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 1892, the Hillsboro News Herald reported on the death of Highland County school superintendent Samuel Major, whose illness was announced only one week before and died at his residence on East Walnut Street.
With Election Day approaching, the paper endorsed Benjamin Harrison for president and Whitelaw Reed as his vice-president, along with endorsing George Hulick as representative from the 6th Congressional District.
The Great Wallace Show was coming to Hillsboro on Sept. 27, along with the Cook & Whitby “Colossal English Circus” museum and menagerie of 50 cages of rare and valuable animals.
Work was progressing on the First National Bank building, with the paper adding that at the current rate of construction it should be in operation by Christmas.
The wife of C.S. Bell returned from a trip to Europe, where she had been traveling over the summer. Reportedly she experienced no delays through the new quarantine regulations as the steamer on which she came had sailed before the regulations went into effect.
Similar baby news came out of Pricetown as the paper reported that W.A. Dodson “will have to rewrite his will as another son is on deck to claim his legal apportionment of his father’s worldly possessions.”
This week in 1921, the Hillsboro Gazette reported that the body of Raymond Stout was expected to reach Hillsboro soon, with the paper adding that he was the only Hillsboro boy killed in action during World War I. His remains were being dispatched from Hoboken, N.J. The local American Legion post is named after him.
With the start of a new school year, it was announced that Hillsboro High School had broken all previous records with an enrollment of 328.
Sinking Spring was booming, according to the paper, as it told about the new Hebrick and Morris auto repair garage and that a new grocery and drug store would be on the scene by year’s end.
Five bandits held up and robbed James Marshall and Whitfield Fisher while they were hauling a truck load of hogs to the West Union Fair. The pig-thieving perpetrators side-swiped a passing car and damaged the truck carrying the swine so severely that they had to pound a path of escape and flee on foot.
The Village of Highland would be voting on a two-mil levy for electric street lights in the upcoming November election, with the money going for improvements.
At Hillsboro Ford, a new 1922 Ford runabout had been reduced to $325, with a touring car priced to sell at $355. Farmers could get a new Ford truck for $445.
For the ladies, Feibel Bros. Clothiers had in stock a full line of corsets, which it described as “always comfortable, yet always smart.” All were guaranteed to not break, tear or rust.
This week in 1967, the Hillsboro Press-Gazette reported the investigation into a human skeleton found in a shallow grave near Sinking Spring was back in the hands of Adams County authorities after a careful check of maps indicated the grave was a few feet inside the Adams County line.
Showing at the Colony Theatre was Clint Eastwood starring in “For a Few Dollars More,” with Peter Sellers in “After the Fox” scheduled for the following week.
At Kaufman’s, “the family store with so much more,” every shopper could enter a drawing to win a new Remington ‘Electro-shaver’ from Levi’s. Better hurry, the drawing is Saturday, Sept. 30, 1967,” the newspaper said.
The curtain was going up Friday and Saturday at the Hillsboro Auto Company, as it was proudly presenting a new line-up of Fords. There were coffee and donuts for everyone that stopped in to check out the new Mustangs, Fairlanes, Torinos, Falcons, Comets and Cougars for 1968.
In sports, penalties and missed passes contributed to a lopsided Blanchester victory over the tribe from Hillsboro, with the Wildcats thumping the Indians 32-6.
A front-page photo showed officials from the Highland County Regional Development Commission and the Farmer Home Administration inking their signatures to a new $9,000 grant for water and sewer improvements in the county.
This week in 2000, The Times-Gazette reported that plans were being made for the observance of Ohio’s bicentennial, with a meeting set at the Hi-TEC Center to consider which Highland County barn would best represent the county and be repainted with the bicentennial logo.
Another tornado took aim at Xenia, with the paper reporting at least one death and nearly 100 injuries. Although the National Weather Service hadn’t confirmed it, witnesses said they saw a funnel cloud at the Arrowhead subdivision — the same area that was devastated by the 1974 twister.
Mowrystown’s Phil Lawrence was having his art work exhibited at the Highland County District Library in Hillsboro through October. The 19-year old artist was also skilled in martial arts.
“The Friendly Village” of Leesburg celebrated the grand opening of the newest branch of the Highland County library system.
Hot on the heels of Brad Paisley’s hot concert in July at the Festival of the Bells, festival chairman Rick Williams made the announcement that Joe Diffie and Rascal Flats were set to appear in the 2001 edition.
Spikers from McClain easily took care of the volleyball team from Southeastern, with the Lady Tigers taking a pair of games from the Panthers, 15-5 and 15-10. The Lady Mustangs from Lynchburg did the same to Peebles as did the Lady Wildcats from Whiteoak as they handily defeated the Ripley Lady Blue Jays.
The 1-3 Hillsboro football team was gunning for a Southern Buckeye Conference win, according to coach Herb Mihalik, after its 37-10 win over the Clermont Northeastern Rockets the week before. In Greenfield, the McClain Tigers were hoping to rough up the West Jefferson Roughriders.
Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571.
