A statue of Will Vawter, arguably the most prominent artist to have hailed from Greenfield, seems to paint a rendering of the Hancock County Courthouse within the open frame at Depot Street Park in downtown Greenfield.
April 10
In 1912, Greenfield city treasurer D.H. Ellis claimed Mayor Ora Myers had never been mayor of Greenfield. Their dispute originated over pay Myers had not received while he was away on vacation. Ellis claimed Myers had not met procedural steps for being mayor of a fifth-class city, as Greenfield was classified at the time.
April 11
In 1828, forty-one days after Hancock County’s founding, Greenfield was chosen as the county seat.
In 1992, calf triplets were born to John Gunn of Greenfield’s Shorthorn cow. Fred Petersen, Purdue Extension Hancock County agent, said the odds of that happening were 1 in 10,000 — and even higher if the calves, all bulls, were identical triplets.
April 12
In 1917, a new high school building was dedicated in Maxwell. A big basket dinner was followed by a program of readings and music.
In 1960, Greenfield Mayor Clifford Fields said as long as the Community Fire Truck Association equipment was housed in the Greenfield station, it would answer all rural fire calls. Fields said the city fire department had taken blame for rural calls the association would not answer to non-members. He said he had approached Center Township Trustee Donald Hunt about extending fire service to the rest of Center Township and that Hunt was interested. April 13
In 1871, John William “Will” Vawter, longtime illustrator for poet James Whitcomb Riley’s works, was born in Boone County, West Virginia.
In 1950, Hancock County Planning Board approved a building permit for Zion Lutheran Church in New Palestine to construct a parish hall and school.
April 14
In 1927, the Daily Reporter noted that the Indiana State Highway Commission had begun condemnation proceedings against three landowners for strips of land along Brookville Road (now also known as U.S. 52) for the purpose of reconstruction. The landowners and officials had been unable to agree upon purchase prices for the land, and the proceedings called for third-party appraisals to help settle the matter.
April 15
In 1850, Greenfield’s council met for the first time.
April 16
In 1974, construction began on the original Doe Creek Middle School at 2279 S. County Road 600W.
In 1987, city leaders began taking photos of Greenfield water and sewer employees for photo IDs, two days after three men in uniforms told an elderly woman they were there to check on a water problem. They were posing as city employees but appeared to be trying to burglarize the home. Similar incidents took place in Indianapolis.
