100 YEARS AGO — 1917

National Emergency: President Wilson has signed an order authorizing the increase of the Navy to 87,000 men from the present authorized strength of 74,500. The additional men will be used to man the reserve ships.

Rosel’s Shop for Women in Junction City, has announced that it is ready for business with a handsome line of stylish millinery and invites the ladies to call and inspect.

Join the Danville Chapter of the American Red Cross. It costs but one dollar to join the Red Cross. Half of the money remains in our local treasury for the purchase of materials for boxes. We are expecting to send boxes to Europe for the refugees and for the soldiers, also equip boxes for hospitals in this country to be used in case of war. There will be sewing and work to interest everyone. Come to the Second Presbyterian Church on Wednesday afternoon and help with this work. We are in need of clean old muslin to wrap up finished bundles of supplies. Come on Wednesday and bring a bundle of clean rags, sheets or muslins.

No clue has been found as to the identity of those who placed a new-born baby in a well at Harrodsburg last week. The body was discovered Sunday morning.

A good crowd attended Lancaster court Monday and business was fairly good. There were no cattle to speak of on the market, but there were a goodly number of mules of a rather inferior class. The majority of them sold, but it was late in the day before they did, as buyers and sellers were far apart. They brought all the way from $90 to $197.50. Several cavalry horses changed hands at $85 to $125. Business horses were slow at any price.

75 YEARS AGO — 1942

Mrs. Sarah Sallee, of Danville, said she had received word through the American Red Cross that her son, Private James William Sallee, is safe in the Philippines. The former Harrodsburg National Guardsman has been fighting under General Douglas McArthur. Mrs. Sallee has not heard from another son, Sergeant Franklin Sallee, also in the Philippines, since December.

Advocate-Messenger, Courier-Journal and Lexington Herald and Leader carrier boys in Danville have sold to date more than 66,000 ten-cent Defense Savings stamps This totals $6,600. James Wilkinson, an Advocate carrier, tops the list by selling 13,837 stamps. George White, another Advocate boy, is running a close second with 10,409 stamps sold to his customers.

The business, stock, fixtures, household and kitchen furniture of the Airport Inn, located slightly more than three miles south of Danville on Highway 35, will be sold at auction. Formerly operated by Mrs. Mary Purdon Stephens, this business will be offered for immediate possession.

A serious train wreck on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad was narrowly avoided beyond Shelby City Friday night when an empty coal car overturned and was dragged four miles before being discovered. Trainmen on the last cars saw the car overturn and jumped beside the tracks, thinking that the rest of the train would be upset. None of them were said to be injured. The dragging car was in the center of a long freight train and damaged short stretches of track and ties, but did not cause any of the other cars to overturn. Traffic on that line was tied up for over five hours before repair crews righted the coal car and repaired damaged sections of track.

50 YEARS AGO — 1967

With the closing of the registration books until after the May 23 primary, a check of the number of voters registered at the office of the county court clerk showed that Boyle is “one big Democratic county.” The books indicate that 9,776 Boyle voters are registered as Democrats; 1,199 are registered as Republicans; and 125 are registered as Independents.

A $600,000 trust fund for the benefit of six institutions, including Centre College in Danville and the First Presbyterian Church and Garrard County Memorial Hospital, both at Lancaster, has been put into effect by the will of Mrs. Lewis Herndon, 79. She was the widow of Lewis Herndon, an uncle of Ansel Herndon, of Lancaster Pike in Boyle County, who was an executive of the Belknap Hardware Company who died in 1964.

Plans for laying the cornerstone of the new Danville City Hall building have been made by Danville City Council. The new building, located across from the old city hall, is approaching completion, and is one of three municipal buildings being erected. The new Fire Department is being finished on the old city hall site, and South Danville Fire Department building is near completion on the far end of South Fourth Street.

The Central Kentucky Building and Loan Association of Danville, established in 1886, and with an authorized capital stock of $10,000,000, expects to be in its handsome new pink Williamsburg brick building at the corner of West Main and South Fourth streets early in 1968. Ground-breaking for the new structure, on the lot where the residence of the late Dr. and Mrs. John Rice Cowan formerly stood, is underway this weekend.

A Danville entry in the fifth annual Rod and Custom Car Show held in Louisville is John Leonard, of 318 West Broadway. Mr. Leonard has owned his 1932 Chevrolet Coupe, since 1954 and has done a complete custom built job on the car from stock parts. It has 14-inch wheels and a new ’66 V-8 engine, leather upholstery, and is painted with green and ivory-colored metallic paint. Mr. Leonard holds five first-place trophies from showing his car and will enter the Louisville showing along with the Batmobile and Frank Sinatra’s movie car, “Zebra.”

25 YEARS AGO — 1992

The Danville City Commission voted to have Sunnyside pool evaluated to see if it can be opened. During the “2020” planning meeting in February, owner, Eben Henson offered the pool on Stanford Road to the city for $1 per year, if the city pays all operating costs. Henson closed the pool two seasons ago because he said the cost of water and insurance became so high that he lost money.

Signs to mark the entrances to Danville were approved by the Danville City Commission. Anne Gregory, who presented the proposal for the signs, said the committee wanted the city to go ahead and approve four of the signs so they can be up in time for The Great American Brass Band Festival. Each sign is estimated at $1,500.

Members of Danville’s deaf community have asked that local broadcasts of commission meetings on cable be accessible to the deaf. The options are to either put in closed captions, which can be seen on the TV screen using special decoders in the home, or have an oval insert with a  person signing what is said at the meetings.