Meredith Nicholson inscription

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

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

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!