March 30
In 1872, James Whitcomb Riley’s first published poem appeared in the Indianapolis Mirror newspaper, bearing the pseudonym “Jay Whit.”
In 2020, Hancock Regional Hospital ended visitation, with a small number of exceptions, amid coronavirus concerns.
March 31
In 1910, H.L. Brown and A.L. Logan came out on top in an all-day checkers tournament in Greenfield. Brown played two boards at a time, losing only one of his 24 games. N.C. Holt, “who holds the record among local players,” organized the tournament, which took place in the lobby of the Columbia Hotel.
In 1916, the effort to build a library in Fortville got a boost in the form of a grant from the Carnegie Foundation.
April 1
In 1911, Uriah Stokes Jackson of Greenfield was chosen Sergeant-at-Arms of the U.S. House of Representatives in a caucus meeting in Washington, D.C. The Democrat was chosen by a 114-to-97 vote over William H. Ryan of New York. The office carried a salary of $6,500 a year.
In 1987, Indiana Gov. Robert Orr spoke to a gathering of parents and educators at Weston Elementary School to promote his A+ education package; among its measures were adding 10 days to the school year and requiring snow days to be made up.
April 2
In 1962, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved with a 3-1 vote a conditional use permit for an antenna tower for a new radio station in Greenfield, WSMJ, broadcasting at 99.5 FM. In a three-hour hearing, 10-20 objectors protested that druggist John C. Byrne’s tower would lower their property values.
April 3
In 1974, a tornado ripped open Stringtown Church of the Nazarene. Members met at the Seventh Day Adventist church in Greenfield while rebuilding their house of worship.
April 4
In 1913, the Milner’s Corner Citizens Band was organized in Green Township by more than a dozen young men in Green Township.
In 1997, Cynthia’s Hallmark began a grand opening celebration for its new site in the former Kroger building at 1584 N. State St. The move made the store, which had moved to the site in February, one of the larger Hallmark stores in the country.
April 5
In 1910, a Big Four passenger train killed a freight brakeman waiting to flag it down.
