Back When looks back at local milestones and headlines, from the heartbreaking to the humorous and points in between. It appears Tuesday on the Lifestyle page.
Jan. 2
In 1960, Stringtown Church of the Nazarene burned down. Members met at the Memorial Building in downtown Greenfield while rebuilding their house of worship.
Jan. 3
In 1942, the Daily Reporter published 17,302 as the population of Hancock County according to the U.S. Census of 1940. That was the sum of 8,709 males and 8,593 females. Of that number, 49 county residents were black, two were “of other races,” and the rest were listed as white. Also, 7,805 county residents were classified as “rural farm population.”
In 1971, three escapees from the Indiana Boys School in Plainfield led police on a high-speed chase through Greenfield that ended in the Stringtown area east of the city when police rammed the rear of their car at 95 mph.
Jan. 4
In 1971, Greenfield Planning Commission agreed to recommend to the city council a plan from Indiana Department of Transportation to widen State Road 9 (State Street) from two lanes to four north of McKenzie Road up to Interstate 70.
Jan. 5
In 1988, the first clips from “Pushed Too Far,” a movie filmed in Greenfield, aired during a television interview segment on “Indiana Business Report.” The screenplay was written by Greenfield resident John Kleiman.
Jan. 6
In 1942, the tire rationing board named four local garagemen as tire inspectors for Greenfield: Everett Leary, Alva Andis, Howard Holt and Paul Hawkins. With World War II going on, residents were referred to the tire inspection stations for the forms to fill out if they believed themselves eligible to buy new tires. Local police encouraged motorists to register their tires to prevent theft.
Jan. 7
In 1970, a Charlottesville automobile repair shop burned to the ground in an explosion. “We got there within minutes and watched as those gas tanks exploded and shot through the roof of the building,” Jackson Blue River Assistant Fire Chief Roscoe Wooten said. “”We couldn’t even get close enough to pour one drop of water on it, that’s how fast those gas tanks were blowing up.”
In 2015, Southern Hancock observed its first elearning day, using online lessons on student devices to avoid having to make up a snow day.
Jan. 8
In 1992, developers of Valley Brook Village petitioned the town of Cumberland for annexation.
