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Neighborhood Stores Were Full of Charm

Looking Back by Herbert H. Skirvin 8/8/81 Three cheers for the old fashioned country stores, like those once existing in and around Bloomington! They were enshrined in Americana years ago, but a few real-life survivors can still be found in some of the nation’s out-of-the-way spots. Then, too, there are the replicas, fascinating the vintage

Barter Once Common Substitution for Money

Looking Back by Rose McIlveen April 1981 Monroe Countians who are used to making regular stops at the drive-in-windows of their banks probably didn’t realize that their ancestors had to swap goods and services to get their necessities. In 1833, Mrs. Cornelius Perring, wife of the principal of the Young Women’s Seminary, wrote to a

Local Man Lost on Titanic

Looking Back article by Rose McIlveen Apr 21 1984 One of the more ostentatious tombstones in Rose Hill Cemetery bears the name of J.B. Crafton. The impressive monument – made of two colors of granite with ornamental carving – is, in reality, only a memorial to the man. He isn’t buried beside there or anywhere

Some Hunting Experiences Hard To “Bear”

“Looking Back” article by Rose McIlveen 6/25/83 Bear hunting was a challenge engaged in by the earliest Monroe County settlers for practical rather than sporting reasons. Before the supply wagons carrying goods for sale began to find their way to the county, settlers were obliged to live on a combination of the corn they could

High School Closing Blow to Stinesville

“Looking Back” by Rose McIlveen Aug 10 1986 The heart of any community the size of Stinesville was traditionally found in its high school. It was the social center of the town, and residents rallied around the basketball team – called the Quarry Lads – through good seasons and bad. In 1963 the schools in

First Fairs Exhibit Different, Emphasis Same – Promoting Farm Life

By Rose H. McIlVeen 7/31/82 “An act for the encouragement of agriculture” was approved by the Indiana Legislature in February 1835. According to to The History of the Counties of Morgan, Monroe and Brown, Indiana, the following June a meeting was held in Bloomington for the purpose of organizing a local agricultural society. Participants in the public

Streets Were Named to Honor Local Veterans

Looking Back article by Rose H. McIlveen July 14, 1984 Two of Bloomington’s streets were named for military veterans, who served in different wars. Grimes Lane is named for Major Silas Grimes, the youngest of 13 children whose parents settled in Clear Creek Township in 1816. He was born on the family’s 160-acre farm and

Ellettsville Was Almost Logan

Looking Back by Ruth L. Huff May 19, 1984 In 1890 the residents of Ellettsville were in an uproar because the Monon railroad was trying to change the name of their village to Logan. The exact reason for the change was unclear. Perhaps the railroad preferred the shorter name in order to facilitate their record

Wet or Dry? Alcoholic Beverages Stirred a Controversy in Early 1900s

This is part of a continued series of Looking Back articles from the Herald Times written throughout the 1980s depicting earlier life in Monroe County By Rose McIlveen Oct 2, 1983 “We must soon again confront a controversy that will array friends against each other, cause dissension in the churches, and bitter strife among our

‘If You Thought ’78 Was Bad…’

By Rose McIlveen Jan 7, 1984 Say “blizzard” to a Monroe Countian who was around 66 years ago, and you probably hear – with embellishments – a first-hand account of the blizzard of 1918. It wasn’t exactly one of the better aspects of the “good ole days.” The facts – as reported in the Weekly

Divorce Once Major News

By Rose H. McIlveen Sept 24 1983 Treatment of Divorce – 1920s style – in the Bloomington Evening World was a far cry from the tactful avoidance of that particular legal matter today. Only a casual glance at the front page of the Evening World indicates the difference in page make-up style and editorial policy. It was, admittedly,

Began With Bicycle: Traffic Long a Problem

We’ll be frequently highlighting old “Looking Back” articles which were a long-standing column in the paper reflecting on earlier life in Monroe County . By Rose H. McIlveen Sept 10, 1983 Ever since Monroe Countians figured out that using some kind of vehicle was preferable to walking, traffic has been a problem here. Consider, for

The Monroe County “Turkey King”

Turkey Story Turns Out To Be a Real “Tail” of Woe by Herbert Skirvin Jan 8, 1983 Every time I sit down to a holiday feast, I think of Harry A. Axtell, Monroe County’s turkey king of long ago. I also recall a narrow escape I had from a vicious gobbler, bent on committing mayhem. As

Missing Murder Case: Where Did Mrs. William Holder Go? (Part 2)

By Grace Donahue The Murder Trial for Mrs. Gladys Holder began on September 21, 1925. Holder was pleading not guilty,  claiming that the gun went off in an “accidental matter.” The case against her seemed tough- she shot  Daniel Arwine “Reckless” Honeycutt Jr., and Honeycutt died. The court went through a particularly  dramatic trial, as

Missing Murder Case: Where Did Mrs. Holder Go?

Blog post by Grace Donahue On May 20, 1925, local auto mechanic and wrestler, Daniel Arwine “Reckless” Honeycutt Jr. was  murdered. And the cause? A simple dispute over a car. Honeycutt Jr. had gone to the home of William  Holder, whom he had recently sold a car to. Only Holder had not been keeping up