Armstrong Collection

 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

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

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!

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

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

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

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.