100 YEARS AGO — 1919

 

An attractive program and a Christmas tree will be at Stout’s Theatre on Christmas Day. At the matinee show there will be a handsome Christmas tree loaded with valuable presents and every ticket holder will be in line to get something. There will be presents for the kiddies, and among the more valuable presents will be two $5 dolls, a handsome wrist watch, silk ties and socks, a five-pound box of candy and fruit. “The Busher” will be the picture show and it is a good one.

 

J.M. Cress is out a good Buena Vista saddle as a result of a mistake. He gave it to a boy and asked him to put it in his car in front of the J.T. Park’s Store. The boy took the saddle and put it in an automobile in front of the Parks and Hendren’s store on the opposite side of the street and has never heard from it since.

 

L.G. Hankla, who lives in Boyle County, but whose farm runs to the Mercer County line was in town shopping and brought with him a diamond pointed gold pen that he had picked up on the battlefield of Perryville. The battle was fought Oct. 8, 1862 and Mr. Hankla has used the pen continuously ever since. He was 16 years old when he found it. The fight lasted only three hours, and for the length of time and the number of men engaged, it was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War with 8,000 dead and wounded. Being a mere lad, Hankla started out among the dead and mangled after the hostilities ceased. He thought he could not stand the terrible sight, but this feeling was soon overcome in the work of relief.

 

75 YEARS AGO — 1944

 

Members of Boyle Post No. 46 American Legion, voted to contribute $25 to the “Bit of Cheer” project which is supplying telephone calls to their homes for patients at Darnall General Hospital during the Christmas holidays.

 

The annual Christmas program at the Neighborhood Home was to be held on Dec. 21 at the home on South Fourth Street. Highlights were to be a presentation of Christmas music and a talk by the principal of Danville High School. The public is invited to attend.

 

Advertisements: Please him with a beautiful lounging robe, flannel or rayon. You know he likes nothing better than to slip into a handsome rich colored robe after a hard day at work. Forget anyone? We still have lovely, semi-sheer stockings, for practical everyday wear; a lovely hankie ready to mail. Made of fine cotton, beautifully printed and in a gay envelope that you address, stamp and mail. Give records for Christmas. We carry a complete line of phonograph records, including Victor, Blue Bird, Columbia, Okeh and Decca.

 

A fire which occurred when a bundle of kindling ignited behind a new boiler in the laundry room of the Gilcher Hotel cause considerable excitement shortly before noon, but it was extinguished within 15 minutes with no damage to the equipment. A fire bomb was thrown into the laundry room in the courtyard behind the hotel, and striking the boiler gauge, caused a considerable quantity of water to spew out. The fire bomb also was responsible for a lot of smoke as it smothered the flames with its chemicals. 

 

50 YEARS AGO — 1969

 

Piano students of Mrs. Chauncey Alcock were presented in two recitals at her home on Dogwood Drive. Each student played a piano solo. Members of the class who participated were Diane Mount, Mara Wallace, Melis Arik, Tammy Thompson, Yasemin Arik, Mary Cynthia Martin, Pam Walker, Leyla Arik, Alice Cannon, Ann Keith Burckley, Mary Elizabeth Lewis, Jennifer Cantrell, Jane Caldwell, Robin Hines, Monnie Caldwell, Charlotte Caldwell, Bruce Wallace, Mike Cissell, Russ Wolfe and Tali Arik

 

Miss Jayne Horky, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Horky, of Lexington Road, became the bride of John S. Thompson, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Thompson of Virginia. A reception and wedding dinner followed at Old Crow Inn. The bride is a senior at Centre College where she is majoring in chemistry. She is the first girl in Centre’s history to be president of the Student Body. The groom is also a senior at Centre, is a Phi Kappa Tau fraternity member and majoring in government and business.

 

The Ladies Domestic Economy Club members and their guests gathered at the Federation Clubhouse, the old Goldsmith home, located at the corner of Second and Walnut streets to celebrate its 70th anniversary, in addition to having the annual holiday party. Those who attended were Mr. and Mrs. Montaque Adams, Mr. and Mrs. R.O. Ball, Mrs. Florine Field, Mrs. Juanita Harris, Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Phillips, Miss Coletta Prewitt, Mrs. Sue Bowman, Mrs. Bessie Caldwell, Miss James Frances Green, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hayden, Miss Georgie Doneghy, Mrs. Nancy Dunn, Mrs. Lucille Powers, Mrs. Ophelia Alford, Mrs. Mae Silverburg and Mrs. Baker.

 

Carols in the Park, a community endeavor under the sponsorship of the Danville-Boyle County Ministers Association will be held at Weisiger Park on the courthouse lawn. Anyone interested in singing carols is invited and a special invitation is extended to family groups. Jerry Bradshaw, minister of music at Lexington Avenue Baptist Church will lead the group singing.

 

25 YEARS AGO — 1994

 

Matsushita Appliances Corp. which makes Panasonic brand vacuum cleaners in Danville, plans to expand some of its operations at a building it has purchased in Winchester.

 

Another piece of property has been offered as a possible site for a proposed multi-purpose park in Boyle County. At Boyle Fiscal Court, local real estate agent Neal Gordon said his client, Evelyn Stigall, would be willing to sell to the city and county 147 acres at 3410 Lebanon Road, just west of the R.R. Donnelley plant. “She’s offering this as an alternative site” to the 108-acre Georgeanne Sigwald property on Perryville Road. Stigall is asking $295,000 or $2,000 an acre for her property. In contrast, Sigwald is asking $540,000 or $5,000 an acre for her property, which is next to the Christian Children’s Home. The Stigall property property is gently rolling with ample flat areas and can be easily hooked up to city sewer service and KU lines. It also has a deep well that could be used to provide water for a swimming pool. The property also includes a 2,255-square foot main residence, a 900-square foot tenant house, two barns, two ponds and a creek. The park situation however, seems to be up in the air. The city and county, while working together at times on the park issue, sometimes appear to be making separate plans.