Dynamite in a salt sack, 50,000 in Greenfield

0

Editor’s note — We’re continuing our tradition of taking a look back each Saturday at some of the important, interesting or even odd events as they were reported during the same week throughout the years, along with interesting advertising features from back in the day.

This week in 1884, the Hillsboro Weekly News reported that Conard’s grocery in New Vienna was paying 72 cents a bushel for wheat, 35 cents a bushel for oats, 11 cents for a dozen eggs, 18 cents for a pound of butter and a dime for a pound of lard.

It was announced that the surviving members of the 12th Regiment, Ohio Volunteers of the Grand Army of the Republic, were planning their annual reunion of Union soldiers in Ripley in October.

William Murphy, an employee of Bell’s Foundry and better known as “Ham-fat,” sustained a painful injury to his left hand while operating an emery wheel the week before.

Trains were leaving Hillsboro three times a day for Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York via Washington City without changing cars, with direct connections for all points east and southeast.

The fall term for the Hillsboro Female College was scheduled to begin Sept. 16, with the outlook for the new year described as encouraging by new headmistress Lottie Fallis, the successor to Miss Mary Loyd, who was going to Mexico as a missionary.

Sealed proposals were being let for the sale of $10,500 in bonds for the construction of the new Buford and Harwood Free Turnpike on Sept. 20.

This week in 1917, the Hillsboro News-Herald reported that Buford’s John Bradley had taken the position of superintendent of schools at Newtonsville. Bradley had been one of two superintendents of the Highland County schools.

In news from Hollowtown, Hoyt and Guy Roberts and sister, Miss Mary, spent Sunday with relatives at Mowrystown. Miss Ethel Carr of Taylorsville was visiting her grandmother, Mrs. Ella Marconette, and school was scheduled to begin Monday, Sept. 10 with Harold Starr of Buford as the teacher.

With the war in Europe raging, a cablegram was received stating that Howard Penn of New Vienna had arrived safely in France. Another New Vienna soldier, Darrell Stratton, was reported killed in action earlier in the month.

A farewell gathering for the boys of Co. D was held in Hillsboro for soldiers that were being deployed overseas. They were first being sent to Montgomery, Ala. before later boarding a ship for the voyage to France.

A stick of dynamite was found in a sack of salt being broken up at Squiers Drug Store in Hillsboro. The narrative said Mr. Squier ordered the salt to be used in packing ice cream and when it arrived, it had caked and the good druggist was using an axe to break it up — with the explosive inside the bag.

At the Hillsboro Auto Company, a new 1917 Ford touring car was $360, runabouts were $345 and a luxurious town car was $595.

The new Presbyterian Church in Mowrystown was dedicated Sept. 2 by the Rev. Moses Breeze of Columbus. It was described as one of the best and most modern architectural designs in southern Ohio.

A thief was busy plying his dishonesty during a circus parade in Hillsboro, stealing $25 from one home and making off with another $10 from another until the owner surprised him and shot at him while he was beating a hasty escape.

This week in 1949, the Greenfield Daily Times reported that teams owned by Homer Storts of Lyndon won first place in the medium and heavyweight classes in the horse-pulling contest at the Bainbridge Fire Department Labor Day festival at Burke Field.

Greenfield’s sesquicentennial celebration was a big success, with the paper reporting that “huge throngs jam town for parades, program and pageants.” The Saturday crowd was estimated to be as high as 50,000.

The Earl Babington fur house had an advertisement for those wishing to cash in on the fall walnut crop. It would start buying them on Nov. 10 at 2 ½ cents a pound.

Ohio’s 1949 polio count soared over the 900-case mark for the year with 52 new cases being reported to the state health department. The total was at 936, compared with 539 for the first eight months of 1948 and 366 for the same period of 1947.

Quality Radio and Appliance was going out of business, closing its store for good on Sept. 10. Drastic reductions could be had on radios and small appliances at the location in the Elliott Hotel in Greenfield.

Showing at the Rand Drive-in Theatre were two giant outdoor features. Rex Harrison and Peggy Cummins starred in “Escape,” and Mary O’ Hara was starring in “Green Grass of Wyoming.”

This week in 1994, the Hillsboro Times-Gazette reported that “Forrest Gump” starring Tom Hanks and “The Next Karate Kid” were starting Friday at Star Cinemas, with four showings daily.

Secretary of State Bob Taft named Kay Ayres chair of his 1994 re-election campaign. The Hillsboro woman was also chair of the Highland County Republican Party.

Highland County’s new 9-1-1 calling system was slated to go into operation by the end of the year, according to Hillsboro Fire Captain Jim Lyle, with an information campaign on how to use it available at a booth at the fair.

The 1993 Jr. Fair Queen passed her crown to the newly installed 1994 queen during pageant ceremonies at the Highland County Fair. In a photo, Jennifer Roehm of Leesburg was all smiles and tears as she received the tiara from Brenda Davis.

Liberty Savings Bank was offering a new credit card with no annual fee and a 13.9 percent annual percentage rate at their its locations in Hillsboro, Lynchburg and Wilmington.

At Ameristop, Labor Day savings continued all week with milk at $2.19 a gallon, Butternut bread for 99 cents a loaf and Kahn’s hickory smoked bacon for $1.69 a pound.

Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571.

https://www.timesgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2019/09/web1_Looking-back-logo.jpg
A look back at news items through the years

By Tim Colliver

[email protected]

No posts to display