Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow . . .
Whether you love the white stuff or can’t wait to see it go, one thing’s for sure, it’s been a regular winter visitor in Harrison County over the years. Plus, it makes for a great picture!
Here are some past snow days for you to enjoy. Pass the hot chocolate!
Harrison County Fairgrounds, 1909. This winter scene features the Little Ring area in the southwestern portion of the property. The bare trees and fresh snow provide a clear view of the seats built into the hillside. The judge’s stand and amphitheater are also in view, and the trail of the spring branch can be seen in the foreground.
The old north bridge over Indian Creek near Cedar Glade looks a bit more treacherous ca. 1925 than today’s version.A boy shovels snow from the sidewalk in front of the post office on Chestnut Street in Corydon ca. 1958.The Corydon Country Club hill was a favorite sledding spot for many when covered with a blanket of snow as seen in this 1968 image.Snow piles up on Beaver Street in 1966. Yep, those are gas pumps at right in front of a Marathon station.Hauling it away in January 1964!
Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist
The big man in red will be arriving soon, so I hope you are on his “good” list!
This week’s Flashback takes a look at Santa’s arrival in Corydon in 1950. Santa traveled via the LNAC (Louisville, New Albany, and Corydon) Railroad and greeted a large crowd on Water Street. Children were excused from school for the occasion.
Santa’s approaching arrival was announced in The Corydon Democrat, November 29, 1950 :
Another article, accompanied by the following photo, appeared in the paper December 6, 1950:
Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist
This week’s flashback features images of downtown Corydon’s holiday decor in the 1940s and 1960s.
Festive lights brighten up downtown Corydon along Capitol Avenue ca. 1940.
Habermel’s Drug Store on East Chestnut Street ca. 1946. Operated by pharmacist Herb Habermel and his wife, Francis, the store was in business at this location from 1945 to 1952. It featured a large soda fountain and was a popular meeting spot for people of all ages. In 1952 the Habermel’s sold their drugstore business to pharmacist William Butt, who operated Butt’s Drug Store at this location until the early 1970s, at which time he moved the business into the adjacent, more spacious building.
In December 1961, workers put up decorations at the Harrison County REMC (currently occupied by Indiana Utilities) on West Chestnut Street. Some of you might remember the display of Santa and his reindeer seen here resting along the sidewalk in front of the building waiting to be displayed. The cheerful decoration made an annual appearance above Corydon’s streets for many years.
Don’t forget the tree!
Nolan and Margaret Hottell along with Mina Fried show their selections ca. 1959.
Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist
Have you started shopping yet?
Today’s flashback kicks off the official Christmas shopping season with a sampling of Christmas advertisements from 1950. These ads were published in The Corydon Democrat and feature some of the well-known and loved stores from years past, such as Alstott’s Hardware, Berlin’s Department Store, The Fair Store, Griffin’s Dry Goods, Western Auto, and others. Check them out – you might come up with some unique gift ideas!
Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist
Corydon Girl Scout Troop No. Five celebrates National Book Week in November 1960. The girls are standing in front of the Corydon Public Library (now HCPL’s Frederick Porter Griffin Center for Local History and Genealogy) with props they have made reflecting some of their favorite books.
The girls are, left to right: Jean Ann Doolittle, Jill Ann Moss, Ardis Reising, Becky Brown, Becky Shireman, Betty Martin, Janet Conrad, Becky Leffler, and Cindy Robson. Troop leaders were Mrs. Jack Moss and Mrs. Robert Brown.
Librarian of the Corydon Public Library at the time, Muriel White Doolittle, stated that the observance of National Book Week stressed the importance of reading and getting into the practice of being informed early in life.
Celebrate your freedom to read with a book of your choice. HAPPY READING!
Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist
These two images date to the late 1950s and were taken by Walter (“Ham”) Fried. Both can be found in the Walter (Ham) and Mina Fried Slide Collection on HCPL’s Digital Archives. Walter Fried (1908-1975) served as postmaster in Corydon from 1949 to 1970. He was an amateur photographer, and, along with his wife, Mina Redden (1911-2021), he captured many everyday sights and occurrences as well as special events throughout Harrison County. Click here to view the Fried Collection, and visit our website to view our complete list of 64 digital collections.
A young girl watches as two men and a woman make sorghum over an outdoor fire pit. The location is noted as Ed Steen’s property in Laconia, Indiana.A view of colorful autumn trees along Forest Road near Corydon, ca. 1960.
Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist
In honor of Veterans Day, this week’s Flashback pays tribute to all Harrison County veterans. These are just a few of the many photographs of veterans that are in the collections of HCPL’s Frederick Porter Griffin Center.
Veterans Day parade in Corydon, 1945. Leading the group north on Capitol Avenue just past Chestnut Street are: Earl Miller, Marshall Robson, Leo Cromwell, and Ray Resch.
Seasoned veterans and new recruits gathered together for this photograph taken September 20, 1917 as the younger men were preparing to leave for service in World War I. A total of 58 young men from Harrison County left that day and headed to Camp Zachary Taylor. They were photographed alongside Civil War and Spanish-American War veterans who came to see them off and show support. The men are lined up across what is now Capitol Avenue near where the current Corydon Town Hall is located.
A few of Harrison County’s World War II service men and women.
Marine Sergeant James W. Arnold of Palmyra in the South Pacific during WWII.Corporal Mildred Wilson of Elizabeth re-enlists in September 1943.
Staff Sergeant John R. Sieg of Depauw is awarded the Bronze Star by Brigadier General James M. Lewis, field artillery commanding officer, 30th Infantry Division at Falkenstein, Germany, June 25, 1945. Sieg was with the 823rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, 30th Infantry Division, 7th U. S. Army.
Sergeant Edmund Rainbolt of Corydon is presented with the Bronze Star in 1945. Rainbolt entered the service in 1942. After basic training he was deployed to the European Theater. He served as staff sergeant in Company L, 119th Infantry and entered France as part of the Normandy Invasion, landing on Utah Beach on D-Day +4, and served throughout France and Germany. Throughout his military career, Sergeant Rainbolt was awarded several medals, including two Purple Hearts, The Bronze Star, five Campaign Stars, and a Sharpshooter Badge.
Here are a few stories and experiences of Harrison County individuals who served during WWII:
Grover Lamar Bodendstadt of Mauckport,
In December 1943, Bodenstadt’s family had reason for concern as they received conflicting information about him. He had written his wife and his parents from a hospital in the Mediterranean area telling them he was wounded. After this, his parents received his name plate from a Red Cross field worker. On the morning of Friday, December 3, his parents received a telegram from a General in Washington, D. C., stating that Pfc Grover L. Bodenstadt had been killed in action on November 11 in Italy. The following day, Saturday, December 4, 1943, Mrs. Bodenstadt received a telephone call from Washington saying that Lamar was not dead. Naturally the family was distraught with the conflicting information and anxiously awaited something more definite. The news was positive. Lamar did survive the war, and earned a Purple Heart.
Robert J. Gettelfinger of Ramsey
Robert J. Gettelfinger completed advanced pilot training at the Blackland Pilot Training Camp of the Army Air Force near Waco, Texas in February 1943. Pilot Gettelfinger was then assigned to the 76th squadron in the Ferry Command base at Miami, Florida. Gettelfinger served with the Army Air Corps in the Burma/China Theatre and was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross as well as the Legion of merit. He continued his military career as an officer and served in the U.S. Air Force for 27 years, retiring with the rank of Colonel in the Strategic Air Command.
William E. Hornickel of Taylor Township
Hornickel joined the Air Force and completed his basic training at Sheppard Field in Texas. He then transferred to the University of Oklahoma for further training and received his wings at Mission, Texas in January 1944. Lt. Hornickel piloted a P-51 Mustang Fighter plane during WWII and flew over 60 missions. In December 1944, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for a dangerous mission flown during the Battle of the Bulge. On his 61st mission, January 17, 1945, Lieutenant Hornickel’s plane was shot down over Germany. Declared missing in action, his body was found in a shallow grave in Germany a year later and returned home. He was 21 years old. Just three weeks prior to Hornickel’s deadly mission, his younger brother, Corporal Paul Hornickel, a radio operator ona B-29, was killed when his plane crashed over Saipan, December 27, 1944.
James E. Rosenbarger of Corydon
James E. Rosenbarger graduated high school in 1942. He entered the Army in February 1943 then trained in Texas and qualified as an expert rifleman and infantryman. In October 1944, Jim was sent overseas, and he was killed in action in France November 16, 1944. He was twenty-one years old.
Walter J. Simon of Depauw
Simon entered the Army in December 1941, and in July of 1943 he was sent to England as a pilot in the 8th Army Air Force. He was promoted from the rank of First Lieutenant to Captain by the end of the year. In July 1944, Captain Simon was presented with the Oak Leaf Cluster added to the Air Medal. The award was in recognition of numerous photo reconnaissance missions over Nazi-occupied Europe. Simon was a photo pilot and took daily pictures of the land-fighting in Europe. These photographs helped make the initial invasion landings a success and helped show the Allied High Command when and where to strike. By the end of his military career, Simon reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
1950 Naval Recruits
Harrison County U.S. Navy recruits in basic training May 1950. In front, left to right are Gene Baxley and Kenny Kitterman. In back are Dick Cromwell, Donald Becket and Pete Timberlake.
These images and many others are available in our Military Photographs collection on HCPL’s Digital Archives. Additional collections on the website associated with veterans include a Ledger of Harrison County Veterans’ Graves, Franklin Township Volunteer and Militia Rolls, 1862, a Grand Army of the Republic collection of records, and records of the Anderson Guards, a Civil War-era militia group based in Corydon. Visit our Digital Archives.
Many more additional materials are available in house at the Frederick Porter Griffin Center, including resources on soldiers and patriots of the American Revolution, including DAR lineage files, War of 1812 soldiers, and a wide variety of information on the Civil War and its veterans. We also have a large obituary collection and cemetery records as well as a vast amount of family and local history files. The Frederick Porter Griffin Center is located directly behind the Main library building in Corydon at 117 W. Beaver Street, and is open 9:00-5:00 Monday through Saturday. Staff will be on hand to assist you with your research.
Please note: The Griffin Center is not ADA compliant. If you would like assistance, please call 812-738-5412 or email us at genealogy@hcpl.lib.in.us to arrange for accommodations.
Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist
A community-wide Halloween celebration has taken place in Corydon since 1934. This first formally organized event included a parade, a costume contest, and a community dance held in the courthouse lobby. The Chamber of Commerce, along with various civic and fraternal organizations, sponsored the event, which was intended to provide an orderly, structured entertainment option for the entire community.
The following three articles from The Corydon Democrat describe the plans and details of the 1934 event, revealing the community spirit behind its planning and promotion, as well as the engagement of participants.
This first article, dated October 17, 1934, introduces the event plan to the public.
A second article appeared a week later in the October 24, 1934, edition of the newspaper. This article provides specific details about the parade and dance, as well as the prize categories for the costume contest. The article also provides “Halloween Suggestions” for costume ideas.
After the event, a third article was published in the paper on October 31, 1934. It gives a colorful description of the festivities and notes the wide variety of interesting costumes that appeared. The names of winners in each prize category are listed, and the conclusion is that “the entire evening’s fun was orderly and well organized and everyone seemed to have a good time.”
Harrison County Fairgrounds, 1909. This winter scene features the Little Ring area in the southwestern portion of the property. The bare trees and fresh snow provide a clear view of the seats built into the hillside. The judge’s stand and amphitheater are also in view, and the trail of the spring branch can be seen in the foreground.
In December 1961, workers put up decorations at the Harrison County REMC (currently occupied by Indiana Utilities) on West Chestnut Street. Some of you might remember the display of Santa and his reindeer seen here resting along the sidewalk in front of the building waiting to be displayed. The cheerful decoration made an annual appearance above Corydon’s streets for many years.
Seasoned veterans and new recruits gathered together for this photograph taken September 20, 1917 as the younger men were preparing to leave for service in World War I. A total of 58 young men from Harrison County left that day and headed to Camp Zachary Taylor. They were photographed alongside Civil War and Spanish-American War veterans who came to see them off and show support. The men are lined up across what is now Capitol Avenue near where the current Corydon Town Hall is located.
Staff Sergeant John R. Sieg of Depauw is awarded the Bronze Star by Brigadier General James M. Lewis, field artillery commanding officer, 30th Infantry Division at Falkenstein, Germany, June 25, 1945. Sieg was with the 823rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, 30th Infantry Division, 7th U. S. Army.
Harrison County U.S. Navy recruits in basic training May 1950. In front, left to right are Gene Baxley and Kenny Kitterman. In back are Dick Cromwell, Donald Becket and Pete Timberlake.
