Thursday, July 4, 2024
Stars and Stripes Forever
ABOVE: Flags line Whispering Hope Memorial Gardens on the south side of Shelbyville. BELOW: The American flag waves in yesterday’s breeze outside the Shelby County YMCA. | photo by JACK BOYCE
NOTEBOOK:
A vehicle was rear-ended on Public Square when the driver stopped to allow a pedestrian in a wheelchair to cross at the crosswalk. Both drivers agreed to pull over but when the driver who was rear-ended said he had called police, the other driver left the scene. The license plate number of the vehicle causing the crash was reported.
HOOSIER NEWS: According to a new report from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), approximately 350,000 acres of farmland have been lost to development between 2010 and 2022. That said, Shelby County gained 6,615 acres of agricultural land, the only county in the Indianapolis metro area to see an increase. Despite the loss in acreage, yield data shows that Indiana’s production of its cash crops has increased. In 2012, Indiana produced over 597 million bushels of corn for grain, and in 2022 yielded over 1 billion bushels. Indiana produced nearly 219 million bushels of soybeans in 2012 and saw that number increase to over 326 million in 2022. (The parcel data didn’t distinguish between renewable energy and agricultural land uses.) (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
The Addison Times publishes essential news and historical content to build our Shelby County community, and is free thanks to the generosity of supporters. Those who donate a minimum of $5 a month (or $45 one-time) receive the three remaining quarterly Addison Times magazines for 2024 as an appreciation gift.
Want the daily edition read to you? Struggling with your email provider filtering out your local news? The Addison Times Substack app will solve those challenges!
Local Family Was Integral Part of Lady Liberty’s Restoration
Many people have fond memories of past Independence Days. For the Haverlys, who lived in the Fairland area, July 4, 1986, was especially memorable. They not only attended the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty in New York City, but Michael Haverly, then 8, was an integral part of the official unveiling of the restored Lady Liberty.
For nearly three years, Michael had raised funds to restore the statue. He took the same bucket to collect from Triton Elementary School classmates and to others in the community with deeper pockets while collecting $6,500, the largest contribution made by a young person. The bucket was shown with him in various national media campaigns and was later placed on display in the museum at the base of the statue.
The family, including parents Bob and Connie, and sister Christina, 14, were all invited for a weeklong celebration at the Statue’s unveiling. The Haverlys were housed at the Marriott Marquis on Broadway, and met numerous famous people, such as “The Fonz,” Henry Winkler, and President and First Lady Reagan, whom Michael had previously met in a private ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, where the president proclaimed it “Year of the Lady.”
A Shelbyville News article describing their trip preparations noted that Michael packed the same white pants he wore when he showed a prize-winning goat during the Hoosier Classic open goat show the week before. He also was tending to his usual chores of helping care for eight cats, one dog and a horse.
Bob, a private detective, and Connie, a nurse at Wishard Hospital, looked forward to the break. So did Christina, who volunteered at Riley Children’s Hospital in addition to her duties as a student. She told The Addison Times last week that her parents had served as foster parents to numerous children over the span of 15 years, adopting Michael and Christina through the process.
Mr. and Mrs. Haverly were naturally proud of their children. In 1986, Connie told The News, “Knowing he has worked hard, and that his work made a difference with results, rewards, at the end, is a very valuable lesson for Michael,” she said. “He cares passionately for life, for issues, and is very aware of things that need to be taken care of.”
The trip included Michael’s first taste of bagels and cream cheese and seeing the likes of Johnny Cash and Kenny Rogers in the hotel. Although they resisted the desire to get autographs from most celebrities, Michael couldn’t help but get a signature from Neil Diamond. But the center of attention was the Statue of Liberty. The unveiling ceremony was, the family later said, “a very moving and patriotic moment.”
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 from the Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department.
2014: Toray Resin announced plans for a 12,000-square-foot expansion on the company’s facility at 821 W. Mausoleum Road. The company employed 86.
2004: Major Hospital obtained a new MRI unit, one of only about 10 such advanced units in the country.
1994: A group of 20 Fountaintown residents led by Robert Madison, who wanted to stop drivers from going too fast near their homes, purchased two stop signs and placed them on County Road 200 W, where it intersected with County Road 1100 N. But the signs were not legal and could not be enforced by sheriff’s deputies. Sheriff Mike Herndon said he would perform a traffic study to see if the stop signs were needed.
1984: Two Shelbyville men were caught burglarizing Compton’s Farm Store, 253 E. Mechanic St. The men stole 26 cartons of cigarettes. Patrolman Kehrt Etherton responded to the matter.
1974: Harold Hall, 47, 9 W. Taylor St., was found dead on a loading dock at the Wilson Oil Co., 617 E. Jackson St. An autopsy was planned to determine whether Hall died of possible fume inhalation, a heart attack or other causes. Hall had previously operated the Citgo Gasoline Station at Colescott and Miller and a filling station at W. State Road 44 and McKay Road. He was survived by his wife, Estella, and daughter, Susie Hirschauer.
1964: A section of pavement on Knightstown Road buckled, the latest to succumb to a heat wave. Crews immediately responded to replace it.
1954: The new Shelbyville office of the Indiana Employment Security Division was set to open the following morning at 23 E. Broadway. The four members of the office staff would be Betty Hitchcock, Marjorie Joliff, Ralph Douglass Jr. and F. Gerald Woody.
1944: Dry weather led to five field fires throughout the county in one day. All five had likely been started by cigarettes or cigars tossed from moving vehicles, firemen said.
1934: July 4 marked the 100-year anniversary of the first railroad west of the Allegheny Mountains - although that claim was later disputed, it was the first in Indiana - built by Judge W.J. Peasley in Shelbyville. The 1834 occasion had been marked with a barbeque, attended by many in Shelby County. A locomotive could not be secured, so the railroad involved a horse-drawn car provided by William Ford. The animal plodded back and forth over the short line time after time during the day. The fare was 25 cents. The railroad had no particular destination, and was designed as an experiment. “The fact that the road led nowhere in particular caused patronage to decrease to the extent that the railroad was forced out of business, for people became tired of paying a quarter to ride over the same mile and a half,” The Republican said. The railroad location was later used by the Shelbyville-Richmond branch of the Pennsylvania railroad.
1924: First Presbyterian Church officials announced plans for a 100-year celebration service. Thomas Fleming, president of Shelby National Bank, Frank Sheldon, Dr. S.P. McCrea and Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Randall were among the older member of the church. Fleming and C.E. Karmire had become members of the church in 1864. A souvenir publication was printed for those attending the service.
1914: George Neumann, 28, suffered burns to his right hand, which occurred while he was loading a cannon made from a piece of gas pipe to set off fireworks. As Neumann was ramming more powder into the cannon, the powder exploded. The pipe was blown against the window of Wagner Bros. store, breaking it. In another holiday accident, Dr. Frank Blackburn’s eye was burned when he was struck by a piece of an exploding firecracker.
OBITUARIES
None today.