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 1901, the Hillsboro Gazette reported that attorney Philip Swing of Cincinnati had been hard at work securing franchises for an electric railway to run from Cincinnati to Columbus by way of Hillsboro. The line was proposed to pass through Milford, Fayetteville, Hillsboro, Leesburg and Washington C.H., where it was to connect with a Columbus rail line.
The Norfolk & Western train schedule for Hillsboro through the end of the year had the No. 50 leaving Hillsboro at 6:35 a.m. and arriving in Sardinia at 7:25 a.m., Williamsburg at 8:04 a.m., Batavia at 8:26 a.m. with final arrival at Pennsylvania Station in Cincinnati at 9:25 a.m.
Coming for one night only to Bell’s Opera House was the three-act comedy “The Girl in the Barracks,” as produced at New York’s Garrick Theatre. Admission to the play, that featured an all-star cast of 16 people, was 25, 50 and 75 cents depending on seating.
P.B. Zink, simply billed as “The Grocer” in Hillsboro, advertised that they handled only the best in fruits and grocery products. Large figs were 15 cents a pound, pure maple syrup in gallon cans was 90 cents and Queen’s Blend coffee, ground fresh in the store, was 25 cents a pound.
This week in 1940, The Hillsboro News-Herald reported that county draftees numbers were listed from the lottery held Tuesday night in the nation’s capital, with James Cross of Greenfield drawing No. 138 and Elmer Crabtree of Hillsboro drawing No. 192.
The two Hillsboro newspapers were donating six free copies to the local unit of the Ohio National Guard. Co. G was in training for a year at Camp Shelby, Miss. Both newspapers reported they did the same thing to provide local soldiers with news from home in 1917 during The World War.
At the Colony Theatre, two giant hits were set to play on the big screen with Grace MacDonald starring in “Dancing on a Dime,” and the second feature was a movie as broad as the western skies, with Bill Elliott starring in “Prairie Schooner.” Coming Sunday was America’s favorite girl-next-door, Deanna Durbin, in “Spring Parade.”
Meanwhile, at the Forum Theatre, Cesar Romero was appearing in “The Gay Caballero” along with Charles Bickford in Zane Grey’s “Thunder Trail,” plus the third chapter of a Gene Autry serial and the latest news on the war in Europe.
Wallace Dick took out an ad saying that he would pay 75 cents a bushel for hulled and dried black walnuts. They could be brought to his stand at the Fur House in Hillsboro.
Marshal T.M. Wagner said this force of officers would exercise the “strictest methods in protecting city property owners and dwellers from depredations of pranksters.” He said he would have five extra patrolmen who would keep an eye out for “pernicious annoying of city residents and allied acts of tomfoolery.”
This week in 1960, the front page of the Hillsboro Press-Gazette showed an aerial view of construction progress on the new Highland County Joint Township Hospital.
The Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce met Monday night at the Highlander Restaurant to hear a progress report from Edward Pytka of Moore Drop Forging Co. of Springfield, Mass. Construction was underway on a new Hillsboro plant.
Beggar’s Night had been rescheduled for Saturday, Oct. 29 from 7-9 p.m. so as to not conflict with Hillsboro High School’s homecoming.
The Colony Theatre was in the Halloween spirit with a gruesome two-some “fiendish frenzied blood-chilling” double feature. First, it was Katherine Victor and Don Sullivan in “Teenage Zombies,” following by “Blood of Dracula” starring Sandra Harrison and Louise Lewis.
Car bargains from Jack Matson Chevrolet-Pontiac-Oldsmobile in Hillsboro included a pair of 1955 Chevrolets, either one was $695; a 1957 Buick Super four-door hardtop with power steering, radio, heater and white wall tires plus low mileage, was priced to sell for $1,195; or for the family man, get a ’57 Ford station wagon with a powerful V-8 under the hood and ready for the open road with a full tank of gas, was $1,395.
At Steen’s IGA, “where the money you save every day is like a raise in pay,” cake mixes were 25 cents a box, freshly ground hamburger was 49 cents a pound or five pounds for $1.98, and Braun’s sliced bacon, the one-pound package,was 59 cents.
The 1960 election was coming on Nov. 8, and Walter Reffitt said he would appreciate votes for a second term as Highland County sheriff.
This week in 1991, the Hillsboro Press-Gazette reported that Marie Knott, wife of the late official weather observer Thomas Knott, was presented a certificate of recognition on behalf of her husband’s 29 years of volunteer weather observing.
Hillsboro High School’s 1991 homecoming queen and her court graced the front page, showing Queen Tiffany Chaney, freshman attendant Megan Snyder, sophomore attendant Chastity Stanforth, junior attendant Dawn Scott and senior attendant Amy Dodds.
Renovations of the East Shore Marina were underway at Rocky Fork State Park. Three hundred boat docks were being replaced at a cost of $400,000.
Showing through Thursday at the Colony Theatre was Jim Varney in “Ernest Scared Stupid,” and Hulk Hogan and Christopher Lloyd in “Suburban Commando.”
At Radio Shack, pre-Christmas gift ideas included Tandy’s new portable cellular phone for $299.95 with a back-pack sized carrier; an 8mm full-function camcorder was $100 off, and priced at $799; or a new Tandy 286 computer system was $1199.95 with a 40 MB hard drive, 1 MB of RAM, and 3.5 inch floppy drive combined with Windows 3.1 and a 10 MHz processor.
With the general election approaching, board of elections director Zelma Furnish predicted that over 10,000 people would turn out to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571.
