Local History @ CDPL

St. Bernard's Church

2012-01-23T12:49:00.000-08:00

The library has recently obtained a postcard of one of Crawfordsville's historic structures: St. Bernard's Catholic Church. This church, which sat on the corner of Washington and Pike Streets (where Chase Bank is now) was dedicated with much fanfare in 1876. The date written on the postcard -- 1874 -- is not the date of the picture, however, but rather the beginning of the construction. If you take a closer look at the postcard, you can see tracks running down the middle of Washington Street, and wires overhead. These tracks and wires were for the interurban trains that began servicing Crawfordsville in the early years of the 20th century. This view is one of the rare clear images that remain of the now demolished church.

Agriculture in Montgomery County!

2012-01-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

Agriculture in Montgomery County!

Opening to the public on Thursday, March 1, 2012 at the Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County, this exhibit will cover the history of Agriculture in Montgomery County as well as the state of Agriculture today.

To create this exhibit we need your help. If you have photographs of the Montgomery County Fair or photographs of local people at the Indiana State Fair, the museum would be interested in borrowing them for the exhibit. Also, old farm tools, maps, Almanacs, FFA Jackets and more are needed to complete the visual picture of Montgomery County Agriculture. Any items from the 1979 Farm Progress Show here in the county would be most welcome. Items can be donated to the museum or loaned to the museum for the duration of the exhibit.

The Carnegie Museum is located at:
222 S. Washington Street (US 231)
Crawfordsville, IN 47933
765-362-4618 (Front desk)
765-362-4622 (Curator)

image = "March 31, 1919 - Vora Terry and son Clayton in the field."

Christmas, 1948

2011-12-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

In 1948, Harry S. Truman was president, gasoline was 26 cents a gallon, and only one in ten Americans has seen a television set up to this point! Christmas may not have been as commercialized as it is now, but Crawfordsville still tried to decorate for the holidays. This scene is looking west on East Main Street during December 1948. Several businesses are shown, including: Crawfordsville Paint Store, Western Union, Val-U Dress Shop, Bank Cigar Store, Crawford Cafe (a Cafe sign is hanging near the Crawford Hotel), and the Crawford Hotel (which is now occupied by the Canine Plaza). The Christmas lights are strung all along the street, and cars are parked along the sidewalks.

Your donations benefit all!

2011-11-30T07:20:00.000-08:00

We received a recent walk-in donation of this photograph of law enforcement officials and other dignataries.

Seven police officers in uniform (front row) and four men in formal civilian clothes (back row) pose in front of the General Lew Wallace statue on the grounds of the Wallace study, c. 1931-1934. The identification card included by the donor reads: "left-right: Paul Branagan, Charles Johnson, Otto Biederstot, Merle Remley, 'IND State Police,' Charles Curtin, Fred Grimes." We have also been able to identify Mayor Thomas Cooksey, who stands in the back row, third from the left.

We really appreciate such donations because we strive to protect your county's heritage and will work hard to preserve it for future generations -- as we make it available for all to enjoy. Contact us if you have anything you think would make a nice donation (or temporary loan for us to scan) to the Reference/Local History Department of CDPL!

"Buddy" Fire Dog

2011-11-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

We often receive donations of historical photgraphs, but most tend to be of people or places. A recent donation, however, provided a portrait of a dog proudly posed on a stool. On back of the photograph was written:

"Buddy" Fire dog -- Always got on the truck in Crawfordsville. Taken in the late 1800's.

That is all the information we had...until an alert staff member saw an article while looking through the microfilm of old newspapers from 1904. On August 27, 1904, the Sunday Star included a small article on "Buddy" and on his unfortunate demise:

The little black dog, called "Buddy" and owned by Harry Swan, and which was always on hand when the fire bell rang, is dead. It made no difference where the dog was, he would go when the bell rang. If he was shut up in the house, he would race around, barking and awaking the people, so he could go to the fire. On Thursday evening, when the bell sounded the dog was up near the school house, and started towards the engine house. He met the team at Pike street, and in trying to turn around got under one of the horses and received a kick which caused his death. He would jump upon every dog which happened to be on the street as he was going to a fire, and he was almost the same as an attachment to the fire wagon. The fire boys are very sad over the death, and gave him a burial worthy of his place in life.

Buddy may have been forgotten for more than a century -- but he will now live on in our Local History archives.

7 of 8 Twins Pose Before Camera

2011-10-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

"7 of 8 Twins Pose Before Camera" was the caption for a photo that appeared in the Journal Review on March 4, 1948. We had this photograph on our Image Database for years -- with no information other than the year -- until we accidentally found it in the newspaper while looking for something completley unrelated. The photo had a story, too, that allowed us to add much more to our database description! (So if you ever see one of our images and know more about it than what we provide, don't hesitate to tell us! That's how we improve our collection for you.)

Here is the Journal Review story that accompanied the photo: "Seven of the eight twins born at Culver hospital during the six-day period in the closing days of February 'blinked' innocently as they were photographed in the nursery at Culver hospital, with three hospital nurses holding three pairs of twins and the surviving twin of the fourth set lying in an incubator. Oldest baby in the group is Michael David Haworth, still in the incubator. He was born Saturday night, Feb 21, to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Haworth of Kingman. His twin sister died shortly after birth. The three sets of twins in the arms of the three nurses at the hospital, reading from left to right are: Becky Ann Sanders and Patsy Jean Sanders, twin sisters, born Tuesday morning, Feb. 24, to Mr. and Mrs. Leon Sanders, Ladoga, and being held by Nurse Ruth Steinkamp; Jane Jean Wharff and Wayne Martin Wharff, daughter and son of Mr. and Mrs. Otis Wharff, Covington street, Crawfordsville, born Friday morning Feb 27, and being held by Nurse Marjorie Martin, and on the extreme right -- Michael Lee Walker and Madonna Dee Walker, boy and girl babies born Wednesday evening, Feb. 25, to Mr. and Mrs. Noble Walker, of Jamestown. Nurse Osia Woodruff is holding the Walker twins."

Now we have names to go with the nurses and the babies!

What Was There?

2011-10-14T06:11:00.000-07:00

As you travel around Montgomery County, have you ever wondered what certain areas looked like long before you came along? Now is your chance to find out! A web site called WhatWasThere has made it easy for people around the world to contribute to a project where images of the past can be superimposed over images from today (using Google Street View). WhatWasThere's objective is to create "a new human experience of time and space – a virtual time machine of sorts that allows users to navigate familiar streets as they appeared in the past."

Go to WhatWasThere and search by your city (e.g., Crawfordsville, IN) or zip code (e.g., 47933) to see some of the images that the Reference/Local History staff have already added. We have just a handful at this time but plan to keep adding! Where do we get our "old" pictures? Well, we use our ever-growing Image Database to find past views that we know we can place with current views.You are welcome to help us, too, if you wish to get a free account with WhatWasThere.

Armstrong Collection

2011-10-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

A collection of original photographs and family papers once belonging to Raymond and Margaret L. (Hollingsworth) Armstrong have been donated to CDPL's local history collection. Margaret was the daughter of Emmitt Hollingsworth and Mabel (Carmack) Hollingsworth of Vermillion County. The majority of the photographs relate to the Hollingsworth and Carmack families, but also include Asberry, Bowen, Brown, Weatherman, and Elder family members. This photograph shows a construction crew in Montezuma, Parke County. Please contact the library's Reference and Local History Department to view these items at (765)-362-2242, ext. 117.

Binford Family Collection

2011-09-23T07:59:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, the Crawfordsville District Public Library's local history collection received about a dozen letters written to Evangeline Binford, daughter of Joseph Binford, a prominent local coal merchant. These letters were written about the time of Evangeline’s marriage to Hugh T. Gary in 1895. As a result of library research, descendants of Evangeline Binford were located, now living in the western part of the United States. Evangeline’s grand-daughter, Myrna Gary, not only was willing to provide the library’s local history collection with original family photographs, ledgers, her grandmother’s wedding gown, and other priceless family heirlooms, but also drove 1800 miles in a Winnebago to hand-deliver them to us! We thank Myrna for her part in helping Montgomery County preserve such a valuable part of its heritage. To view the image of the items Myrna donated, click this link: http://history.cdpl.lib.in.us/imagedb.html and type "Myrna Gary" in the keyword field.

Do you have photographs, diaries, letters or other pieces to the puzzle that is Montgomery County history? If so, please contact the CDPL Reference & Local History department at 765-362-2242 ext. 117.

Esther Detchon in Europe, 1914

2011-09-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

Esther Detchon

Esther Detchon (1893-1980) was a popular Crawfordsville socialite. She came from a prominent and wealthy family which made its fortune as doctors and businessmen. Esther attended an exclusive private finishing school in Philadelphia after graduating from Crawfordsville High School in 1911. In 1914, Esther went on a school-sponsored trip to Europe, where she stayed in first-class accommodations in Germany, Switzerland, Holland, France, Italy, England, and Scotland. When World War I was officially declared in July of 1914, Esther and her classmates were stranded in Italy, where they applied for emergency passports at the American Embassy in Rome. Although officials assured them that American tourists were safe in Europe (as long as they curbed their curiosity and stayed out of dangerous situations), family and friends in Crawfordsville waited anxiously for word of Esther. Weeks later, Esther arrived back in the United States, having paid $250 for passage on the Principe di Undine, an Italian liner chartered by a group of wealthy Americans. Esther and her classmates, happy to be home, were also “disappointed because they had had no really exciting adventures.” (Crawfordsville Daily Journal, August 28, 1914)


Esther (third from left) and her classmates

Check out the library’s display of Esther’s travel photos, school scrapbooks, and more!

Happy Birthday, Beatrice Schenk de Regniers!

2011-08-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

Caldecott award-winning author Beatrice Schenk de Regniers was born Beatrice Freedman August 16, 1914, in Lafayette, Indiana. As a young girl she moved to Crawfordsville, the town she claimed as her hometown. She graduated from Crawfordsville High School in 1931, left Crawfordsville to study in Chicago, and eventually moved to New York. She wrote over 49 books, primarily for children, over the course of her celebrated career (she died in 2000). Recently, the Crawfordsville District Public Library received a donation of a number of original photographs, yearbooks, and papers relating to the Freedman family, including several photographs of Mrs. de Regniers. The Library is thankful for the generous gift that allows our community to preserve the memory of our talented local author and her family. Happy 97th Birthday, Beatrice Schenk de Regniers!

Courthouse Cornerstone: 1875

2011-08-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

The first Montgomery County courthouse was a log structure 26 by 20 feet wide, erected in 1823 on the same site where the current courthouse stands (on the corner of Main and Washington streets). This cabin was replaced by a brick structure by 1833 and lasted some 40 years before it was no longer sufficient for the county needs. Construction began on the third courthouse in 1874 -- the structure that still stands today -- and on May 6, 1875, the community participated in a large cornerstone ceremony, complete with parade and speech by General Lew Wallace. Into the cornerstone were placed photos, business cards, club membership lists, newspapers, pamphlets, advertisements, and so on -- anything that the late 19th-century dignitaries considered to be of interest for future citizens of Montgomery County. This cornerstone was carefully opened in 1986 and its contents revealed after more than 100 years of obscurity. You can look at most of these documents online now on our CDPL Image Database!

How to view these documents?

Go to the Image database and . . .

In the ID# field, put 20110708-*

OR

in the keyword search field type: courthouse cornerstone

Carry Nation in Crawfordsville

2011-07-20T16:59:00.000-07:00

In 1901, Carry Nation attended Crawfordsville's Independence Day celebration. Arriving on the evening of July 3rd, the notorious Kansas Smasher gave a speech on her work with the temperance movement and toured our city before departing on July 5th.

Although no saloons were reported vandalized, Nation, with her hatchet in hand, walked the streets of Crawfordsville and shouted at citizens who had cigarettes or tobacco. She sold replica tin hatchets, newsletters, and photographs and according to local newspapers, made quite a profit.

Recently we discovered a wonderful souvenir from Carrie Nation's visit to Crawfordsville in our archives. This original photograph was taken at the local photography studio Nicholson's Sons. The photograph is now available online in our Image Database.

W.C. Murphy & Company store

2011-07-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

Our Local History collection was recently enriched by the arrival of several interesting photographs! On the left, you can see a group of employees standing ready for customers at the W.C. Murphy & Company men's clothing store, located at 101 E. Main St. The photograph is dated 1912. Stacks of men's suits, hats, shirt collars, and other merchandise fill the store. The man with the measuring tape is likely Mr. Murphy, who was trained as a tailor. This building later served as a bank, a jewelry store, and coffee shops (you may recognize the narrow interior if you have ever been in this building, most recently known as the Patch of Blue Denim or its predecessor, Campbell's).

The exterior of the original location for W. C. Murphy & Co. men's clothing store, shown in 1922, is even more recognizable to anyone familiar with downtown Crawfordsville. (The store was relocated to 122 S. Washington after the Crawfordsville Trust Company purchased the building in 1922.) The second floor window has a sign for Williams and Murphy Law Office stenciled on the surface, and the front of the store has a sign for the removal sale. Note the streetcar wires that crisscross the intersection.

Peacock photos now online

2011-06-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a generous loan from Tom Peacock, the library now has over 100 digitized images of William "Fred" Peacock and his wife Margaret "Margie" Peacock in our collection. We began our research on 1930s chorus girl and Hollywood film dancer Margie Murphy Peacock back in January. After marrying Darlington native Fred Peacock in the 1940s, Margie moved to Crawfordsville and resided here until her death in 1989. Fred Peacock served in the army during World War II and was a well-known dentist who practiced in Crawfordsville until his death in 1981. The collection includes head shots, modeling photos, and cast photos of Margie Peacock when she performed as Margie Murphy in the 1930s. Also included are snapshots of Fred Peacock overseas during World War II.

You can access the Peacock collection by going to our image database and entering the following in the subject field:
Murphy, Margaret "Margie"
Peacock, Margaret "Margie"
Peacock, William Frederick "Fred"

You can also enter their names in the keyword field to browse the collection.

Display: Maurine Dallas Watkins

2011-06-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

A display honoring the life and work of Maurine Dallas Watkins, author of Chicago, is now up on the second floor of the library. Before her career as a playwright and screenwriter, Watkins was a Crawfordsville resident and a 1914 graduate of Crawfordsville High School. Featured in the display are photographs, programs, news articles, yearbooks, and much more.

CDPL has a photo of Watkins with the Sunshine Society at the 1914 County Fair. You can see it here!

We also have Douglas Perry's latest book on Watkins and the writing of Chicago.

If you would like more information about Maurine Watkins in Crawfordsville, please contact the Reference/Local History Department at 765.362.2242 ext 117 or ref@cdpl.lib.in.us.

New Richmond School, 1914

2011-06-01T07:01:00.000-07:00

Donations to our collection are always welcome, and it is not uncommon for us to receive items that add great value to our collection -- your county's heritage. We recently received a large panoramic photograph of a large group of school children, teachers, and drivers standing in front of the New Richmond School building in 1914. Some school hacks (Coal Creek Township Schools) are parked in the background. The school was on East Washington Street, next to the New Richmond Christian Church. Although both these buildings are gone today, we intend to save the image for future generations.

Scanning this panoramic photograph for our image database proved to be a challenge because the image was over 2.5 feet long and some 10 inches tall. We had to scan it in five sections and then "stitch" together the sections to make one image. Using Windows 7 with its Live Photo Gallery made this once difficult chore very easy because Photo Gallery has a feature that can recognize overlapping images in order to make one image out of it. All five sections blended well with one another except for the first section on the left -- Photo Gallery could not recognize that section as part of the panoramic photo because we simply could not seem to scan it at the same size as the other four sections (so we finally ended up attaching that section manually, as is obvious). But at least for now we are able to share with the community a photo that few have seen before.

Are you curious to see a few more images we have, taken of the same building around the same time? You can find several on our image database, including:

Janet Lambert photos

2011-05-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Daughter of author Janet Lambert donates family photographs to library collection

Jeanne Ann Vanderhoef, daughter of Kent and Janet (Maude Snyder) Lambert, has allowed the library to copy Lambert family photographs that have been added to the library's image database, available online. Mrs. Vanderhoef's mother, Janet Lambert, the author of 54 books for teen girls, began her writing career in 1941 with Star Spangled Summer and wrote her last book, Here's Marny, in 1969. Janet Lambert was born Maude Snyder in Crawfordsville, on December 17, 1893. Mrs. Vanderhoef's father, Kent Lambert, was a World War I veteran who retired as post commander of Fort Jay on Governor's Island, New York after 34 years of duty. The photograph shown here is the wedding photograph of Kent and Janet Lambert, taken on New Year's Day, 1918. Other distinguished Lambert family members include Mrs. Vanderhoef's uncle, Ward "Piggie" Lambert, coach of the Purdue University men's basketball team for 29 seasons, and her aunt, Eleanor Lambert, promoter of American fashion design and developer of the International Best Dressed List. Thank you to Mrs. Vanderhoef for her generous contribution, which supports the library's research on Crawfordsville's famous former residents.

Local History databases

2011-04-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

Did you realize that you can do a lot of local history and genealogy research before coming to the library? You may want to become familiar with the numerous databases we offer to help you with your work -- and these are often the first sources for us to try when you request help.

For example, did you know that we have a listing of cemetery tombstone readings from the early days of the county up to recent times? Try our Cemeteries of Montgomery County database.

Need to find an obituary, marriage announcment, birth announcement, or any other vital statistics information from local newspapers? We have the Vital Statistics database that is an index of newspapers from the early 1830s to the present day.

These are just two of the more than one dozen databases we have for you that you can access anytime from our Local History page. To find out more, watch a short video on our database offerings:

Watch a 4-minute video on our Local History databases!

Fine Dining at the Hotel Ramsey

2011-04-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

One of Crawfordsville's finest hotels, the Hotel Ramsey, was located on the northwest corner of Green Street and Market Street.

In 1903, Easter fell on Sunday, April 12. If you were staying at the Hotel Ramsey at that time, you made an excellent choice -- especially if you decided to have Easter dinner at this establishment. You had many tasty options! How about starting off with clam chowder before the arrival of your roast prime beef or spring lamb with mint sauce? As a vegetable, you could choose new beets in butter or asparagus tips, among other tasty delights. Apple or chocolate pie with ice cream would make a nice dessert to this meal.

You can see the entire 1903 Easter menu on our Image database by going directly to its 8MB .pdf image: http://history.cdpl.lib.in.us/images/p054-85.pdf

The Image database (history.cdpl.lib.in.us/imagedb.html) is more than simply a collection of photographs -- its is also where you can find many different types of documents covering your Montgomery County heritage.

Crawford Hotel

2011-04-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

This rare close-up of the front door of the Crawford Hotel, a landmark of the Crawfordsville downtown area from 1900 to 1974, was recently added to the library's image database. The original photograph, found among the library's Clark D. Jones papers, notes the identity of only one member of the group: Clark Jones. Mr. Jones is located on the right end of the front row. The group is not identified, but may be city leaders, or perhaps a business or professional organization. Recognize anyone? Know what group this is? Please contact our reference and local history department at 362-2242, ext. 117.

South Washington Street, 1936

2011-03-30T09:45:00.001-07:00

This photograph of a delivery truck parked outside the Jerry S. Matracia wholesale fruit store at 125 S. Washington Street, Crawfordsville was recently added to the library's image database. Mr. Matracia and his wife, Josephine Guiliano Matracia, were Italian immigrants who owned the store for many years. The truck, a Studebaker Model 2M201, was the focal point for the photographer, but the background provides us with a rare look at the Joel Block circa 1936. The 2007 Silver Dollar Fire destroyed the building that housed the Matracia family business, but the Robb Grocery building is still standing today.

1914-1915 Mace High School basketball team

2011-03-17T17:18:00.000-07:00

Every so often a nice picture comes our way quite unexpectedly! A few days ago, Paula Clahan arrived at the Reference/Local History Department and offered to let us scan one of her photos to share with the community (the photo is already on our Local History image database for the entire world to see). Inspired by the Carnegie Museum's opening display on basketball, Mrs. Clahan remembered that she had a photo of the 1914-1915 Mace High School basketball team. This photo was taken outside the school building on a cinder court. The young players have been identified as (from right to left): Wallace Fletcher, Vercil Crouch, Edward Clahan (Paula's future father-in-law), Harry Gutherie, and Cecil Clark.

Thanks to generous donations and loans from patrons such as Mrs. Clahan, we continue to build our collection of your heritage -- and will pass it on to future generations.

A Tantalizing Glimpse...

2011-02-25T10:31:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we get very close to something we would really like to see. In an old scrapbook from the Tuttle Parent-Teacher Association 1945-1953, a photo was originally pasted inside the front cover and then later partially torn out before the scrapbook came to us. On closer examination, this photo is evidently a clear view of the original Tuttle building (which opened in 1906 at a cost of $20,000). This building was used until 1960 when it was demolished and replaced by the current Joseph F. Tuttle Middle School on the same spot. The photo was taken from the west side of the building, from South Elm Street. It is too bad that this photo is now incomplete because we have so few good photos of the "old" Tuttle building even though it was a local landmark over half a century!

Green Street in 1909

2011-02-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

The library recently received this scan of a photograph of the 100 block of South Green Street, which was taken during the Grand Army of the Republic encampment held in Crawfordsville in May of 1909. On the far left stands the Elston Bank building. The Clipper Saloon, with the C covered by a banner, was owned by Albert Muhleisen. A cigar store Indian is visible in the storefront to the left of the saloon. Several temporary vendors' stands are also visible, hoping to capitalize on the visitors. If you look closely, you can see a "Hamberger" stand in the street in front of the bank (this bank building is occupied today by the restaurant "Grandma's Kitchen").

The library would like to thank Jane Lyle for sharing this historic image.

From Chorus Girl to Crawfordsville Citizen

2011-01-25T15:23:00.000-08:00

Before she was a Crawfordsville resident, Margaret Peacock performed on the stage and screen as Margie Murphy. Peacock was a dancer in film classics The Gold Diggers of 1935, The Gold Diggers of 1938, 42nd Street, and Hi Nellie. On the stage, she danced in "George White's Scandals" musical review.

In 1942, Murphy married William F. Peacock, dentist and son of the well-known Peacock family of Darlington. Margie lived in Crawfordsville from 1945 until her death in 1989. She was a member of St. Bernard's Catholic Church, Crawfordsville Country Club, and the Ladies Elks.

Did you know Margaret Peacock? If so, CDPL would love to hear from you. We are interested in gaining more information about Mrs. Peacock's career as a dancer and about her life in Crawfordsville.

If you'd like to share stories or items pertaining to Margaret Peacock (a.k.a. Margie Murphy), please contact the CDPL Reference/Local History department at 765-362-2242 ext 117 or ref@cdpl.lib.in.us.

Images of America: Crawfordsville now available

2011-01-07T07:43:00.000-08:00

The Crawfordsville District Public Library is pleased to announce the release of Images of America: Crawfordsville, a book of photographs, postcards, and other illustrations that tell the story of Crawfordsville's history since 1865. The book, a well-researched, detail-packed collection of archival photographs and captions, was written by Bill Helling, Head of Reference/Local History at CDPL. Helling has directed the digitization of the library's archives and creation of the many local history databases for many years. From the laying of the cornerstone for the Montgomery County courthouse in 1875 to mid-1950s views of city streets, from old Central School to the closing of Horace Mann School, from Bischof's Big Store to R.R. Donnelley, the book presents significant photographs in the life of our city in central Indiana. The book will be available locally as well as from major booksellers.

Kenyon Nicholson

2011-01-05T14:22:00.000-08:00

The library has recently acquired a photograph of Broadway playwright Kenyon Nicholson to add to the local history collection. Nicholson was born in Crawfordsville, May 21, 1894, the son of prominent Crawfordsville photographer Thomas Brown Nicholson and his wife, Anne Kenyon Nicholson. In 1916, Kenyon Nicholson wrote the script for the Montgomery County Indiana Centennial pageant with fellow Wabash College student, Harold Watson. Following graduation from Wabash, Nicholson served in France as a second lieutenant during World War I. After the war, he was a press agent for the Murat Theater in Indianapolis, and later served as assistant to Hatcher Hughes, a prominent playwright and instructor at Columbia University. He wrote eighteen plays during his career, including Honor Bright, which was written with famed Crawfordsville novelist and poet, Meredith Nicholson. His play, The Barker, was his most successful and was made into a movie three times. He died in New Jersey on December 19, 1986.

Christmas party -- but where?

2010-12-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we come across photos that we can't place for certain -- even if we know the photographer (Hirshburg Studio of Crawfordsville), and several names have been written on the back of the photo. For example, here are some women who worked as telephone switchboard operators, posed by a Christmas tree and a Santa Claus. Are they in Crawfordsville? Where was this picture taken? When? Maybe you can help further identify this photo. The women are: Bottom Row (from left to right): ---, Thelma Johnson, ---, Barbara Westfall, ---, and Bertha Stark; Second Row (from left to right): Stella Hybarger, Gertrude Rafferty, Katherine Cope, "Santa," Carolyn Keeling, and Marie Mayer; Third Row (from left to right): Louise Carroll, Mildred Moore, Pearl Burkett, Mary Travis, Miriam Plank, Jane Scott, and Mary Galloway; Fourth Row (from left to right): Dorothy Holland, Pauline Hamm, Margaret Everhart, Anna Hartung, Ruby Rush, and ---. If you have any information on the people in this photo or the year/location of the party, please let us know! (e-mail ref@cdpl.lib.in.us or call at 765-362-2242 ext 117).

Bischof's Big Store

2010-11-30T07:03:00.000-08:00

We have many historic postcards of Montgomery County, and we are happy to reveal our latest acquisition: an interior view of the Louis Bischof Big Store, which was a landmark in Crawfordsville for many years. Louis Bischof came to Crawfordsville at the age of 17 from Terre Haute, Indiana, and soon became a partner of Jacob Ferber who owned a store at the corner of Washington and Main Streets. In 1882, Louis Bischof bought his partner's interest in their store and started his own career as a storekeeper, which would span three more decades. Bischof eventually built a four-story building on the corner of Main and Green streets, opening in 1899, and in 1907 this establishment became "Bischof's Big Store." The store was a cooperative with more than 3,000 area stockholders earning annual dividends (as well as a 5% discount on their purchases). Bischof was a lifelong bachelor and natural salesperson who wore a red carnation every day, which he would buy on the way to work, for more than 40 years. His successful store contained everything in its basement and four floors -- and in mass quantity. This postcard dates from 1908. Bischof's eventually became Goodman's store in the late 1920s but burned to the ground in 1933 in one of the town's most disastrous fires.

Ben-Hur at the Strand Theater

2010-11-19T08:53:00.000-08:00

You may already be familiar with the 1959 movie version of Ben-Hur starring Charlton Heston, but did you know it was already filmed twice before that as silent films, the first time in 1907, and then again in 1925? The 1925 film starred Ramón Novarro as Judah Ben-Hur.This version was a big hit for MGM, and its cost of $4-$6 million made it the most expensive silent film ever. Your library has preserved a part of a booklet that was circulated in Crawfordsville several weeks before this film was to be shown at the Strand Theater. The movie was shown twice daily for three days beginning on January 10, 1926. You can see a part of the cover here. To see the four-page booklet, view the .pdf at http://history.cdpl.lib.in.us/images/p025-7.pdf

The middle two pages of the booklet show pictures from the movie with captions describing the scenes.

Montgomery County Courthouse, c. 1900

2010-11-12T05:39:00.000-08:00

A generous donation a few days ago brought several more important artifacts to our Local History collection. One particularly interesting item was a photograph taken in 1900, from the corner of Main and Washington Streets. The view is looking toward the courthouse, which was completed some 25 years earlier. The buildings seen in this phootgraph still stand today -- but the courthouse no longer has its tower. (If you are wondering where the Veterans monument is, remember that is was not erected until 1906.) This rare view of downtown Crawfordsville at the beginning of the 20th century shows a much simpler life. Automobiles existed -- but much transportation was still done with horses. And the streets are not yet paved! Notice the board walkways that cross both Washington and Main Streets. The woman crossing Washington Street toward the courthouse would have certainly appreciated the opportunity to keep her dress from being soild by the dirt in the street.

Compare the 1900 scene with one taken near the same spot in 1913. The horse carriages you see were merely for a parade. If you look more closley, you can see parked automobiles on the paved streets. Notice also the streetcar tracks that are visible along Main street, south of the courthouse. Crawfordsville sure had changed in a decade!

More Raybestos photos

2010-10-31T11:52:00.000-07:00

In addition to our newly-acquired scrapbook of Raybestos photographs showing when the plant came to Crawfordsville in the early 1950s, we have benefited from a generous loan! Mary McClain has just allowed us to digitize dozens of Raybestos photographs she owns, all for the purpose of sharing these with the community. These rare photographs belonged to her husband, Lyle McClain, who worked for Raybestos for 50 years.

This aerial photograph shows the Wabash Division of Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc., under construction in Crawfordsville. The photograph was taken on September 16, 1951. A barn adjoining the plant building had not yet been torn down. If you want to see more of these historic images, go to our Image Database and search for "Raybestos" as a keyword.

Scrapbook illustrates Raybestos history

2010-10-18T13:50:00.001-07:00

CDPL has recently acquired a scrapbook of photographs and clippings centering on the 1951 construction of the Raybestos-Manhattan plant in Crawfordsville. The scrapbook, a significant addition to the library's historical collection of local industry information, was prepared by Clarence P. Schneider, the first factory manager of the new Wabash Division. Included in the scrapbook are aerial photographs of the plant under construction, many photographs of the work site, and a copy of the full-page ad purchased by Raybestos-Manhattan that was published in the Journal-Review on January 19, 1951, announcing the plans to construct a local plant. A Raybestos-Manhattan veteran, Schneider became general manager of the Wabash division in 1956, and returned to the Passaic, New Jersey area in 1959.

Have you ever seen the heating plant?

2010-09-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

Did you know that there was once a central heating system built in Crawfordsville's downtown area to provide heat for homes and stores? In the early years of the 20th century, local citizens organized to create the Crawfordsville Heating Company and undertake this service. The central heating plant, shown in this newly acquired postcard, was built in 1909 -- and the building still exists. If you have driven around Crawfordsville, you have surely passed it numerous times: it is now the Enterprise building, located on Market Street. When the plant was active, its coal-fired boilers heated the water that was pumped through insulated underground pipes throughout the downtown area; the cold water then returned via another pipe to be reheated. The heating plant provided free heat to nearby Culver Hospital.

A Speed Connection?

2010-09-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

Dian Moore, Reference/Local History staff member, recently wrote about a genealogy project she completed:

"You just never know where you will end when you start genealogy research. Tamara Hemmerlein of the Montgomery County Historical Society and the Lane Place asked me to see if there was any connection between John A. Speed, who was a conductor and station master on the Underground Railroad, and Joshua Speed, considered to be Lincoln's best friend (Joshua Speed was from Louisville, Kentucky, and had a store near Springfield, Illinois). The possibility of a connection between John A. Speed and Lincoln through Joshua Speed seemed slight.

I found three apparently unrelated Speed families in Montgomery County but had no luck until I looked at the obituary for Thomas S. Speed. Thomas Speed was from Kentucky, but his wife, Margaret Hawkins, was an Indianapolis native who lived some time in Crawfordsville. Margaret's sister, Miriam, married Thomas's brother, John J. Speed, in Crawfordsville, on April 17, 1839. Thomas was also a "near relative" (as stated in his Crawfordsville Weekly Journal obituary of April 9, 1892) of James B. Speed, who was Attorney General under Abraham Lincoln. Joshua Speed – Lincoln’s friend – was the brother of James B. Speed.

It appears that John A. Speed had no connection whatsoever with Lincoln – but I did find a tenuous local connection to Lincoln through Thomas S. Speed’s brother who may never have come to Montgomery County but who married a woman who lived in Crawfordsville.

More research showed that another sister of Margaret Hawkins, Louisa, married Edward Canby, one of Crawfordsville's five Civil War Generals. To top it off, John P. Hawkins – brother to Margaret, Miriam, and Louisa – was also one of Crawfordsville’s five Civil War generals."

Susan Elston Wallace letter

2010-09-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

Dated July 27, 1890, this original letter was written by Susan Wallace. Born in Crawfordsville, Susan Elston Wallace (1830-1907) penned six books of poetry in addition to publishing poems in numerous magazines and newspapers.

She married General Lew Wallace, noted Crawfordsville citizen and famed author of the novel Ben Hur (1880), in 1852. In reference to her husband's novel, Wallace ends the letter with "As all Ben-Hur's friends are our friends, I am yours."

In honor of her accomplishments as a writer, Susan Wallace's name is engraved on the front exterior of the Crawfordsville District Public Library.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

2010-09-14T08:28:00.001-07:00

Football season is again on us . . . and it is interesting to look back because Montgomery County has had a long tradition of supporting this sport. The young men in this photograph were members of the Crawfordsville High School football team during the 1901-1902 school year. They are (from left to right) front row: John Sidener and Ward Williams; middle row: Harry Richard, John Shepherd, Glenn Henry, Rome Williams, and Carl Alfrey; back row: Ralph Wicks, Robert Irone, Will Sprow, Niles Haton, Frank Symmes, and Frank Glover. This photograph was printed in the 1902 Crawfordsville High School yearbook, The Utopian. You can see a century of CHS Yearbooks in the Reference Department -- as well as yearbooks for many other schools. See our Yearbook database for details.

Meredith Nicholson Letter

2010-09-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

The library has recently acquired a letter from a famous Hoosier author! This letter was written by Crawfordsville native Meredith Nicholson. It was sent to "W. D. H." at 333 N. Delaware Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. The letter is dated November 3, 1946 -- just a year before the author's death. In the letter, Nicholson talks frankly about his writing: "The fiction, long and short, that I did, doesn't matter. I was an essayist."

You can find such documents -- and more -- on our ever-expanding image and document database

Wikipedia article on Meredith Nicholson

Sunshine Society at the 1914 County Fair

2010-08-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

This picture, featured in CDPL's image database, shows the Sunshine Society booth at the 1914 Montgomery County Fair. Anna Willson is shown behind the booth, 3rd from the left. Can you find another notable Crawfordsville resident who went onto fame with her play about a sensational murder?

Maurine Watkins, the author of Chicago, is believed to be the young woman in a white blouse and black hat behind the booth and is standing beside a young man wearing a bow tie. Maurine Watkins was an officer of the Sunshine Society throughout her years of attendance at Crawfordsville High School and would have been a senior when this photograph was taken. Watkins went on to write the play Chicago in addition to writing screenplays in the 1930s.

Christmas Eve Ball invitation, 1858

2010-08-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

On a cold December morning in 1858, some of Crawfordsville’s most influential citizens assembled in McClelland’s Hall for a Christmas Eve Ball. One of the invitations to this illustrious event is inset. Notables ranging from Capt. Lew Wallace (not yet a General) to Isaac Compton Elston, Jr. (a member of “Crawfordsville’s first family”) were present for the festivities. Since newspaper coverage was scarce at the time of the ball, the details of the gathering must be left to the imagination.

1832 Montgomery County artifact discovered

2010-08-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

It is quite rare to find an artifact from the earliest days of our county!

A letter written July 8, 1832 by Ripley Township pioneer Tollaver Larsh (1799-1870) was purchased by the library from James Schiele, of North Dakota, in July 2010. The letter was found by Mr. Schiele in a bag of assorted documents and letters obtained for $6 in a Seattle, Washington antique store. No items related to the Larsh family or the Crawfordsville area were included in the bag except the 1832 letter.

Tollaver Larsh came to the county in 1823 and remained here until his death on November 8, 1870. For his obituary, the Crawfordsville Weekly Journal spoke at length on Larsh's "noble virtues and matchless private character." The letter, that Tollaver wrote to his brother in Ohio, is transcribed here:

July 8, 1832
Sir I received your letter on the fourth [xx?] your
letter states that the farm of Sam'l Larshs can be sold
for fifteen hundred Dollars but I do not think
it would be advisable to sell it fifteen hundred dollars
under its value and the money be put in to the hands
of the Executors and one of them a bankrupt and the other
a drunkard when the rents of the farm has bin and
will be sufficient to rase and educate them childern
if it was conducted in a right manner and as for my
part I pray that I may never be an heir and I
hope the childern may live to be there own guardian
and receive and injoy their fathers estate intrests &
as for my part I never intend sineing my rights a way
and consider the rents and rise of the farm greater than any
way the money would be lade out. our frends and
relations are all well in this countary Cropes are
indifferent I have Cleared and fenced fourteen
Acres of land and have it under good cultivation
Since I left four mile [Four mile Creek, Ohio] and I think that does
very well for one hand tell Sister Anna & Lydia
that I am still at my old vocation I still
remain your most affectionate brother
Tollaver Larsh

Indiana Telephone News 1939

2010-08-10T07:07:00.000-07:00

We have a copy of the Indiana Telephone News from February 1939 -- and on the back page of this issue appears the the photos of "Indiana Bell Folks at Auburn and Crawfordsville." Twenty-two Crawfordsville men and women appeared in this collage of photos. Maybe you can recognize some of the names? As numbered, they are (11) Mrs. Miriam Plank, (12) Gertrude Moore, (13) Thatcher Carr, (14) Bertha Stark, (15) Mrs. Marie Mayer, (16) Mrs. June McCulloch, (17) George C. Peirce, (18) Pauline Hamm, (19) Norman Snapp, (20) Mrs. Dorothy Holland, (21) Daisy Busenbark, (22) Stella Hybarger, (23) Mrs. Mary Travis, (24) Edna Bannon, (25) Mrs. Nora Van Scoyoc, (26) Mildred Moore, (27) Thelma Johnson, (28) Mrs. Elva Gallatin, (29) Dale Elliott, (30) Mrs. Pearl McDowell, (31) Madge Scott, (32) Margaret Everhart

Crawfordsville "Then and Now" display

2010-08-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

A new display in the Reference Area on the 2nd floor may appeal to anyone with an interest in Crawfordsville's history. Take a trip through Crawfordsville with "Then and Now" images. You may be surprised at how Crawfordsville has -- or has not -- changed over the years. You can also test yourself by trying to identify famous (and forgotten) citizens from Crawfordsville, past and present.

Do you have any old photos of Crawfordsville you would be willing to donate to the library so that we can preserve them for future generations? We make a digital copy of our photos and place the originals in climate-controlled storage. We then make the images accessible on our image database. Even if you have photos that you do not want to donate, perhaps you would allow us to scan them so that the entire community can enjoy them? Contact the Reference Department (Bill Helling) at 765-362-2242 ext 5 or e-mail at ref@cdpl.lib.in.us

Here is a sample from Crawfordsville c. 1960 and also from the same spot in 2010. Does anything look familiar to you?

Meredith Nicholson inscription

2010-07-27T06:24:00.000-07:00

In our archival storage we hold some of the earliest copies from works by local authors. One such work is by Meredith Nicholson (1866-1947), The House of a Thousand Candles (1905), which was a best-seller in its time. In the front of this book we discovered an original note by the author, written in 1933. In this note he states: "Inscribed for Minnie Campbell May, In the happy remembrance of old times in Crawfordsville, my birthplace, and in particular of her father, who was my father's friend -- and mine. Dear are my memories of the old town, and precious the recollection of its good people. I never think of it without emotion and it shall be so to the end of my days. Faithfully yours, Meredith Nicholson. September, 1933"

Wikipedia biography of Meredith Nicholson
Several works of Nicholson were also made into films: Internet Movie Database filmography

You can also check out a circulating copy of The House of a Thousand Candles @ CDPL!

Culver Union Hospital Dedication -- 1902

2010-07-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

After a long struggle to obtain support and funding, Culver Union Hospital eventually opened in 1902 on Binford Street. It was considered to be a very sanitary facility (to keep dust down, no upholstered furniture or hanging pictures were allowed, and room corners were rounded). This hospital served until 1929 when it was replaced by a much larger building (still standing today, but slowing crumbling). These three images are of the 1902 dedication ceremony program that we just scanned.

Take a look at the original Culver Union Hospital building

Peek inside the surgery room or in a patient's room.

Here the first nursing staff posed for a group portrait.

Winter 1925

2010-07-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

A photograph of downtown Crawfordsville from the winter of 1925 recently surfaced in our Local History collection -- a scene that has never before been published. This view is looking east on Main Street. The photographer is standing near where Walnut Street crosses Main Street. You may recognize the fronts of the stores on the left; most of this block is unchanged over the years, although the businesses that occupied them have changed many times over. On the right, you can see the tower of the old YMCA building, constructed in 1888. By 1925, however, it was no longer serving as the YMCA (which had opened a location on the corner of Pike and Green Streets). The original YMCA building was then being used as a station for the interurban trains. If you look closely, you can see one up ahead, turning the corner right onto Washington Street. Above the street are the electrical wires for the "trolley" part of the interurban service. It was possible to take the trolley west on Main Street just past the location of the present-day Mills School (which then faced Main Street). Also on Washington Street, to the left, appears the courthouse tower. The courthouse had an attractive tower that was taken off in 1940 because of alleged structural problems.

Are you interested in your Local History? Don't forget that the Crawfordsville District Public Library is dedicated in preserving and making accessible the county's history. Visit our Local History page to see what we have to offer you -- or come by and visit us in the Reference Department (2nd floor). We will enjoy helping you discover history @ CDPL!