been the distribution of pills and medicines.
  "We used to have to make a lot of capsules, pills and medicines," he says. "Now they're already made up."
  The Waltzes son, John, began working in the store while he was in high school, although "he made his first coke when he was seven," says Mrs. Waltz. He started college at Butler, but his parents say he didn't like school and quit. He has worked at the store since then.
  "We've had 75-80 high school kids that have worked for us through the years," Mrs. Waltz noted. "And there hasn't been a bad one in the bunch. Most of them have gone on to become a real credit to their community," she added.
  Nine of those former employees have gone on into pharmacy school, including three who Homer helped through school. One of those is Robert "Daggy" Lykins, pharmacist at the Randolph County Hospital. The other two are Eddie Diggs in Ft. Wayne and a Freeman boy in California.
  We've had a fine relationship with the people of the community and with the professional community," Homer says.
  "We used to be open from 7-11 seven days a week," he stated. "When we changed our hours to 8-5 and didn't work Sundays, we didn't lose any business," he added.
  "Before they built the new high school our place was a hangout for the kids," said Mrs. Waltz. "It was full every evening."
  "Yeah," Homer adds, "I can remember the "Great Books" discussions in Winchester, and many were held by students around the soda fountain."
  "We never had a bit of trouble with the kids," Mrs. Waltz noted. "If they got a little loud, all Homer had to do was walk to the prescription room door. He didn't have to say a word."   Winchester News-Gazette, July 1, 1978. By Mark Macy.


City Council Issues Porn?

  In case anybody in the USA exists who hasn't heard of Winchester, Indiana, he must be a hermit, or blind or deaf - because as far as I can find out, just about every newspaper, TV station and radio station has mentioned Winchester - and quite
a story to go with it, in the last day or so.
  Though perhaps it isn't exactly what the Chamber of Commerce would have ordered if it had a choice, it is nevertheless quite a lot of free, and usually funny, publicity. And all due to the News-Gazette and our publisher Richard Wise. As any reader of this paper knows, our publisher this week refused to print an anti-pornography ordinance passed by the city council. Normally such ordinances are printed as legal advertisements, but in this case this one was refused. Reason? As you read, the language was considered a little too specific to be in good taste. Anyway, as the new law prohibits selling pornography to those under 17, the News-Gazette might have been put in the awkward position of violating the ordinance by printing it and permitting the paper to be sold to minors.
  One of the stories we've read about the incident begins by noting that "Winchester, Indiana's anti-pornography ordinance is too dirty to print."
  Our publisher spent a large percentage of Friday morning on the telephone, explaining his stand to news media people from all over, and I mean all over. He talked to reporters from ABC radio, Chicago; UPI and AP wire services; a Los Angeles radio station, a Kansas City radio station, and the Canadian Broadcasting Co.
  It seems to be a real man-bites-dog situation - the Unusual News Story of the Week.
  Although the council has yet to announce any plans as far as I know, I suppose it could post the legal notice on the doors of the county courthouse. This wouldn't be "selling" pornography but it certainly would be making available to those of reading age some pretty 'tangy' language; and if the law is posted this way, I'll bet the crowds will be large around it for awhile at least.   Winchester News-Gazette, Dec. 30, 1973, by A.M. Gibbons.  (In the 1-7-1974 N-G it was noted that the paper still refused to print the ordinance and that it had been posted at four Winchester locations: The Post Office, the Police Department, Fire Department and Waltz Drugs.)






































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