Pennville Blog

Pennville Ephemera: Civil War Discharge for James Johnson

2012-02-16T12:54:00.000-05:00

Click on any image to enlarge. The original document is held at the Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis.

Top: The Civil War Discharge of James Johnson of Pennville, Indiana.

Middle: Front of the Envelope from the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C. dated February 18, 1890.

Bottom: Back of the envelope dated February 20, 1890, stamped at Pennville.

The main document reads:

“To all whom it may Concern – Know ye, That James Johnson aPrivate of Lieut Andrew J Merritts Company (C.) 53^rd Regiment ofPennsylvania Veteran Volunteers who was enrolled on the Twenty Eight day ofFebruary one thousand eight hundred and Sixty five to serve One years or duringthe war, is hereby Discharged from the service of the United States this 30”day of June, 1865, at Near Alexandria Va by reason of Special Order No 158 (Noobjection to his being re-enlisted is known to exist.*) Said James Johnson wasborn in Crawford County in the state of Pennsylvania, is Eighteen years of age,5 feet 10 inches high, Rudy (ruddy sic) complexion, Hazle eyes, Brown hair, andby occupation, when enrolled, a Farmer. Given Near Alexandria Va. This 30” dayof June 1865. Signed A J Merritts, 1^st Lieut, Commanding the Co.

*This sentence will be erased should there be anything inthe conduct or physical condition of the soldier rendering him unfit for theArmy.

Writing on the top left hand side of the document reads, “Harrisburg Pa July 8^th 1860” and Paid in full Robt. C. (can’t read)Paymaster USA.

Writing on the top right hand side is harder to read: “claimfor property is allowed (?) 104.407 January 5, 1859 Sigourney Butler SecondComptroller.

Pennville Ephemera: 1920s - 1930s Valentine's Day Cards

2012-01-24T15:01:00.000-05:00

1920s - 1930s era Valentine's Day cards from the Pennville area.

Top: Card from "Miss Roe" to Wendell Crum (1913-1999).

Middle: Card to Richard Martin, a 1927 Pennville High School graduate, sent in 1920.

Bottom: Card to Richard Martin from his first cousins, Emily and Margaret Witter.

Pennville High School: Digging the New Gym

2012-01-20T14:10:00.001-05:00

Digging the new high school gymnasium, 1953

Notable Residents: Bedford S. Butcher - A Winning Coach

2012-01-10T18:39:00.000-05:00

Bedford Butcher with the 1920 Pennville High School Bulldogs basketball team.

Front (L-R): Ray Brubaker (coach), Clyde Jones, Bedford Butcher
Behind (L-R): Gerald McClain, Edgar Walker, Basil Harris, Harold McClain, Jim Whitacre

Bedford Butcher, a graduate of Pennville High School, becamea leading basketball coach, a successful businessman, and later, a mayor. Bornon March 24, 1901, Bedford was the son of Ellis Butcher and Mary “Mollie”Fenters. Ellis Butcher owned several town businesses, notably Butcher andFenters, which sold fresh meat and groceries. Bedford and his sister Florenceattended the Pennville schools.

After graduating from Pennville High School in 1919, Butcherattended Central Business College, and later earned degrees at Tri-StateCollege in Angola and Ball State College in Muncie. He then taught and coachedat Pennville from 1922-1926, becoming head coach of the basketball team in1924, 1925, and 1926. According to “Glory Days,” by Dean Monroe, on March 1,1924, under Bedford Butcher’s command, Pennville won the first DistrictTournament for a Jay County team, beating Dunkirk 28-11. (Pennville won Sectionalsin only 1924, 1935, 1942, and 1962.) Incidentally, Monroe also points out the1924 was the first year the Pennville team used the Bulldog as the mascot.Apparently a bulldog owned by Oscar Jones traveled with the team and “madeopposing players weary.”

During one game, in January 1926, Butcher pulled his teamoff the floor in the closing minutes of a game with Madison Township. TheMadison team was leading 33-20 with 3 minutes left to play, when Butcher pulledthem out for “unsatisfactory refereeing.” Butcher went on to coach teams atEaton, Winchester, Union City, and even Cincinnati, Ohio. At the end of hiscoaching career, he was considered one of the most successful coaches inEastern Indiana, his teams winning 87 percent of their games. One of hisWinchester teams even advanced to the Indiana state finals.

In 1937, after retiring from teaching and coaching, Butcherentered the business world, accepting a position as manager of the SterlingCity Chevrolet Corporation in Union City. In 1942 he became an associate withthe Hub City Finance Corporation, where he managed the insurance department.Also a civic leader, he was elected mayor of Union City. Bedford Butcher alsoserved as a member of the Randolph County draft board, and was active in the MethodistChurch, the Rotary Club, and the Masonic and Elks Lodges.

On June 29, 1963, Butcher and his wife Helen werevacationing at their cottage on Oliver Lake in LaGrange County, Indiana wherehe suffered a fatal heart attack at age 62. He is buried at Union City Cemeteryin Randolph County.

2012-01-06T13:03:00.000-05:00

Pennville Postcard, "Good Luck" with Violets, circa early 1900s

Pennville Ephemera: 1920 Pennville High School Commencement Program

2012-01-03T11:40:00.000-05:00

1920 Pennville High School Commencement Program

Pennville Milling Company Advertisement, 1943

2011-12-21T21:29:00.000-05:00

Pennville Milling Company advertisement, The Commercial Review, December 24, 1943

Notable Residents: The Jones Family - Part I: Built First House

2011-12-15T15:39:00.000-05:00

Lydia V. Jones, the daughter of Hiram G. and Rebecca Silliven Jones, as a teacher at Pennville High School in 1897.

John D. Joneswas an early Pennville settler, who, with his extended family, played animportant part in the town’s history. Jones served as the new town’s firstpostmaster and built the first house in what is now the town of Pennville.

Jones was bornin York County, Pennsylvania on May 27, 1793. His parents, Morgan Jones and hiswife, Hannah Davis Jones, were of Welsh descent. After marrying Lydia Vore(1797-1870) on October 6, 1818, the couple moved from their home inPennsylvania to Clinton County, Ohio in 1823. One year later they movedwestward to Wayne County, Indiana. Then, on May 2, 1836, Jones purchased 200acres of land in sections 27 and 28 of what is now Penn Township in Jay County.

On August 27,1836 the town, then called New Lisbon, had been “laid out” by Jeremiah Smithand Samuel Grissell, and, after the town site was partly cleared of underbrush,Jones took out the first “grub.” Sometime that summer Jones and his wife builtthe town’s first house. (William Samuels had partially raised a house beforethis time and became the town’s first settler.) This house was also the sitefor many town elections. On January 19, 1839, the town’s first post office,Penn, was established with Jones as the postmaster using the house as the postoffice. Six days later, however, the house burned, ending Jones’ tenure aspostmaster. During the six days, Jones had opened one mail and found one letterfor that office. The house stood near the present day 100 block of West LagroStreet. This block later was home to the Home Union store and several townmarkets, including Platt’s IGA.

Notable Residents: The Jones Family - Part II: Town Leaders

2011-12-15T15:37:00.000-05:00

A 1906 postcard from Rebecca Sillivan Jones to her son Warren Worth Jones in Spokane, Washington. The photo shows some of her grandchildren riding "Lucy." Grandchildren include Gordon, Elizabeth, Heber, and Garth Crowe, and Winifred Emmons.

John D. and Lydia Vore Jones had 10 children,some of whom married into the area’s notable families. Several of theirchildren and grandchildren became town leaders.

Josiah VoreJones, the couple’s son, received an education at the Friends Academy atRichmond, Indiana (later Earlham College) and became an important area teacher.After a common school fund was approved by the state in 1851-1852 Josiahutilized the old John D. Jones farmhouse a mile and a half northwest of townand formed the Jones School. His wife Elmira, who had been educated at MountUnion College at Alliance, Ohio, assisted him at the school. In addition, JosiahV. Jones farmed and was a Wayne township trustee. He was also active in theanti-slavery and prohibition movements.

Edmund DavisJones, another son, was the father of Elmer Ellsworth Jones (born May 31, 1866)who became a professor of education at Northwestern University, and theDirector of the School of Education from 1921-1925.

Hiram G. Jones,another son of John and Lydia, married Rebecca Sillivan, the daughter of JamesA. and Rachel McBride Sillivan, well-known abolitionists of the area. It is onthe Sillivan’s former farm that the Eliza Harris memorial was built in 1923memorializing the Sillivan’s stop on the Underground Railroad, where they hidscores of slaves on their way to freedom. One such slave was believed by Mrs.Sillivan to be the person on whom the character of Eliza Harris in Uncle Tom’s Cabin was based.

Eight childrenwere born to Hiram G. and Rebecca Sillivan Jones, including area physicianHiram “Howard” Jones, teacher Minnie Louella (who died at the age of 17), LydiaV. and Alida. Lydia V. Jones married Edward E. “E.E.” Emmons, who was in thefirst graduating class at Pennville High School in 1894 and who became ateacher at the school. Alida Jones married Francis L. Crowe, later the JayCounty Clerk and the Superintendent of Jay County schools.

Pennville Businesses: Norris Feed Mills, Inc.

2011-12-03T22:08:00.001-05:00

Norris Feed Mills advertisement, 1967

The Murder of Patricia Liby: Part I - A Shocking Murder

2011-12-02T15:43:00.001-05:00

Patricia Liby as a Pennville High School freshman in 1957.

On the morning of Saturday, May 10, 1958 Pennville was shocked to hear that an alleged murder-suicide had taken place, claiming the life of 16-year-old Patricia Rae Liby, and her 22-year-old boyfriend, Glen E. Mahon. Their bodies were found near a car registered to Miss Liby, but owned by Mahon, on a lonely "lovers lane" type road in the northeast part of Blackford County.

Glen E. Mahon was the son of Ennis Alpheuis "Red" Mahon (1905-1961) of rural Pennville (Route 1 Dunkirk) in Jay County. At the time of the murder, Mahon was staying at the home of his aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. William Brooks, on Balbec Pike, after having an argument with his father.

Patricia Liby, who would have been a junior at Pennville High School in the fall, was the daughter of Lorin Sylvester Liby (1920-1944) and Martha "Rose" Bay (1924-1999). Tragedy had struck the Liby family before. In September 1944, 24-year-old Lorin, then a corporal in the U. S. Air Force, was killed in action when his plane was shot down over Germany while attempting to bomb the town of Stuttgart. Patricia was two-and-a-half at the time of her father's death.

At the time, authorities said they were "fairly certain" the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide.

The Murder of Patricia Liby: Part II - The Murders

2011-12-02T15:30:00.001-05:00

Trooper Arthur Sanders (left) and Cpl. Don R. Hart, both of the Indiana State Police Post at Redkey investigate the murder scene. (Taken from The Commercial Review, May 12, 1958 issue)

On Friday night, Mahon and Liby visited in the home of Mahon's uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. William Brooks, where he had been living. The Brooks reported that the couple looked "happy," and the couple left the home about 10:15 p.m. A half-hour later, Mahon returned to the house and picked up a 20-shot automatic rifle from the kitchen. Mike Weaver, a friend of Glen Mahon, testified later that Mahon was supposed to pick him up that night, but later took Weaver home and went to see Liby, who had called. Pennville town Marshal C. Murray Shepherd spotted the couple in Pennville about 11:15 p.m. Sometime between that time and midnight the young lovers lay dead.

The bodies were discovered the next morning a short distance from the Brooks home, around 10:30 a.m. by the daughter of Kenneth Goble, the owner of the farm. Both bodies lay fully clothed on a blanket perpendicular to the car with the feet of both victims at the edge of the automobile. Patricia Liby had been shot eight times - five times in the back, twice in the chest, and once in the arm. Some powder burns were found around her back and chest wounds. Glen Mahon had been shot four times. Three of the bullets had penetrated his heart. Extensive powder burns were found around his wounds. His head rested on Miss Liby's shoulder and the murder weapon was lying across his body. Twelve empty cartridges were found on the ground. Eight were left unfired in the gun, and eight more "long" shells were in Mahon's pocket. An eight-inch spot of blood lay on the ground beneath the blanket. William E. Ervin, a Blackford County Prosecutor who was present at the autopsy, reported that there were no signs of struggle or bruise marks on either body. The gun and bullets were sent to Indianapolis for ballistics and fingerprint tests.

Pennville residents reported that Mahon was extremely jealous of Liby, with whom he had been keeping company for four of five years. A schoolmate was quoted as saying Mahon was so jealous that "if Liby stepped out on him something was bound to happen." In the past few weeks, Liby had reportedly dated a few other young men.

Upon hearing the news, Patricia Liby's mother was hospitalized at Ball Hospital in Muncie for shock.

The Murder of Patricia Liby: Part III - Coroner's Inquest

2011-12-02T15:22:00.001-05:00

The gravesite of Patricia Rae Liby at Elm Grove Cemetery in Bluffton.

The coroner's inquest, which was held on Thursday, May 15, 1958 at the Blackford County courtroom, was closed to the public, and was held before the ballistics and fingerprint reports were received from the Indiana State Police.

At least 10 persons testified at the inquest, including Mahon's father, his aunt and uncle, and his brother Dale. Pamela Liby, Patricia's 14-year-old sister was also present, although Patricia's mother was still hospitalized and could not attend the proceedings. Other participants included Mike Weaver, who was with Mahon prior to the date with Liby, Pennville Marshal Shepherd, Jay County Sheriff George Scott, Indiana State Police Detective Sgt. Earl Warnock, and other state police officers that had assisted in the investigation.

Not much more information was gleaned from the inquest. At the end, authorities concluded that the deaths were indeed a murder-suicide. Prosecutor Ervin was quoted as saying, "No-one else had a motive. No-one else would be able to shoot eight bullets in Patricia Liby and still have Mahon lying on the ground ready to receive four shots in his chest."

Pennville Businesses: The Ideal Glove Company

2011-11-18T13:03:00.001-05:00

Top to Bottom:

Jay Stultz, Cora Robinette, and Charles DeRome cut leather with the dies, line the gloves, and prepare them for the sewing operations. (This photo and the following three were taken from The Commercial Review, unknown date from the 1950s) (Thanks to DP)

Pauline Albertson and Ruth Hessler perform the "thumbing" and "fingering" operations.

Jeanette Morgan and Cynthia DeRome close and back-seam the gloves.

Lawrence Walters, Zella Earhart, and James Davis pack, inspect and form the gloves to the desired shape.

An ashtray advertising the Ideal Glove Company.

In the late 1940s and the 1950s, the Ideal Glove Companyoperated in Pennville. The only manufacturing industry at the time, the companyproduced industrial work gloves marketed to the eastern part of the UnitedStates.

The Lawrence R. Walters family owned the company with EdwardL. Walters, a son, serving as president. The firm employed approximately 30people. All-leather and leather palm work gloves were manufactured from split cow-hide. Clifton W. Hamburger was the company’seastern sales representative.

Originally, the factory was founded in Decatur in December1946, but it soon outgrew its space. With the encouragement of Pennville civicleaders, the firm relocated to Pennville in May 1947.

To make the gloves, first, leather was cut with dies, andthen the palms of the gloves were lined. The lined glove leather was then readyfor sewing. The hands of the gloves were further prepared by operations knownas “thumbing” and “fingering.” After the gloves were sewn, they were formed tothe desired shape with steam, then inspected and packed for shipping.

In August, 1953 Lawrence R. Walters and his wife, Leona E.(Ward) Walters were traveling in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where they were involvedin a fatal traffic accident. Lawrence Walters was 51 and his wife was 50. Bothare buried in Decatur Cemetery in Adams County, Indiana.

The Ideal Glove Company closed in the late 1950s, a fewshort years following the deaths of Mr. Walters and his wife.

Pennville Businesses: Fenters Ad from 1951

2011-11-18T12:19:00.001-05:00

An advertisment for Fenters and Son Boneless Meat from 1951. (Thanks to DP)

Remembering Pennville Veterans

2011-05-25T17:18:00.006-04:00

During this Memorial Day on May 30th, it is fitting that we take a moment to remember the various Pennville area veterans who have served to keep our country free.

Some things bear repeating, so following is a list of former posts about our brave Pennville area veterans. You can either follow the following links, or scroll down the "Labels" area on the right to find appropriate "tags," such as "Whiteman," "Veterans," "World War I," etc.

Roy L. Whiteman, a 1938 Pennville High School graduate, lost his life at Normandy during World War I as a member of the famous "Thunderbolt" Division. Whiteman is buried in France. alongside his fallen comrades.

http://pennville.blogspot.com/2009/06/roy-l-whiteman-hero-at-normandy-part-i.html

http://pennville.blogspot.com/2009/06/roy-l-whiteman-hero-at-normandy-part-ii.html

Some Pennville veterans of wars are listed in the following links (all applicable posts can be accessed by clicking on the "Veterans" tag at the right under "Labels."

Surnames of veterans listed for the War of 1812 include: Bair, Bowman, Coffin, Engle, Gray, McCoy, Morgan, Porter, and Wright.

http://pennville.blogspot.com/2008/06/pennville-veterans-of-war-of-1812.html

Veterans of the Spanish-American War include: Baily, Clark, Coffel, Keagle, Morrow, Rhine, and Wilson.

http://pennville.blogspot.com/2008/06/pennville-veterans-of-spanish-american.html

Civil War Veterans listed are: Armatage, Bailey, Bair, Baird, Barnes, Bennett, Boyd, Fait, Gaunt, Hiatt, Hiatt, Hoskins, Houck, Larick, Mendenhall, Meredith, Morrow, Myron, Nicholas, Paxson, Perry, Porter, Regester, Russell, Schlosser, Shinn, Shirk, Somers, Summers, Thompson, Valentine, Vance, Walker, West, Williams, and Wolford.

http://pennville.blogspot.com/2008/06/pennville-civil-war-veterans.html

Veterans of World War I include: Baughman, Binegar, Bunker, Cart, Crosbie, Earehart, Fetters, Grisell, Havens, Hott, Hughes, Letts, and Paxson.

http://pennville.blogspot.com/2010/02/some-pennville-veterans-of-world-war-i.html

Vietnam War veterans include: Cart, Martin, Scott, Upp, and Valentine.

http://pennville.blogspot.com/2008/06/some-pennville-veterans-of-vietnam-war.html

Pennville Servicemen Home for the Holidays: 1956

2011-05-24T23:01:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Davita (Fenters) Paxson for providing this article.

This photograph appeared in the Thursday, January 5, 1956 issue of The Graphic. The caption reads:

"Pennville - Classmates and neighborhood buddies joined forces in Pennville Friday as they headed southwest to see the "Big 4" tourney in Crown City. The local servicemen on leave and liberties are left to right, Pvt. Tim Upp, Sp3 Carlos Hinshaw, SA Dave Harriett, FN Bill Strait, A/3c Wendell Williams. Most of the men are back in camp now, continuing their training in the U.S. Navy, Army, and Air Corps."

2011-04-22T15:50:00.003-04:00

Postcard from Edna Field in Pennville to Mrs. Park Moore in Columbia City, Indiana

Pennville Ind [sic] Nov 12-07

Dearest Flo

You will be surprised to know that you are going to have a couple of ladies accompany your father home from Pennville. The one that danced the bear dance and Lilly Briggs. Uncle Andy said to meet us at Collins next Monday eve. All well at present. Having a good time. Goodbye see you soon.

Edna Field

Spiritualism: Part I - An Odd Mix of Quakers and Spiritualism

2011-03-25T13:29:00.004-04:00

Elias Hicks, leader of the Hicksite Quakers

Many early residents of Pennville were Quakers, most notably Samuel Grisell, considered the town founder, who named the town after William Penn. By 1837 the Quakers had a meetinghouse in the area, and by 1843 they built a log meeting house on the hill at East Lagro Street, a hill which later housed the Fred Miller Feed Mill and since 1996 has been the site of a family home. Many of the early Pennville families and town leaders were members of this organization, including Grisell, as well as the families of Joshua Bond, Thomas Edmundson, Moses Hamilton, John D. Jones, Enos Lewis, William Mendenhall, Benjamin Ninde, Anthony Pitman, and David Wright.

By chance, in 1827, a few years before Pennville was founded as New Lisbon, the Society of Friends (Quakers) faced a split within their ranks, mostly due to the teachings of Elias Hicks (1748 – 1830), who feared that the religious group, many of whom were wealthy urban capitalists, were too soft on the issue of slavery by failing to boycott products of slave labor. This resulted in a division in the Society, with the urban members becoming known as “Orthodox Friends” and the more rural Friends aligning with Hicks and becoming known as “Hicksite Quakers.” The division was reflected for a short time in Pennville, with the larger group of Hicksites meeting on the hill and a separate group branching off to become the Whitewater Monthly Meeting in 1841, which met at a building inside the village. During this time a subordinate group was established within the Whitewater Meeting at West Grove, 2-1/2 miles northeast of Pennville.

Hicks maintained a slightly different vision of Quakerism and aligned the Friends to social causes, most notably abolition. His branch of Hicksites viewed the Orthodox branch as “worldly” and “taught obedience to the light within.” He downplayed the virgin birth and complete divinity of Christ and the need for salvation through the death of Christ. Hicksites rejected Satan as the source of human “passions” and believed that basic urges, including all sexual desires to be aspects of human nature created by God. Unfortunately for the Orthodox Quakers in Pennville they had inadvertently set up the meeting at West Grove in a hotbed of abolitionism, and the meeting quickly became involved with a communal experiment and other reforms. As a result the meeting was discontinued in 1845.

Spiritualism: Part II - The Fox Sisters and West Grove

2011-03-25T13:25:00.005-04:00

Margaret and Kate Fox

About that same time, in 1848, young Margaret and Kate Fox of Hydesville, New York began to make an extraordinary claim that they had made contact with the disembodied spirit of a murdered peddler at their family home, one which communicated through “rapping” noises. News of the phenomenon spread fast and the Fox sisters became a sensation. Family friends of the girls, Isaac and Amy Post, a Hicksite Quaker couple from Rochester believed the girls and became early converts to this “Spiritualism.” The Posts introduced the girls to their circle of radical Quaker friends and a movement was born.

Although sharing monthly meetings (called “Lyceums”) and hymn singing with Christianity, proponents of the Spiritualism movement claimed that spirits residing in the Spirit world had the ability to communicate with the living, although certain people, “mediums” (such as the Fox sisters) were especially gifted to receive messages. Other beliefs of the movement claimed that works of faith did not guarantee one entrance to heaven or hell and that personal contact with spirits, not the Bible, was the source of knowledge from God. Further, Spiritualists believed that individuals bore the responsibility for their own salvation, and that Christ’s death on the cross did not pay for mankind’s sins. Members of the movement were often women and supported abolition and women’s suffrage. Although the movement was greatly damaged in the 1880s by claims of fraud (including a confession by the Fox sisters, who conceded that their “rappings” were the result of cracking their toes loudly and dropping an apple on the floor from a string, presumably hidden under their long dresses) there were 8 million followers in the U.S. and Europe by 1897, including celebrities like Walt Whitman.

The movement caught the attention of the radical group of Quakers at West Grove, which sent William Mendenhall and Enos Lewis to Ohio to learn more with hopes of forming a group there. This was successful, and on December 19, 1868 the first charter of Spiritualists was granted to the group, a second one being granted on October 19, 1904. Members of the group met regularly at a Sunday morning Lyceum, which was frequently followed by a basket dinner. After the dinner there was always a lecturer from the Spiritualist Campground at Chesterfield, Indiana, which still exists. Evening meetings included séances and spirit readings, which were particularly appealing to the early settlers, whose families were often decimated by death. At one point the West Grove Spiritualists boasted a membership of 150.

Members of the second charter of West Grove Spiritualists included O. J. Brown, E. A. Gray, E. Jennie Gray, T. L. Gray, I. T. Haines, Eva Paxson, Martha Regester, M. C. Williams, and M. M. Williams.

Pennville Historians: Part III - Pearl Coggeshall Child, S. Miriam Edmundson and Hubert Hedges

2011-03-17T11:17:00.008-04:00

Top: Pearl Coggeshall married Australian William B. Child when he came to Pennville to visit his friend, Dr. Charles Caylor.

Middle: Miriam Edmundson teaching the third grade in Pennville in 1961.

Bottom: The Chandlee house after renovation. (Thanks to S.H.)

Pearl Coggeshall Child (1890 - 1980)
A 1909 graduate of Pennville High School, Pearl Coggeshall Child lived in town during its heyday and passed along an oral, and sometimes written history to all those who were interested. Her long life was spent in the community, and her stories of town life are legendary - from the night she left her post as operator at the telephone company to sneak a peek at Halley's Comet, to her experience as an unintentional surgical assistant to Dr. Caylor at Pennville's only hospital, Pearl was an eye witness to some of the town's most memorable history. The only regret is that more of her many memories were not recorded.

S. Miriam Edmundson (1915 - 1988)
Growing up in the Edmundson and Paxson families in early Balbec, Miriam Edmundson was privy to a heritage rich in local history, including her family's involvement in abolition and the Underground Railroad. Upon returning to her Alma mater as an elementary schoolteacher, Miss Edmundson was tireless in her efforts to not only record local history, but pass the spark of learning it to countless children. Her two books, "Grandpa, Tell Me a Story About the Underground Railroad," and "Ghost Towns of Jay County" are still sold today and her dedication and contribution to Pennville history during the town's sesquicentennial proved invaluable.

Hubert Hedges
1933 Pennville High School graduate Hubert Hedges performed an invaluable service to Pennville, and to the entire county, when he purchased a rundown brick home at the west end of town and lovingly restored it to its former glory. The Federal-style home, built in 1841 by Goldsmith Chandlee, a tanner in Pennville, is the oldest in town and one of the oldest in the county. An astounding feat in light of the fact this was accomplished years before such renovations became popular.

Pennville in the Abolitionist Movement: A Last Company Of Slaves Comes to Town

2011-03-14T14:54:00.004-04:00

This symbol of abolition was designed by Quakers in 1787.

Perhaps the last company of slaves during the Abolitionist movement came to Pennville (then Camden) in 1861. This group, all well-dressed, and intelligent, were cared for by the Ninde family, who resided on the north-east corner of Union and Lagro Streets, near where the town's present day car wash stands.

While in the care of the Ninde's, the escaping slaves were given money to aid them on their flight to Canada by area abolitionists. Because the Civil War was beginning to erupt, and causing distractions, the group was able to travel without being pursued.

Pennville Historians: Part II - Frederick E. and Nancy E. Horn, Ida Helen Douth McCarty, William Griest and James Walter Fiers

2011-03-07T17:12:00.010-05:00

Top: Section B of I.O.O.F. Cemetery, from the book "I.O.O.F. Cemetery..." by Fred E. and Nancy E. Horn

Middle: Mariam'ne of the Cedars, a 1911 book by Ida Helen McCarty

Bottom: J. Walter Fiers at his typewriter

Thanks to S. H. and the Jay County Historical Society

This installment is the second in a series on people who have helped to preserve Pennville's history.

Frederick E. Horn (1941 - 1995) and Nancy E. Horn

Fred and Nancy Horn embarked on the huge, but important task of documenting Pennville’s local cemeteries, which culminated in three volumes of books: I.O.O.F. (Twin Hills) Cemetery…(August 1994 by Nancy E. and Fred E. Horn), Maple Lawn Cemetery…(June 1995 by Nancy E. Horn), and Hillside Cemetery…(May 1996 by Nancy E. Horn). Although other databases exist, the Horn’s attention to detail in gathering information on the gravestones provides information you can’t find elsewhere. A page showing war veterans interred at each cemetery, as well as selected burial certificates are a nice touch, as is the cemetery layouts with “street names” in the I.O.O.F. edition.

Ida Helen Douth McCarty (1876 - 1971)

The wife of a Pennville businessman, Ida Helen Douth McCarty was no ordinary area woman of the early twentieth century. Educated, and an author, Mrs. McCarty penned a 1922 Pennville history which was published in the Indiana Magazine of History, and helped to spearhead the building of the Eliza Harris monument at the site of the Silliven cabin, a stop on the Underground Railroad, that may have at one time housed the real-life woman who the heroine of Uncle Tom’s Cabin was based upon. Ida Helen McCarty and her fellow champions of their cause succeeded in giving the area a bona fide Indiana historical monument.

William Griest (1846 - 1926) and James Walter Fiers (1860 - 1952)

Of all the featured historians, William Griest was perhaps the closest to professionally documenting Pennville’s early history. In a series of in-depth articles for the Redkey Times Journal in the 1920s entitled “Early Days In Penn Township,” Griest categorically divided the history in sections, digging deep for details and naming names. Griest had personal knowledge of events, too, coming to Penn Township in 1850, teaching in area schools and serving as Justice of the Peace and county assessor. His wife, Jessie Riley, was a cousin of Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley. After his death in 1926, J. Walter Fiers, Griest’s “historical partner” in documenting the area’s history continued to publish his material. Fiers was the grandson of James Redkey considered the “father” of the town. Although his material is short on sourcing, the sheer volume of his work, coupled with such early information, makes Griest’s work a tour de force.

Pennville Historians: Part I - Frank E. Cline, Ruby M. Wilson Crosbie and Martha C. Martin Lynch

2011-02-18T17:30:00.006-05:00

Above Top: Frank E. Cline
Above Middle: Ruby M. Wilson Crosbie
Above Bottom: 1896 Reminiscences of Adams, Jay and Randolph Counties, Indiana by Martha C. Martin Lynch

Frank Edmund Cline (1913 - 2005)
Although not a graduate of Pennville High School, Frank E. Cline taught at the school for 25 years, a great deal of the time promoting Pennville history. Mr. Cline created Indiana's first Junior History Club, and his sponsorship of the school's Senior History Club led to awards and Pennville students serving in positions at the organization's state level. Cline's groups preserved Pennville's history with several important projects, including a pictorial history of the town's houses (including their build dates and the names of owners), a recreation of the town's cemetery information after county records were lost in a fire, and an archaeological dig at a local farm that was feature in the Indiana History Bulletin. Mr. Cline died at age 92 on July 4, 2005.

Ruby M. Wilson Crosbie (1900 - 1997)
A town resident who was meticulous in recording its history over a life that spanned nearly the entire 20th century was 1919 Pennville High School graduate Ruby Wilson Crosbie. Beginning with some of her school notebooks from 1919, Mrs. Crosbie memorialized the century's history by collecting all manner of town programs, church happenings, Pennville High School graduation programs, newsworthy newspaper clippings and other valuable ephemera in 70-odd years of large scrapbooks, which were donated after her death to the Jay County Historical Society. Mrs. Crosbie also recorded the town's history in articles for various town celebrations. Without her efforts, we'd know a lot less about Pennville in the 20th century.

Mrs. Martha C. Martin Lynch (1854 - ?)
When, for personal reasons, Mrs. Martha Lynch wanted to raise funds to start a cemetery, she came up with the idea to write a book, 1896 Reminiscences of Adams, Jay and Randolph Counties, Indiana and charge local businesses to advertise. Her section on Jay County provides extraordiary information about the life of Mariah Bowersock Mendenhall, a local pioneer midwife who birthed nearly 1,000 babies during her career, and personal reminiscences by Sam Ginger about important area pioneer Jesse Gray. Ads Mrs. Lynch collected give us valuable information about Pennville's businesses of the time.

Pennville Ephemera: Pennville Oil Company Advertisement

2011-02-07T22:37:00.003-05:00

A Kendall Oil advertisement from the Pennville Oil Company. The date is unknown, although flame throwers were widely used in World War II as well as the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Pennville Christian Church: Part I - 1906 to 2006

2011-01-21T12:22:00.005-05:00

Top: The Pennville Christian Church in 1969.
Bottom: The church during the demolition phase.

Special thanks to SB.

In 2007, a permanent memorial to honor the Pennville Christian Church, also known as the Church of Christ, was erected on West Bridge Street on the site of the former church building. The memorial project was spearheaded by Truman and Sarah Briggs, who bought the land after the church closed in 2005.

Originally built in 1906 and 1907, the white block church building served the community for one hundred years. At its peak, the church had an attendance of between 45 to 50 people. Pastors of the church included Rev. A.C. Spellman in the 1930s, Reverend Lee and Rev. Paul Albertson in the 1950s and the last pastor of the church, Rev. Leonard Wilfong, who passed away in March 2008.

By late 2005, when church attendance had dwindled to 5 or 6 people, and the congregation was no longer able to even to pay the gas bill, the difficult decision was made to close the church. After the church was purchased by Briggs, a further decision was made to tear the building down, as the block had become soft and the building was in general disrepair, both inside and out. The building was razed in December 2006.

Pennville Christian Church: Part II - A Permanent Memorial

2011-01-21T12:16:00.003-05:00

Above: The memorial erected by Truman and Sarah Briggs.

Work on the monument, which included work from local businesses such as Corwin Trenching Company of Pennville, Manor Monument Company of Salamonia and Bryant Machining and Welding of Bryant, began shortly after the building was demolished. The monument's structure mimicks the former bell tower and includes the original church bell, which was reconditioned and still works. There is a roof, lights, landscaping, and an engraved plaque. A provision was added to the deed of the land, requiring that the monument never be disturbed. The cost of the project was approximately $11,000.

In addition to the bell, other parts of the former church building live on. Stained glass windows from the church were sold to the West Walnut Church of Christ in Portland, and other area churches. The furnace was donated to Mt. Tabor Church. Pews were sold or donated to other churches and the baptistry was given to the Portland ministry The Rock. The piano is now at a church in Portland, and the wooden floor is in a home in Pennville.

Pennville Businesses: Lester Downing Service Station

2011-01-08T14:37:00.004-05:00

An advertisement for the Lester Downing Service Station and Auto Accessories.

Christmas Story: A Camden Christmas

2010-12-22T19:27:00.010-05:00

I wrote this little Christmas story for The Commercial Review's Holiday Fiction Contest this year and it was published in their December 22nd holiday supplement. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my Pennville Blog readers!

A Camden Christmas
by Daniel Lillard

All persons, events and places in this story of Camden (now Pennville) are historically accurate, with the exception of the Wright family, who are fictional. The Joe Maddox Store mentioned in this story was in the building which later housed the Provident Hospital. The house I based the Wright house on still stands and was owned for years by Doc and Bess Wible.

Hannelore Wright sat as close to the fire as she could without being burned. The winters in Jay were so much colder than her childhood village in Prussia. Although she had hoped she would become used to the Indiana winters, it had not happened, and she shivered as the winds blew up through the puncheon floor. The gnawing hunger didn’t help. Since the big frost in the winter of 1857 game was scarce. Such a big frost that was, one with a heavy crust, and it had been hard on the animals she and her family depended on to sustain themselves. Game was still significantly reduced; even though it was nigh onto Christmas 1860. Hannelore drew a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried to remember the smell of roast chestnuts and the glow of the candles in her parent’s little stone house by the churchyard. She imagined herself lying in bed with her sister, Anna, wide-eyed with the excitement that December sixth brought to children in her homeland. Each fall, her grandmother, Oma Hansi, told the cautionary tale of how St. Nicklaus and his traveling companion would arrive on the sixth to either reward or punish children based on their behavior that year. If good, old St. Nicklaus would leave small candies and treats in their shoes. However, if a child had been bad, the thought of which filled the girls with fear, Nicklaus’ traveling companion, Krampus, would draw out a switch and switch the legs of the culprit. At this point in the story, the grandmother drew a deep breath and lowered her voice. Krampus, she explained, was a blood-red demon with horns and a tongue twelve inches long. An unusual pair, Nicklaus and Krampus traveled throughout the countryside bringing either joy or terror.

Suddenly, Hannelore’s reverie was interrupted as James, her husband of ten years, threw open the cabin door and entered, proudly carrying a dead rabbit. “This oughta last us a couple of days,” James said matter-of-factly. Hannelore rubbed her eyes and rose with a smile, keeping her coverlet over her shoulders for added warmth. “A Christmas rabbit stew,” she said thoughtfully, “or maybe pfeffernüse – you like that don’t you, James?” He nodded affirmatively. “God has been good to us, Hanne,” he said, looking over his wife’s shoulder at their two children, sleeping in a rope bed by the fire. Jacob, the baby, lay with his back to his older brother William. Will, eight last May, had gone to bed sick. Hannelore had tucked him in, taking care to wring out a rag in a bucket of melted snow to lay on Will’s head.

The Wrights were indeed fortunate, living just outside Camden, across from the Salamonia River. Their little three-room cabin was half wood, half brick, and surrounded by a small iron fence. The big house next door had been raised by Goldsmith Chandler in 1841, nearly nine years before the couple arrived in Jay County. James had heard from a man at the livery that the bricks from their neighbor’s house, and maybe even their own, had been carried on horseback from the Godfroy Indian reservation. Hannelore liked this story and told it to Will, prompting him to assume the role of a wild brave, chasing their dog Scout around the yard with a stick tomahawk. Their neighbor to the north, on the great hill, was Hiram Gregg, the nurseryman, who ran a nursery to the south of his brick house on what townsfolk were starting to call “Gregg Hill.”

The inside of the cabin was just right. A front door opened to the keeping room. A small fireplace stood to the right, just big enough to heat the room and to prepare the family meals. The boys slept next to the fire in the rope bed, given to them by James’ parents. A rocker sat on the other side at the door of the couple’s small bedroom. A swing-leg table made of mahogany sat at the far end of the room with two short benches. James and Hannelore occupied the small bedroom on the cabin’s west side. The room was big enough for a bed and Hannelore’s bride’s chest, hand-built by her father, Johannes, and decorated with love (and flowers) by her mother, Jutte. Jutte had selected Hannelore’s favorite flowers from home – little white Mai Glöckchen, called “lily of the valley” here in Camden.

“I have some good news,” James said in a soft voice, in case Will was listening in. “I actually bagged two rabbits. I traded one for a couple of oranges for the boy’s Christmas presents.” Hannelore had to raise her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. A tear came to her eye as she thought about what a good man she had married.

This year had been a hard one in more ways than the weather, and James voiced his concern. “Maybe that Lincoln feller will turn it around,” James said hopefully. He was referring to Abraham Lincoln, the first President from the new Republican Party, who had been elected last month, beating out John C. Breckenridge, Stephen A. Douglas and John Bell.

“God speed to him,” James said to his wife. “Both church and state are greatly disturbed by this slave issue.” A worried look crossed Hannelore’s face and she looked down at the floor. James recognized the look immediately. Countering in a soft voice, he said gently, “I know how you feel, mother, but if need be, I must fight.” Hannelore already knew in her heart this was so, but hearing it chilled her enough to readjust the coverlet. James continued, ”The Paxson boys north of town are doing their part with the Edmundsons to aid fugitive slaves on their way north – something any good Quaker in Camden should do. But news has reached Sam Grisell that South Carolina has succeeded from the United States Union in order to keep their slaves. It’s said there are around four million slaves in the South.” With this, Hannelore sat back in her rocker and glanced over at the boys. “On top of that,” James went on, “Indiana can’t seem to keep a governor and talk is that the Democrats are all going over to become Republicans.” Hannelore didn’t know much about political matters, but even the women at her quilting parties were talking about how the former state governor, Ashbel P. Willard, had died in office in October while giving a speech on national unity. Willard had favored keeping the Union together by letting the southerners decide the slavery issue for themselves. The new governor, Abram A. Hammond, wanted a peaceful solution to slavery.

To calm herself, Hannelore got up and crossed to Will’s bedside. She laid her hand on his forehead, then turned her face toward James. “Will’s burnin’ up, James, and the trembles are around. Why, they’ve even called on Mariah Mendenhall out at West Grove to wait on the sick.” Grandma Mendenhall, a midwife, had attended the births of both Wright boys. The trembles, called “the milk-sick” by some of the locals, had caused many deaths in the area, and the thought of it filled everyone in Camden with dread. James crossed to his sleeping son, bent down near his face, and smelled his breath. “Don’t worry, mother, his breath is clear,” James said to his wife reassuringly. Hannalore took this as a good sign, that the child’s breath didn’t smell fruity, and looked somewhat relieved. “Besides,” James continued, “Christmas is day after tomorrow.”

The next day kept everyone busy. Jacob rose before dawn, and toddled to his parent’s bedside, waking them. “Howdy,” James exclaimed to their visitor as he lifted the boy into bed. Jacob quickly dove under the covers for warmth. “I’d better make you a fire,” James said rising. Hannelore kissed her son, but also got up to start preparing breakfast, leaving Jacob under the covers. “I think Will’s fever broke,” James said to Hannelore as she crossed the room to the rope bed. Hannelore breathed a sigh of relief, then steadied herself for the tasks of the day ahead. “Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund,” she exclaimed matter-of-factly. James smiled, as he understood this one phrase from his wife’s home country. “That’s right, mother – the morning hours have gold in their mouth.” The rest of the day was spent getting ready for Christmas. James carried in some dry wood from the lean-to on the side of the house. He walked up to Joe Maddox’s store on Union Street to buy some sugar for Hannelore’s apple pies. There, he ran into Uncle Tommy Hall. Hall was one of the few blacks who lived in the northwest and central part of Penn Township. Uncle Tommy had lived here for twenty or so years and was tall, dignified, polite and respectful to all. His wife, Edie, was treated by the white women as an equal and was invited to wool picking and quilting parties. At home, Hannelore found some time to finish two hats for the boys.

The following day, Christmas, the family rose early, ate some biscuits and proceeded to walk to the Methodist Church at Meridian and Main Streets. The new church was the pride of the town, and had only been dedicated two years ago in February. After church, the Wrights returned home, where the boys excitedly opened their presents. When Hannelore put out the rabbit stew and apple pies, everyone’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, God,” James prayed, “thank you for your bounty and for our health, and for your son, Jesus Christ. Please help us in this coming year and help others less fortunate than ourselves. And, please God, continue to bless Camden.”

Pennville Christmas Advertisements from 1909

2010-12-20T16:15:00.009-05:00

The following Pennville Christmas advertisements were taken from The Pennville Weekly Journal dated December 9, 1909. (Special thanks to SH) Click on any image to see a larger version.

Pennville Post Office: Beginnings

2010-12-10T13:46:00.005-05:00

Letterhead from the Pennville Post Office, Lyman Thomas, Postmaster

The first Post Office in what would become Jay County, called Salamonie, was established on June 11, 1835. On February 13, 1838 the Post Office was moved to Portland and became known as Jay Court House. The first mail in the territory, however, had been delivered in 1829 as part of a route from Winchester in Randolph County to Fort Wayne in Allen County. At the time, there were no other Post Offices between these two towns. In 1848 Joseph J. Paxson had a contract to carry the mail from Greenville, Ohio to Huntington, Indiana, the route in part going from Ridgeville, Indiana through Pennville (then Camden), then on to Bluffton in Wells County.

For many years, the only Post Office from Pennville to Bluffton was Nottingham in Wells County and important mail did not find its way into the town. However, in the mid 1850s mail left Huntington at 6 a.m. on Monday morning and traveled into Pennville via several other stops. Eventually, many small Post Offices were set up in the county, including Dick, named for a Catholic priest and located east of Pennville; Kit, named for a dog and located east of town; Fiat, also known as Winona; and Balbec, named after a passage in the Bible. When rural mail delivery became possible, most of these smaller operations were discontinued.

Pennville Post Office: Modern Days

2010-12-10T13:42:00.002-05:00

Interior of the Pennville Post Office in 2005.

The first Post Office in the town of Pennville was established on January 19, 1939 with John D. Jones as the Postmaster. The Post Office was named Penn, as Samuel Grissel, one of the town leaders, and a Quaker, was an admirer of William Penn. Jones had built the first house in Pennville (then Camden) in the summer of 1836. Jones' tenure as Postmaster was short-lived, however, as his house burned down a mere six days later. During his tenure, Jones opened only one mail delivery for the town, which contained only one letter. The Post Office was then resumed with John M. Carr being appointed Postmaster.

Until a fire destroyed the building in 1931, the Post Office was located in the Knights of Phythagoras Building, located on South Union Street across from the present-day Post Office. The Post Office then moved across the street to its current location. The Post Office was robbed in on June 13, 1906 for $90 in cash and $10 in stamps and supplies, and also in 1904 and 1913.

Some other Postmasters for the town of Pennville include:

Marilee (Hiday) Blankenbeker (March 24, 1928 - April 22, 2009, age 81) Mrs. Blankenbeker, formerly a co-owner of Pennville's Corner Store served as the town's Postmaster for 15 years.

Alfred M. Hiatt (May 13, 1870 - 1934) became Postmaster on February 15, 1915.

K. Burnell Hott (April 20, 1915 - October 16, 2005, age 90) Mr. Hott retired from the Pennville Post Office with over 40 years service.

Thomas Hughes was Postmaster of Camden in 1857.

J. L. Lofavour was the town's Postmaster in the 1850s, earning a compensation of $73.69 ($1,877 in 2009 dollars). Net proceeds of the Post Office during that time were $93.28 ($2,376 in 2009 dollars), higher than anywhere else in the county, including Portland.

A. Pitman served as Postmaster in 1845.

Darla J. Stafford (1964 - 2006) started her postal career in Pennville as a part-time Postal Clerk when her mother, Rebecca, became the town's Postmaster. When Stafford died in 2006, her memorial fund endowed a trust of $12,000 to supply the Pennville Volunteer Fire Department monies to support their training needs. In 2007 the trust paid for CPR training equipment for the department.

Lyman Thomas served as Postmaster with Theodore Waltz as the Assistant.

John Theodore (Ted) Waltz (October 12, 1910 - June 23, 2001, age 90) Mr. Waltz held the office of Postal Clerk from July 15, 1933 until 1939. He handled the rural delivery of mail to Rural Route 1 from 1939 to June 30, 1973, retiring after 40 years of service.

Bert Wasson served as Deputy Postmaster in 1910.

Recital Program: Pennville Friends Church - 1926

2010-11-23T20:12:00.005-05:00

The program from a recital at the Pennville Friends Church in 1926. Click on the image to see a larger version.

This program, although in poor condition, provides a glimpse into the cultural life in Pennville in the days of the early twentieth century. That Friday evening, August 6, 1926, townspeople gathered at the Pennville Friends Church on West Maple Street to enjoy a music recital performed by some of the youth.

The recital featured two pianos, with one work written for two pianos and eight hands, Matinee de Printemps, performed by Carolyn Jones, Nila Ray, and two members of Pennville High School's class of 1929, Virginia Morrow (later Lowe) and Yetive Coffel (later Addington). Other pieces were written for two pianos with 4 hands, such as Over Hill and Dale, Dusky Sleep Song, Shower of Stars and others. Dusky Sleep Song, by Grace A. Hammon, was featured in the August 1922 edition of The Etude Music Magazine. Spring Song, another piece for two pianos, is known in England as Camberwell Green, after the place in England where Mendelssohn composed it.

Also heard at the recital was the Christian hymn, Rock of Ages, performed by Elizabeth Davis (later Howe), a member of the Pennville High School class of 1932. The hymn, written by Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady, was first published in The Gospel Magazine in 1775.

Pennville High School: Class Composite Pictures - 1941

2010-11-22T21:52:00.005-05:00

Click on image to see a larger version.

First Row: Merlyn Garrett, Donald Jones (Secretary - Treasurer), Jay Hilton (President of Student Council), John W. Reynolds (Principal), Harley Bouse (President), John Mizner (Vice President), Marjorie Hott
Second Row: Betty L. Lewis, Alice Barker, Miriam Gibble, Rosetta Earehart
Third Row: Leon L. Sipe, Melba Earehart, Neal Bouse, Kathryn Cain, Truman Shumaker, Marjorie Cash, Robert L. Meyers, Cecil L. Miller

Pennville Telephone Directory: June 1, 1907

2010-11-12T17:55:00.011-05:00

The Pennville Telephone Directory dated June 1, 1907

The year 1876 brought two major advancements in America's use of the telephone. First, Alexander Graham Bell received the first patent, then the telephone switchboard was invented, making it possible to connect two telephones together, or to an outside connection. Use of the telephone spread rapidly, and between 1894 and 1913, small independent telephone companies sprung up, challenging the monopoly held by American Bell. In a paper entitled "The People's Telephone...by Robert MacDougall" it is noted that these new thousands of independents were most popular in the Midwest. MacDougall points out that "more than half of the 3.1 million independent telephone companies operating in 1907 were operating in the farming areas of Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Pennville Telephone Company was one of them.

A Pennville Telephone Directory was preserved by William Edmundson in January 1986, a copy of which is held at the town library. At the time of the directory, local businessman Andy D. Parks was the President and Treasurer of the Pennville Telephone Company, with Kitty Parks serving as Secretary and Fred D. Parks serving as Manager. Of the 314 listings in the 1907 directory, 278 were residenital (which included farms) and 36 were businesses. Using the known population of Pennville of 697 in 1895, this means that approximately 40 percent of the population had telephone service in 1907.

The Pennville Blog reaches its 10,000th "hit."

2010-11-02T18:13:00.004-04:00

The Pennville Blog has now reached its 10,000th "hit."

Thanks to everyone for making this blog a success!

Pennville Businesses: The George E. Hiester Store

2010-10-22T16:17:00.009-04:00

Above and Middle: The front and back of the token found from the George E. Hiester Store. Bottom: An advertisement from the store from 1897. Thanks to DS and RR.

One of the best things about writing the Pennville Blog is receiving information from the readers. Since, I suspect, that most mementos from the town's past remain in people's private collections, or even attics, and not necessarily on eBay or in antique stores, it is exciting to discover what those items are. Recently, Donna (Rogers) Skinner, formerly of Pennville, sent a scan of a rare store token from the early 1900s that someone had given her mother, Ruth Rogers. The token was found on the current Richard Nibarger property, in the 400 block of East Maple Street in Pennville, across the street from where the Fred Miller Feed Mill used to stand. Donna has graciously allowed me to use the image on the blog so I can share it with everyone. We would welcome any further information on the Hiester family or the store itself. Information can be posted as a comment on the blog, or sent to my email address, which is pennville@googlemail.com, or pennville@hotmail.com. Of course, I'm always grateful to receive any scans or pictures relating to the history of Pennville.

Two references were located relating to the Hiester store. (It should be noted, that there was a prominent doctor in Pennvile during the same time named "Hiestand" but that is a different family.) In the November 25, 1897 issue of the town's local paper of the time, "The Pennville Gazette," an advertisement was found for the store, at that time owned by George Hiester's father, Henry Hiester. Another reference to the store is a listing in the June 1, 1907 Pennville Telephone Directory, which reads "127 (the telephone number) Hiester, Geo. E. store." There is nothing indicating the location of the store, although most stores of the time were on Union Street downtown, or on Lagro Street.

The Hiester family, like many pioneer families that came by ship from Europe, originated in Buck's County, Pennsylvania. Benjamin Daniel (called "Daniel") Hiester was born in Bucks County on May 1, 1814 and died in 1887 near Boundary in Jay County. On August 29, 1849 he married Sarah Langle in Fairfield County, Ohio. Sarah was born in Fairfield County in 1818 and died on November 6, 1854 in Salamonia.

Daniel's son, Henry H. Hiester, the first owner of the store, was born February 25, 1848 in Salamonia. Henry married Sarah Frickel on September 23, 1869 in Jay County. He died in 1919. Sarah lived from 1848 - 1934. Benjamin, his wife Sarah, and Henry and his wife Sarah are all buried in Boundary Cemetery in Jay County.

George Egbert Hiester, the man listed on the token, was born on October 4, 1877 in Jay County. After owning the store, he moved to Washington State. He died in Auburn, King County, Washington on March 30 1943 at age 65. His wife, Elsa, died January 30, 1960 at age 84.

Thanks to Donna and Ruth for providing this piece of Pennville History so that we could know about one more of Pennville's historical businesses.

We're Back!

2010-10-22T15:55:00.003-04:00

So sorry for the sporadic postings of late...I've been experience multiple computer problems. My main computer's motherboard went out, then the backup computer got a virus!

The regular posting should now be able to continue. Thanks for your patience!

Notable Visitors: Levi Coffin

2010-08-17T13:32:00.016-04:00

The Levi Coffin House in Fountain City, Indiana is a registered historical landmark.

Levi Coffin, who is sometimes referred to as the "President" of the Underground Railroad, and who helped many slaves flee to freedom, had a Pennville connection. Much has been written about the involvement of the Paxsons and Edmundsons, two Balbec area families who were active in the Underground Railroad movement, but, historically, Coffin is more widely known. In his eight-room Federal home in Fountain City (then Newport) in Wayne County, Coffin and his wife Catharine helped more than 2,000 slaves escape to Canada. In 1967 the state of Indiana purchased the Coffin house, which still stands on Highway 67 and is open to the public. Levi Coffin attended the Quaker Quarterly Meeting with members from Pennville and, in 1876, recounted his experience in the Underground Railroad in his well-known book "Reminiscences of Levi Coffin." In this book, Coffin says that "I sent many of my slaves by way of Camden (now Pennville) and Balbec. I consider this to be my safest way." Coffin is claimed to even have helped the famous "Eliza Harris," the heroine of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and whose flight to freedom is memorialized in a monument outside Balbec. Nathanial Coffin, a relative of Levi Coffin, is buried at the Hillside Cemetery in Pennville. Nathaniel Coffin is the earliest-born man buried in Jay County, having been born in 1777.

Levi Coffin, who is sometimes referred to as the "President" of the Underground Railroad, and who helped many slaves flee to freedom, had a Pennville connection. Much has been written about the involvement of the Paxsons and Edmundsons, two Balbec area families who were active in the Underground Railroad movement, but, historically, Coffin is more widely known.

In his eight-room Federal home in Fountain City (then Newport) in Wayne County, Coffin and his wife Catharine helped more than 2,000 slaves escape to Canada. In 1967 the state of Indiana purchased the Coffin house, which still stands on Highway 67 and is open to the public.

Levi Coffin attended the Quaker Quarterly Meeting with members from Pennville and, in 1876, recounted his experience in the Underground Railroad in his well-known book "Reminiscences of Levi Coffin." In this book, Coffin says that "I sent many of my slaves by way of Camden (now Pennville) and Balbec. I consider this to be my safest way." Coffin is claimed to even have helped the famous "Eliza Harris," the heroine of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and whose flight to freedom is memorialized in a monument outside Balbec.

Nathanial Coffin, a relative of Levi Coffin, is buried at the Hillside Cemetery in Pennville. Nathaniel Coffin is the earliest-born man buried in Jay County, having been born in 1777.

Crime: The Post Office Robbery of 1906

2010-08-06T14:28:00.011-04:00

An early postmark of the Pennville Post Office

In the early morning hours of June 13, 1906, the Pennville Post Office was robbed for the second time in two years. And, like the first time, the robbers escaped without being caught.

Between midnight and one o’clock on Wednesday morning Mr. James Wasson, who lived across the street from the Post Office, was awakened by the sound of dynamite exploding. Getting out of bed, he got a revolver, but his wife didn’t want him to shoot in that direction. Mrs. Wasson then went to the rear of the house and Mr. Wasson proceeded to shoot from an open front window upstairs. His view was obstructed by a tree, and each of his six bullets hit the Post Office building, some going through the windows, but none of them reached any of the robbers. After Mr. Wasson quit shooting, the robbers returned fire, firing six bullets into the front of the Wasson home. Bullets also went on either side of window Wasson was firing from, the closest one within twenty inches of his head.

The robbers escaped the scene with about $90 in cash ($2,121.51 in 2009 dollars), as well as around $10 in stamps and supplies. Although the robbers were not caught, in 1910 James Wasson, then the brother of Deputy Postmaster Bert Wasson, made a bid for Town Marshall on the “Citizens” ticket, in a factional town fight over the location of the new Pennville School building.

Pennville Ephemera: Grabill & Gilman Photographers

2010-07-30T14:36:00.003-04:00

Cabinet Photo: Grabill & Gilman Photographers, Pennville, Indiana, depicting Lynn Walter Danforth.

Pennville Ephemera: The Pennville Milling Company

2010-07-30T14:34:00.004-04:00

Advertisement for the Pennville Milling Company, circa 1950s or 1960s.

Six Houses That Moved

2010-07-14T11:13:00.013-04:00

(1) The Williams/Dubach house on East Pleasant Street.

(2) 325 South Union - the Pro/Tankersley house.

(3) The Bayles/Stultz house on East Maple Street.

(4) The house of Selah and Faye L. Pierce at 295 West Pleasant Street.

(5) 280 South Meridian Street - The Michael Hoover house.

(6) The Cash/Hilton house on East Harrison Street.

In addition to the house in the 100 block of West Lagro Street that was moved west of its original location to accommodate the building of a new service station (see the post titled “Then and Now: The House That Moved West” under the label “Houses”), several other houses in Pennville were moved to their present locations from other places.

(1) This house, built in 1908 by Walter Williams, and for decades the home of Robert Dubach and his family, was moved to its present lot on East Pleasant Street from 1-1/2 miles north of town. Mr. Williams, who owned a Pennville filling station and auto accessories business, moved the house.

(2) Built in 1865 by Jacob Bosworth, the house at 325 South Union Street was moved from the north end of Pennville. The house has been the home of Adam Pro, who owned Pro Television (repair) and Filling Station, and the Edward Tankersley family.

(3) Also moved from the north end was part of this house on East Maple Street, previously owned by Pennville veterinarian Dr. J. Bayles. Jay Stultz and his family also occupied the house, built in 1890.

(4) The small house of Pennville Friends Church pastor Faye L. Pierce and her husband, Selah, was originally built in 1964 on the grounds of the Walnut Corner Church in Greene Township and moved to its current location at 293 West Pleasant Street. Mrs. Pierce was also a long-time elementary school teacher in town. In the last two decades the house changed further when a second story was added.

(5) Originally located on the edge of the “Lagoon,” this house, built in 1906 by Michael Hoover, was relocated to 280 South Meridian Street. The Lagoon was a popular town park-like area on the Salamonia River at the southwest part of town and was known to many residents as “Mike Hoover’s Lagoon.”

(6) Harold Cash, who remodeled this house on East Harrison Street, moved it to be further from the road. Jay Hilton and his family owned the house for many years.

1945 Plane Crash Near Pennville

2010-07-07T11:50:00.003-04:00

A Douglas C-47 Skytrain in flight.

On the morning of Saturday, October 27, 1945, a U.S. Army transport plane crashed onto a riverbank near Pennville, on the farm of the late Dr. Charles Caylor. The crash occurred around 8 a.m.

The plane, a Douglas C-47, was en route from Wright Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio and was carrying servicemen to Minneapolis to attend the Ohio State-Minnesota football game. The plane apparently hit a tree and “snapped in two” as the pilot attempted a crash-landing due to engine trouble, reported the Associated Press. Douglas–C47 “Skytrains” were used extensively during World War II to transport troops.

Five of the servicemen were killed in the crash. Four of the victims were killed immediately and a fifth died in the Portland hospital. Fourteen others were injured, including seven who were injured critically. Some of the victims were taken to the Portland hospital, two were taken to the hospital at Hartford City and another two were taken to two different hospitals in Bluffton. Names of the victims were withheld until families could be notified.

In addition to The Associated Press, The New York Times also reported news of the crash.

Notable Residents: Charles E. Caylor, M.D., Part I - Beginnings

2010-07-01T15:38:00.004-04:00

Provident Hospital in 1907

Dr. Charles E. Caylor was an early proponent of group practice medicine and built the first hospital in Pennville, the Provident Hospital, which would later move to Bluffton to become the Caylor-Nickel Clinic.

The son of David Samuel Caylor (1829-1903) and his third wife Alice Shockley, Charles was born in Greentown on April 17, 1870. The Caylor family had originally emigrated from Germany, then moved westward to Virginia, Ohio, and finally, Indiana. When he was 10, Charles’ mother died of typhoid fever, leaving him to be raised with his siblings by his father, a doctor and pastor in the Dunkard church (later Church of the Brethren). After being widowed the third time, Dr. Caylor married his fourth wife and they raised Charles on a farm near Somerset, Indiana in Wabash County.

After graduating from Somerset High School, young Charles decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and study medicine. Because his father could not afford to send him to school, Charles taught grade school near Somerset six months of the year, and attended the Kentucky School of Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky the rest of the year. Louisville was then the home of several medical schools, due to the city’s large pauper population, making cadavers for dissection plentiful. In 1893 Charles completed his medical studies and returned to Someset to marry a local girl, Bessie Ferree.

Because the Indiana gas and oil boom was in full swing, increasing local populations, Dr. Caylor moved to Gas City, Indiana to practice medicine with Dr. Samuel S. Goodin. However, he soon realized that there was not enough business in the town for two doctors. The Caylors then moved to Nottingham, in Wells County, Indiana, where there were several hundred people but no doctor. There Dr. Caylor made his rounds by bicycle, as he could not afford a horse.

In 1897 a Dr. Horn in Pennville, who was going deaf, recruited Dr. Charles to assist him, and Caylor set up shop in town above Nate Linn’s Tin Shop. There, the Caylor’s lived in a large brick house at the junction of State Roads 1 and 22. When Dr. Horn stopped practicing, Caylor moved his office a block north above Burt Heister’s Grocery Store and continued his practice.

Notable Residents: Charles E. Caylor, M.D., Part II - A Hospital Comes to Town

2010-07-01T15:33:00.007-04:00

Dr. Charles E. Caylor and his wife, Bessie Ferree Caylor (taken from "A Clinic in a Cornfield," by their son Harold D. Caylor, M.D., 1982.

After he heard that two brothers who were doctors had started a group practice in Rochester, Minnesota (a practice which later became the Mayo Clinic), Dr. Caylor told his wife at the supper table, “If they can do something like this in Minnesota, why don’t we try and do something like that here in Indiana?” So, in 1907, inspired by the idea, Caylor purchased a commercial building in Pennville and converted it into a 10-bed hospital, naming it Provident Hospital. The hospital opened on November 1, 1907.

Dr. Caylor became an excellent surgeon, traveling a week each year to observe surgeons in Chicago, New York, and at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. After completely losing his sight in one eye due to an infection, the resilient doctor continued to practice surgery successfully, learning to overcome the limitation of monocular sight, which affected his depth perception. By 1917, the successful hospital was seeing over 4,000 patients a year.

In perhaps the most devastating twist in Pennville’s history, the loss of the CB&C Railroad affected the town by stopping incoming freight and limiting the marketing of the area’s agricultural products. Faced with the effects of this economic downturn, Caylor was faced with a decision to move the hospital to another town. Portland was considered, but there were already several doctors and a hospital there. Several investors offered to make Hartford City in Blackford County a possibility, but since Dr. Caylor already was familiar with the clientele in Wells County from practicing medicine in Nottingham, he decided Bluffton offered the most opportunities. The hospital moved to Bluffton in 1918.

In the 1930s, Charles and Bessie Caylor bought a lot in their hometown of Somerset on the banks of the Mississinewa River and built a four-room cottage there. Caylor spent the weekends and holidays fishing and relaxing from his busy life at the clinic. On the evening of July 4, 1944, the Caylors were returning to Bluffton from their cottage on State Road 124. As was their custom, Mrs. Caylor was driving the car, while Dr. Caylor read aloud to her from a book. At a small hill, which obstructed her view, Mrs. Caylor stopped at a stop sign, and then proceeded across the intersection. Two boys in a car pulling a two-wheeled trailer were traveling fast going north and pulled into the path of the Caylor car. Mrs. Caylor missed the boy’s car, but struck the trailer. Upon impact, Dr. Caylor fell against the door handle, the door opened, and he fell from the car, hitting his head on the pavement. A doctor from nearby Warren came on the accident, and followed the Caylors to the clinic in Bluffton. There Dr. Charles E. Caylor was diagnosed with a severe basal skull fracture. He never regained consciousness and died the following morning, July 5, 1944.

Community Programs: 1949 "Free Shows"

2010-06-25T14:43:00.006-04:00

Movie poster from 1942's comedy "Smart Alecks"

In December 1949, in order to provide free, wholesome entertainment to the community, a group of Pennville businessmen sponsored a series of weekly “Free Shows” under the auspices of the town park board.

Shows ran every Saturday, beginning on December 3^rd at 7:15 p.m., in the Pennville gym, and were selected and operated by local people, and paid for by the sponsoring businesses of Pennville State Bank, Horn and Montgomery Insurance, Pennville Milling Company, Joe Garrett’s Cigar Store, Charles Denny Service Station, Harrington and McCarty Store, Ed Clark Service Station, Whitacre Barber Shop, Williams Shoe Service, Pensinger Café, Norris Feed Store, Ideal Glove Company, Child’s 5c to $1.00 Store, Crosbie’s Garage, Polhemus and Crosbie Funeral Home, Florence’s Beauty Salon, Don Newhouse Garage, Davis Stephens Hardware, Pennville Oil and Lumber, Vern’s Market, Hughes Service Station, Brady and Gaskill Service Station, Pennville Locker Plant, “Tumble Inn,” and Platt’s Self-Serve Market.

The first show offered was “Smart Alecks,” a 1942 film featuring the popular East Side Gang, which ran with two other short subjects. In Smart Alecks, Danny of the gang captures a wanted criminal and receives a $200 reward. He has a falling-out with the rest of the gang when they demand part of the money. The comedy escalates when the criminal escapes and comes looking for Danny.

Pennville businessmen hoped that these weekly free shows for all would show their appreciation for townspeople trading locally and used the program as a “means of telling you to make Pennville your trading center.”

The CB&C Railroad: Not Just Financial Disasters

2010-06-18T13:56:00.004-04:00

A rare photo of the May 22, 1913 wreck of the CB&C. The image is from "Ghost Railroads of Indiana," by Elmer G. Sulzer, Indiana University Press, 1970.

The Cincinnati, Bluffton & Chicago Railroad, which ran through Pennville, was troubled not only financially, but plagued with a series of accidents, injuries and deaths – all this in the second shortest existence of any Indiana railroad established in the 20^th century.

The first fatality of the railroad was Pennville resident George Schoch. In November 1905, eight miles south of Bluffton on the Reuben Stout farm, Schoch was working as a fireman on a train consisting of only the engine, tender, and a passenger coach. The train was returning to Pennville after delivering nineteen cars of gravel to Bluffton and traveling south in order to join a north bound passenger train at Fiat, the engine running backward. The tender jumped the tracks, causing the engine to strike it. Schoch was scalded from “head to foot,” according to the Bluffton Chronicle, and the “skin peeled off his hands like a pair of gloves.” He died the next day.

A worse accident occurred on May 22, 1913 when a CB&C train crashed after a newly constructed steel girder collapsed as the train was crossing a bridge. The girder had replaced a wooden bridge crossing the Wabash River just north of Bluffton, which had been damaged by a flood earlier that year. Stopping north of the bridge, the train loaded five cars of gravel, proceeding to push them ahead of the locomotive towards Bluffton.

Killed in the collapse was 46 year-old Adam F. Handwork, the engineer of the train. Ed Parker, the fireman was seriously injured. John Rapp, the conductor, and Orla and William Guidice, the brakeman, were in the coach, but escaped injury. After the accident, passengers were required to disembark and walk across the bridge before the trains entered it.

Pennville Sewage Plant: Part I - Debate and Lawsuits

2010-06-11T13:43:00.004-04:00

Richard Wall, President of the Pennville Town Board, felt the new sewage plant was "mandatory."

In 1967, the town of Pennville took sides in what would become a legal fight about whether or not to build a new sewage plant in the town. A standoff commenced, led by Raymond Clark, the “unofficial” leader of those opposed to the plant, and Richard Wall, the President of the Pennville Town Board.

A lawsuit was filed on May 16 by eighteen town residents, to block the construction of the plant. According to a newspaper article by Alan Richman at the time, the suit alleged that the proposed plant would be “odorous, attract flies and mosquitoes, depreciate homes, and in general constitute a nuisance.” But the real problem became money.

Clark spoke on behalf of town persons opposed to the plant, stating worries that the plant would put the town in debt for years to come. There were also concerns that it would not provide a complete sewage disposal system. Present ditches would not be able to carry the sewage, the group insisted. Clark went further to say that he was worried that the new system would make Pennville a “ghost town.” Tax rate assessments, then at over eight dollars, were predicted to become as “great as a large city.”

Wall, who conceded that there would be additional expenses for the town, saw the plant as mandatory. The state had already asked Pennville to take steps to decrease the pollution of the Salamonie River. Tests from the water had shown that stagnant water was coming from Nichols Ditch. Because the area quicksand prevented digging new ditches, Wall felt that the new sewage plant would be the most cost-effective way of complying with the state mandate.

Pennville Sewage Plant: Part II - Resolution

2010-06-11T13:39:00.007-04:00

Raymond Clark, owner of a local furniture store, worried that the new sewage plant would make Pennville a "ghost town."

Strongly supporting Wall in his assessment was his father-in-law, prominent town business owner Robert Fenters. Fenters, the owner of Fenter’s Boneless Beef on Union Street, refuted the belief of some in the town – that the pollution of the Salamonie came from his business. To prove his assertion that it was “a lie,” Fenters conducted a private chemical study that found pollution in all of the independent ditches that emptied into Nichols Ditch, making it impossible to tell one from the other. He claimed that his plant did not empty into all the ditches.

In November of that year, the suit, which sought to block construction of the new sewage treatment plant, was dismissed, as the plaintiffs failed to post a $100,000 bond. However, another suit was filed by Pennville citizens Marshall McCarty and others seeking $250,000 in damages. Pennville Town Attorney Wayne Hinkle of Portland, claimed the suit was premature, as damages could not be assessed until the actual plant was built.

In 1975, the new sewage plant was completed, costing $896,605 ($3.5 million in 2009 dollars). A decade later, in 1985, the water system was updated with a filter, costing an additional $460,000 ($905,000 in 2009 dollars). The battle had ended, and Pennville had a new town sewage treatment plant.

Pennville High School: Class Composite Pictures - 1936 and 1962

2010-06-01T12:48:00.008-04:00

Click on image to see a larger version. A special thanks to Mary Helen for providing me with these photos.

Top: Pennville High School Class of 1936

First Row: Pearl Free, Bob Hartley, Jeanne McCarty (President), M. Clyde Black (Principal), Woodrow Valentine (Vice President), Sara Craig (Secretary and Treasurer)

Second Row: Francis Current, Helen Beath, Maxine Polley, Margaret Susan Bourne, Edna Daugherty, Clyde Turner

Third Row: Omer Talbert, Wilda Smith, Jesse Edmundson, Eleanor Stansbury, Helen Whitacre, Delbert Taylor, Juanita Bouse, Ruby Ogan

Bottom: Pennville High School Class of 1962

First Row: Butch Gibson, Marilyn Davis (Secretary), Ted Waltz (President), Ross Sharp (Principal), Bill Stephens (Sponsor), Larry Dickson (Vice President), Dwight Watts (Treasurer), Colleen Christman (Student Council)

Second Row: Linda Bourne, Larry Geesaman, Mary Helen Decker, Jerry Curtis, Margaret Scholer, Joe Upp, Lana Van Horn, Gary James, Glenna Kerns, Larry Frogge

Third Row: Rex Penrod, Betty Evans, Clarence Harter, Norma Brewster, Terry Elliott, Alicia DePoy, Ray Gibson, Sandra Murphy, Dan Merchant, Kay Hoover

Fourth Row: Janis Harriett, Jim McEwen, Mike Simons, Dick Davidson, Dianna Ridgway, David Ridgway, Keith Cline, Dave Brown, Carolyn Conway, Mike Grile

Fifth Row: Elvin Newhouse, Pat Briggs, Gloria Downing, Jerry Ross

Pennville War Veterans by Cemetery: Part I - Hillside

2010-05-27T13:14:00.004-04:00

The final resting place of Civil War veteran Theodore W. Underwood is at Hillside

Memorial Day, a federal holiday observed annually on the last Monday of May, commemorates all veterans who died while serving in America’s military. Former slaves first observed the holiday in 1865, after they reinterred their war dead from a mass grave into individual graves. Although the first annual observance began in 1866, the official holiday was enacted into Federal law in 1967. Sometimes called Decoration Day, the day is observed by visiting cemeteries and memorials.

The graves of many war veterans can be found in Pennville and the surrounding area. Here are some of those sites, listed by location.

Hillside Cemetery

Home to Pennville’s most famous veteran, Indian fighter Jessie Gray, Hillside is also the town’s oldest cemetery. Known for many years as the “Quaker Cemetery” (and also as the Claycomb Cemetery), it lies on a gently sloping hill at the east end of town, flanked by privately owned fields on the east and south, the Legion-Lions Park on the west and County Road W 400 N on the north. Grissell Street dead-ends at the cemetery at its southern-most point.

Hillside is the final resting place of many Civil War veterans, such as Andrew Abbott, William T. Allen, Aaron and Seba Armitage, Isaac and James Barnes, John Barr, Rudolph Bentz, James Bigson, Jacob Bosworth, Francis Bunker, Hamilton Cash, Ephraim Cline, Samuel Dickson, John Geiger, Lewis Gibble, Theodore Grisell, William Harper, Sylvester Hiatt, William Hyde, Solomon Lupton, Heston and Thomas Paxson, Elias Rigby, John Swallow, Theodore W. Underwood, and Elijah Wright. Sylvester Hiatt was killed in action in Winchester, Indiana on March 28, 1862. Lewis Gibble entered the army when he was 14 years old, served all through the war, and was one of the heroes of Gettysburg.

Several veterans of the War of 1812 are buried here, including Gray, Martin Bair, Nathaniel Coffin, Valentine Engle, and Elias Porter.

Pennville War Veterans by Cemetery: Part II - Maple Lawn and I.O.O.F.

2010-05-27T13:10:00.006-04:00

Cornelius Corwin, a Civil War Veteran, is buried at I.O.O.F. Cemetery

Maple Lawn Cemetery

Maple Lawn Cemetery is located on the extreme east side of the town of Pennville, and is bordered by County Road W 400 N on the south, Grissell Street on the west, and private property on the north and east. East Maple Street dead-ends into the cemetery.

Shaded by numerous maple trees, Maple Lawn is the final resting place of over 800 persons, including Pennville Civil War veterans Daniel Hilton, Thomas Jones, Aaron Letts, Dr. Samuel Mason, Arah Mahlon Paxson, Moses Straud, John McCoy Thomas, and Isaac Walker. World War I veterans buried there are Albert Bishop Board, who died of pneumonia, Perry Earehart, Clyde Vannatti, and Charles Binegar.

World War II veterans also rest here, such as Dewey Champ, Carl Downing, Robert Fields, Orville Franks, who gave his life on Leyte Island, and Dorwin Hunt, who was killed in action in the Philippine Islands.

I.O.O.F. Cemetery

I.O.O.F Cemetery, also known as “Twin Hills” is located approximately 1-1/2 miles east of the Pennville town limits and is by far the largest burial ground in the Pennville area. The cemetery is bordered by private land on the east, west and south and by County Road W 400 N on the north. Well over 4,000 persons are buried here, making its “population” nearly six times larger than that of the town itself. Veterans of the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War are interred here - too many to count out by name.

Veterans of the Civil War buried at I.O.O.F. include James Bloxsom, Thomas Cartwright, Cornelius Corwin, Simon Morrow, Allen Place, and Stephen B. H. Shanks, who was wounded November 25, 1863 and received a disability discharge.

World War I veterans Francis S. Bunker, Clifford Cart, long-time Pennville businessman John Henry Crosbie, Claude Flahie, who died at Camp Custer during the Influenza outbreak of 1918, Raymond Grisell, John Lewis Hott, and Del Lupton are interred here.

World War II veterans buried here are James Bradley, who was killed in Luxembourg, Herley Cart, Thoburn Gaskill, Harley Geesaman, George Horton, Truman Lillard, Frank Paxson, Virgil Robinette, and Charles Twigg.

Veterans of the Korean Conflict found here include Charles Brown, Milo Green, James Monroe, George Watkins, and Robert Robinette. Also, several Vietnam War veterans are buried at I.O.O.F. including C. J. Cart, James Martin, James Scott, and Jeff Harold Upp, who was killed in the Republic of South Vietnam in 1969.

Pennville War Veterans by Cemetery: Part III - Other Area Cemeteries

2010-05-27T13:06:00.005-04:00

Pennville Civil War veteran Bennett Goodson is interred in Daugherty Cemetery

Other Area Cemeteries of Interest

Center Cemetery

Located in Green Township, some area Civil War veterans are buried here, including Pennville veteran Jacob Hutzler.

Daugherty Cemetery

Located in Wabash Township, west of Jay City, Daughterty Cemetery holds the remains of Pennville Civil War veteran Bennett Goodson.

Gilead Cemetery

Civil War veteran Libben R. Gray is buried in this cemetery, located in Penn Township ¼ miles east of Balbec.

Stratton Cemetery

Located in Jefferson Township, Stratton Cemetery is the final resting place of Pennville veteran James J. Hite.

West Grove Cemetery

Located in Penn Township, this cemetery is located 1-1/2 miles east of Balbec. West Grove is the final resting place of Pennville Civil War veteran Joseph D. Lewis.

Winters Cemetery (also known as Whitaker Cemetery)

Located in Knox Township, Winters Cemetery veterans include Pennville Civil War veteran Redden N. Gaunt, who was killed in action on December 22, 1864 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Pennville High School: Class Composite Pictures - 1938 and 1940

2010-05-21T21:17:00.007-04:00

Click on image to see a larger version.

Top: Pennville High School Class of 1938

First Row: Kieth Rex Wright, Mary Morrical, Philip Current, M. Clyde Black (Principal), Gail Clevenger, Marjorie Stultz, James H. Webb

Second Row: Arthur P. Tyndall, Bea Barker, Wilma Prouty, Dean Stultz

Third Row: Roy Whiteman, Pauline Braner, Jay C. Stansbury (Secretary and Treasurer), Nell Jean Edmundson (Vice President), J. Herbert Hoover (President), Emmagene Cole, Earl Rigby

Fourth Row: Ed Hiatt, James Crosbie, Delite Hummer, Lloyd Paxson, Fred Paxson, Hazel Binegar, Melvin James, Gerald Taylor

Bottom: Pennville High School Class of 1940

First Row: Bob Conkling (Vice President and Student Council), Anna Jeanne Paxson (President of Student Council), Denzel R. Earehart (Vice President), M. Clyde Black (Principal), Raymond Garrett (President), Erna Gay Bunker (Secretary Treasurer), Danny Rand

Second Row: Carl Stultz, Jaudine White, Sarah Jane Oblinger, Keith McLaughlin

Third Row: Charles Crockett, Mona Mae Waltz, Barbara Leamon, Jim Morrical

Fourth Row: Bob Downing, Yetive Hummer, Wanda Child, Violet Horn, Miles J. Davis, Naomi Bouse, Billie Lou Hanlin, Charles E. Morgan

Pennville High School: Class Composite Pictures - 1959 and 1960

2010-05-18T17:05:00.010-04:00

Click on image to see a larger version

Top: Pennville High School Class of 1959

First Row: Dave Coldwell, Anita Spencer (Secretary), Les Bourne (Vice President), Helen Paxson (Sponsor), Chester L. Addington (Principal), Robert Keen (President), Marilyn McEwen (Treasurer), Henry Ford

Second Row: Nancy Wall, Ruth Ann Wible, David Claghorn, Julia Addington, Priscilla Watts, Joan McClain, Jim Gates, Barbara Briggs, Linda Hapner

Third Row: Tom Harriett, Joan Elliott, Sara Baughman, Lloyd Cline, Floyd Cline, Beth Thomas, Alberta Brewster, Jeffrey Coffel

Fourth Row: Rollin Bedwell, Hazel Chadwick, Mark Shaneyfelt, Sandra Penrod, Judith Myers, Bill Bourne, Janet Lines, Sharon Kerns

Fifth Row: Larry Hanlin, Jerry Hanlin, Carl Dillman, Jerry Thornburg

Bottom: Pennville High School Class of 1960

First Row: Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, Bill Myers (Treasurer), Virginia Elliott (Secretary), Roland Young (Principal), Mattie N. Gibson (Sponsor), Tom Hedges (President and Student Council), Gary Daniels (Vice President), Patty DeHoff (Student Council)

Second Row: Ronald Blakely, Ellen Scholer, David James, Lowell DePoy, Dale Moore, Noel Sell, Janice Mahon, Dick Harter

Third Row: Roberta Rogers, Mike Gibson, Sharon Frogge, Patty Paxson, Kenny Lewis, Darrell Norris, Kenny Knotts, Tom Elliott

Fourth Row: Doris Mink, Gerald Rinard, Sonja Hiday, Steve Whitesell, Joan Pearson, Vernon Elliott

Pennville in the 1927 Jay County, Indiana Directory: Officials and Streets

2010-05-11T16:00:00.007-04:00

This listing of city officials and streets completes the Pennville listings in the 1927 Jay County, Indiana Directory.

To see a complete listing, including city officials, streets, businesses and residents, click on the Label named "1927 Jay County, IN Directory" to the right of the home page of the blog. Remember, all images can be made larger by clicking on them.

Pennville in the 1927 Jay County, Indiana Directory: Residents - Paxson (Jack) to Wright

2010-05-11T15:50:00.005-04:00

Pennville residential listings in the 1927 Jay County, Indiana Directory from Jack Paxson to Thelma Wright. Included also are advertisements for the Pennville Milling Company, T. E. Borden, Pennville Lumber Company, The Model, Coca-Cola and The Commercial Review.

Pennville Volunteer Fire Department: Part I - Tragedies

2010-05-04T14:07:00.002-04:00

Above: The Pennville Volunteer Fire Department in the 1950s

The fact that the town of Pennville formed one of the best-equipped fire departments in the area was the result of two early 20^th century tragedies, both of which destroyed significant parts of the downtown.

In the early morning hours of December 19, 1908, the entire block of the east 200 block of North Union Street, which housed the large Home Union Store, the offices of Dr. Bloxsome, Boxsome’s Hardware Store, J. W. Johnson’s grocery, the Carroll-Winget Gas & Oil Company and the Peoples State Bank was engulfed in flames. Since there was no fire protection at the time, all the town could manage was to contain the fire, which resulted in financial losses of $75,000 ($1.7 million in 2009 dollars). The block was rebuilt a year later and became the future site of Platt’s IGA, the Rainbow Cleanette laundry and the Pennville Bank. Again, in the early hours of July 11, 1931, the Knights of Pythagoras building on South Union Street erupted in fire. This time the only fire equipment available was two chemical tanks on a cart. Losses included the John Reid grocery store, the post office and the Beasley and Waltz Drug Store. Citizens felt they must become more involved.

Although a makeshift group had responded to fire calls since 1913, no official fire department had been organized. This changed when John H. “Jack” Crosbie came to Pennville following his military service. Crosbie, with the help of James W. Whitacre organized the first Pennville Volunteer Fire Department in early 1919. Crosbie became the first Fire Chief, a position he held for many years, and Whitacre was made Secretary. The department began with two chemical tanks mounted on a two-wheeled cart pulled with a rope and a few feet of fire hose. Soon after the organization, Crosbie lobbied the town board to provide better equipment, but his requests went unheeded. If the board had approved the equipment, perhaps the effects of the 1931 fire could have been lessened.

Pennville Volunteer Fire Department: Part II - The Town Gets a Fire Truck

2010-05-04T14:02:00.003-04:00

Above: The department's 1962 Chevrolet/Howe pumper.

After the fire in 1931, citizens conceded that more modern equipment must be obtained, which led to the purchase of the Stutz fire truck in 1932. The department grew in the 1930s to a ten-member group, which included Kenneth Brady, Basil Harris Sr., William G. Jones, Harley Daniels, Paul James, Roscoe Bradford, Ralph Philabaum and Ralph McConnell. Pennville soon had one of the best-equipped fire departments in the area, eventually growing to twenty members and possessing modern fire prevention equipment such as tankers, pumpers, a grass buggy, radio-equipped trucks, ladders, hoses, pike poles, entry tools, hard lights, metal and masonry cutting saws and dry chemicals. The Daniels and Crosbie families even boasted multi-generation members.

On August 5, 1935 the town received notice that $32,777 ($507,000 in 2009 dollars) had been granted for the purpose of building a water works, paid entirely by taxation. The project further aided fire prevention by providing a pumper type engine and a cistern in the business district. On October 23, 1961 the department registered as a non-profit domestic corporation.

Today the Pennville Volunteer Fire Department has approximately 33 members and serves five townships consisting of 81 square miles and more than 2,000 people. The department shares a headquarters with the Pennville City building at 105 North Washington Street. In June 2004, the town was awarded a $148,000 Community Focus Fund grant for the purchase of a new fire truck.

Pennville High School: Letterman's Jacket, 1970s

2010-03-11T16:31:00.007-05:00

Pictured is a Pennville High School "Letterman's" jacket from the 1970s. Letters were awarded to athletes based on participation and performance in a particular sport. The "P" on this jacket indicates the wearer "lettered" in Basketball for two years, and Cross Country/Track and Baseball for one year. The number of stripes awarded, and then worn on the arm of the jacket, indicated the total number of years the athlete lettered. Members of the Pennville High School Track team were the Jay County champions in 1972.

Pennville High School: Band "Blaser" Uniforms

2010-03-01T17:05:00.006-05:00

These Pennville High School Band "Blaser" uniforms were worn to give the band a more formal appearance. Worn occasionally, they were an alternative to the regular heavy black and gold uniforms. The Blaser uniforms were worn at least in the 1970s.

Some Pennville Veterans of World War I

2010-02-19T18:09:00.005-05:00

Some Pennville area residents who served in World War I (1914 - 1918). This list is only a small list of the many residents who served in this war.

Marvin A. Baughman (November 10, 1893 - June 18, 1969), Private in Indiana 18 Company 158 Depot Brig, Buried at I.O.O.F. Cemetery

Arthur Binegar (January 8, 1887 - February 3, 1951) Private First Class in Indiana Company A 17 MGBN, Buried at Maple Lawn Cemetery

Francis S. Bunker (April 9, 1893 - May 27, 1972) Private in the Army, Buried at I.O.O.F. Cemetery

Clifford E. Cart (1898 - 1956) Bugler in Indiana Battery F, 137^th FA Regiment, Buried at I.O.O.F. Cemetery

John Henry Crosbie (July 15, 1896 - November 1986) Private in the Army, Buried at I.O.O.F. Cemetery

Perry J. Earehart (January 6, 1890 - March 28, 1972) Private in Indiana Company C Engineers, Buried at Maple Lawn Cemetery

Martin McKinley Fetters (1896 - 1976) Private in the Army, Buried at I.O.O.F. Cemetery

Lowell Hobart Grisell (May 24, 1896 - February 8, 1978) Captain in the Army, Buried at I.O.O.F. Cemetery

Lewis L. Havens (May 1, 1888 - January 12, 1981) Private in the Army, Buried at I.O.O.F. Cemetery

John Lewis Hott (December 29, 1891 - December 6, 1967) Private First Class in Indiana Battery B 74 Artillery, Buried at I.O.O.F. Cemetery

Walter H. Hughes (September 26, 1890 - September 18, 1969) Sergeant in 7 Company QMC, Buried at I.O.O.F. Cemetery

Carl W. Letts (May 13, 1897 - March 17, 1962) Corporal in Indiana Company M Infantry PH, Buried at I.O.O.F. Cemetery

Herbert B. Paxson (September 19, 1906 - January 2, 1924) Served in the Navy, Buried at Hillside Cemetery

Crime: The Pennville Bank Robbery of 1902

2010-02-10T16:21:00.004-05:00

An advertisement from The Pennville Bank in 1903. (Thanks to S.H.)

Pennville has been the site of several robberies, including robberies of the bank in at least 1902, 1906 and 1974, and of the Post Office in 1904, 1906 and 1913. The bank, a prime target, was robbed on the morning of Saturday, April 6, 1902.

The Pennville Bank was started in 1890 with $50,000 (over 1.1 million 2008 dollars) set aside by local businessman Adelma Lupton. Lupton, who came to Pennville in 1838 with his father, made his fortune working first as a blacksmith, then as a manufacturer of plows, wagons, and buggies, and finally in the general trading and livestock business. He stared the private bank, which survived the panic of 1893, and built a reputation as being a sound financial institution to the point that several oil operators of the time kept their money there, even though it was not under state supervision. Lupton died on June 9, 1899 and his son A. G. Lupton was named president. At the time of the robbery, the bank was located at the southwest corner of South Union and Bridge Streets, later the site of the Pennville American Legion.

On that morning, the robbers entered the bank building by raising a window, then drilled a hole in the bank safe, and filled it with an abundance of nitroglycerin. They had previously purchased the tools for drilling at the local blacksmith shop of Bowman & Jones. The blast was so strong that not only was the safe opened successfully, but every pane of glass in the windows and doors were shattered as well. Between $6,000 and $7,000 in currency (between $147,000 and $171,000 in 2008 dollars) was stolen.

Mrs. Eliza Lupton, Adelma Lupton’s widow, heard the blast from her home at 260 South Union Street (today the home of the James Crosbie family). Upon looking out a window, she saw a man run from the front of the bank to a saloon on the opposite side of the street and alerted the authorities.

The Pennville sheriff, Mr. Johnson, and the town marshal, Mr. Fox, patrolled the railroad yard and outgoing trains, but found no-one suspicious. It is unknown if the robbers were ever apprehended.

Pennville, Indiana Telephone Listings for April 1961

2010-01-29T00:19:00.012-05:00

The April 1961 Pennville telephone listings are pictured above. Click any image to view a larger version.

The United Telephone Company of Indiana, Inc. directory in April 1961 included the towns of Portland, Geneva, Petroleum, Pennville, and Salamonia. Each town was listed in an individual section. At the end of the directory, the Yellow Pages integrated listings for all the towns, organized by classifications (e.g., "auto," "clergymen"). The initial 317 area code was still a few years away from being used. Although the use of area codes in the U.S. began in large cities in the 1950s, the system was not nationwide until 1966.

The prefix for Pennville at the time was "PErshing." When giving your number to out-of-town friends , business associates, or long distance operators, the prefix was required. This prefix later became the 731 prefix used to date (7 and 3 being the numerical equivalents of "P" and "E" respectively). Local telephone conversations were automatically timed to assure that all subscribers had an equal opportunity of using the available facilities. After a "reasonable" period the caller would hear a short warning tone. Within 30 to 60 seconds after the tone, the connection would be automatically broken. All long distance calls, which at the time included various categories, the most popular of which were "station-to-station" (talking to anyone who answered), and "person-to-person" (only talking to a particular person), were placed by an operator by dialing "0." Some subscribers were on "party lines," which included others with consecutive four digit telephone numbers. To dial someone on your own "party line" the caller dialed the four digit number, which produced a busy signal, hung the phone up to give the party time to answer, then picked the phone back up to begin the call.

In Pennville, telephone bills were due on the 21st of each month and could be paid by the 5th of the following month without collection charges. Flossie Conkling was the collection agent and maintained an office in her residence at the Coon Apartments.

Note: Due to scanning limitations, the following should be added to the images above.

H - Harris, Charles RFD 1...PErshng 1-2697

L - Lewis Nursing Home...PErshng 1-2231, Lewis, Waynart T...PErshng 1-3591, Life, Floyd RFD1...PErshng 1-2685, Lines, Virgil RFD 2 Bryant...PErshng 1-2669, Lipp, Howard RFD1...PErshng 1-3659

P - Parr, Max RFD2 Bryant...PErshng 1-3633, Paxson, Carl RFD2 Bryant..PErshng 1-2747

S - Shuttleworth Electric Store Jct St Rd 1 & 18 RFD2 Bryant...PErshng 1-2655

Shuttleworth, J A RFD2 Bryant...PErshng 1-2646

Pennville in the 1927 Jay County, Indiana Directory: Residents - Hilton to (Floyd) Paxson

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Pennville residents (Hilton to [Floyd] Paxson) in the 1927 Jay County, Indiana Directory. Also shown are advertisements for Pennville's Furniture Store and Williams Auto.

Pennville in the 1927 Jay County, Indiana Directory: Residents - Alberson to Hiatt

2010-01-19T13:51:00.010-05:00

Pennville residents (Alberson to Hiatt) in the 1927 Jay County, Indiana Directory. Also shown is an advertisement for Fenters Meats. Click on any image to see a larger version.

Pennville Houses: Part I - The Henry V. and Lydia C. Walling House

2009-12-31T14:55:00.002-05:00

The Henry V. and Lydia C. Walling house, date unknown

The Henry V. and Lydia C. Walling house is a large Italianate structure located on the southeast edge of Pennville at 235 South Broadway Street. Henry Vary Walling (1842 – 1875), was a pioneer originally from Providence, Rhode Island who settled in the Pennville area. On September 27, 1865 he married Lydia C. Grisell, the daughter of Pennville “founder” Samuel Grisell and his wife Anna Whitacre Grisell. According to a 1985 Indiana Historic Site and Structures Inventory the house was built around 1870 in the Italianate or “Italian Villa” architectural style, which is illustrated by the house’s tower, which hints at the style’s typical campanile or “bell” tower. Inside the house, there is woodwork decorated with gold stripping. The contractor for the house was T. W. Thomas.

Sometime later, the house was severely damaged by fire, with only the lower level of the west side remaining. Besides the Wallings, the house has been either owned or occupied by Dr. Samuel Mason and Mrs. Herbert Bayne.

Henry Vary Walling, who also served in the Civil War in Company F, 75 Voluntary Infantry, died on 13 September 1875 at age 33. His wife, Lydia, died on February 21, 1895 at the age of 58. Both are buried in the nearby Hillside Cemetery.

Pennville Houses: Part II - The Lew Walling House

2009-12-31T14:45:00.005-05:00

Above: The Lew Walling House, date unknown

Below: Advertisement for L. G. Walling, Druggist, The Pennville Gazette, November 25, 1897

The Lew Walling house was built sometime between 1903 – 1906 by Lewis Grisell Walling, the son of Henry Vary and Lydia C. (Grisell) Walling. The house, built in the Free Classic style, a style based on the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, is located on the southeast edge of Pennville at 225 South Broadway Street. Inside, sliding doors between all rooms make it possible for guests to circle through the house. On the roof, a large tank caught rainwater from gutters to produce running water before the advent of modern plumbing.

Lewis Grisell Walling was born January 24, 1867 in Pennville to Henry Vary and Lydia C. (Grisell) Walling. On March 30, 1892 he married Josephine Underwood (1872 – 1948), the daughter of Isaac Underwood, a member of the Indiana Senate and town postmaster, and his second wife, Martha J. Taylor. Walling was a Pennville druggist in the 1890s. He and his wife Josephine are both buried at the IOOF Cemetery near Pennville.

In addition to the Wallings, the house has been owned or occupied by the Ireland family, Pearl Sell and James Wheeler.

2010 Pennville High School Alumni Banquet Set

2009-12-19T23:47:00.001-05:00

The 2010 Pennville Alumni Banquet will be held on Saturday, May 15. Please email Sue Ann McLaughlin at pennvillealumnus@yahoo.com for more information.

The Jones School

2009-12-17T22:34:00.003-05:00

When I began writing this blog, I decided to limit its focus to the history of Pennville the town, instead of including the surrounding area. However, when I found a recent item on eBay from the Jones School, I decided to make an exception.

The Jones School, one of eleven “district” or “common” schools in Penn Township, was established around 1856 – 1857 in the former home of Pennville pioneer John D. Jones (1793 – 1876), a mile and a half northwest of Pennville, which was then called Camden. Jones originally moved to Jay County in 1836 from his home in Pennsylvania (via Ohio and Wayne County, Indiana) where he built Pennville’s first home in the summer of 1836 behind the 100 block of West Lagro Street (the block that the Home Union and, later, Platt’s IGA occupied). In 1839 he was appointed the town’s first postmaster. Four log houses had been built in the north part of Penn Township in 1856 – 1857 to house country schools. Besides the Jones School, there were also the Paxson and Griest schools.

William Griest (1846 – 1926), the well-known area historian, was a teacher at the Jones School in the winter of 1867 – 1868 and writes that it was “…a typical school house of that day, and…a step in advance of the old log buildings of the pioneers.” The building itself was constructed of hewn logs, neatly closed up with lime mortar and was about 24 by 30 feet. The ceiling was made from unpainted boards. The room was fairly well lighted and had a blackboard across one end. Pupils had their own desks, which were made of pine lumber. For teaching at the school, Griest received $72 for the term of 12 weeks (about $1,100 in 2007 dollars). Teachers were paid out of the public money. Another teacher at the school was Josiah V. Jones (1828 – 1901), the son of John D. Jones. Josiah had received his education at the Friends Academy at Richmond, Indiana, which later became Earlham College. Josiah Jones was also an agent on the Underground Railroad, a member of the Prohibition Party, and, from 1876 – 1880, was Trustee of Penn Township.

The Jones school was abandoned before the era of brick schools.

Then and Now: The House That Moved West

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Above: The house just prior to its move in the 1950s

Below: The house in 2005

This house, located currently in the 100 block of West Lagro Street was built in 1895 at the corner of West Lagro and Union Streets, directly across from the Corner Drug Store. In the 1950s, to accommodate the building of a new service station, the house was slated for demolition. Instead, the house received a reprieve and was moved to just west of its original location. Today, the house still exists, although the two porches and the turret have been removed. The barn originally located with the house was demolished. The filling station which was built was called Taylor's DX Station in the 1960s and May's Sunoco in the 1970s.

Pennant Postcard, circa 1911

2009-10-19T18:14:00.003-04:00

This Pennant postcard, featuring a pennant made of blue felt, is postmarked October 23, 1911. It is addressed from Earl Miller to Miss Ruby Barrett in Muncie. It reads: "Miss Ruby Barrett: You had rather a long ten minutes to wait on the Chicago Flyer Monday morning. We sure did have a nice time last Sunday evening, hope it will not be the last, also that you are getting along all O.K. Meetings closed this evening. Very Respectfully yours, Earl Miller"

Pennville Map, circa 1903 - 1918

2009-10-19T17:51:00.008-04:00

The map, stamped "Courtesy Pennville Lions Club," shows the town of Pennville in approximately 1903-1918, as the CB&C Railroad is pictured. The map shows land owners of the area. Click on image to enlarge.

S. Miriam Edmundson - Local Teacher and Historian, Part I

2009-10-12T16:35:00.005-04:00

S. Miriam Edmundson, high school graduation, 1932.
Thanks to S.H.

S. Miriam Edmundson was a local historian, community activist, and long-time third grade teacher at Pennville Elementary School. Born to Clarrel V. Edmundson, a 1903 Pennville High School graduate and well-known farmer and teacher, and his wife, S. Valdella (Romans) Edmundson, Miriam graduated from Pennville High School in 1932. After high school, she traveled to Detroit, working as a nanny to earn money for college. She attended Detroit’s Wayne University at night, graduating with a degree in Social Service. Her first job was at a Neighborhood House in one of Detroit’s poor neighborhoods, where she ran programs for children. Miriam also worked for three summers on large steamships as a “salad person,” and lived in a co-operative housing unit where about fifteen men and women shared the household responsibilities.

S, Miriam Edmundson - Local Teacher and Historian, Part II

2009-10-12T16:30:00.006-04:00

S. Miriam Edmundson, teaching the third grade at Pennville Elementary School in 1966.

After working in Peoria Illinois, Lima, Ohio and Muncie at the YMCA, Miriam traveled for three years for the State Extension Service out of Portland. In 1955, desiring to live closer to her aging parents, Miss Edmundson taught at Poling School for a partial year until a position teaching the third grade at Pennville Elementary School became available. Filling that position, she taught at Pennville from 1956 until her retirement in 1981. Working with the community since 1936, when she started the Rural Youth Club in Jay County, she served as a 4-H Leader, a member of the Historical Society, Legion-Lions Fair, Balbec Days and later the Retired Teachers Association, and initiated a movement to have the Eliza Harris memorial between Balbec and Pennville designated as a state memorial. Miriam wrote extensively about local history, including the introduction to the Pennville section of the souvenir booklet for the Indiana Sesquicentennial, and compiled the book “Ghost Towns of Jay County.” She also wrote an original story, “Tell Me A Story, Grandpa, an original story about the Underground Railroad” about the involvement of her family in the Underground Railroad.

S. Miriam Edmundson died March 21, 1988 at the age of 72, and is buried with her parents at the I.O.O.F. Cemetery near Pennville.

Pennville Buildings: The J. D. Smith Building - Part I

2009-10-08T18:13:00.008-04:00

Above: The J. D. Smith Building in 2005.

Below: The J. D. Smith Building in c. 1909.

Special thanks to S. B. and S. H.

Many late 19^th century buildings still exist in the downtown business area of Pennville, and some were named after the builders or first occupants. One such building is the J. D. Smith Building, located at 175 South Union Street. Originally built by Joseph D. Smith in the Romanesque Revival Style popular during the late 19^th century, the building features the simplified semi-circular arches around the window, as well as “belt courses,” a continuous row of stones on the front. A plaque spelling “SMITH” in upper-case letters sits squarely at the top.

J. D. Smith, an early pioneer from the northern part of Penn Township was born in 1844, the son of Edmund and Eliza (Dutton) Smith, who settled in the area in 1838 from Columbiana County, Ohio. After serving in the Civil War, Mr. Smith manufactured household furniture in Pennville, then called “cabinet making.” Because there was no-one who specialized specifically in undertaking at the time, Smith and his fellow cabinet makers also manufactured coffins. About 1873 John P. Moore made undertaking his regular business, then later sold the business to Smith. The company J. D. Smith and Son was established in 1882. During this time the Smiths sold furniture, carpets, stoves, and other household wares. Smith remained in this business until after the railroad came in (sometime between 1903 and 1910), but later moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, where he died in December 1930.

Pennville Buildings: The J. D. Smith Building - Part II

2009-10-08T18:10:00.005-04:00

Around 1910 Marshall B. McCarty, who had owned a dry goods and grocery business in Pennville since 1900, moved into the building. After 1916, McCarty took on partners and the name of the business changed to McCarty & Gordon. By 1927 the store was called the McCarty & Bowman Department Store. In 1946 the store was sold to McCarty’s daughter and son-in-law and the name changed to Harrington’s General Store and Harrington & McCarty. The name Harrington remains visible on the brick to this day. The store name changed one more time to the M. & W. Store, but was sold to B&R Kitchen Cabinets in the 1980s. B&R ran their custom kitchen operation out of the building until September 2009, when the building was purchased by a local merchant, who plans to sell used items from the store.

The J. D. Smith Building is also featured in the Gene Gladson Historic Theatre Photo Collection owned by the Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaelogy and is called the Pennville Theatre.

The Paxson Archeological Dig of 1974

2009-09-24T18:12:00.003-04:00

A view of the dig, from the Indiana History Bulletin.

In August 1974, nineteen members of the Indiana Junior Historical Society conducted an archeological dig on the Fred Paxson farm four miles north of Pennville. As well as teaching the students how to use the scientific approach to archeology, the dig sought to locate a farmstead built on a glacial knoll by Joseph J. Paxson, who bought the land on Dcember 3, 1836. Mr. Paxson and his sons were among those who in 1864 built the Gilead Church, which is located across the road from the farm. Most of the farm buildings had disappeared prior to 1900.

The students, working under the guidance of five sponsors, and Marcy Gray, an Indiana University anthropology student, found that due to erosion and extensive plowing, as much as four feet from the top of the knoll had been removed. A fifty foot line of drainage tile, probably from the cellar of the old farmhouse, was found a few inches under the surface of the ground. In addition, the students found over 900 bones of small animals, including a complete groundhog and a snake, much broken pottery and glass, some of which could be reconstructed, 160 nails, brick and a small animal trap.

A Personal Note

2009-09-24T16:59:00.002-04:00

As we go into Fall, I wanted to write a brief personal note on the Pennville Blog to apologize for the sporadic postings in the last month. After nearly six years of living in Europe, I have relocated back to Chicago. The move did not go as smoothly as planned, due to water damage to some of the oversea shipment of household items. This, as well as getting settled in the new condo, has taken a lot of my focus. Finally, I hope, I am now getting back into a routine and I look forward to continuing with the blog on a regular basis.

A big "thank-you" to everyone who reads the Pennville Blog and offers comments. You really make the blog enjoyable to do. I always look forward to hearing from you.

Possible Early Photo of I.O.O.F. "Twin Hills" Cemetery

2009-08-13T17:20:00.005-04:00

Recently, I was sent this "mystery photo" from a reader who inherited a large number of glass negatives. Several internet searches kept leading him back to the I.O.O.F. Cemetery or "TwinHills" Cemetery in Pennville. He wondered if I could identify the picture.

Glass negatives were used from 1851 through the 1920s, but some, commercially available by 1873, differed in appearance from the earlier types, most notably being made from thinner glass with evenly coated emulsion. Since I have not personally inspected the negative this photo was taken from, it is impossible to date the photo. Burials were already being made in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery by 1851.

The reader's negatives were mostly from the Riverside County, California area. This is a county in the extreme southeastern part of California which includes the town of Palm Springs. He has not written back to me to tell me any surnames that might link to the Pennville area.

Although I cannot yet authenticate this photo to be the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Pennville, the sign is almost exactly the same as the one currently there. Does anyone have any information that might help authenticate the photo to be from the Pennville area? Does anyone remember hearing about a fence being around the cemetery at one time, or know of a Pennville - Southern California connection?

Any information would be greatly appreciated and might help to verify that this is an early, and likely rare, photo from Pennville.

Pennville High School: Class Colors and Class Flowers

2009-07-16T11:36:00.004-04:00

The Pennville High School class of 1936 chose a red rose and the colors rose and blue to represent their class.

Each graduating class from Pennville High School was asked to choose class colors and class flowers they felt best represented their particular class. Here are some of the selections.

Class Colors:
1936 - Rose and Blue
1950 - Blue and White
1955 - Red and White
1957 - Blue and White
1959 - Rose and White
1967 - Mint Green and White
1975 - Maroon and White

Class Flowers:
1933 - Rose
1936 - Red Rose
1950 - White Carnation
1955 - Red and White Roses
1957 - Pink and White Carnation
1959 - Carnation, Pink and White
1967 - Carnation
1975 - White Rose

Pennville High School: Class Mottos

2009-07-16T11:18:00.003-04:00

Commencement program from the Pennville High School class of 1950 showing their choice of class colors, flower, and motto.

Each year, graduating classes from Pennville High School were asked to choose colors, flowers and mottos that they felt represented them as a class. Some of the mottos chosen were:

1896 - "Labor praemium suum est."
1901 - "Onward, the goal is yet before us."
1928 - "He who gaineth knowledge, gaineth life."
1933 - "Don't try dying, die trying."
1936 - "Love, labor and laugh."
1950 - "Forward forever, backward never."
1955 - "This far and farther."
1957 - "Today's students - tomorrow's leaders."
1959 - "Knowledge comes but wisdom lingers."
1967 - "We finish to begin."
1972 - "Who so neglects learning in his youth, loses the past and is dead for the future."
1974 - "We are what we always were; only now revealed."
1975 - "Yesterday we followed, today we lead."

Notable Residents: Mariah Mendenhall - Pioneer Midwife, Part I

2009-07-09T10:38:00.005-04:00

Mariah Bowersock Farrington Mendenhall

Mariah Bowersock Farrington Mendenhall was a Pennville area pioneer midwife, who, over a period of 60 years, assisted in 980 births. Born on May 2, 1813 in Adams County, Pennsylvania to Jacob Bowersock, a weaver, and his wife Mary, Mariah never went to school more than six months during her life. After her mother died when she was eight, Mariah’s father kept the family intact with help from a neighbor. In 1825, when Mariah was 12, the family moved to Columbiana County, Ohio. There, she married William Farrington (1811–1842), the son of Abraham and Deborah (Kirk) Farrington, with whom she had 7 children.

In October 1838 the Farrington’s moved to Jay County, Indiana, where they settled in Jackson Township. For six weeks they lived in a three-sided shanty until William and his brother built a cabin. It was during this time, in 1840, that Mariah made her first call as a midwife to the Whitacre family. In June 1842, William died, leaving Mariah a widow in the woods with seven children.

Notable Residents: Mariah Mendenhall - Pioneer Midwife, Part II

2009-07-09T10:25:00.005-04:00

The white snakeroot plant, found in Indiana, wrecked havoc among pioneer populations by causing "milk sickness" when persons ate the meat or dairy products from cows who had devoured the plant. In 1818, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's mother, died from the illness in Spencer County. After fencing began being used in the industrialization of farming, the illness was mostly erradicated.

A little over a year after William Farrington’s death, Mariah married William Mendenhall (1800–1883), the son of Aaron and Lydia Mendenhall. William had six children of his own and he and Mariah had yet another child together. When that child was three, they adopted another girl, making a total of 15 children in the family.

During her work as a midwife, Mariah always went when called on and no women died under her care. Many times she would travel the dangerous woods alone, and she was known to be an excellent shot with a gun. In two instances, Mariah delivered three generations of family members. In addition to providing essential aid as a midwife, she also assisted area persons during outbreaks of the “bloody flux” (dysentery) and “milk sickness,” a deadly 19th century disease caused by eating the meat or dairy products from a cow that fed on the white snakeroot plant.

Mariah Mendenhall died at the age of 98 on May 19, 1911 and is buried with both her husbands at West Grove Cemetery. Her case book of midwifery calls, dated 1862–1900, can be found at the Indiana State Historical Society in Indianapolis.

Gas Boom: Part I - The Boom Begins

2009-07-03T07:50:00.002-04:00

An 1890 map showing the oil fields in Jay County, Indiana, including Camden (Pennville).

Between 1886 and 1901, Indiana, including Jay County, had a gas boom following the 1886 discovery of natural gas in Ohio. This discovery prompted investors in Indiana to begin to drill for gas, reasoning that there might be more found in the limestone that ran to the central part of the state.

Although the gas boom took off significantly after the 1886 find, natural gas had been found 10 years earlier, in 1876, near Eaton, in Delaware County. By 1890 there were many gas wells within a 2,500 mile area of central Indiana, transforming the once tranquil farmland into boom towns and one of the country’s leading industrial centers. The northeast corner of this 11 county-wide area included Pennville. In a report by the Indiana Department of Geology and Natural Resources, it was noted that “The best oil wells found in the Indiana field were located in the heavy gas belt near Camden, Jay County, known as Pennville, and in Penn Township.”

Gas Boom: Part II - The Boom Goes Bust

2009-07-03T07:46:00.006-04:00

The Oil Well at the Hidy Farm near Pennville.

Finding gas in the area began an unprecedented era of industrial development and population growth in Indiana. Muncie, Anderson, Kokomo and Marion were major gas-towns which were transformed. In 1887 the Ball Brothers were lured to Muncie from their home base in Buffalo, New York by the offer of seven acres of land, $5,000, and a gas well. The discovery of gas in Penn Township stimulated business as never before and free gas was offered to manufacturers. Banks were opened, business blocks were built and the town took on new life. In June 1887 the Pennville Natural Gas and Oil Company was organized with G. F. Gemmill, Albert Grisell, W. G. Jones, John Branstetter and Albert Russell as Directors. A well they built at the old grist mill lot became one of the best wells in the country. So successful was the well, that they soon began piping the gas to the town, providing the residents with a cheap, efficient way to heat their homes. Both nearby Portland and Bluffton laid lines and for a time got enough gas to power plants in their towns.

In 1892 Portland Natural Gas and Oil Company drilled for gas on the Graves farm southeast of Pennville and found one of the best fields in the county, mostly on the Hidy and Grisell farms. The wells, which produced over a hundred barrels an hour for the first 24 hours, made Pennville the gas center of Jay County and attracted leases from the Standard Oil Company. Walter Griest noted in 1927 that “The town was full of strangers. Hotels and restaurants were crowded to overflowing…”

The popular “Swinging Bridge” over the Salamonie River at the northwest edge of Pennville was originally constructed so that a “pumper” would have a shortcut to pump the oil well in the field southwest of the river. Working on the gas wells was dangerous. On January 24, 1896 21 year-old Edward McCaslin received fatal injuries by a fall from a derrick near Pennville.

To publicize the amount of production from the wells, and to advertise the bountiful supply, gas sources were lit, resulting in huge flames called “flambeaux.” Flambeaux were sometimes constantly lit, and displays of flambeaux lit railroad tracks and even streets in cities. This waste of the natural gas would help to hasten the end of the gas boom era. By 1901 the “inexhaustible supply” was used up.

Roy L. Whiteman: Hero at Normandy, Part I

2009-06-23T07:13:00.003-04:00

Roy L. Whiteman as a Freshman at Pennville HIgh School in 1934 - 1935.

Roy L. Whiteman was a 1938 graduate of Pennville High School and a member of the 329th Infantry Regiment who, on June 23, 1944, stormed Normandy during the critical Operation Neptune invasions. The invasions began on D-Day (June 6, 1944) and lasted through June 30. The Regiment ultimately resulted in facilitating the surrender of 20,000 German troops.

Whiteman was born in 1920, the son of Ernest J. M. and M. Alda Whiteman of Penn Township and before the war worked as an electrician at the Miller Machine Works at 115 North Depot Street in Portland, Indiana. On January 4, 1942, he married Ruth Dean, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Homer Dean of Ridgeville.

After enlisting in the military at Indianapolis as a Private on October 13, 1942, he began basic training at Camp Atterbury in Columbus, Indiana. After basic training, Whiteman was sent to Camp Breckenridge in Kentucky. On April 7, 1944 he was shipped overseas as a Private First Class with the 329th Infantry Regiment, a part of the 83rd Infantry Division.

The 83rd Infantry Division, known “The Thunderbolt Across Europe,” first traveled to Wales and England, to prepare for battle. They spent some Sundays that Spring in Midland villages and remarked that the pubs, inns and girls “were a little bit like home.” But the troops were badly needed in Normandy. Life on the other side of the Channel was an unknown quantity, and certain battle loomed ahead. After a short crossing, the Regiment did not disembark due to a storm that rose “out of nowhere” and slashed at Omaha Beach, their intended destination. For a week the crew waited, growing impatient and afraid of becoming a giant target for Germany’s Luftwaffe.

On July 4th, the big battle began and the 2nd Battalion attempted to cross the swamp southwest of the French town of Carentan, but was met with very heavy resistance by German paratroopers and were unable to gain a foothold on the opposite bank. An eye witness noted that “everything was hedged or walled-in and mined. There was no room for breathing anything but air made putrid by carcasses or horses and cows and what remained of soldiers uniformed in khaki or green. The battle was everywhere.”

Roy L. Whiteman: Hero at Normandy, Part II

2009-06-23T07:10:00.003-04:00

Front cover of the pamphlet "The Thunderbolt Across Europe," which details the history of the 83rd Infantry Division in World War II.

The following day, the first and third Battalions drove 2,500 meters (slightly over 1-1/2 miles) to Culot and were heavily counterattacked by SS troops, but held their positions. It is likely that this is where PFC Whiteman was killed in action on July 5th. Although he did not live to see it, his participation helped the Division fight their way through France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. On September 17, 1944, they facilitated the mass surrender of 20,000 German troops on the banks of the Loire River in France and fought to within 35 miles of Berlin, becoming the closest American unit to Hitler’s capital. After reviewing the 329th Infantry, General George Patton called them the “finest body of soldiers I have ever seen in the field.”

PFC Roy L. Whiteman was buried in the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France in Plot D, Row 25 in Grave 37. He is remembered, with his comrades who also fell, in a pamphlet giving an informal unit history of the Thunderbolts with the following sentiment: “…our dead and wounded, left behind along the highways and trails of six nations…We owe our stature, our existence to the blood they spilt, to the cries born of their pain. They are gone from us now but we shall never forget them.”