April 27
In 1994, Shirley Town Council approved the Main Street Project, a renovation of the downtown area from South Street to Half Street. The project, which was to include road resurfacing, new sidewalks and drainage work, was expected to cost $660,000; 80 percent of it was expected to come from state funding.
April 28
In 1847, the first post office was established in the community of Kinder, which in 1869 would be renamed Carrollton.
In 1863, Greenfield bought the land that would become Park Cemetery.
April 29
In 2017, Sugar Creek Elementary School second-grader Brody Stephens died. His funeral drew about 2,500 to New Palestine High School in early May to remember the boy who inspired neighbors and professional athletes alike during his battle with leukemia. Pacers forward Glenn Robinson III and Colts tight end Jack Doyle were among those who served as pallbearers. Later, the “Brody Strong” fund was established in his memory through the Hancock County Community Foundation. The fund will assist Southern Hancock elementary families in need with the cost of uniforms, equipment and fees, so all can participate in sports.
April 30
In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train entered Hancock County at Charlottesville, continuing east and reaching Greenfield just before 6 a.m. It did not stop here, but many gathered along the way to pay respects as the assassinated president’s body was transported from Washington, D.C., to Springfield, Illinois.
In 1985, a fire claimed a former school building at the northeast corner of North and Pennsylvania streets in Greenfield. The building had once been Greenfield High School and was Riley Elementary School from 1926 to 1981. The building is now the administration center for Greenfield-Central Schools.
May 1
In 2014, former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts, a New Palestine High School graduate, became senior vice president of retail and online stores for Apple. In February 2019 the company announced she would leave the company in April to pursue “new personal and professional pursuits.”
May 2
In 1923, Greenfield Mayor Frank S. Larrabee offered his resignation to Greenfield City Council, to take effect the next morning. He had been in poor health and relinquished the office “only upon the demand of his physician,” according to the May 3, 1923, edition of the Daily Reporter. Larrabee, who had also served as county superintendent of schools and principal of Greenfield High School, died Oct. 24, 1924, at the age of 58.
In 1945, a car driven by a Greenfield man collided with a motor section “hand” car operated by a Mt. Comfort man collided on the New York Central railroad tracks in Maxwell. Two passengers on the latter suffered minor injuries.
May 3
In 2008, former President Bill Clinton spoke to about 900 people at Greenfield Middle School. He was campaigning for his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, days before the Indiana primary.
