From the mailbag:
Rodger Wellenreiter writes, “Interesting article about the Mt. Carmel Cemetery. I live in the third house south of the cemetery on 25W. We have lived here for almost 43 years. The old Watson house was still standing when we moved here in 1973. The address you list for Budd Goodyear probably should be 5337 N. 25W. I think that the house he lived in is the oldest house still standing along this mile of 25W and was occupied for years by Danny Franke and his wife. Interestingly, we drove to Alaska this summer and passed through Wasilla. I would like to get in contact with Budd Goodyear and see if he has any old pictures of this mile of 25W before the houses were built here.”
If Budd in Alaska reads this please get in contact with Rodger. We would also like to see any old photos.
I attended a County Historians’ Roundtable not so very long ago. In May the Indiana Historical Society is planning to open a traveling museum to be available for community festivals and other activities. It might be perfect for Riley Days or Shirley Days etc.
Contact Kyle McCoy to see when you might schedule it. Also for teachers of Indiana history, the Indiana Historical Society also has a super curriculum guide you might download to see what new and exciting items you might introduce to your classroom. In addition, you might go online indianahistory.org/historyday to sign up as a volunteer for National History Day in Indiana. You can work with students from the fourth grade to high school seniors. Volunteers are needed, so please consider it.
Last, during the Historians’ Roundtable, we had a trivia contest. My team, which included the Harrison and Clay County historians, came in third, but we still won a prize. There were seven teams, in case you are wondering.
Straight line winds destroyed the Fulton County Museum complex: round barn, log cabin, cider mill, jail and blacksmith shop. You can see the storm damage video on the website, fulton countyhistory.org. Help if you are able to do so.
Mildred Crist, 94 years young, wrote me the other day about the World War II veterans’ photos, which were in the basement of the Hancock County Memorial Building. Her husband, Simon Woodrow Crist, was in one of those photos. He was the first man drafted from Hancock County. He spent his Army career in Panama guarding the canal. There were many German subs threatening the area. He died in 1979, and his memory is preserved in Hancock County Veterans Park.
Mrs. Beverly Estell is attempting to find out if any Telestar guitars were manufactured in Shirley. Robert T. recommends we contact Jay Wilfong aka D. Fong who manufactured speakers in Grant City for a period of time. We will see what happens.
Enough. I have you everything I know and some things I don’t. Talk to me.
You can write to Joe Skvarenina at [email protected] or in care of the Daily Reporter at 22 W. New Road, Greenfield, Indiana, 46140.
