July 1, 1921
Special services were held at Valparaiso University yesterday in honor of Professor O. P. Kinsey, former president of the school. Mrs. O. E. Weaver, here on a visit, sang. Professor Kinsey spoke and reviewed the policies of the institution and how it grew into a mighty factor for education by inculcating in the minds of the students a desire for hard work and devotion to study.
The Pennsylvania Western Veterans’ Association of the Pennsylvania Railroad will hold its annual outing in Valparaiso this year. The date will probably be set for some time in September. Between 200 and 250 veterans are expected to attend.
July 2, 1921
Farmers of Pleasant and Boone Townships, Porter County, have started a movement for the restoration of the Kankakee River to its old location. A number of years ago the old river bed was forsaken and its waters diverted to the Marble Ditch. The farmers contend this agricultural move has been a failure and the ground is now worthless. Standing timber is dying as a result. Senator Harry New has been asked to assist and a government agent will probably visit the region. It is the plan of the farmers to restore the section for hunting and fishing.
The Wheeler-Lunbeck Company of Valparaiso today incorporated with the secretary of state at Indianapolis with a capitalization of $25,000 ($375,970.67 in 2021). Roy Wheeler is president; L. T. Applegate, secretary; Frank Lunbeck, treasurer; Leon Wheeler, sales manager. The company will manufacture and sell a proposed shoe form for window display purposes.
July 3, 1921
Canton Valparaiso No. 27, the Patriarchs Militant Branch of Odd Fellowship, was mustered in by officers of the state organization on Saturday afternoon at Odd Fellow hall. Canton Hammond, No. 55, conferred the degrees. Major General Landes of Indianapolis, and staff, mustered in both orders. Following the work a 6 o’clock dinner was served. At 7:30 o’clock a grand military ball and parade was held. Weed’s Band headed the procession. Harry J.Fox is captain of the canton and Sarah Ina Cunningham is president of the auxiliary.
Miss Willa Wansborough, assistant to county superintendent of schools, Fred H. Cole, was the only Porter County applicant who successfully passed the special examination for qualification of attendance officers offered by the state board in June. Her manuscript graded 100. There were thirty applicants.
July 4, 1921
Nearly 1,000 persons attended the Fourth of July picnic given by the Porter County Farmers’ Association at the country home of County Agent A. Z. Arehart at Wolf’s Corners. Pine Township defeated Porter Township in a baseball game in the morning by a score of 11 to 9. A flag raising ceremony by Joseph W. Zea and E. M. Burns, old (Civil War) soldiers, assisted by Flora Baer, was held. In the afternoon talks were made by J. T. Buchanan, president of the Farmers’ Association; Maurice Douglas, of the Indiana Public Service Commission; E. J. Freund and M. J. Bowman. The Valparaiso Athletics defeated a picked team by a close score. Races and games were also held.
July 5, 1921
O. P. Kinsey, of Valparaiso University, addressed members of the Kiwanis Club at their meeting today. He expressed the opinion the city should build a hotel at any cost.
July 6, 1921
Professor Kinsey also shared with the Kiwanis Club that he had sold his property here and expects to spend summers in Valparaiso where he consequently would like to live at a hotel.
July 7, 1921
Indignation meetings over the closing of the Flint Lake Road by County Highway Superintendent Joseph Crowe are now the order of the day. Resorters at the lakes are complaining about being bottled up by the ten-day order. A number of persons are contemplating going to Michigan City and obtaining an injunction from Judge H. L. Crumpacker, of the Porter-LaPorte Superior Court.
Major A.V. Dairymple, former Valparaiso University student, and recent federal prohibition agent for Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin and Kentucky, visited Valparaiso today. In company with Attorneys Grant Crumpacker and William Daly he went to Flint Lake to swim to cool off in the waters.
July 8, 1921
Neil Arvin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Arvin, of Valparaiso, was united in marriage at Lausanne, Switzerland, on June 30, to Miss Marguerite Mullere, of Lausanne. Mr. Arvin has been studying in Paris for several years, and will return to the United States in September. He formerly taught at Harvard University.
Dr. G. R. Douglas was in Chicago yesterday to meet the remains of his cousin, Captain Howard Douglas, who was killed several weeks ago in an airplane accident over Chesapeake Bay. The body of Captain Douglas was enroute to California for burial.
July 9, 1921
Sergeant Charles A. Pratt, formerly of Valparaiso, who lost his life in France on November 8, three days before armistice was signed, has been awarded the French Croix de Guerre by the French government. Pratt went to France in 1917 and was severely wounded in action in July, 1918, but recovered. John Bert Mitchell, another Valparaiso boy, received a similar decoration. He was severely wounded in action.
An ordinance was passed by the Valparaiso City Council last evening annexing a parcel of land west of the fair grounds into the city. The land is owned by F. W. Alpen and has been platted into building lots. A number of homes have been built in the addition.
July 10, 1921
George LaForce, who has severed his connection with the Lowenstine Shoe Department, and Frank James of Columbus, O., formerly of Valparaiso, will open up a shoe store in the LaForce building on Franklin Street about September 1.
Indiana Avenue and Chicago Street will soon be improved with a coating of asphalt by Valparaiso authorities. Chuck holes in the streets are being filled preparatory to the work. Other streets are also to receive attention.
July 11, 1921
The Up-to-Date Cleaners on Lincolnway in Valparaiso, owned by Gust Demos, opened its new dry cleaning plant on North Washington Street, recently built. New machinery for dry cleaning of all kinds of fabrics has been installed.
Morris Poncher, who has been connected with the W. A. Stimson auto agency, has resigned his position and taken the agency for the Mitchell auto.
July 12, 1921
Porter and Boone Township voters approved two gravel roads at elections held. The Valentine Hahn Road in Porter Township carried by a large margin, and the Frank Foltz Road by a small majority. Both townships voted on the Foltz Road.
July 13, 1921
The Porter County Cow Testing Association was organized last night at the county agent’s office. George Huitma, tester last year, will act again. Julius Turk, Liberty Township, was named president, and Everett M. Carver, Pine Township, secretary-treasurer.
July 14, 1921
The First Church of Christ, Scientist, is having plans drawn for a new edifice to be constructed upon the Sisson lot owned by the church at the corner of Calumet Avenue and Franklin Street. An architect from the Carnegie Company, Chicago, which erected the McGill factory buildings, has been employed. The building will cost $25,000 ($375,970.67 in 2021).
Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Carpenter, of Brazil, Ind., parents of Rev. Guy O. Carpenter, pastor of the Methodist Church, made a recent visit here before sailing for Europe and purchased an automobile for their grandson, Guy Duncan Carpenter. This is the second automobile given to the Carpenter family in the last few months. One presented to the pastor by the congregation was stolen a few weeks after its presentation.
July 15, 1921
Only two Valparaiso boys will attend the citizens’ military training camp at Camp Knox, Kentucky, on July 21 to August 20. About forty local young men applied, but as only 400 were accepted from the state out of 5,111 applications, only two were selected here. The successful applicants are Howard C. Bailey and John Edward Middaugh.
W. J. Whitaker, who recently purchased the Willis Winninger Farm east of Valparaiso, is moving here from Francesville, Ind. Mr. Winninger was formerly connected with the State Bank of Francesville, but resigned because of his health.
July 16, 1921
Chesterton will have a building and loan association. The decision was reached at meeting of the directors of the chamber of commerce of that place. The capital of the association will be $30,000 ($451,164.80 in 2021), and it is proposed to operate as a rural association. The movement recently gained headway at a meeting of the chamber of commerce members addressed by Harry P. New, of Lebanon, building and loan expert.
The Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce membership will vote on two questions in a referendum to be submitted to them. The first question is: Do you favor the appropriation of $1,200 ($18,046.59 in 2021) by the city council for band concerts. The second is: Do you favor the chamber of commerce recommending such steps to the city council as to prohibit so-called carnivals, streets fairs or street fakirs operating within the city, based on your opinion whether such action would be good for the economic, civic, social and moral welfare of the entire community.
July 17, 1921
The Mineral Springs Race Course at Porter, dream of Chicago, Hammond, Gary and Valparaiso racing men, was sold today at sheriff’s sale by Sheriff William Pennington to Charles S. Peirce, of this city. It is said Mr. Peirce purchased the property for Charles Crumpacker. The race course consists of 120 acres, and the price paid was $9,000 ($135,349.44 in 2021). The Mineral Springs Race Course was established seven years ago and a number of races were held. It was ordered closed by Governor Thomas Marshall who sent the state militia here to enforce the order. Since then, it has been used for auto and motorcycle racing.
A number of Porter County farmers are loading wool today and tomorrow at the Pennsylvania Depot for shipment to Columbus, O. The farmers expect to fill a car load with a minimum capacity of 16,000 pounds.
July 18, 1921
J. E. Oliver, of Chicago, who took several leases covering about 2,000 acres of land in Jackson Township, Porter County, is expected to begin drilling for oil within a few days. His drilling outfit, which was to have arrived several days ago, has been delayed. He will go down to Trenton rock.
Lives of Edward Zugbaum and his two-year-old daughter, Josephine, were snuffed out today when an automobile in which they were riding was struck by a Baltimore and Ohio passenger train one mile west of Suman. Harry, age 13, who was in the auto, miraculously escaped with a broken leg. He was carried 200 feet.
July 19, 1921
At a meeting of the faculty of Valparaiso University, President J. E. Roessler announced that many inquiries had been received at the college office from all parts of the country in regard to the fall opening in September. Indications are that the enrollment will be the largest enjoyed by the school in many years. President Roessler said that Professor O. P. Kinsey would conduct chapel exercises on Friday morning.
July 20, 1921
The first wool pool shipment by Porter County farmers left this morning over Pennsylvania Lines for Columbus, O. The car contained 18,569 pounds of wool. It will be stored in the warehouse at Columbus and sold to best advantage.
July 21, 1921
The machinery to be used in the training of federal board students at Valparaiso University arrived here today over the Grand Trunk Railroad. It was purchased at Cleveland, Ohio, and consists of 25 pieces, lathes, drills, presses and planers. The aggregate weight is 58,000 pounds. Training of the men has been held up pending the arrival of the machinery scheduled some four weeks ago.
Rollin C. Higley, general secretary of the Y.M.C.A. at Greensburg, Ind., has resigned to accept a position in the local office of Lewis E. Myers and Company. Mr. Higley’s family will move to Valparaiso on August 1. They formerly resided here.
July 22, 1921
The Foster Lumber and Coal Company has commenced work on several factory buildings for the U. S. China Company at Porter. The aggregate cost of the buildings will exceed $140,000 ($2,105,435.75 in 2021). The local firm also has the contract for $20,000 ($300,776.54 in 2021) in government construction for the remodeling of buildings at Valparaiso University for federal board students training. The work must be completed within thirty days.
The treasury of the Porter County Red Cross was enriched $453.73 ($453.73 in 2021) by the baseball game played recently between the Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs at Brown Field.
July 23, 1921
The Lowenstine-owned building at the corner of Indiana Avenue and Franklin Street in Valparaiso has been leased to Doyle and Breed, barbers, who have been occupying the LaForce building, formerly occupied by the George Knoll Confectionery. The LaForce building will be occupied by Frank James and George LaForce for a shoe store.
According to a report compiled by County Agent A. Z. Arehart, fifty-eight percent of the farmers of the county belong to the Porter County Farming Association. There are 1,591 farmers in the county farming five acres or more. A total of 929 belong to the association.
July 24, 1921
County Agent A. Z. Arehart was re-elected for another year at a meeting of the county board of education Saturday. His second year of office dates from August 1. Mr. Arehart made a report of work done by his office for the last eleven months.
Bruce Loring, son of Judge H. H. Loring, of the Porter Circuit Court, today opened an office for the practice of law in a room over the Valparaiso State Bank. He was graduated from the University of Michigan last month.
July 25, 1921
The Smith and Smiths Company of Valparaiso, has been awarded the contract for the erection of a cow barn at the Montdale Stock Farm, east of the city. The building will be equipped with the latest devices The Montdale Farm has acquired an additional herd of Ayrshire cattle for its milk trade.
Twenty-five acres of land within a short distance of the concrete road at Waverly Beach is being subdivided by S. Freund, proprietor of Sheridan Beach, Flint Lake. The property was offered for sale Saturday. Attorney E. J. Freund, of Valparaiso, is handling the sale. The property consists of 103 lots.
July 26, 1921
The office of the American Railway Express Company may be moved from its present location on Indiana Avenue to the Pennsylvania Depot. Officials of the Pennsylvania Railroad were here today in conference with express company officials. If the move is made, the office will be under the supervision of E. D. Hodges.
July 27, 1921
The county commissioners awarded the contract for the construction of the Barnard Road in Jackson Township to Flynn and Small of LaPorte for $83,325 ($1,253,110.24 in 2021). The road is to be macadam with an asphalt binder. The cost of the road is over $30,000 ($451,164.80 in 2021) per mile. Ray DeMass, of Chesterton, bid $86,000 ($1,293,339.11 in 2021) on natural asphalt.
July 28, 1921
The Alpha Epsilon fraternity of Valparaiso University has leased the O. P. Kinsey residence on Greenwich Street and will occupy it as a home. It is the intention of the fraternity to remodel the building.
Philley Brothers, who conduct a confectionery and news stand in the Schelling Theatre building, have leased the corner store room in the new Premier Theatre being built by Shauer and Son. The firm will retain its location in the Schelling Music Hall.
July 29, 1921
Harry Herrick, who has been manager of the Specht-Finney Company grocery for the last three years, has resigned his position and will sever his connection with the firm on August 1. Mr. Herrick has accepted a sales position with the McMahan-Wood Company. He has been in the grocery business in Valparaiso for twenty-five years.
At a special meeting of Valparaiso Lodge of Elks last evening, the proposition of remodeling the present quarters was discussed by the membership. A motion was adopted authorizing Exalted Ruler Charles H. Stinchfield to appoint a committee to take up the matter of remodeling with architects in club construction and getting plans and figures for cost of the work.
July 30, 1921
Richard Lieber, head of the department of conservation of Indiana, visited the sand dunes in north Porter County yesterday in company with representatives of the Indiana Editorial Association which met at Gary. State Senator Will Brown and Representative J. J. Overmyer were in the party. Mr. Lieber was enthusiastic over the establishment of a park in the dunes but said nothing definite had been decided upon by the state department.
A complaint alleging that the Great Lakes Sand Company has damaged the State of Indiana $50,000 ($751,941.34 in 2021) and is asking a temporary injunction, damages, and temporary restraining order against the company taking sand from Lake Michigan off the Lake, Porter and LaPorte County shores has been sent to Lake Circuit Court by U. S. Lesh, Indiana Attorney General.
July 31, 1921
Charles Chester, W. W. Bozarth, George Burke, and Garland Reynolds caught ten wall-eyed pike, weighing from four to six pounds, and a number of pickerel at the Kankakee River, south of Kouts. The fish are biting good because of the low water.
Fully 150 took the July examination for teachers’ licenses at the Central school in Valparaiso on Saturday. This was the largest number for several years according to Superintendent Fred H. Cole and brings back the old times when the number ran over the 400 mark.