Spring 1905

Two articles on Elnora from the Democrat. Note that many names may not be quite correct, this is copied from a rather imperfect microfilm print.

A BIG FIRE
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Twenty Buildings Burned at Elnora
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Fire, supposed to have been of incendiary origin, broke out in Arch Yazel's drug store
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Special to The Democrat
Elnora, Ind., April 10--Fire broke out in Arch Yazel's drug store this morning shortly after midnight and more than a block of cheap frame business houses were burned to the ground, the burned district extending from Yazel's drug store to the old depot.
Cries of fire brought out almost the entire population of the town, and everything that was possible to do was done to check the spreading fire. Several Several times buildings on the opposite side of the street caught fire, but each time the blaze was extinguished before it had gained much headway.
There is little doubt but that the fire was of incendiary origin. Yazel, by his repeated efforts to establish saloons in this little city, has made many enemies and it may be that some of them thought to deal him a heavy blow by applying the torch.
In all twenty frame buildings were destroyed. The average value of these buildings is $600. The total loss in both buildings and contents amounts to about $15,000, very little of with is covered by insurance. The following are the losses.
Arch Yazel, three store rooms, one occupied by drug store, the others filled with plunder.
Monte Rogers, two store rooms--household goods in one, a blacksmith shop in the other.
Jas R. Irwin, store room.
J. A. Crazy's building, occupied by W.A. Ross and Son's grocery
J.F. Danner and Son's building occupied by Reign sisters' military store.
Peter Haag's insurance office.
John Hindman's two rooms--one occupied by drug store owned by Arch Yazel, the other occupied by Clarence Moore's candy store and restaurant.
George Holstein's building occupied by Corton and Whisman's bakery.
Joseph A. McCrary's restaurant and dwelling house.
Haok & Simon's ice house and store room occupied by family.
Fred Twelle's poultry house and ice house.
Arch Yazel's ice house.
Thomas English's barber shop.
It is quite likely that the grand jury will inquire into the cause of the conflagration.

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BLACK AVENGERS
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They Cause Much Alarm in Elnora
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Citizens Are Terrorized By Band of Masked Youth--They Commit Many Depredations
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Extraordinary interest has been aroused in Elnora within the last few days over the doings of "The Black Avengers," an organizations the depredations of which originated with a number of anonymous letters received a short time ago by Edward Hovey., threatening the poisoning of his wife and the destruction of his property. Little by little the doings of the organization became more malicious and now there is legitimate reason to believe that is has some connection with the recent fire which visited Elnora.
The acts of the organization first took the form of minor assaults in which country boys were the principal victims. Often lads were caught at night by masked men and badly treated. Later this developed into a malicious destruction of property which for a time was regarded merely as pranks of boys in the town.
But when the anonymous letters began to circulate the people of Elnora put the matter in the hands of the authorities, complaining to Edward T. Laughlin, the prosecuting attorney. A number of young men were summoned and were questioned by the recent grand jury. They all however denied knowledge of the depredations and of the letters. No indictments were returned against them. The federal government is not so lenient in the case of the anonymous letters and a through investigation is in progress.

Montgomery 1903

The following two articles appeared in the Washington Gazette in 1903. The Gazette was a semi-weekly newspaper which published stories from the Washington Herald 2-3 times per week.

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WILL BURN TOWN
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Unless Citizens of Montgomery Raise $2,500
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Letter Received by George Brown of Montgomery is Threatening

Special to The Gazette
Montgomery, Ind. April 14 - George Brown, sr., a prominent citizen of this place received and anonymous letter Sunday in which it was threatened that unless the citizens of Montgomery raise $2,500 the whole town would be "dynamited and burned and wiped off the face of the earth."

The letter said the money would have to be raised within three months and put in a glass jar and the jar put in a bucket and left at the bridge at the West end of the town. The money had to be in gold according to the letter.

It also said that the parties were the same that dynamited the home of Prof. Westhafer two years ago and the same that set fire to the school building and livery barn recently.

These fires and the letter were intended as a earning, the letter said. Montgomery citizens are making every effort to catch the person who started the fires and wrote the letter.


Monday Evening edition, October 5, 1903
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A BUSINESS BLOCK BURNED
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Sunday Morning Fire at Montgomery Caused $24,000 Loss
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Insurance Was Only $7,400
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Many Think Fire Was Of Incendiary Origins-The Heavy Losers

The progressive little town of Montgomery suffered a great loss by fire at an early hour Sunday morning. One of the principal business blocks was destroyed and the loss is conservatively estimated at $37,940. The insurance is $7400

THE LOSERS
C.W. Blinkard and John Fanning, farm implements, $100, no insurance
Nelson, Morris & Co., poultry supplies $100. No insurance.
Maurice Healy barn, building and thickso house. $120
John K. Beckett saloon building
James H. Fanning, store building $3,000, stock $5,000, warehouse $600, salt house $160. Insurance, building $1,000, stock $1,000
Morton McPherson, drug store building $800, stock $2,000. Insurance $1,200
Lyman Carrico, saloon $3,000. Insurance $2,000.
Landergan and Williams, implement store building $1,000, contents $3,000. Insurance $3,440.
Lyman Carrico, saloon $3,000. Insurance $2,000
J.C. Conroy saloon building $1,000. Insurance $250.
Terre Haute Brewing Co., saloon (fixtures) $880.
James R. Bradley, saloon building $600. No insurance.
John Healey saloon $100. No insurance.
Mrs. Margaret McCleskey, postoffice and saloon building $2,000. No insurance.
O.L. Wenner, postoffice fixtures $50. No insurance.
United Mine workers, charter and fixtures $50. No insurance.
Montgomery Swing Co., swing $300. No insurance.
M.F. Kendall, photograph gallery damaged, $25. No insurance.
Olver Walker, opera house building damaged, $400. Covered by insurance.
George Brown, restaurant damaged, $50. Covered by insurance.
Joseph Chlever, store damaged $50.

The fire was discovered at 7:30 o'clock Sunday morning and in a few minutes the inhabitants of the town were all awakened and were fighting the blaze . The origin is a mystery, several different theories being advanced. The majority claim the blaze started in Healy's livery barn, but a clear investigation does not bear out the theory.

In all probability the fire started in the warehouse of James H. Fanning which adjoins the livery barn in the back. This was in flames when the fire was discovered and several gallons of gasoline exploded . the explosion threw the oil onto the livery barn and in a few minutes it was all ablaze.

How the fire started is unknown. There was no fire in any of the stores in the block and there had been none in the ware house for some time. The majority think the blaze was of incendiary origins but many think it started from a match or cigarette dropped in the ware house.

After the explosion of the gasoline tanks the blaze spread rapidly. The Fanning ware house and livery barn were both in a mass of flame and it was impossible to save any thing from either building. Both were frame structures and were most totally destroyed.

In the ware house Mr. Fanning had about $600 worth of merchandise stored and it was all burned. Near the ware house was a salt house valued at $100. This was burned with $85 worth of salt. the livery barn was a frame structure and burned rapidly. Mr. Healy had recently moved his horses and rigs to another barn and his old barn was used by C.W. Slinkard and John Fanning who had about $1000 worth of farm implements stored in the building. Messrs. Slinkard, McDonald and Swift also had their steam swing stored in the barn loft and it burned. It was valued at $300.

In the loft Mr. Slinkard had considerable hay. In one corner of the barn a Nelson Morris poultry company had its store room in which was 400 chickens. The loss to the company is estimated by Manager George Drew at $400. The barn building was owned by Maurice Healy and he valued it at $1500.

From the barn the fire spread to James Fanning's general store on Main street. The frame building and contents were burned and the loss amounted to $8000 with $2000 insurance.

The blaze was not checked until it burned all of the block between Main street and the alley and Mill and First streets. The other buildings burned were John Fanning's hardware store in Maurice Healy's frame building, John Beckett's saloon; Morton McPherson's drug store; Lyman Carrico's saloon, J.C. Conroy's saloon, James R. Bradley's saloon, John Healy's saloon, Lundrigan and Williams hardware store, Mrs. Margaret McCleskey's building in which the postoffice was located and A.T. Brewer's saloon.

FIGHTING THE BLAZE

The fire was fought bitterly by the Montgomery citizens and it was due to their valiant work that more business houses were not destroyed. The citizens collected all buckets available and carried water from wells and a pond until the B&O S-W sent several tanks of water from this city to the scene. The citizens also requested the local fire department to send its engine and some hose but the engine is not in working order and would have been worthless.

It was with difficulty that the fire was confined to one block. Across the alley form the burning buildings is the new Opera house building owned by Oliver Walker. This building was scorched and damaged to the extent of about $200 but was saved by hard fighting. It caught fire several times. The photograph gallery across the street from the buildings caught fire but was saved. It was damaged to the extent of $25. Joseph Chlevers' building across the street also caught and the window glass was burned out. The building suffered about $100 damages. The fire was not extinguished until about seven o'clock. The heavy rain was a great help in finally putting out the blaze. The blaze could easily be seen from here and many went to the fire.

THRONGS OF CITIZENS

Many citizens tried to connect the fire with the recent Bigham blackmail case but the majority think the fire had no connection with the old trouble. The fact the letters were received several months ago in which parties threatened to burn the town unless $2,500 was placed in a glass jar on the B&O S-W bridge caused some to think that this threat had been carried out. Edward Bigham was arrested for writing the letters but was not convicted at a trial during the June term of court, the jury disagreeing. He will again be tried during the October term. the fire came at an unfortunate time for him but the majority of citizens think the fire has no connection with the letters.

One of the saloon keepers said he thought it was an attempt of Montgomery women to destroy saloons, but the suggestion was ridiculed. Though four saloons were burned, the blaze did not start at either.

WILL REBUILD

Several of the owners whose property burned will rebuild soon, erecting substantial brick business houses. Only two of the buildings burned were brick, and the spread of the fire was due to the flame fire traps.

SALOONS DOING BUSINESS

The saloons were the first to resume business. James Brewer leveled off the ground and opened a saloon in a tent. His saloon and fixtures burned but Healy saved everything from his building, losing only $100 by breakage and spillage. Healy will also resume business. Lyman Carrico whose saloon was burned, was the most fortunate of the losers. He carried $2,000 for insurance and will rebuild.

The postoffice was moved by Postmaster Weimer to Daily Bros. store and mail was distributed today. The postoffice building was owned by Mrs. Margaret McClesky of Flora, Ill. She lost $2,000. Mr. Weimer saved most of the office fixtures, losing only about $50.

Apocalypse dud

Few stories of recent Midwestern lore are remembered with as much fondness as the earthquake forecast episode of 1990. Or is that embarrassment? Like those people who went looking for Martians during the radio broadcast of “War of the Worlds,” one can never tell, and the number of true believers seems to grow larger with every telling despite the apparent humiliation involved with falling for such a far-fetched story.

The central figure in this story was an eccentric septuagenarian and autodidact inventor named Iben Browning. Browning had a Ph. D. in zoology, taught himself climatology, and fancied himself a futurist, though his early record of forecasting was not fruitful. Among other things, Browning argued during the 1960s that attaching electrodes to the brains of whales would allow them to be controlled as a delivery method for nuclear weapons. He later warned NASA that moon landings would be impossible because of the vast accumulation of dust on the surface.

Fortunately for his career Browning soon found an audience of more gullible marks—business executives. His consulting firm and companion newsletter usually focused on the effects of climate on global food production, although by the mid-1980's he had become interested in geological events even though he had no background in the earth sciences. At a business conference in October 1989, Browning claimed to have successfully predicted the recent Loma Prieta earthquake and, flush with his proclaimed success, issued another prediction: There was a 50-50 chance, he said, that a similar quake would strike in the New Madrid Seismic Zone on or around December 3, 1990.

At first, the scientific community paid Browning little heed. His premise that a combinationn of lunar alignment and tidal pressures could cause earthquakes was dismissed as discredited pseudoscience, and it was held as an iron law of seismology that no one could predict quakes with such precision. The tactic of ignoring Browning turned out to be a major miscalculation, however. The eccentric and his prediction soon became a major media phenomenon. News outlets from USA Today to ABC News and many in between descended on the small town of New Madrid, MO in anticipation of the “Big One,” usually disseminating Browning's claims with childlike credulity. Earthquake fever had gripped the Midwest.

Popular belief in Browning's forecast was not without some foundation, however. It was true that seismologists had become interested in the New Madrid fault system again in the mid-1980s. This fault had produced three major earthquakes in 1811 and 1812 estimated at roughly 8.0 on the modern Richter scale which permanently changed the course of the Mississippi Rivers. Furthermore, many geologists warned that increased activity in the region could cause additional significant earthquakes in the coming decades. Furthermore, there was Browning's claim to have successfully predicted the Loma Prieta earthquake of October 1989 which was usually reported uncritically by the media. Actually, Browning had only made an ambiguous statement at a September business meeting about some future geological activity which became embellished to extreme levels of specificity after the fact. Finally, a moderate 4.9 earthquake struck the Cape Girardeau, MO area on September 26, 1990, further inflaming the quake paranoia.

As the days grew closer, schools and businesses in the Midwest closed, survivalists stocked up on food and water, and local newspapers printed earthquake survival guides from the Red Cross. Finally, seismology experts struck back with their own media blitz, loudly and repeatedly denouncing Browning's claim to scientific credibility. The campaign had some effect as by late November Browning's daughter told the press that her father had begun backpedaling on his prediction, saying instead that an earthquake was just as likely to happen in Tokyo. At the same time, an Indiana University poll showed only 18 percent of Hoosiers believed an earthquake on December 3^rd was “very likely” to happen.

As we all know, the magic date came and went with no earthquake, though many people still made preparations just in case. The author remembers his elementary school moving classes out of the basement as a precaution. Despite the embarrassment, the Great Quake Hoax has had many lasting positive effects on the Midwest. Many in the area realized how little they understood earthquakes, and how important that knowledge was considering their history and possible future. Much of the infrastructure and emergency response procedures which were woefully under prepared for a major earthquake were brought to the attention of the public. As for Iben Browning, he didn't have to live long in his ignominy, dying of a heart attack in July 1991.

Historical image of the day

Workers at the Reliance clothing factory in Washington, ca. 1930s

Quarterly program coming up Friday

Don't forget about the quarterly DCHS program coming up Friday July 10 at the 4-H building in Washington. The featured speaker will be Margaret Kennedy presenting two books by her mother Enid Gabhart about early 20th century life in Reeve Township.

Dinner will begin at 6 PM. Seats are $15 per person, a table of 10 can be had for $100. Call the museum to make reservations or for more information.

$2 tickets are also being made available for the program portion only on a walk-up basis. The program should begin at approximately 7 PM.

Historical item of the day

From the Washington Herald, September 22nd, 1917, a preview of the final game of the season between the Vincennes Overlands and the Washington Greys. The text of the article reads:

The last game of the association schedule and possibly the last of the season will be played at Woodlawn tomorrow afternoon between the Vincennes Overlands and Washington.

This is being made "Booster Day" and the fans are urged to turn out in large numbers in order that the association season may be fittingly closed. A record-breaking crowd should be in attendance and judging by the interest that has been aroused in the contest the management is going to be treated to a welcome surprise in the number of patronage.

Vincennes has always played well against Washington and Washington looks for a hard game. Information from Vincennes is that a large crowd of fans is coming from that city to witness the battle.

The local team must win to stay in the race with Bicknell for first place. Hancock and Dark will be the opposing pitchers. The game will be called at promptly 2:30 o'clock.

Historical image of the day

Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers strike ballot, 1962.

Historical image of the day

The Grannon School, a one-room schoolhouse in the north of Reeve Township, shown in 1900. The only person identified in this photograph is the teacher, Marion Arvin.

DCHS at the Fair

The Historical Society will be on site for the Daviess County Fair all week from 5 10 PM in the community building.

We will have a display on the origins of the Farm Bureau Association, pictures from the Museum, an 1888 atlas of Daviess County and more.

Stop by and talk, sign up for a membership to the Society and find out about the Corning Heritage Center restoration project.

Image of the Day

Spanish-American War memorial in the Odon Park.

Historical image of the day

Montgomery band playing for the William McKinley campaign in 1896. Members are: Ernest Harris, Wallace Wade, "Professor" Rice, Pat Disser, John Zinkans, Bernard Spaulding, Ed Carrico, W.M. Bell, Henry Becket, Jack Doyle, Lew Walker, and Charles Connaughton.

Historical image of the day

1940 map of the village of Epsom in Bogard Township. The first settlers appeared near its location around 1815. The town was named after a certain Mr. Pace dug a well which the locals thought tasted like magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt).The town's high schooll, which lasted until 1968, was fittingly nicknamed the Epsom Salts.

Epsom salt, in turn, takes its name from the town of Epsom in Surrey, England, where water from the local mineral spring was boiled down to create what would become the popular home remedy.

Historical image of the day

Downtown Elnora in 1940

Beulah AME Church

The Beulah African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington. It was first organized in 1848 by a group of six members; Jacob Hawkins, Jesse Perkins, Ellen Hawkins, Onely Delany, Charles Delany and Archibald Anderson. It has been operational ever since, save for a brief spell in the 1970s due to a lack of membership.

Beulah is a part of the African Methodist Episcopal denomination, the oldest black religious organization in the United States. Richard Allen, a former slave from Philadelphia who bought his way to freedom, became disillusioned with the racist practices of the Methodist church where he and other free blacks attended and began to organize a network of independent African-American congregations in 1787. These churches would eventually coalesce into the present AME Church in 1816.

Links:

African Methodist Episcopal Church (official site)

Doctrines and Disciplines of the AME Church (1817)

Mother Bethel AME Church (first church of Rev. Allen)

August 9, 1919

The museum recently acquired a stack of old Farm Bureau records. Included is a record of a metting held on this date; perhaps the first serious attempt to create a farmers organization in Daviess County similar to the ones already operating in other counties of the state. According to the Washington Democrat

Farmers from all over Daviess county gathered at city hall today to give aid to the plan of creating a fund of $100,000 to protect the rights and advance the interests of Indiana farmers.

Lewis Taylor, the general secretary of the Indiana Federation of Farmers' Associations arrived this afternooon to outline the plan of the agricultural interests of Daviess county, as follows:

1. Agriculture should and will organize, as capital and labor have organized, to protect itself and develop new phases of production.

2. Farmers must get together to take up methods of meeting the practices of the packers and the grain men, where these methods are not to the benefit of agriculture or the community at large.

3. Farmers must protect themselves on the question of freight rates.

4. Problems of farm management and business methods must be met.

5. Agriculture must be protected against unfair and unjust legislation, by a group of alert students of farm problems.

The meeting passed ten resolutions, mostly ceremonial, noting the farmers' patriotism during the war, applauding the students of Purdue University, and ridiculing the idea of daylight savings time. The most significant resolution was a rebuke of the nation's railroad workers, who had been appealing to President Wilson claiming the cost of living had risen to a critical level following the war. The farmers argued that "cost of living" was synonymous with food prices, and declared to fight any attempt to bring prices down as well as disrupt any plans for the railroad workers to strike.

Be it further resolved, that it is the sense of this meeting that the 20,000,000 of farmers should organize immediately and act as a unit and notify the Government that the farmers of this county stand for law and order, that we believe in justice to all and special privileges to none, and as a united body we will stand behind the Congress in the enactment and enforcement of such laws as will be necessary for the peace and prosperity of all the people, and any man who should choose to march under a red flag shall be denied membership to this organization and that the government deport him without unnecessary delay.