Monday, January 27, 2025
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS
Professor Speaks on KKK’s Lasting Economic Effects
Pauline Lancaster introduces Dr. Michael Hicks at yesterday’s Shelby County Reads event at the Intelliplex Conference Room. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
A presentation from Michael Hicks, Ph.D., wrapped up the 2024 Shelby County Reads series of events yesterday, with the Ball State University professor sharing research on the continuing economic effects of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana. Over 75 people packed the Intelliplex Conference Room, with additional seating set along the sides at the last minute, to culminate events focused on this year’s featured book, “A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to take over America, and the Women Who Stopped Them” by Timothy Egan.
The following quotes and highlights were shared by Dr. Hicks during the presentation:
“The short history of the Ku Klux Klan is that it was a terrorist organization that was formed by former Confederate officers and soldiers after the Civil War, and it really only had about a five-year hey-day because General Grant wouldn’t put up with any of that stuff. So, it was squashed during Reconstruction.” The rise of Jim Crow laws meant the KKK was not needed in the South since law enforcement could perform the same tasks of restricting the vote, etc. “(The KKK) was irrelevant. It was not important. It essentially disappeared.”
Feelings between the North and South improved over the decades. President Woodrow Wilson backtracked on the integration that had happened with civil servants, and “The Birth of a Nation” silent film that glorified the Civil War and the KKK came out.
D.C. Stephenson, leader of the KKK in the early 1920s, realized he could make money in Indiana. The Klan was essentially a pyramid scheme. “If you could recruit people into the Klan, you got to keep most of the $10 a year (equivalent to about two days of work).” Stephenson was making $1 million a year (1920s dollars) just on Indiana memberships.
About one-third of white men in Indiana (32% in Shelby County) were members of the KKK. “(Membership) went from zero to one-in-three back to nothing in three years.” There were no lynchings in Indiana during the Klan’s peak time period.
“(Researchers’) conclusion is that most of the cause of the Klan was financial (pressure to join). If you joined, you could advertise in The Fiery Cross, which was their newspaper.”
Fewer than 10 percent of KKK members in Indiana attended a meeting.
Many of the “Klaverns” (local units of the Klan) were in the North, in areas where few Blacks, Catholics and Jews lived. A study showed that Klaverns that were named - as reported in local newspapers, where participation was about more than just part of a Ponzi scheme - population of affected groups remain statistically lower to this day, with negative economic effects remaining in those areas despite being a century since the Klan’s presence.
The denser the Klan membership, the smaller the overall population growth following the KKK era.
Dr. Hicks’ complete post on the subject is availabe here.
Shelby County Reads book selections are announced in the fall, with an essay contest and a series of events connecting to the overall theme.
NOTEBOOK:
The Shelbyville Boys & Girls Club’s annual Winter Festival on Saturday included recognition of organizational award winners: Rick Moorehead, Rex Hindman Legacy Award; Kenneth Jacobs, Volunteer of the Year; Patty Ellis, Swifty Staff Member of the Year; and Horseshoe Indianapolis Racing & Casino, Sponsor of the Year.
Shelby County Realtor Nathan Runnebohm was recognized as the F.C. Bud Tucker Community Service Award recipient at the MIBOR Ball, held Saturday at the Indianapolis Rooftop Ballroom for the Realtor Foundation, which uses the event to raise money for the homeless while honoring recipients of five industry awards, selected from its 9,000-plus members.
The Shelbyville High School girls basketball team drew Rushville in the upcoming 3A sectional, hosted at Indian Creek, Wednesday, Feb. 5. The Bears beat Rushville by four in a recent match-up. The winner will take on the winner of Greenwood Community vs. New Palestine.
First Christian Church is accepting applications for a Director of Youth, Children and Families position. Details here…
HOOSIER NEWS: The Indiana Department of Natural Resources confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as bird flu, as the cause of death in waterfowl in Gibson County in December and suspects it as the cause of waterfowl deaths in Allen, Benton, Hamilton, Lake, LaPorte, Newton, Pike, Porter, Starke, Tippecanoe and Vermillion counties over the last six weeks. The recent positive detections of HPAI H5 are part of 98 positive detections across the state in waterfowl since 2022. Most waterfowl species affected are snow geese and Canada geese, but Indiana DNR also has noted deaths in mute swans, tundra swans, mallards, American white pelicans, common goldeneyes and double crested cormorants. If you find wild waterfowl that are dead for no obvious reason, or showing any of the following signs, report it online at on.IN.gov/sickwildlife. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the public health risk for HPAI is low. However, it is possible for humans to contract HPAI. Members of the public should avoid contact with sick waterfowl and other sick wildlife whenever possible. (Columbus Republic)
NATIONAL NEWS: Existing home sales fell last year to the lowest level since 1995, when the US population was 23% smaller, the National Association of Realtors said last week. An estimated 4.06 million pre-owned homes were sold in 2024, a 0.7% decline from the previous year, and a big drop from over 5 million in 2022. Analysts blame interest rates swinging past 7 percent last year for putting home-buying out of reach for a larger number of Americans, on top of higher home insurance costs. Exorbitant interest rates made many homeowners who locked in mortgages at sub-4 percent rates years prior hesitant to list their dwellings. The median listing price rose to an all-time high of $407,500 last year, up 4.7% from 2023, due to a shortage of open houses, high construction costs and persistent demand. But inventory did grow last year thanks to new construction: 1.63 million homes were built in the US, a 12.4% increase from 2023, per the US Census. (Morning Brew)
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights
September 25, 2013, Part I
SHS had a new principal: Kathleen Miltz, who had previously served as assistant principal in the building. Miltz was working to create more curriculum opportunities and dual credit courses. Students said they were happy with the new boss. “I like how she takes the initiative to interact with students,” senior Brittany Fannin said.
Announcements were happening over the intercom instead of Golden Bear TV due to the $6,000 tricaster going out. GBTV advisor Mrs. Amy Fox said the department was attempting to find a replacement.
Senior girls nominated for Homecoming Queen were Whitney Blair, Hayden DePrez, Katilyn Ewing, Molly Madden and Tina Zheng. The freshmen court consisted of Payton Limpus, Kali Moore and Hannah Dwenger. Sophomore nominees were Megan Smith, Taylor Perry and Morgan Parker. Juniors candidates were Michelle Jackman, Katie Lawson and Marena Drake.
A miscommunication between cheerleaders and Student Council led to students showing up dressed in different themes for the Muncie South football game. The cheerleaders had announced American-themed clothing should be worn in the student section, but some students wanted Hawaiian instead, and Student Council had apparently backed the Hawaiian theme. Student Council representatives later said communication had improved, and there shouldn’t be issues moving forward.
Blayre Scott broke the school’s cross country record during the second meet of the season. The record had been held by teammate Alex Lubbe. With the season still young, the possibility of additional record-breaking was likely.
This Day in Shelby County History
News around Shelbyville and the surrounding area as reported on or about this date in history. Selections are curated by The Addison Times from Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department materials.
2005: “Gone with the Wind” returned to The Strand Theatre 65 years after its release to help raise funds to renovate the historic theatre. The movie had premiered in Atlanta, Ga., on Dec. 15, 1939, but Shelby County residents had to wait until 10:30 a.m. on March 23, 1940, to see the highly publicized movie, Steve Talbert reported for The Shelbyville News. Talbert also noted that one of the film’s most famous quotes almost didn’t make it past Hollywood censors. Among the suggested alternatives were “Frankly, my dear, I just don’t care,” “…my indifference is boundless,” “…I don’t give a hoot,” “and “…nothing could interest me less.” The film’s producer elected to pay a $5,000 fine to keep the original line. The film’s original release had caused quite a stir. Advance tickets had gone on sale two weeks before the local premier. One store advertised Rhett Butler-type shirts and Shelbyville Paint & Wallpaper Co. sold “Gond with the Wind” wallpaper. Steve Frazee, president of the Shelby Arts Council, said he was expecting sellouts at the 2005 fundraising event.
1995: Bishopp’s Appliances offered a free VCR with the purchase of a 46” TV for $1,999. A 52” RCA TV was $2,299.
1985: U.S. government surplus food was distributed at numerous locations throughout the county to those in need and the elderly. Surplus foods included cheese, butter, milk, flour and rice. Recipients were to bring a paper sack.
1975: Twenty cars of a long Penn Central freight train derailed in the town of Adams, between St. Paul and Greensburg, scattering hundreds of tons of coal over the railroad right of way. The 80-car train was made up of loaded coal hoppers. One of the runaway cars rammed into the front porch of a house. Mr. and Mrs. Minton Kelly, occupants of the house, escaped injury.
1965: The Shelbyville Central Schools board held a three-hour informal discussion with architects regarding a proposed $2 million addition-expansion of Shelbyville High School. Plans called for expansion on the north side of the building to include 12 more classrooms, an enlarged cafeteria, expansion of shop areas and moving and expanding the library to the then-present cafeteria. An auditorium seating nearly 1,200 people was also proposed, in addition to a 4,000-seat gym with rollaway bleachers, an Olympic-size swimming pool and complete physical education facilities for gymnastics, volleyball and game areas.
1955: Robert Phares, 25, and Jack King, 23, were appointed to the Shelbyville Police Department.
A city fire truck was damaged in a crash into a tree at Mechanic and West streets. The call had been to investigate the cause of smoke inside the Scheffler Implement Co., 109 N. Harrison St., which turned out to just be burning trash near the building.
1945: The price of clothing had climbed significantly since the beginning of the war, with prices up 11 percent over the previous 18 months. A government program planned to reduce prices within the next few months, The Republican reported. “The officials say the program will be considered ‘tough’ by many business interests, but they assure the clothing industry that it will continue to make profits well above peace-time earnings,” the paper said.
1935: Nearly 1,000 students returned to Shelbyville Junior High and SHS following winter break. The record enrollment caused “an unusual amount of congesting in the halls and homerooms today,” The Republican said.
1925: The Red Men’s indoor fair closed after a successful week. Katherine Hoop, wife of Mayor Lee Hoop, won a Maxwell automobile, and Anna Mohr won a diamond ring.
State Rep. Joshua Carney, of Morristown, introduced a bill prohibiting the use of oleo in certain state institutions. Carney was engaged in the dairy business, and said the bill would support farmers. His bill included a provision that would require restaurant owners to place a placard on their business if they served oleomargarine. “There is a tendency on the part of oleomargarine manufacturers to make the public believe that their product comes from the cow, and is the same as butter, when in truth this is not the case,” Carney said.
1915: Editor’s note: There are no archives for either local Republican or Democrat newspapers for this week. Once the archive returns, reporting for this year will resume.
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