Author name: Jessica Stroud

Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist

Has the recent snow and cold weather kept you stuck in the house for a few days? Well, things could be worse – you could be stuck on a tugboat in a frozen river. For a month!

This week, we take a look back at the harsh winter of 1940 as seen through the eyes of a tugboat pilot. The following are entries from a pilot’s log of the M. S. King’s Landing, a tugboat of the Kosmos Towing Co. of Kosmosdale, Kentucky. The log covers the boat’s travels from 1938 to 1943. The examples shown here are from January 1 through February 20, 1940, when thick ice and frigid temperatures left the King’s Landing immobile for nearly a month. The crew increasingly deals with snow and ice in early January as winter weather worsens. By January 18th, they are forced to tie up in Spotsville, Kentucky, along the Green River, which becomes solidly frozen. The King’s Landing is stuck in this situation until February 16^th, and resumes work and travel on the Ohio on the 17^th.

Summaries of the entries accompany the following images. Full transcripts are available for these and the entire five-year journal in the Pilot’s Log – King’s Landing collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 1^st – 5^th: snow and ice begin to mount

1^st – Heavy snow storm

2^nd – Ice in the river

3^rd – Fog, river about full of ice

4^th – Ice is fairly heavy

5^th – Ice getting heavier, river frozen solid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 5^th– 16^th: ice increasingly makes river travel difficult

5^th – stalled in heavy ice, broke through, then stuck again

6^th – still cold, making ice all the time, 12 below zero

7^th – not as cold

8^th – broke ice up above the dam, tried to run through-not much success

9^th – still cold as everything.

10^th – warmer

11^th – warmer, able to break through the ice

12^th – warmer, but ice isn’t leaving very fast

13^th – colder, layed up all day

14^th – layed up at Owensboro

15^th – at Stanley, KY, 6:30 pm, heavy ice storm from Yankeetown, IN to the Green River

16^th – traveled back and forth between the mouth of the Green River and Evansville, IN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 16^th – 31^st:  temperatures drop and ice builds making travel impossible

16^th – Green River, ice is heavier. Froze about ½ inch previous night

17^th – tied up, heavy ice in river and turning colder

18^th – temperature is zero. Tied up at Spotsville, KY; turning colder

19^th – continue to lay up at Spotsville; 10 below zero that morning

20^th – 31^st – Layed up at Spotsville

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 1^st – 20^th: remain stuck until mid-February

1^st – Layed (sic) up at Spotsville; Green River has ice 8 inches thick. Frozen solid from bank to bank.

2^nd – 6^th – Continue to stay put at Spotsville

7^th – ice in Green River is nearly gone. River raised 2 feet during the night.

8^th – all ice gone in Green River

9^th – 13^th – continue to stay put at Spotsville, waiting for ice in Ohio River to thaw enough for travel

13^th – ice breaking up in the Ohio River

14^th -15^th – stay put at Spotsville

16^th – travel from Spotsville to the mouth of the Green River. Ohio River still about ½ full of heavy ice

17^th –  ice nearly all gone by morning. Left mouth of Green River at 6:00 am and resumed travel and work on the Ohio.

18^th – 20^th – some ice and fog, but otherwise able to continue with normal workload

Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist

This year marks the 89^th anniversary of the 1937 Ohio River flood, one of the most devastating natural disasters to occur in our region. Spreading from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Cairo, Illinois, the flood left thousands homeless and caused millions of dollars in damage.

The flood took place in late January and early February of 1937 and impacted a multitude of cities and communities along the Ohio River. Record-breaking rainfalls fell atop already swollen water levels from early through mid-January, causing the Ohio to overflow its banks by the 18^th of that month. In the Louisville area, water levels reached a peak of 57 feet on January 27^th. At this time, approximately 70% of the city was underwater. New Albany and Jeffersonville were likewise affected, as were numerous small riverside communities in the region. In Harrison County, Indiana, the towns of Mauckport and New Amsterdam were all but destroyed. Downtown Corydon was also affected as Indian Creek spilled deeply into local streets. It was not until February 5^th that water levels finally fell below the flood stage.

The flood washed away or severely damaged numerous homes in surrounding urban areas, leaving many families stranded. Flood victims from the New Albany and Jeffersonville areas, as well as local communities such as Mauckport, found shelter and aid throughout Harrison County. They were quartered in lodge halls and private homes throughout the county, and at the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp at the State Forest. Corydon served as the relief headquarters where lodging was arranged, and food, cots, clothing, and other supplies were dispersed.

Here are a few images from our Fires & Floods collection that document the devastation in our area.

Additional photos of the 1937 flood, including images of areas in Corydon and New Albany, are available in the FPG Center Digital Archives’ Fires & Floods collection.

Mauckport at the flood’s peak.

New Amsterdam on February 2, 1937, as the river was receding after nearly 3 weeks of having left its banks.

Rooftops and treetops are all that is visible of the Dam 43 area in Taylor Township.

Victims of the flood stand on the steps of the Masonic Temple in Corydon as they wait to receive needed supplies.

Donated goods are stacked along the sidewalk in front of the Masonic Temple.

Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist

In January, many of us focus on getting fit and healthy. To help inspire you in this pursuit, this week we highlight images from our Health Care in Harrison County digital collection. For more inspiration, visit the collection.

Here’s to your good health!

Dr. Fred R. Bierly examines his grandson in this ca. 1940 photograph. Dr. Bierly was a practicing physician at Elizabeth for 43 years.

Dentist Dr. Howard K. Binkley examines Robert Bosler Jr., a school student at Depauw. Dr. Binkley had a dental practice in Corydon from 1939 to 1975.

Dr. Carl E. Dillman and county nurse Lillian Johnson (far right) provide immunizations to students at New Amsterdam in March 1940. Dr. Dillman was a general practitioner in Harrison County for 46 years, from 1935 to 1981. Dillman was known as a tireless worker who delivered hundreds of babies and continued to conduct house calls up until his retirement.

Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist

A wide variety of churches have existed and thrived in Harrison County throughout its history.

In this week’s Flashback, we’ll look back at a few churches that are no longer standing but were once important centers of their surrounding rural communities.

Old Goshen Baptist

Old Goshen Baptist Church is credited with being the first church built in Harrison County and the second-oldest Baptist church in Indiana. Moses Boone, son of Squire Boone, and George Bartley built the log church on Boone’s farm about two and a half miles north of Laconia in 1813. The men used poplar and oak logs to construct the 20 x 30 ft. building, a simple structure. Baptists used the structure for over sixty years, followed by congregations of Dunkards and United Brethren.

Around 1900, the building was largely abandoned. The local community, however, continued to use it occasionally as a school, meeting hall, and reunion site. Despite repairs and alterations over the decades, the building’s condition has deteriorated. Concern for the historic structure prompted local citizens to urge the State of Indiana to preserve the site, and in 1943, the Indiana General Assembly approved an act making Old Goshen Church and Cemetery an official Indiana Memorial. The Department of Conservation was authorized to maintain and preserve the building and grounds. Unfortunately, no funding was appropriated to fulfill this promise, and the property continued to decline. After several years of the state’s inaction and neglect, local citizens formed the Old Goshen Church and Cemetery Foundation in 1955. The state deeded the property to the Foundation, but by the early 1960,s the old log structure was in an advanced stage of decay. It was torn down in August 1961. In 1991, the Foundation constructed a reproduction of the original log church on the site.

Luther’s Chapel

Luther’s Chapel was constructed in 1844 along what is now Old Forest Road. Its Lutheran congregation formed under the leadership of Reverend Peter Glenn as a splinter group from Mt. Solomon Evangelical Lutheran Church. During the Civil War, Glenn, a staunch abolitionist, was shot and killed during an encounter with the Confederates as they came through Harrison County in July 1863. The Luther’s Chapel congregation continued for a number of years, but it eventually dissolved and sold the building to a Methodist group in 1897. Services were discontinued in the church, and it was razed in 1914.

Shiloh United Brethren

This frame, gable-front church was constructed south of Corydon ca. 1854. The congregation formed around 1837 in the vicinity of Jordan Cemetery along the Corydon-Mauckport Road (now Old 135). In the late 1840s, members decided to build a church but were divided on where to site it. Those who lived closer to Corydon wanted it on a road near town. Others found the Jordan Cemetery area more convenient. The “town” group eventually split from the congregation to construct a church in their preferred location. The Jordan group stayed in their area and built the Shiloh church. Shiloh United Brethren closed in 1926, and the church was torn down in 1950.

Wood’s Chapel

The Wood’s Chapel congregation was organized in 1836 in the Hurstown area. The building pictured here was the third church built by the congregation. The first was a basic structure built in 1841, and the second was completed in 1881. The congregation constructed its third church building, seen above, in the early 1950s. Services were first held in the building on January 13, 1953. In 1970, the Wood’s Chapel congregation merged with four other Methodist congregations (Depauw, Louden’s Chapel, Pennington Chapel, and Ramsey) to form Unity Chapel. This new organization constructed a large, modern church building in the Ramsey area in 1972. After this, the Wood’s Chapel Church was razed.

To see and learn about additional churches, visit the Harrison County Churches collection. Images of several Harrison County churches are also available in the Walter and Mina Fried Slide Collection.