New Shirley history book available

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Hancock County historian Joe Skvarenina, left, Dennis Westrich and Greg Roland recently finished an update to a book chronicling the town of Shirley’s history.

Mitchell Kirk | Daily Reporter

SHIRLEY – A group of historians and admirers of Shirley have updated a book on the town’s past up through to the present.

Titled “The History of Shirley Indiana 1890 to the present,” the printing picks up where its predecessor left off when it came out in 1990. Those behind the effort gathered information by interviewing members of the community.

Dennis Westrich, a Shirley resident, remembers the 1990 edition well.

“We sold it for years,” he said.

At a recent Founders Day, one of the town’s annual celebrations, he was talking to Hancock County historian Joe Skvarenina about doing an update. Skvarenina was happy to help, and he, Westrich and Greg Roland set out to interview as many community members as they could.

“We met people where they were,” Westrich said, whether it was at a bar in town or the Marathon gas station.

He added he knows many people in Shirley, being a resident, as does his wife, who has lived there all her life.

“That’s how we came about the information that’s in the book – was getting it from the people that lived it,” he said.

Roland said they would ask people for their stories, how long they’ve lived in Shirley and if they hadn’t been in town long – what brought them there. The interviewers also asked what they do while in town and what organizations they’re involved in.

“Any little details of the town that they may remember,” Roland said.

Skvarenina added they’d talk to people about their churches as well.

“A lot of people in Shirley wear multiple hats, so if you get them for one thing, you may be able to get some other information off of them too,” he said.

Residents’ pride for their town was clear.

“I think they love their community,” Skvarenina said. “I’m a Shirley booster because I think it’s a fine town, and I think the people that came up with stuff came up with stuff that they knew was important to the community.”

Roland noted a couple people they spoke with have passed away since the interviews.

“So it was good to get their story documented and preserved,” he said.

It took three years to complete the update, an effort the three chroniclers said was well worth the time.

“To appreciate the past is to give us the opportunity for a better future,” Skvarenina said.

He said that while Shirley currently has fewer than 1,000 residents, at one time about 10,000 came in and out of town to work.

“Shirley’s going through a renaissance right now, a rebirth of its structure, of its corporation, of its community,” he said. “These people are searching for different ways to build up. … Shirley needs to have the recognition of what it’s contributed to Hancock County.”

Westrich said that during his work on the book, he was struck by some of the struggles to accomplish objectives in Shirley, like getting one of its attractions – the Jane Ross Reeves Octagon House – to town. He also noted challenges to keep businesses open, something he could relate to as the owner of a hardware store in town until 2016.

“Once we put it in here – good, bad or ugly – it can be saved forever,” Westrich said of the book.

Skvarenina said he noticed a spirit of volunteerism through his efforts on the update.

“They don’t have the structure of government that Greenfield has,” he said. “They have to do things as volunteers, and there’s a great deal of volunteer work done in Shirley. There’s a lot of stuff that gets done up there because people just do it.”

Roland, a past president of the Hancock County Historical Society and a Greenfield resident, has published articles on the city’s history on the city’s website.

“I’ve lived around here my whole life, and Shirley’s been there the whole time, but I never really spent time in Shirley,” he said. “And so it was interesting just to spend time in Shirley and just to kind of get to know the people over there a little better. … Things are a little slower. You get in the bigger cities and it’s a lot of hustle and bustle and there you just kind of relax and breathe a little bit and enjoy your time.”

Proceeds from the book go to the Shirley Community Visionaries, a group created in 2015 to spur growth and interest in town. The book is $20 and $7 for shipping and handling. To receive a copy by mail, send a check for $27 to Shirley Community Visionaries, P.O. Box 62, Shirley, IN 47384.

Those interested can also call Westrich at 765-738-6732 to arrange to meet in Shirley to buy the book.

The historians plan to sell the book at community events, and are looking for a retail location in Greenfield as well.

“This is something that in the future somebody can build on if that’s what they wish to do,” Skvarenina said.