Footprints A publication of the Howard County Historical Society Volume 5, Issue 1 February 2016 100 years ago

In 1916 The Howard County Historical Society was born Seiberling resident Cora Miller was peddling home remedies to ladies The roof of the mansion was already 25 years old

From the executive director Fostering a flourishing community

’ve heard it said that the most dangerous gy were shuttered. The was words in the English language are “we’ve no less tragic here than anywhere else. And I always done it that way.” Maybe not as we’ve repeatedly experienced the vicissitudes dangerous as “it’s not loaded” or “I double-dog of both the auto industry and agriculture. dare you,” but the point is well-taken. Do We didn’t survive by doing the same old what’s right and what works – even if it isn’t thing. Our story is one of persistence and inno- what has always been done. vation and of the people who chose to not give History is full of failures brought about by un- in. willingness to change. Some of the early settle- The job of the historical society is to preserve ments in the Americas fell apart because the the stories of those people and help us all colonists wanted to live the way they had lived learn from their choices both good and bad. in Europe and couldn’t accept the fact that their The biggest lesson is the importance of peo- old lifestyle was a death sentence in the New ple, and the best things we can do to ensure World. The business world of today is full of our future all have to do with fostering a com- similar stories. munity that people will flourish in. Let’s build a Howard County has faced many difficult cir- community that brings people together, and cumstances in its short existence. The national let’s start by looking to the past to learn what Panic of 1893 nearly killed our major manufac- works and what doesn’t. turer at the time. When the natural gas boom ended, the local economy took a huge hit, and Dave Broman many factories that depended on gas for ener- HCHS Executive Director

In this issue: 2 From the executive director 10 Saying goodbye to a long- 3 State bicentennial events time volunteer 4 HCHS turns 100 12 It was a TREEmendous 6 Weaving county stories Christmas together 13 Visitors choose their 8 Miller artifacts added Christmas favorites to collection 15 Membership

2 Events planned to mark bicentennial

s celebrates its Kokomo Salutes bicentennial this year, Indiana’s Automotive Special places A a number of events Heritage 1894-1964 in local history and projects are planned in A week-long celebration of Indi- Howard County to mark the oc- ana’s automotive heritage in Ko- made available casion. komo Sept. 5-11. Events include Indiana Driving Tours – Tours on interactive map Hoosier Made: World Driven will explore the state’s great his- The Kokomo Automotive Herit- n Dec. 11, Indiana toric and automotive sites and age Museum is hosting “Hoosier wonderful Hoosier cuisine. Driv- O will celebrate 200 Made: World Driven,” a three- ing tours will depart from the Ko- years of statehood. museum celebration of Indiana’s komo Automotive Museum on As part of that celebra- automotive heritage. The event, a Sept. 5. One tour will head to Legacy Project endorsed by the tion, the Kokomo- Northern Indiana and the other to Indiana Bicentennial Commis- Howard County Public Southern Indiana. sion, runs until Oct. 3. Library and the Howard Historic Kokomo Tours – “Hoosier Made: World Driven” Learn more about the history of County Historical Socie- examines the heyday of Indiana’s Howard County with tours at the ty are partnering to cre- automobile industry when some Seiberling Mansion, Elwood ate an interactive map of the world’s finest motorcars Haynes Museum, Kokomo Auto- for you to share your were built in the Hoosier state. motive Museum and Downtown The exhibit will be presented at photos and memories of Kokomo. Indiana’s three leading transpor- special places across Haynes-Apperson Automo- tation museums: The Kokomo the community. bile Reunion – Historians believe Automotive Heritage Museum, that as few as 150 of Kokomo- Through April 30, stop the Studebaker National Museum built Haynes and Apperson cars by the Genealogy & Lo- in South Bend and the Auburn still exist. For one weekend, the cal History Department Cord Duesenberg Automobile goal is to get one-third of the sur- Museum in Auburn. A passport at the library’s main fa- viving automobiles back to Koko- (available at all three museums) cility downtown and mo, making this reunion the big- can be stamped at two museums staff members will scan gest assemblage of Haynes and with admission to the third muse- Apperson cars since production your items of interest um for free. ended nearly a century ago. and collect the pertinent The Kokomo display will feature Classic Car Club of America information. five different Haynes and Apper- Grand Classic – Dozens of ex- son touring vehicles. The muse- The library will put the amples of automotive royalty will um is home to more than 100 memories together on be on display in Highland Park on antique automobiles and offers an interactive map not- Saturday, Sept. 10. The public is visitors a glimpse of the nation’s invited to enjoy these rare and ing these special loca- automotive history, with an em- beautiful cars. tions. The map will be phasis on local automotive histo- on display August ry. Continued on Page 15 through November.

3 Happy 100th Birthday to us

t’s been one hundred years since a the old Carnegie Library, the Howard County group of local women began work to pre- Historical Society has grown to a 4-building I serve our county history. campus with a sophisticated collection system Following the celebration of Indiana’s centen- and local history library. nial in 1916, the Woman’s Department Club in As the state of Indiana celebrates its bicen- Kokomo put into motion a plan to recognize tennial, Howard County Historical Society is and preserve our local heritage. celebrating its centennial. What follows is a County leaders agreed, and from that first look back at some of our major milestones. small collection of artifacts in the basement of

1914 – The Kokomo Daily 1937 - The county commis- about to be razed to make Tribune reported on a meeting sioners made space for the way for the Kokomo Reservoir, intended to bring about the museum collection in the was saved from the wrecking “organization of a society dedi- basement of the new court- ball and moved to Highland cated to the business of col- house. Park under the leadership of lecting and preserving all ma- the historical society. 1939 – The museum opened terials shedding light on the as a WPA project, and an 1964 – , natural, civil, and political his- open house was sponsored by which had been using the tory of Howard County.” the Women’s Relief Corps, Seiberling Mansion for class- 1916 - Across the state, com- VFW Auxiliary, Spanish War rooms, moved to a new cam- munities were celebrating the Veterans, American Legion pus, and the historical society Indiana Centennial, much as Auxiliary and the Daughters of soon began to advocate mov- we’re preparing to do for this the American Revolution. ing the county museum to the year’s bicentennial. In Howard mansion. 1941 - The museum County, the Kokomo Chamber closed following the of Commerce presented a attack on Pearl Har- community exposition and the bor and remained highlight of the show was a closed for the rest of display of historical artifacts World War II. organized by Kokomo educa- tor C.V. Haworth. Those arti- 1956 – County com- facts became the backbone of missioners, dealing exhibits in the basement of the with overcrowding in Carnegie library in Kokomo. the courthouse, The museum rapidly outgrew begin considering the library, and artifacts were ways to move the stored in various places museum out of its around the county including basement. the office of the Kokomo park In 1965, C.V. Haworth looks over museum arti- 1958 – The Vermont superintendent. facts, then located in the basement of the Car- covered bridge, negie Library. 4

Oct. 2-3, 1965 – The historical society held an open house in the Seiberling Mansion to pro- mote its preservation and excite community in- For the terest in the project.

1969 – The Howard County Council agreed to support acquisition of the Seiberling Mansion from Indiana University as a new home for the Future… county museum. By Dave Broman July 1973 – The museum opened in the Seiber- HCHS Executive Director ling Mansion after a year of work and fund- raising by the Howard County Historical Society. centennial is often the occasion to look back at past accomplishments. In 1973 the booklet “Monroe Seiberling’s Man- A We’ve done some things that genuinely de- sion” was written by Mary Ellen Harnish and serve pride – and maybe even a little brag- Manfred Wright and published by HCHS. An ging (within reason, of course). But this updated version still available for purchase. should also be a time to look forward and 1987 – The society hosted a Victorian Celebra- ask what we’ll do with the next hundred tion in the Seiberling Mansion to help promote years. and raise funds for the community’s Hoosier The society’s board of trustees came to Celebration ’88 project, a renovation of the man- the conclusion last year that we need a big, sion. Governor Robert Orr was a featured far-reaching project to kick off our second speaker, along with Kokomo Mayor Steve Daily. century — and that the project should help ensure our ability to meet our mission. 1994 – HCHS played a key role in the Howard We’ve known for many years that the slate County Sesquicentennial as well as the 100th roof of the Seiberling Mansion would even- birthday of ’ “Pioneer” car. The tually have to be replaced. It’s the original Seiberling Carriage House was renovated for roof, and 125 years is about all you can rea- display of Haynes first auto, which was loaned sonably expect of a slate roof in this cli- to HCHS by the Smithsonian and shipped from mate. The years when the structure stood Washington D.C. for a one-month exhibit. Other empty and unheated accelerated the deteri- Haynes vehicles were brought in from around oration of the roof. In the years since the the country for the celebration, and the carriage historical society moved into the mansion, house exhibit included three of Haynes’ first six leaks have been an annual battle and a cars. considerable expense. We now have regu- 2001 – Elliott Carriage House was renovated as lar leaks, with plaster and paint damage, the Stan Mohr Building to house the historical and the probability of damage to the wood archives and staff offices. and masonry is growing. The mansion is an invaluable historical 2002 – A sophisticated climate control system artifact in and of itself, and contains a whole was installed in the mansion to help preserve collection of precious objects from our past. the structure and its historical contents. We can’t afford to lose either. So, the time 2003 – The mansion was renovated as the De- has come, and the roof is the project. You’ll signers Show Home, removing some of the hear more about it as the year progresses. structural changes Continued on Page 14 5 Interpretive plan weaves county’s stories together

By Dave Broman just getting his feet under him as curator, we HCHS Executive Director were chewing around the edges of these is- sues and we’ve been gnawing away ever ow many different kinds of museums since. From the board’s first baby steps in cre- H have you visited? ating a mission statement to the development America has a UFO museum, an apothecary of a collecting plan, we tightened our focus. We museum and a Museum of Bad Art. There is a fought to gain control over the myriad artifacts Cockroach Hall of Fame museum, a National that had been donated and accepted willy-nilly Mustard Museum, a Barbed Wire Museum, a over the years. And as we did, we talked about Museum of Funerary History, even a Museum the stories we have to tell, how to tell them, of Sex. (All real places. You can’t make up how to best use the space we have and how to things like that.) There are more traditional marry the mansion itself to Howard County’s sorts, of course, like Indiana State Museum, history. The Science Center, the Circus Hall of Fame, In 2015, we stopped gnawing and took a big The Field Museum and The Smithsonian. bite. The Exhibits Committee spent the year We value our museums. They contribute a developing our very first interpretation plan and great deal to our understanding of the world, set the table for our work in the foreseeable not to mention providing hours of pleasure. Our future. Its work will guide our tours, publica- Howard County Museum is one of many, and tions, website and social media presentations, our effort to find unique ways to share our his- programs and exhibits. In the words of Exhibits tory is common to all museums. What can we Chairperson Judy Brown, “All of the hosts at do to make sure our visitors enjoy the experi- the museum do a great job telling the story of ence, to make sure they leave the museum Howard County. The intent of the exhibit com- knowing something they didn’t know before mittee was to tell each visitor the early history they walked through the front door? How do we in a uniform, concise way that relates to our enrich their lives? What is the unique story we lives today.” To quote the plan itself, it have to share, and why is it relevant? “articulates the Society’s vision of the founding The historical society has struggled to find of the county, the Indiana Gas Boom, and the answers to those questions for as long as I can county’s history of innovation as key parts of remember, and probably well before. Every one dynamic and interconnected story.” time we sit down to make long-term plans, we With the plan established, we’ve begun work talk about what the museum is, what it should on our tour presentations and exhibits. Curator be and what it can be. We talk about the diver- Stew Lauterbach commented, “I know that the gence between our responsibility for the exhibits committee worked very hard to create Seiberling Mansion and our mission to “collect, the interpretive plan and I think it will be useful preserve and share” our history. And every for years to come. Instead of a potpourri of ex- time we get a little closer to the answer. hibits on random topics, our visitors will experi- More than 15 years ago, when I chaired the ence a well-thought-out presentation of the Exhibits Committee and Stew Lauterbach was

6 most significant points of Howard County history.” Stew works directly with exhibits, leading the team Video introduces that researches, designs and builds each one. “I am very excited about the interpretive plan,” he said. “It guests to museum represents a step forward in terms of the professional- ism of our organization. As a matter of fact, I just gave One of the first visible results of copies of the plan to the interns and volunteers who the new interpretation plan is an help me with exhibits to use while developing an ex- introductory video for our visitors. hibit remake in the Pioneer room.” It is available on-demand in the The new guidelines establish three central themes, first floor “music room,” where a all of which relate directly to the major turning point in dedicated video player and large Howard County history: screen monitor have replaced the

Founding: Howard County’s early years gave little old square grand piano that was indication of the impending economic boom displayed for many years. brought about by the discovery of natural gas, yet The video was narrated by for- they built the region’s ability to take advantage of mer WWKI news anchor Chris the boom. Kiefer and features Lucy Mavrick and Josh Pate, students at Koko- Gas Boom: The discovery of natural gas caused mo High School and participants an unprecedented economic boom. The gas fields in the CEO program for budding were quickly depleted through waste and ineffi- entrepreneurs. It was, according ciency, a stark lesson in conservation, but their to Judy Brown, “a true collabora- legacy is the basis for the county’s economy in this tion, with text written and amend- century. ed by several people, photos add- Innovation: The natural gas discoveries attracted ed by interns, volunteers and staff innovative and entrepreneurial people to the coun- and final production by board ty, providing money, infrastructure and a workforce member Todd Scoggins.” for them to develop their ideas. The present-day Judy even did some of the re- industrial economy and the county’s identity as a search, and “learned in a tiny, center of innovation is our heritage. basic way how to search our col- lection for archival items that As the historical society and county museum move might be used for this or other into their second century, these themes will be woven exhibits.” into their fabric. Visitors to the museum now “Our hosts and tour guides are already putting it to have the option to take a guided the test,” said Lauterbach. “Orienting the exhibits to tour or wander the halls on their the plan will take some time, but the result will be own using the video and the mo- worth the wait.” bile device tour to augment the The Howard County Museum won’t ever have the exhibits. quirky appeal of the Pez dispenser museum, the Bur- The new video is a perfect start- lesque Hall of Fame or Marvin’s Marvelous Mechani- ing point for either. It’s available cal Museum, but we do have a unique history, some to everyone during regular muse- remarkable stories, and a beautiful building to tell um hours, Tuesday through Sun- them in. And now we have a plan to help us better tell day from 1 to 4 p.m. each after- those stories. noon.

7 New in the collections: Mrs. M’s miracle cures

ore than 100 years ago, Cora Mil- er From Any Woman’s Disease or Piles”, ler was living in the Seiberling “Why Men Desert Their Wives”, “There Is M Mansion with her husband, Frank- Some One Near You Cured By Mrs. Mil- lin, who sold so-called “tonics” to ladies through ler”, “How to Cure Any Case of Piles”, a mail order business. “Put Your Faith In Mrs. Cora B. Miller”. “I Recently, through its active-collecting initia- Give Away Medicine to Women”, “A tive, the Howard County Museum has obtained Wonderful Medical Discovery that Cures objects related to Miller’s business. Women of Female Diseases and Piles as if by Magic, Sent FREE.” “Thousands In a November 2013 article for Footprints, Judy Snatched Back from Certain Insanity by Lausch wrote: Mrs. Miller’s Home Treatment” , “I Cure

Women of Female Diseases and Piles”. “She Will Spend $50,000. In Giving Med- ical Treatment Absolutely Free to Suffer- These are among several headlines ing Women”, “A Million Women Bless used across the nation as advertisement Her Name”, Send No Money, Just Your to sell a home remedy produced in Ko- Name and Address, If You Are A Suffer- komo in 1909. Could this be the same

A bottle from Cora B. Miller’s home remedy business was recently added to the collections at the HCHS.

8 Cora B. Miller who owned and occupied the Seiberling Mansion with her husband Franklin D. Miller, between 1905 and 1914? The short answer is: “yes, but...” The long answer is very intriguing, indeed!

According to a 1909 arti- cle in The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Mrs. Cora B. Miller “learned a mild and simple preparation that cured herself and several friends of female weakness and piles. She was besieged by so many women needing treatment that she decid- ed to furnish it to those who might call for it. She started with only a few dollars’ capital, and the remedy, possessing true and wonderful merit, pro- A mailing from the Millers’ business recently obtained by the HCHS ducing many cures when promises cures for every type of complaint. Unfortunately it only re- lieved customers of their money. doctors and other reme- dies failed, the demand grew so rapidly as a glass bottle that originally contained some she was several times compelled to seek of Mrs. Miller’s fabulous concoction. Both can larger quarters. She now occupies one now be seen in the new acquisitions exhibit in of the city’s largest office buildings, the Seiberling Mansion. which she owns, and almost 1000 clerks The rest of the story? Mrs. Miller had little or and stenographers are required to assist nothing to do with the patent medicine busi- in this great business.” ness, as it was the brainchild of her husband, Franklin. Franklin made a great deal of money Within the last few months, the historical soci- selling his “medicine,” but the Journal of the ety has obtained a copy of a small promotional American Medical Association reported it to be mailing from the Miller patent business, as well fraudulent and the Attorney General agreed.

9 Curator muses loss of one of his favorite ARTifacts

By Stewart Lauterbach also share it with new volunteers and interns. HCHS Curator For his patience and dedication, the Society surprised Art with a one-of-a-kind monogramed rt and Shirley Ward will be leaving Ko- HCHS CSI jacket. komo in April to move to their new Art is a detail man. He always kept me home in Maryville, Tenn. Both Art and A straight on object ID numbers and often im- Shirley have been good friends of the museum, pressed me by recalling the number of the ob- with both volunteering for many years. And, ject where we had left off the previous week. while we will hate to see them go, we wish He kept copious notes in a beat up, black spiral them the best. notebook, whose cover fell off long ago. These If I had to single out the contribution of one notes included information about the problems individual towards the successful creation of we were trying to solve and whether or not we our digital collection database, that one person had made any progress on them. Art is meticu- would be Art Ward. While it took the combined lous about keeping this notebook current; he efforts of many staff members and volunteers, always dates his initial notes, dates his correc- Art is the only person to faithfully spend 15 tions, and even dates his notes on his notes! years entering data, resolving data mismatch- This proved invaluable for picking up where we es, and proofreading the catalog. had left off, if weeks or even months passed In December 2001, the society purchased a before we could return our focus to a specific copy of PastPerfect software, and Art began problem. On numerous occasions, I kidded Art this project by keying 80 years worth of records about having this notebook bronzed, or at least from our accession books into the database. In giving it its own accession number and adding the process, he compared the information he it to our permanent collection. had with information from a physical inventory After the initial data entry and problem solv- that took place simultaneously. When infor- ing, Art proofread the entire database once mation from these two sources didn’t match, again, looking for errors, and then consulting Art made notes, and in a subsequent phase of with me on how best to correct them. For the project, he and I investigated these prob- some, proofreading your own work isn’t recom- lems. mended, but Art did a thorough job, and it We made a game out of it, and called our- worked out fine. Art continues to refine our da- selves CSI agents for “Collection Storage In- tabase even now. vestigators.” This inspired me to write one of I always enjoy Art’s sense of humor. One of my best newsletter articles, The Case of the my fondest memories is of him helping me test Cantankerous Cookstove in September 2005, a mini golf course idea made up of historic ob- in which I detailed how we went about solving jects for a possible fundraiser. After spending these problems using a criminal investigation an afternoon putting a fabric practice ball into theme. When giving collections management various items, including an antique urinal, we workshops, I pass out copies of this article and decided that while this idea was fun, it would 10 not be practical in the mansion. volunteer, and I have half a mind to contact the Art is patient. I can’t tell you how many times Blount County Genealogical & Historical Soci- he had to repeat an object ID number to me ety in Maryville, Tenn., and tip them off about before I would get it typed correctly in the com- him. There is no doubt that he could make a puter. He also never tired of gently reminding considerable contribution to their organization me to push the edit button when I would be if he ever decided to volunteer for them, and I puzzled about why some field I was attempting would give Art an excellent recommendation. to change wouldn’t cooperate. So while their move is still a month and some Over the years, Art and I became good days away, I want to once again recognize and friends. At the end each work session, I always thank Art for all of his hard work on our data- made a point of asking after Shirley and re- base. His contribution has moved HCHS light questing that Art give her my best regards. years ahead professionally. This eventually became our ritual way of say- And Art, when you read this, be sure to say ing goodbye at the end of a work session. “hi” to Shirley for me, and give her my best. As you can see, Art has been an invaluable

Art Ward, who has spent 15 years entering records into the museum database and making sure it was correct, will be hanging up his CSI jacket and moving with his wife, Shirley, to Tennessee in the com- ing months.

11 Christmas at the Seiberling 2015 was, indeed, TREEmendous! By Linda Ferries die’s Cookies for the treats she donated for HCHS Publications Committee Chair guests. And, of course, the decorators and the sponsors whose donations allowed for six ith the theme “A TREEmendous nights of free admission to all. Christmas at the Seiberling,” his- “The organizations and individuals who deco- torical society volunteers, board W rated took their creativity to a whole new level,” members and staff created a holiday display Hobson said. “I can’t thank them enough for that was a huge success, both in bringing in their hard work and fabulous ideas.” people to see the beautifully decorated historic Continuing a tradition of many years, the Wy- mansion and in bringing in monetary donations man Group again sponsored the Nov. 28 light- to support the society’s efforts to serve the ing ceremony that kicked off the Seiberling community. Christmas. Six other groups “With December 2015 set- sponsored the six nights the ting an attendance record of museum was open without more than 4,000 and with a charge: Solidarity Federal profit of more than $10,000, Credit Union, Ivy Tech Foun- this year’s celebration was dation, First Farmers Bank & our best effort ever,” said Trust, Duke Energy, Commu- HCHS Executive Director nity First Bank and Haynes Dave Broman. “With the tire- International. less coordination of chair- “It was so much fun to hear man Peggy Hobson, the the comments visitors made decorators gave us incredi- as they came through the ble beauty to share and with mansion,” Hobson said. the support of seven major “Being able to open the man- community businesses, we sion to the community with- were able to share that out charge allowed many beauty with people from Michelle Simmons granddaughter people to attend who couldn’t near and far. It was an in- Josie gets comfy with Santa otherwise afford to pay the credible month.” admission. And children really enjoyed the The list of those who deserve thanks for their challenge of the Tree Counting Contest and part in this success is extensive. Hobson ex- visiting Santa at the museum.” tended thanks to the people in the community Musical groups who entertained during the who came forward to donate trees and decora- evening open houses included Kokomo Cham- tions; to HCHS custodian Bill Baldwin “who ber Brass, Kokomo Men of Note, Kokomo worked ‘round the clock;” to board members Harp Ensemble, and the Choraleers. who made cookies and served as volunteer Planning is already underway for Christmas hosts; to Heather Fouts and Dana Osburn for at the Seiberling 2016. Opening ceremonies the kid’s activities; to Brenda Coffman of Blon- will be on Nov. 26.

12 Visitors choose their favorites By Linda Ferries HCHS Publications Committee Chair

he hundreds of visitors who came through the Seiberling in December T were generous in sharing their excite- ment and their appreciation for the holiday dis- play, naming decorators Marcia Nelson and Darrell and Bruce Blasius at the top of their lists of favorites. In the People’s Choice Tree voting, Nelson came in first with her “First Class Christmas” tree celebrating the holiday with a United States Postal Service theme. Second place went to the “All American” tree with a red-white -and-blue salute to patriotism by Darrell and Bruce Blasius and Ivy Tech’s “TREEmendous Education” book tree came in third. Darrell and Bruce Blasius again claimed first place in the People’s Choice Room voting with their elaborate decoration of the third-floor ball- room. Jane Kincaid and Juanita Martin earned Peggy Hobson presents Marsha Nelson with second place with their Gingerbread Kitchen, the People’s Choice Tree Award and the Altrusa Club of Kokomo took third with “A Heavenly Christmas Dining Room.” until we entered the kitchen at the end of our The tree-counting contest proved a favorite tour, where she entered her best guess," he with young visitors between the ages of five reported. and 12 who were invited to count all the trees Bella's grand prize was a giant "Christmas they could find in the Seiberling. The winner stocking" full of fun activities for someone her was 7-year-old Bella Sims of Plainfield, Ill., the age – games, art projects, science projects, daughter of Shane and Christine Sims and and more. Volunteer Dana Osburn put the gift granddaughter of Barbara Warnock of Koko- package together with prizes donated by Com- mo. Bella's entry was for 506 trees in the man- ics Cubed, Kokomo Toys & Collectibles, STAR sion, which put her closest to the actual num- Financial Bank, Noel Horvath and Kaylee ber of 513. Kingseed. Shane Sims says his daughter is "an excel- Peggy Hobson, chairperson for Christmas at lent student, very attentive to detail and a fan- the Seiberling, said, "It was fun to see the ex- tastic artist who loves to draw and paint." He citement on the kids’ faces as they were ready said the Simses were visiting family in Kokomo to put their guess for number of trees to paper for the Thanksgiving weekend when Bella took and stuff it in the box. You could tell they really it upon herself to keep track of how many trees enjoyed the challenge." there were. “She was unaware it was a contest

13 HCHS Board Presidents 1916 Mrs. John E. Moore HCHS 100th 1917-1924 C.V. Haworth 1924 Mrs. Danna Sollenberger 1925-1931 Ellis Learner 1931-1942 William L. Naftzer birthday 1954 Harold Crain 1955-1960 M.E. White 1961-1962 Spencer Huffman Continued from page 5 1963 M.E. Hicks 1964 W.R. Baldwin made during the IU years 2009 – The Continental 1965-1970 L.O. Williams 1971-1972 Willis Whorley and restoring the floor plan Steel history project col- 1972-1973 Robert Hotchkiss to its original configuration. lected artifacts, documents 1974 Jean Jaumot and oral histories and 1975-1976 Glenwood Armstrong 2005 – A special exhibit wrapped up with a cathartic 1977 Jane Pyle th 1978-1979 Dan Bourff focused on the 40 anni- community program on the 1980 Rel Moorcroft versary of the Palm Sun- company’s final years. 1981-1982 Richard Pickering day tornados and culminat- 1983-1984 Jane Smith ed in a community program 2010 - The first members 1985-1986 Jon Russell 1987-1988 Ellen Anderson featuring several survivors were inducted into the 1989 Brad Bourff of the devastation. Howard County Hall of 1990 Mike Spear Legends, honoring people 1991 Genie Mason LaLonde 2008 - HCHS was recog- with local ties for their 1992-1994 Dave Broman 1995 Mike Spear nized as the state’s Out- achievements. 1996-1997 Mike Ullery standing Local History Or- 1998-1999 Dave Broman ganization by the Indiana 2012 - The society’s Ryan 2000-2001 Ted Goff Historical Society. The White Oral History Project 2002-2003 Mary Ellen Harnish 2004-2007 Jan Chase same year, a chair lift was was named the Outstand- 2008-2011 Dave Broman installed to make the man- ing History Project of the 2012 Peggy Hobson sion more accessible. Year by the Indiana Histori- 2013 Marilyn Skinner cal Society. 2014 Ted Goff 2015 Cathy Stover 2016 Judy Brown

14 Membership Thanks to all who joined the Howard County Historical Society or renewed their memberships from November through February.

Dr. Gilbert & Ellen Anderson Harry & Roberta Hanson Kathy Neher Joni Andreas Joseph Harris Nancy Obermeyer Andrew & Mary Baker Cary Hiers Dana Osburn Andrew Barker Dale Hight Palmer's Jewelry, Mike Freed Evan Barker Peggy & Helen Hollingsworth Julia Parrish David & Mae Bastin Robert Hollingsworth Debra Peck Lanny & Carolyn Beach Larry & Judy Ingle Paul & Kathy Pfettscher Milton Beach Elizabeth Karavitis Sherry Rahl Phyllis Blakeslee Medora Kennedy David & Melody Rayl Laurence & Janice Blanchard Dale & Grace Kingseed Kyle & Lisa Rayl Darrell & Bruce Blasius Jane Kingseed Sherry Riley Deressa Bledsoe Grady Martin Jerry & Marsha Santen Faith Brautigam Ruth Massey Ron & Sally Schafer Corey Broman Sister Martin McEntee Charlene Sharp Kevin & Hilda Burns James McIntyre James & Teresa Simpson Linda Clark Thomas & Linda Miklik Dale & Nancy Slaubaugh Kirk & Wendy Daniels Carl Miller Mike & Linda Stegall John & Kathy Davidson K. Jane Miller Karen Swan Norma Dunn Richard & Marsha Miller Windmill Grill, Tom & Carol Trine Greg & Sharon Foland Janet Moore Betty Underwood Melinda Fulmer Larry & Barbara Moss Dr. Marvin & Bonnie Van Kley Emily Golightly Rusk Joe & Drenda Myers Jim & Kathy Vega Bicentennial events, continued from Page 3 Grand Indiana Bicentennial major commemorative events mo with a free community cele- Motor Muster – The celebra- of the 2016 Bicentennial cele- bration. More details of the cele- tion’s capstone event will be a bration. Patterned after the bration will be available soon. large judged show focusing on Olympic Torch Relay, Indiana’s 200 Indiana-built cars (1894- version will pass through all 92 First Friday “Celebrate 1964), Full Classics and special counties, covering 2,300 miles Indiana” interest domestic cars through in a five-week period. It will av- Friday, Sept. 2 , from 5:30 to 9 1966. The show will be on Sun- erage 72 miles per day, starting p.m. in downtown Kokomo. The day, Sept. 11 in Jackson Mor- in Corydon and ending in Indian- activities and events will be row Park. It will be open to the apolis. themed around Indiana’s 200th public. birthday.

Indiana’s Torch Relay will be Howard County, My Home Bicentennial Torch Relay in Howard County on Wednes- Indiana Bicentennial Legacy day, Oct. 5, from approximately Project at the Kokomo-Howard The Indiana Bicentennial Torch 3 to 7 p.m. The torch will travel County Public Library (see page Relay is designed to inspire and past many local landmarks be- 3). unify Hoosiers as one of the fore ending in downtown Koko-

Information on local bicentennial events is also available at www.visitkokomo.org/2016. 15

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