USA > Indiana > The Indiana centennial, 1916; a record of the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of Indiana's admission to statehood > Part 21
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Committees were appointed, the chairmen of which served as an executive committee, besides which was a general ad- visory committee. Local chairmen were appointed in each township. But there seemed not to be enough enthusiasm to make the wheels of all this machinery go round.
Plans were laid for a county celebration to be held Sep- tember 3 to 6, shortly after which the coming of the Allen Shows was announced with "clean, refined and up-to-date" at- tractions with which to liven up the week! Sufficient inter- est was not aroused to carry out the program adequately as outlined. Pastors were asked to preach appropriate sermons on Sunday September 3, and in the evening a union Centen- nial service was held when addresses were made by Rev. E. L. Gillard, Rev. Frank E. Jaynes and Dr. Schell of Dayton, Ohio.
On Monday, a marker was dedicated at Treaty Spring, on the scene of the making of a treaty with the Indians in 1826. The unveiling of the tablet was by Miss Janet Jones, great-great-granddaughter of Hugh Hanna, founder of the town of Wabash. Miss Jones represented the county in the Centennial Cavalcade on County Day of the State celebra- tion. Wednesday was Old Settlers' Day, an annual event in the county, which was given a Centennial flavor.
In brief, the Centennial idea was not sufficiently strong in the county to "fly with its own wings." It was not even developed to any appreciable degree in the public schools of the county. At North Manchester, a Centennial feature was announced in connection with a fair.
At Roann "Booster Days" were observed the middle of October, but there was enough of the spirit of the year mani- fested to prepare and present a very creditable pageant under the direction of Mrs. G. H. Brodbeck, presenting in broad out- line the history of the State.
The Friends Church of Wabash observed Centennial Sun- day during the state celebration in a very profitable and com- mendable manner. In the morning an historical address was delivered by Prof. Harlow Lindley, Secretary of the Commis- sion, showing the prominent place Friends have taken in the development of the State. The afternoon was devoted to re- hearsals of local Friends history in its many interesting phases.
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WARREN
The observance in Warren County was restricted almost wholly to the schools. T. A. Clifton, editor of the Williams- port Pioneer, first undertook the chairmanship, accepting the appointment in the summer of 1915. Before the end of the year he removed from the county, necessitating the selection of another chairman. Rather under protest, Harry Evans, County School Superintendent, took up the work, but with his regular duties hardly had the time to follow it up vigor- ously and organize his county.
In October, in cooperation with the township trustees of the county, a decentralized county observance was arranged on the basis of the schools. A schedule of celebrations was made out beginning October 20 and ending November 10, which was carried out except in three cases where plans were upset by an epidemic of scarlet fever. Programs were ar- ranged which included patriotic music, review of state and local history, recitations, display of relics, parades, etc., Pine Village and West Lebanon presented a rather elaborate pro- gram which included pageant features illustrative of state history.
WARRICK
It would have been strange indeed had not "Old Warrick," mother county of the "Pocket" which displayed such patriotic appreciation, done itself proud in the observance of the State Centennial. It was rather slow in getting started and in some respects did not so nearly reach the entire citizenship of the county as would have been desirable. Apparently the school authorities were blind to the significance of the year. At least there is no evidence at hand that they recognized the anniversary in connection with the year's work or that they even cooperated in the plans of the county organization.
Nevertheless Warrick had a splendid celebration, due in large part no doubt to the public spirit, determination and perseverance of its county chairman, W. L. Barker. It was a two-day observance and took place at Boonville, Septem- ber 28 and 29. It was an historical observance in concep- tion and execution, in which the history of the county was re-enacted by its own people.
Its crowning event was a pageant in which 1,300 people
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took part. It was literally home grown, written and directed by home people and dealing with home life of the past. It was a composite product, being prepared by Mrs. Ada Hop- kins, Mrs. Nell Fulling, Miss Gladys Gough, Mrs. Natalie Wilson and Wm. L. Barker. The director of the pageant was T. P. Tillman. From the very artistic "The Book of the Pageant," the following introduction is taken which well sets forth the nature and scope of the pageant.
The pageant of Warrick County presents in dramatic form and chronological order five important periods in the county's history.
Episode I deals wholly with the period of Indian occupation, and graphically depicts the savage or semi-civilized habits and customs of the native American race.
Episode II, which covers those eventful years of the first decade of the Nineteenth Century, 1803-18, records with historical exactness the arrival and establishment of the county's earliest white inhabitants, and portrays in vivid setting the lives of those strong and great-hearted men and women-our worthy pioneer ancestors.
In Episode III is shown in panorama the original extent of the "County of Warrick" as established by Act of the Indiana Territorial Legislature in 1813; and also is told in impressive and artistic detail the story of its social, political and geographical progress.
Bringing, as it does, again to our minds and hearts the thought of that humble and lowly "Man of the People," now revered and exalted as the Great Emancipator, but who as a backwoods boy tramped the rough roads of Old Warrick on his way to his new home across the Wabash, Episode IV is fittingly named The Lincoln Episode.
The three scenes of Episode V are vividly recalled by many of our citizens. Scenes wherein is given authentic representation of The Call to Arms, The News of Morgan's Raid and The Return of the Boys in Blue-all stirring events of the great Civil War, as witnessed upon the Public Square in Boonville.
All parts of the pageant are taken by citizens of the county, and many individual characterizations are portrayed by lineal descendants of the historic personages named in the context.
The pageant was given in the evening and was opened with a beautiful fantasy in which Pan rules supreme, in the presence of the Wood Nymphs, the Fireflies, the Butterflies and the Blossoms, the Fairies, the Moonbeams, and the Star- lights, who dance about in an abandon of joy and freedom, suddenly to be dispersed by the intrusion of the Red Man.
Though the principal one, the pageant was not the sole feature of Warrick's celebration. An excellent concert was given by a chorus assembled from the different towns and townships of the county by Mrs. Mina Thornburg and directed
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by Miss Marion Graham. The chorus likewise furnished the music for the pageant.
An appropriate and eloquent address was delivered by Judge Roscoe Kiper.
In connection with the home coming feature of the cele- bration there was held a reunion of those who had taught school in the county thirty years or more before, at which fifty people qualified and formed an organization looking toward an annual reunion. The first signer, Edward Gough, had taught his first school in Warrick County just a half cen- tury ago.
There was a big industrial parade in which historical fea- tures were introduced.
On the evening of the first day a series of historical and symbolic tableaux was presented in the court house square, before an immense audience, the tableaux being arranged by Mrs. Laura Bennett, Mrs. Nanette Kiper and Frank Cody.
Two exhibits were on display, first, an array of pioneer utensils and old relics which filled two storerooms, and sec- ond, an exhibit of agricultural products.
The observance was not only a success in its immediate purpose, that of patriotically observing the natal year of the State, but was also effective in bringing town and country together in a united effort.
WASHINGTON
Heir to the birthplace of John Hay and the home of Wash- ington C. DePauw, heir to the ideals of the early Quaker set- tlers embodied in the name of its county seat, heir to the old associations of learning and culture which made it the Attica of early Indiana, and possessed of sons and daughters who appreciate this rich heritage, Washington County showed it- self worthy of its honored past in its recognition of the Cen- tennial Year.
The Washington County Historical Society took the lead in the patriotic enterprise, its president, Wm. B. Lindley, be- coming the county chairman. The organization was later broadened somewhat, but to Chairman Lindley and his loyal associates in the above named organization belongs the chief credit for the adequate and dignified way in which the county acquitted itself.
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Preparations for the observance were begun early and on a solid foundation. At the very beginning of the year the So- ciety issued an admirable circular setting forth its desire to assist in securing all kinds of material bearing on the his- tory and early life of the county, the same to be safeguarded in the Salem library. The communication was addressed par- ticularly to the schools of the county and detailed sugges- tions were offered as to ways in which the facts could be gathered. The circular also contained an official statement by Orra Hopper, county school superintendent, declaring Jan- uary 28 to be Washington County Historical Day in the schools for the furthering of the purpose set forth by the County Historical Society.
In 1914, Salem celebrated its own Centennial anniversary. On the evening of its 102nd anniversary, April 4, 1916, the Woman's Club of the town held an open, patriotic meeting as a means of arousing interest in the State Centennial, when an address on the subject was given by the Director of the Indiana Historical Commission.
The county celebration took place August 25-27 at Salem. The first day was given over largely to a general program of speeches and patriotic music. The distinctive feature of the day, if not indeed of the whole celebration, was the dedication of an artistic' marker which had been placed at the old home and birthplace of John Hay. The memorial address was deliv- ered by Willard O. Trueblood, pastor of the First Friends church of Indianapolis, a native son of Washington County.
On the following day the Old Settlers idea was empha- sized both in the music and in the addresses by former citi- zens. Drills and folk dances were presented by the schools of Salem.
Union patriotic services were held in the churches on Sun- day. The sermon in the afternoon was given by President Robert L. Kelly, of Earlham College.
The big event of the celebration was the pageant given in the court house square on Saturday evening. A summer storm came up in the midst of the presentation, com- pelling a postponement until an evening the first of the week. The pageant was given under the energetic and capable super- vision of Mrs. F. P. Cauble.
The first part was devoted to the Indian period in which
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the most interesting scene was based on an incident in local history, having to do with the abduction by the Indians of two boys of the neighborhood.
Part two consisted of five scenes portraying the different phases of pioneer life. Local color was again given in the reproduction of a Quaker wedding.
"Slavery and War," was the subject of the third period, scene one presenting the home of Levi Coffin, president of the Underground Railroad, and demonstrating its part in helping fugitive slaves to freedom. In the scene picturing the beginning of the war the original scene attending the presentation of the flag at Salem was put on. Morgan's raid, sweeping through Salem as it did, gave ample opportunity for a stirring and realistic reproduction of local history.
The fourth period dealt with the remarkable early educa- tional development of the county, and with the literary attain- ments of the State, the latter being featured in an authors' episode.
A pleasing feature was the giving of George Ade's "Girls of Indiana," presenting in turn the Indian girl, the French girl, the Linsey Woolsey girl, the Hoop Skirt girl, the Bustle girl, the Puff Sleeve girl, the Hobble and Slit Skirt girl, and the girl of today. In short it was a musical Centennial style show.
WAYNE
It is the irony of the year that the home county of the Secretary and Director of the State Commission should make about the worst showing of any county in the State, every- thing considered. B. F. Wissler of Cambridge City, a man active in the Wayne County Historical Society, and with a deep appreciation of the true significance of the year, was appointed County Chairman and succeeded in organizing a good, representative committee.
Richmond proved the stumbling block. A few public spirited citizens of the town worked faithfully to stir up in- terest but without avail. Various conferences were called by Mr. Wissler and special efforts were made by both the Secre- tary and Director of the State Commission toward getting a worthy celebration under way, but without success. When it was found that Richmond would not cooperate, attempts at a county observance were abandoned.
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Then, to cap the climax, the Commercial Club of Richmond promoted a street fair and carnival in October under the name of a Centennial Exposition which was of such a nature as to call forth a formal protest from the local Ministerial Asso- ciation. It was a travesty on the high and patriotic purpose of the Centennial Year.
While the county as such did not participate in the state- wide Centennial movement, some recognition of the year was given within its borders. It was very fitting that the historic town of Fountain City, once known as Newport, should ob- serve the anniversary. It did so in May by holding a remark- able heirloom exhibit, the proper display of which required the greater part of the public school building. Special in- terest attached to the observance from the fact that the town is the seat of the old home of Levi Coffin, famous as the President of the Underground Railroad and whose home was used as a "Grand Central Station." Mrs. O. N. Huff was chairman of the committee under whose leadership the exhibit was held.
Determined that his own town at least should show a pa- triotic appreciation of the year, Mr. Wissler wrote a play based on the early history of Indiana and the Old Northwest Territory, which was presented before a very large audience in the local opera house by the Cambridge City High School.
On October 8 the Friends churches of Richmond con- ducted Centennial anniversary services in keeping with the concerted action of that religious denomination in Indiana.
THE EARLHAM PAGEANT
The outstanding Centennial event in Wayne County was the Earlham-Quaker pageant, "In Quest of Freedom," which ranked as one of the distinctive pageants of the year. It was given during Commencement week under the auspices of the Senior Class of Earlham College, the entire college body participating. The pagcant portrayed the Quaker emigra- tion from the Carolinas to the free soil of the North and the settlement in the Whitewater Valley, together with the ac- tivities of Friends, emphasizing their educational interests centering in Earlham College. It presented a happy harmo- nization of the symbolic and the real, upon the motif of the quest of freedom, intellectual and spiritual as well as physical.
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This is suggested in the following lines from the Prologue, ad- dressed to Freedom :
We come today a little band of Friends-
E'en loyal friends of Freedom, Justice, Peace, And if so friends of God. Midst clashing arms, Midst shaking thrones, our fathers learned what Thou Wouldst speak. Espoused they, thy sister Peace.
Unmoved by war's alarums, true to Her They thought them true to Justice and to thee. Far be it that we vaunt their fame and ours. All eager in thy cause have even we Against thee often sinned. Full long has been The learning of the lesson deep that bond Removed from human flesh is token mere Of Freedom of the Soul. And that can ne'er Exist, where mind and heart are stultified.
Thy way has sometimes weary been and long We've traveled, in the path of liberty So boldly, nobly trod by those before
To this new promised land, thy heritage. But gathered here on Wisdom's sacred ground Forever dedicated to thy cause,
We tell the story of our quest for thee.
And may that holy quest ne'er ended be.
To thee may each day bring new tribute full,
To thee our Queen and thrice blest trinity.
The following outline of the pageant will indicate its scope and content :
PART I Introduction. Pageant Processional-Hymn to Freedom. Prologue. Hymn to Freedom, Send Forth Thy Light.
PART II In Body Politic.
EPISODE I In the Land of Bondage.
Scene 1. The Issue.
Scene 2. The Departure.
EPISODE II Following the North Star.
Scene 1. Arrival and Settlement in the Whitewater Valley.
EPISODE III Proclaiming Liberty to the Captive.
Scene 1. Close Connections on the Underground Railroad. Scene 2. The Right of Petition (Henry Clay Incident, 1842.)
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EPISODE IV The Times Which Try Men's Souls. (1861-1865.)
Scene 1. The Quaker Testimony (1861).
Scene 2. The Quaker Contribution (1865).
PART III
In Mind and Heart and Soul.
EPISODE V The Founding of Earlham.
Scene 1. The Vision.
Scene 2. "Second Day, Sixth Month, Seventh." (1847.)
Scene 3. Teaching by Example.
EPISODE VI Recognition of the "New Learning" and the Aesthetic. Scene 1. Introduction of Science and Music. .
PART IV
Finale
EPISODE VII Fulfillment and Promise.
Scene 1. Centennial Observance.
"In Quest of Freedom" was given before large audiences in the afternoon and again in the evening. The following comment is taken from the Richmond Item: "Resplendent with color, dignified with the exaltation of an inspiration, beautifully and historically costumed, well balanced in music, poetry and dialogue, and enhanced in the evening by elaborate electrical effects, the pageant moved along without a hitch or a flaw from beginning to end. . The sombre hue of the 19th century Quaker costumes and their seriousness of life contrasted strongly with the brilliant historic and symbolical background. Every minute of the presentation, re- quiring more than two and a half hours, was replete with in- tense interest to the vast audiences, the members of which were completely absorbed in the development and unraveling of the incidents of the drama."
The pageant was directed by Mrs. Mary H. Flanner of Indianapolis, who directed the New Harmony pageant in 1914, and by Miss Edna Johnson of the Earlham Faculty, assisted by Walter C. Woodward, the writer of the pageant, an alum- nus of Earlham and hitherto a member of its Faculty.
Miss Laverne Jones, an Earlham student, represented Wayne in the Centennial Cavalcade on County Day and other Earlhamites took part in the parade of the counties.
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WELLS
After a considerable amount of discussion and planning during the year, the Wells County celebration finally resolved itself into a county automobile parade September 29, partici- pated in largely by school children, on one day of the annual Bluffton street fair. Credit should be given Nottingham township for being the one township in the county which showed sufficient appreciation of and interest in the occasion to prepare floats for the parade. It likewise secured the elec- tion of one of its young ladies, Miss Maxwell Morris, as Wells' representative in the Cavalcade of the Counties at Indian- apolis on October 6.
Following the parade on September 29, an appropriate address was delivered by Dick Miller of Indianapolis.
There was no organized effort to interpret the meaning of the year to the children through the work in the schools. The school authorities of the county seemed inert and inap- preciative of the rare opportunities afforded by the year.
Herman F. Lesh, clerk of the Wells Circuit Court, was county chairman.
WHITE
It is alphabetically only, that White County marches in the rear of the Centennial procession. Otherwise, it kept step with the leaders in the van of the counties. It was one of the first to begin preparations, and its celebration was one of the later ones, yet the Centennial interest grew through the preparative process of education, and was sustained for more than a year, culminating in a most worthy observance.
One reason for this very satisfactory situation is found in the fact that in the early beginning, the right Centennial foundation was laid. A County Chairman was early found in W. H. Hamelle of Monticello, president of the White County Historical Society, who grasped at once the Centen- nial idea and its possibilities for White county. He began at once to lay his plans accordingly, and though he himself did not see them through to completion, the high ideals for which he strove, were followed throughout.
The County Centennial organization was largely a school organization, consisting chiefly of the school officials and teachers of Monticello, and the Superintendent of the county.
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Frequent committee meetings were held at which the scope of the work was carefully outlined. The Secretary kept full ac- counts of all meetings, together with the frequent notices in the local papers, which were later turned over to the White County Historical Society. In passing it should be noted that the county press gave very hearty support to the Centennial movement, having much to do with its success.
In the way of advertising, the Committee issued an illus- trated leaflet setting forth the purposes of the observance and announcing the county celebration for October 5, 6 and 7. It also published a series of post cards, with illustrations of points of interest in the county, principally historical.
On the first of February, Indiana history and the Centen- nial were given considerable attention at the County Teach- ers' Institute. Mr. Hamelle himself presented the subject directly to the teachers, and Logan Esarey of Indiana Univer- sity gave an address on Hoosier life and characteristics.
On February 22nd, the County Committee put on at Monti- cello, an Indiana Products Day Dinner-which won honor- able mention from the office of the Commission-with an appropriate Indiana program.
March 17th was Centennial Day in the White County schools, on which eight town schools and many of the county schools, presented delightful and appropriate programs. That the day was made highly educational as well as patriotic and entertaining, was evinced by the collection of original Indiana Souvenir programs contrived by pupils, which were sent in to the Director of the Indiana Historical Commission. Most of these were arranged in the form of a map of the State and were very artistic.
In June of the Centennial year, Mr. Hamelle resigned as County Chairman and was succeeded by Vice-Chairman J. M. Leffel, Superintendent ยท of the Monticello schools, who put through the county celebration in the first week of October.
The celebration led off with Woman's Day, when the pro- gram was in charge of the Club women of White County, led by Mrs. C. S. Preston of Monticello, as Chairman. The prin- cipal address of the morning was given by Miss Adelaide Steele Baylor, of the State Department of Public Instruction, upon the subject, "New Ideals in Education." In the after- noon, Juliet V. Strauss, the Country Contributor, spoke on
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"How Mother Gets Her Halo." In addition to these two ad- dresses, short talks were made by women of the several towns of the county, on the general topic of community improve- ment. In the evening a greatly appreciated old-time melodies concert was given, followed by a fashion show, in which the women of the county appeared in the various costumes that have been in vogue from the time of Minnehaha to that of the belle of 1916. A clever feature was a dialogue between Miss 1816 and Miss 1916, by two young women of Wolcott.
Friday, October 6th, was Education Day, and Saturday, the 7th, Community Day, the principal feature of which was the County Pageant, the first part of which was given on Friday, and the second on Saturday afternoon. On the even- ing of Friday, Logan Esarey gave an address on "The Hoos- iers." In the forenoon there was a parade of historical and industrial floats, participated in largely by Monticello, sup- ported by the town of Idaville and Jackson township. On Saturday morning a program of old time and present day athletic sports was given.
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