1923 Waynetown High School

The yearbook staff at Waynetown in 1923 pose on a vehicle apparently named Lizzy.  Too bad the yearbook doesn't also state why the auto is named this!  Esther Remley was the Editor-in-Chief for the Aceria (name of the yearbook).  This publication is over 120 pages and is a joy to peruse.  There is a copy in the Local  History section of the Crawfordsville Library.

 Another fascinating piece of Waynetown school history is the beautiful library.  This room is exquisite, and the librarians seem to be working hard to keep it immaculate.

Crawfordsville's Y.M.C.A Clean-Up Campaign

"The new Y.M.C.A. hall is a credit to the city and the pride of all who built the building through untiring energy of many earnest christian men and women, who were greatly assisted by Mr. W. H. Durham." (Argus News 4 December 1889)  At the end of 1913 it was decided the building would need work.  Thus, the Clean-Up Campaign would occur in January 1914 to raise the needed $20,000.

    

The men are sitting on two new pommel horses.  Notice the gymnastic rings.
These men raised the most money during the campaign.

The Clean-Up Campaign.
The front table is led by Earl Johnson, Captain of Team 9

FYI: The Interurban Terminal Building/Y.M.C.A. was at the corner of Main Street and Washington Street. The first basketball game played in the State of Indiana occurred here.  

State Track Champions at CHS 100 years ago

Earnest Eagleson  won the Broad Jump in the State Track meet, which was held at Wabash College with Indianapolis Washington winning over CHS by 1/8 of a point.  Eagleson also won in 1913 with the Mile Relay Team. George McAlevy won the low hurdles in 1913 and 1914, and Lloyd Wisehart won the discus.  What a successful day = so close to a team title!

Earnest Eagleson, 1914
His jump to win Broad jump was 9 inches
longer than second place.

Standing: Coach  Freeman & Manager Biddle
Sitting: Walter Remley,  George McAlevy,
Captain Lawrence Nicholson,
 Paul Manson, Lloyd Wisehart, Carter Henry,
Herman Wright and Earnest Eagleson

Waveland High School's Good Will Society in 1916

The Good Will Society was organized by the High School in 1912.  The officers, with the co-operation of all the members, including all the W.H.S. girls, have been very successful in bringing happiness to many children as well as to the older people of Waveland.  The $25 treasury allowed the society to hire a Santa Claus to give the less fortunate children a small gift.  Red Cross Stamps were also sold by the girls.

The Good Will Society, 1916, Waveland
These young ladies likely graduated as the class of 1917, but are not identified.  The Junior class girls of 1916 were: Edith Canine, Ruth Clark, Dorothy Demaree, Hazel Livengood, Beulah Patton, Ruth Servies, Ruth Sewell, Dorothy Spence and Ruby Collings.

February 1914 Blizzard

In Montgomery County in 1914 P.H. Burns (Cooperative Observer for the Department of Agriculture Weather Bureau) reported 26.2 inches of snow fell in the Crawfordsville area between 12 February and 23 February.  The local railroads were shut down for at least three days, a New Richmond woman froze to death trying to stoke her fire, Lee Harper was stuck in a train car for 21 hours, Judge Jere West cancelled court because the county residents couldn't testify, and the Ben-Hur Dispatcher and his men worked for sixty-five hours straight trying to clear the tracks so others could travel.

Clella Busenbark VanCleve, 24 February 1914   Snow drift between the cistern and smokehouse

LISTEN ... Digitized Media at Crawfordsville Library

• Want to hear the 1958-1959 CHS Homecoming Queen announced?  (Digital Media from Records)
• How about part of the Monon Bell game from 1953-1954 (of course Wabash won) when Stan Huntsman was named the MVP? (Digital Media from Records)
• Jess Caster was born in 1884 in Montgomery County and talks about life growing up here.  (Local Residents)
• William Hawley, who lived in Ladoga was a communications officer in the 409th Bomb Squad.  (WWII Veterans)

HEAR about all this and lots more!

Digital Media from Records

Oral Interviews, Local Residents

Oral Interviews, WWII Veterans

Aaron Wirt (Wert) and early Alamo businesses

Aaron Wirt (how his last name is spelled in Civil War documents) killed in October 1864 at the Battle of Cedar Creek, 11th Indiana

 Aaron Wirt, buried in Alamo, perished from wounds received in the Battle of Cedar Creek.  Aaron, was the 4th child (of 11) of David and Rebecca Balser "Wert."  He died October 24, his father died a few days later on October 30.  His littlest sister died just two months later.  Rebecca lived another 30 years after losing a husband and 2 children in a few week period. (In September 1859 Angeline Wert passed and November 1859 Elizabeth Wert passed - two more of David & Rebecca's children)

In the 1895 Crawfordsville City Directory (Alamo section) J.P Wirt (which is probably also Wert is Aaron's brother) and W.W. Wirt (Wiley - J.P.'s son) are listed.  In an article in the Crawfordsville Weekly Journal in January 1896.  J.P. Wirt and Company, the big general store in Alamo, was destroyed by fire.  The article states that Mr. Wash Titus was able to save the books and a few boxes of shoes.  The entire town showed up to be the "bucket brigade" to save the drugstore of S.S. Heath which was adjacent to Wirt's mercantile.  Because of spelling inconsistencies it is probable & most likely E.N.Wert (1864 Ripley Township Census) was this Civil War soldier's relation too.

The building on the right was the Alamo Academy which was built in 1868.  This photograph was taken in 1906.

Winter it is ... Breaks Agriculture Class in 1922

In 1922 Roscoe Elmore took his students out into the elements to learn.  Mr. Elmore was a teacher for 39 years and a prominent farmer in Alamo.  The Breaks School building still stands in Montgomery County (one of the few "old" schools buildings left).  Unfortunately, the students are unidentified.

Notice the car in the barn, the clothing from this time period and the fence enclosures where different aspects of Agriculture were instructed.

Biology class at Breaks School also helped with Agriculture - learning about flowers
Teacher and students are unidentified

Other images of Breaks School.