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 1918, the Hillsboro News Herald reported that 86 local men reported for duty after being drafted for military service. The article said the event represented “the largest number of men that have gone from Highland County at one time.”
Twelve-year-old Ernest Batson broke his leg as he stepped between a cart and a delivery bay at a local grocer. The article added that “the Batsons have been having more than their share of trouble,” since one of Ernest’s sisters also broke a leg, and another had spinal trouble.
An editorial on the opinion page said the government gave Highland County men only two options in life: “work or fight.” The article added that the only kind of work acceptable to the government was the kind it considered useful.
Another editorial described Memorial Day as “a day set apart to pay tribute to the memory of the soldiers of the War of the Rebellion who have gone through ‘the valley of the shadow of death’ and do honor to the survivors of that great struggle.”
This week in 1951, the Hillsboro Press Gazette reported Highland County Auditor G. Stanley Miller pled not guilty to a charge of unlawful parking on Court Street. He demanded a jury trial and removal of being fined $2 for the infraction.
Earl Ray Coonrod of Highland was killed in action in Korea.
A storm in the Belfast area tore a tin roof off a barn, which then blew across an electric line and knocked out power to some nearby homes. Considerable damage was reported at Sardinia and minor damage to properties in South Salem.
Burglars broke into Snead’s Typewriter Shop and Charlotte’s Beauty Shop on West Main Street in Hillsboro. Police were investigating the incidents.
Schaefer’s Super Markets advertised 2-pound bunches of bananas for 29 cents, Tender Leaf tea was 63 cents for a one-pound tin, baked beans were 13 cents per can. Thorobred canned dog food was 11 and a half cents for a 24-ounce can, and Fould’s thin spaghetti was also 11 and a half cents for a one-pound box.
The Highland County ASCS office reported that 80 percent of the county’s corn crop had been planted.
In the classifieds: “WANTED – One or two children to keep at my home while mother is at work work.”
This week in 1984, The Press Gazette reported lightning hit Webster Elementary School, damaging the structure and causing bricks from the chimney to fall on a car owned by Diana Knight of Wilmington.
Ambrose Cemetery on Danville Pike celebrated its 150-year anniversary.
Harry Holcombe, the “world-famous grandpa” featured on television ads for Country Time lemonade, visited with relatives and former classmates in Hillsboro before returning home to Santa Barbara, Calif.
Bob & Carl’s advertised round steak for $1.69 per pound, rump roast for $1.99 per pound and cube steak for $2.29 per pound. Del Monte catsup was 89 cents per bottle and ice cream was 99 cents for a half gallon.
President Ronald Reagan’s popularity dipped in Ohio from 57 percent at the beginning of the year to 52 percent after the primary during his re-election campaign.
This week in 1996, The Press Gazette reported the local Breathe-Free clinic “thrives on local ‘quitters,’” those who sought to break their smoking habit.
The Hillsboro Dairy Queen was given the International Dairy Queen Service Award for outstanding service to the community.
In sports, Whiteoak High School’s Holly Carr became the first Whiteoak track athlete to qualify for the state track meet.
Big Macs were $2.36 at McDonald’s.
A Hillsboro resident was injured when propane vapors ignited as he scraped paint off a large propane tank in Cincinnati. He was reportedly in fair condition at University Hospital.
Highland County Prosecuting Attorney Rocky Coss spoke to eighth grade Talented And Gifted students about the role of a trial lawyer.
Great Scot advertised smoked turkey breast for $2.49 per pound, watermelon cuts for 19 cents per pound, French bread for 99 cents and portabella mushrooms for $2.29.
Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571.
