100 YEARS AGO — 1919

The City Council of Danville held a most interesting meeting. The street committee was authorized to construct a crossing on Wilderness Road, formerly McGroty Avenue, near the intersection of Lexington Street. A letter was received from the chamber of commerce suggesting the city enact laws regulating the speed of automobiles to be enforced. The council then said it wanted a member of the chamber to attend all council meetings so the two bodies could work together for the welfare of the city. The tax levy for 1919 was fixed at 75 cents on $100. An ordinance regulating vehicular and pedestrian traffic was also passed. It includes that no automobile will be permitted to stand within 10 feet of a fire plug or intersection; horses will not be permitted to stand on any street without being hitched; and jaywalking will be prohibited.

Last Saturday William Johnson of Danville was on his way to Dix River to fish when a man in a ford automobile overtook him on Lexington Road. Mr. Johnson said he must have been going at a 30-mile clip. Just as the man passed, a large hog ran across the road and was struck squarely by the left front wheel of the Tin Lizzie. The impact caused the wheels on the left side to leave the pike and remain suspended in the air while the machine described a half moon to the center of the pike and back again, finally landing against a stone fence. The driver of the machine was not hurt but was so badly frightened he didn’t tell his name. Only a tire was injured. The hog escaped without injury too. Mr. Johnson said that a bucking bronco has nothing on a Tin Lizzie when it takes a notion to do a few fancy stunts.

June 7 is “Home Coming Day” for alumni of Old Centre College and is the first day of the college’s centennial celebration. Danville residents and businesses have decorated in the colors of the college which are gold and white, religious services, entertainments, dances, dinners, automobile tours and class reunions have been planned for visitors. Mrs. Embry of Shakertown Inn, will serve the chamber of commerce’s luncheon and a banquet for the visiting alumni.

75 YEARS AGO — 1944

Corporal Ansel Singleton, son of Mr. and Mrs. D. Singleton of Perryville Street, has received a diploma from a military language school certifying his successful completion of a course of elementary Japanese. He is stationed in the South Pacific theater of operations. Corporal Singleton is a radio intelligence operator.

Technician Fifth Grade William C. Irvine, laboratory technician, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph W. Irvine of Boyle County, is on duty with an evacuation hospital that has made an outstanding record while serving close behind the front lines during the Italian campaign. The Boyle County serviceman is a former Centre College student. A complete tent duty, this hospital carries with it all of the facilities to care for 750 seriously wounded patients. During periods of heavy fighting during the Italian campaign, it cared for as many as 1,200 casualties. Several times during the campaign, the hospital demonstrated the speed in which it can move. The transformation from a completely mobile unit loaded on trucks to a modern hospital ready to receive all types of patients was accomplished in just over four hours when this unit moved up to the Garigliano front. The hospital has a mortality rate of only 1.4 percent.

Pvt. John C. Cobb, son of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Cobb of Lancaster; and Pvt. Melvin R. Lester, husband of Mrs. Bertha Jackson Lester of Seventh Street, Danville, have received their wings at Fort Benning, Georgia.

The Order of the Purple Heart has been awarded to PFC Ray L. Wilson, son of Martin Wilson of Junction City after being wounded while in battle in Italy more than a month ago. Ray’s father, Martin Wilson, was also wounded on the St. Mihiel front in France during World War I. Ray Wilson is a former student at Forkland School. He entered service on Dec. 19, 1942 and had been attached to an anti-aircraft unit.

On June 6, a special service dedicated to victory and the future was held at First Presbyterian Church following news of the invasion of Europe. Dr. Brown gave a reading entitled “There Will Be A World of Tomorrow.” Almost without exception, Danville churches were opened throughout invasion day, carrying out the intentions of their pastors and congregations that all who so desired might have the opportunity to enter and pray.

The landing of Allied forces on the beaches of Normandy, France, was the largest invasion force ever assembled. Troops from America, Canada and England began landing just before dawn on June 6, 1944. The land attack was combined with the dropping of paratroopers behind German lines. Two Danville men, Claude Phillippe, who grew up in Casey County, and Jack Caldwell, were two of the men who were in that historic invasion. Caldwell, a Navy Frogman was responsible for clearing obstacles from a section of Omaha Beach. Phillippe’s infantry unit landed on Utah Beach and then moved inland.

50 YEARS AGO — 1969

L&N Railroad officials have said immediate action would be taken to prevent further flow of diesel oil from overturned freight cars on the Hanging Fork watershed several days ago. Some of the cars containing diesel fuel were left overturned and their contents had flowed into the Hanging Fork and was killing marine life as it flowed toward Herrington Lake. The flow of contaminated water had already reached the John Bright farm and unless it’s stopped, there is a danger that it will contaminate Herrington Lake.

The Sunnyside Pool, with Dick Horn as manager, has opened with remodeled dressing rooms, three diving towers, two diving boards, a sliding board, a new operating felter and other new and improved features. There are small pools for children, picnic tables and a large open pavilion.

Mark Noel, 12, of Burgin and Advocate-Messenger carrier boy, won a trip to Florida following the New Subscriber’s contest. Mark will stay for a week at Ft. Myers Beach with swimming, a deep-sea fishing trip, visits to the Everglades, Miami, and hopefully a trip to Cape Kennedy to see the first astronauts to land on the moon blast up.

Danny Bryant, son of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Bryant of Waveland Avenue, was wounded in the Battle of Hamburger Hill in Vietnam last week. He called home from a hospital in Japan last week and reported that his neck injury is not serious.

25 YEARS AGO — 1994

A recently instituted ban on smoking sparked an inmate riot at the Boyle County Jail. Eighteen inmates in two of the jail’s eight dorms protested the ban by stopping up commodes and flooding floors, throwing breakfast trays and pulling electrical conduit from a wall that caused a light fixture to fall and injure a prisoner. No one else was injured in the disturbance.

Danville residents may now sign up for a voluntary curbside recycling program offered by Stevens Dispos-All Service. Limited space at the Dillehay Street recycling center and the cost of running a program citywide prompted the city to opt to offer the voluntary program. The cost is $4.25 a month and billing will be done four months in advance.

The Salvation Army’s campaign to raise money for a youth center has gotten another big boost from corporate Danville. R.R. Donnelley and Sons has pledged $30,000 for the project. A month ago the campaign received the same amount in a pledge from Deerfield Plastics.