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 1909, The Leesburg Buckeye reported that, in news from Highland, Mrs. Sarah Robbins started for Kokomo, Ind. to spend the winter with her sister. The Farmers School open house was attended by large crowds and great interest the week before.
J. Hafler & Sons merchant tailors advertised that the new fall samples were their best yet, and a postal card would bring them to your door with those samples or a catalog. Telephone 288 or visit their store in downtown Greenfield.
A bakery opened in the new Holmes building. The proprietor, C.H. Wentz, advertised that they had bread, pies and cakes of all kinds. Wentz invited readers to stop in and look around, whether they bought or not.
Patton, the grocer in Leesburg, advised his customers that a large share of their earnings go for eatables and that they should spent their hard earned money wisely—at his store.
In the social column, marriage licenses were issued to Elza Bloom and Laura Fanning of Sugartree Ridge, John Sharp and Etta Huff of Greenfield, and John Bobb and Blanche Mason of East Monroe.
The Up-To-Date barber shop in Leesburg advertised that they had everything first class, featuring shaves, hair cuts, shampooing and massage. Haircuts were only a dime.
Christmas was just around the corner, and C.B. Cox department store was well stocked with everything to give as gifts. Dolls of all kinds ranged from 10 cents to $3, doll furniture of all kinds and all prices, mechanical toys that “must be seen to be appreciated” started at just a quarter, and for mother, there was a large assortment of china that was beautiful yet low priced.
For the adults, W.M. Smith Jewelry, opposite the Leesburg Bank, noted that some people think they can’t buy Christmas presents without piling up a lot of dollars. Their advertisement said they had hundreds of gifts that could be bought with a small pile of nickels and dimes.
Words of wisdom from 1909: “A man can run his house very well when he doesn’t interfere with the way his wife runs it.”
This week in 1948, The Hillsboro News-Herald reported the Hillsboro High School junior class play, “Double Exposure,” was a rousing success, with a capacity crowd on Friday night in the auditorium.
At the Colony Theatre, it was top notch thrills and tip-top tunes in Roy Roger’s top adventure, “Under California Stars.” Also showing was Leo Gorcey and the Bowery Boys in “Smuggler’s Cove” and chapter one of Superman adventures entitled “Superman Comes to Earth.”
A Highland County farm was the subject of a farm program on WLW Radio in Cincinnati. The station’s farm director, Roy Battles, brought out a disc recorder and interviewed Paul Cummings at his farm to air on “Everybody’s Farm Program.”
In news from Mowrystown, Mr. and Mrs. Harris Tissot purchased an abandoned, used street car and attached it to the east side of their West End Grocery store. The paper reported they were using it as a restaurant, and business was thriving.
At the Hillsboro Kroger, Spotlight coffee in a 3-lb. bag was just $1.15, a 25-lb. bag of Kroger flour was a low $1.69 and 16 oz. loaves of Kroger bread were two for 27 cents.
The L.B. Hilliard store advertised a Christmas gift for the history buff in the family with the second-edition of Highland County school teacher Violet Morgan’s “Folklore of Highland County.”
Santa said “your credit is good…at Lockwoods,” Hillsboro’s friendly credit jeweler. Their full page ad featured everything from jewelry to clocks, pen and pencil sets to waffle irons. For your convenience, their store on N. High. St. in the McBride building was open till 10 p.m. in the days leading up to Christmas at .
Planning a Christmas trip? Greyhound had great one way prices to major destinations such as $1.25 to Cincinnati, $9.30 to Memphis, $8.90 to Washington, D.C., or $15.10 to Dallas. Tickets available at the Greyhound Bus Terminal at the Parker Hotel or phone 45 for reservations.
This week in 1964, The Hillsboro News-Herald reported that one of the city’s oldest professional men passed away. Optometrist Dr. Charles Faris, who had been practicing since 1902, died at the age of 85 at Highland District Hospital.
The annual Christmas Seals campaign got underway for 1964, with a front page photo showing Greenfield Mayor Conrad Curren buying a full page. The goal for the year was $5,000.
The Hillsboro postmaster encouraged residents to address and mail out their Christmas cards during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend to avoid the holiday rush. Lyman Wise also urged everyone to use the new ZIP code for Hillsboro, since the Zone Improvement Plan began a year before. He told the paper, “Mail moves the country, and zip code moves the mail.”
At the Colony Theatre, Sandra Dee had a difficult choice to make: would her beau be Robert Goulet or Andy Williams in the new romantic comedy “I’d Rather Be Rich.”
The 1965 Christmas Club opened at Merchants National Bank, and just $5.00 deposited every week throughout the year would net $250.00 for next year’s Christmas shopping.
Highland County’s official weather observer, Tom Knott, told the paper that rainfall coupled with the first snowfall of the year boosted November’s precipitation totals to over two inches for the month. He reported that temperatures, which were in the 50s and 60s the previous week, had skidded into the mid-teens by the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
A full page ad informed readers that Appreciation Day was coming to Hillsboro, with all of the downtown merchants giving 10 percent off all purchases.
Jack Matson Chevrolet advertised “this is no jive for ‘65”—only the best deals on the new Chevy Impala, Malibu, Nova and Corvair for 1965. “More to see, more to try, in the cars more people buy!”
This week in 2007, The Hillsboro Times-Gazette reported it was the year of the Hillsboro bicentennial, and a pair of commemorative items, plates depicting the courthouse and soon-to-be demolished high school, were on sale for $20 at numerous locations in town to mark the occasion.
Despite a severe summer-long drought, local growers reported there would be an adequate supply of Christmas trees for the holiday season.
The severity of the ’07 drought caused the city of Hillsboro to declare a water emergency. Clear Creek had nearly dried up, but recent rainfall allowed for Mayor Richard Zink to declare an end to the city’s water difficulties.
Plans were being made for the annual Christmas parade in Mowrystown, with former mayor and council member Joyce Harvey being honored for her hard work in both the village and Highland County.
Hillsboro High School’s Kendal Coleman and Logan Walker were named to the Associated Press Division III All-Ohio football team based on recommendations from a state media panel.
The deer hunting season had only a few more days to go, and like many counties in Ohio, Highland County deer harvest numbers were down. With the season expiring on Dec. 2, Highland County hunters had checked in 294 deer compared to 553 a year earlier.
The all-new redesigned ’08 Chevy Malibu had hit the showroom at Jerry Haag Motors. With a base price of under $20,000, it sported new GPS technology and a built-in XM satellite radio.
In high school hoops, the Wildcat boys of Whiteoak dominated Williamsburg in a 59-point blowout while in Blanchester. The Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs galloped all over the Blanchester Wildcats in an 82 to 56 thrashing.
Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571.
