100 YEARS AGO — 1920

 

• A benefit play was given by some of the officers and teachers of the Kentucky School for the Deaf on Saturday evening for the benefit of William Tompkins, an old servant of the institution who is now disabled. The chapel was filled and the admission fee of 10 cents netted $24.45.

 

• Hon. Henry Jackson has been very ill at his home on St. Mildred’s Court for several days. He is suffering from a very bad case of influenza. All that medical skill can do is being done for him and it is hoped the worst has been passed.

 

• When hogs rooted up Wayne Watts’ bluegrass pasture in Mercer County during his absence last year, he had it plowed for re-seeding. Then he decided to set tobacco instead. He just sold that tobacco crop for $2,012, for which he thanks the hogs.

 

• Today’s newspaper is rather small on account of there being no electric power or light in the office, making it impossible to operate the linotype machines. The lack of electricity was brought about by the heavy sleet and ice storm that hit this area and has been raging for the past 24 hours. Thousands of beautiful old trees have been stripped of their limbs. It will take years for them to grow back to their former attractiveness. Business is at a standstill. Today’s newspaper was made from type that was set early in the morning and was printed on a small hand press, operated by hand.

 

75 YEARS AGO — 1945

 

• The Danville Municipal HOusing Commission, headed by Mayor Henry L. Nichols, is studying the possibilities of a federal housing program to clean up slum conditions here and provide a measure of decent housing for low income families.

 

• Transportation to the American Legion clubhouse on Shakertown Road, where the Lions Club is sponsoring a public Bingo party tomorrow night, is available through the Victory bus line which operates buses leaving ints North Third Street depot. 

 

• The Danville banks will be closed on Jan. 19 in observance of the birthday of Robert E. Lee.

 

• The Danville disposal plant successfully handled 160,809,000 gallons of sewage for the year of 1944. This was an average of 440,000 gallons per day. It produced 2,330,300 cubic feet of gas which was partially burned under the boiler for heating the digester sludge and for heating the head house building. The balance went to the waste gas burner, where it was burned before being discharged into the atmosphere.

 

• The Combat Infantryman badge for exemplary conduct in action against the enemy has been awarded to Pfc. Virgil F. Quinn, who is stationed in France. The soldier is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Philip Quinn of Mitchellsburg. He entered military service on July 2, 1942.

 

50 YEARS AGO — 1970

 

• For the year of 1969, the Danville Fire Department made 128 runs, using 502 volunteers for a total cost of $1,286, according to Chief Hubert Preston’s annual report. Twenty two class A fires (business) were listed and 41 class B (residential). The report also showed that 22 false alarms were answered and that five runs were made to accidents; 19 to grass fires; and 34 to car fires.

 

• Sgt. James T. Baker, son of Mr. and Mrs. DeWayne Baker of Hillcrest Lane, has been decorated with the U.S. Air Force Commendation Medal. Baker received the medal for meritorious service as a security policeman at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Vietnam. He was cited for his outstanding professional skill and knowledge.

 

• The January term of the Boyle County grand jury completed its work and reported that it urged the construction of a new courthouse addition.

 

• A movement to establish 12 half-way houses, the first to be in Danville, for the purpose of offering assistance throughout the United States to people suffering from mental and emotional illness, was given a further boost when meetings in the interest of the plan were held at Shakertown Inn.

 

25 YEARS AGO — 1995

 

• A new company that specializes in formation processing services has opened its sixth plant in Liberty. First Image Management Co., headquartered in Lexington, will occupy a factory on Campbellsville Street and eventually employ up to 200 people.

 

• A group that had hoped to build a retirement center on Burgin Road has officially given up their plans. A zone change hearing was held to revert land owned by Danville Friends Retirement back to Residential -1 zone. The Ohio-based company announced in 1988 that it wanted to build a retirement housing in Danville. The land was rezoned to Residential-3 to allow apartments to be built.

 

• The 250-ton derrick visible from the senior general foreman’s office at Norfolk Southern’s Danville yard will soon be hitched to an engine and moved on down the line, never to return to the place where it came as shiny, new, $250,000 piece of machinery in 1960. The mammoth Industrial Brownhoist derrick, some railroaders call “Big Hook” came to the yard in 1960. Whenever there was a derailment all over Kentucky, Tennessee, and part of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, the derrick and several railroad cars were pulled to the scene and put to work cleaning and repairing tracks.