Dunreith School - The Henry County Historical Society and Museum

Dunreith School
Circa 1912
Only two can positively be identifred. Back Row, second and third from the right: Howard Henshaw and Dorothy (Deem) Hollinger.
of the old Buck Creek church, Since Dunreith is located along
the National Road, it is assumed a number of burials are of non-local origin. The first burial took place in 1834. The last marked
burial was in 1939. Estella A. Nicholson was the last person
buried at Dunreith, circa 1962. Her grave was never marked with
a stone.
The cemetery is in excellent condition and is maintained by
the town. Some stones were damaged January 1, 1968, at the time
of the costly train wreck, explosion and frre in Dunreith. The inscriptions in the cemetery were reco¡ded in 1966 by R. Thomas
Mayhill, Knightstown, with additions by this edito¡ in 1974. We
were able to ¡ecord 172 burials.
Joseph W. Abrams, Pendleton Bullen, J.A. Crickmore, Thomas J. Johnson, Dallas Lawson, and C,H.G. Moore, all veterans
of the Civil War, are buried in the cemetery.
Dun¡eith Businesses and Merchants, 1865-1963
Dry Goods & Groceries
- Emory Dunreith Coffrn, Rieman &
Vance, Thomas Evans, Hiram Allen, P,H. Hayes
J.T. Crum, Brown & Stubbs, J. Yates & E. Ratcliff
- David
H. Hudelson, W.R. Wilson, Gause & Porch,
Dry Goods
Druggists
Hardware
- Mr. Dixon
Dealer in Produce, Lime, Lath, Shingles
- Fleming Ratcliff
Tile Factory Albertson B¡others
General Merchandise
Benjamin F. Henshaw, Ira B. Adams,
J.K. Kennedy Hotel & Livery Stable
Young
- W.A.
Livery & Feed George
P. Smalley
- Stewart
Plasterer
J.T.
Carriage Trimmer & Painter
William T. Miller
- Hall
Sewing Machine Agent
J.M.
Blacksmiths
R. Macy, Mr. Smith, Mr. Simmons, Enos
- William
Bundy,
Alex Steele, Jesse White, J.C. Bales, Robert
Charles Hickman
Glidewell, Charles Glidewell, Howard Glidewell
D,C. Harrold
- S.C. Carter,
Express Agent
J,F. Watson
Brickmaker
Armstead Watkins
Dentists
- David Young, John Fry, Everett Henshaw, Garland
Newkirk, Howard Steele, Ralph Hollinger, Howard New-
Carpenters
kirk, Robert Newkirk
Barbers
-
Frank Saul, Jack Fleming, Fred Wechler, Warren Bird
- Hugh L. English, John M. Cude, J.A. Craig, Mrs.
T.S. Bowen, Mrs. Parish, George P. and Sadie (Parish)
Grpceries
O'Melia, Odom Durham, Ora Chance, Clay Sorrell, Sid-
ney Sorrell, Clency L. Personette
Grain Company (Elevator)
P.C. and W.C. Welborn, E.C. Cope,
- Carl Vogel, John Smith, Harold
Bill Kiser,
and Shelby (Newkirk) Linville
Machine & Tool Shop
Wayne V. Hilkert
Standard Oil Agents - Carl Wiles, Ralph C. Van Hoy
J.F. Watson,
D-X Agent
Harold -Walter
Liveqtock Hauling
George A. Rhodes
Lumber Company - Allen A. Wilkinson
Ratie English
Lee Hudelson
Millinery Shop
Tea Room
-
Tavern
Irvin, Amos Vickery
- John
Saw Mill
M.A. Bowers
Hotel Proprietors
- Frank Stambaugh, Jackson Stanley, Samuel
Westerfreld, James Sherman
Manufacturer of Straw Stackers
Morris and Frank, Mr.
Greenstreet
Vegetable Garden
William Nicholson
Nursery
- Edward Y. Tbas Robert Hudelson, Job Reynolds
Spring Valley Grist Mill
Hardware & Agricultural- Implements
William R. Pearce
Printing & School Supplies
-
- Jr.
E.W. Kiger,
-'Red" Pickett, Carmll Stephene, Gene
Walter, Worth Brown, Verney G. Crum, Luther Wileon,
Clency L. Personettc, Bob Knight, George P. O'Melia,
Serwice StationlGarages
Paul "Red" Childress, Gene Allen
Canning Company
- Ernest Deem, Orval C. Butt¿rfreld
Doctors
E.A. Estabrook, Dr. Comstock, Daniel Butler, John
-Lewis, J.M. Westerheld, Dr. Holloway, William B. Cox,
LD. Craighead, C.G. Bartlett, Johnson A. Whit€
Restaurante
Joseph Crickmore, William Fentress, George and
Edna- Stretch, Don Long, Chet and Carie Mattix, F¡ed
and Alma Hudelson, George P. and Sadie (Parieh)
O'Melia, Luthe¡ and Inez Wilgon, Cieorge and Jessie Walter, Lil Mitchell, Harold and Lura Walter, Harold Nico'
son, Lawrence Anderson, Marie (Hudelson) McDonald,
"Ma" Parish, Eunice Hembree
Other Merchants
Caleb Johnson, Ed Harter
- and Merchante 1083
Dunrcith Bueinesses
Anderson's Restaurant
Lawrence Anderson
-
Boyd's Cabinet Shop
C. Boyd
- Ollie Harold
D-X Sunray Oil Company
Walter
Dante Resale & Antiques
May Linville
Dunreith Grain Company- - Harold and Shelby (Newkirk)
Linville
Dunreith Packing Company
Orval C. Butterflreld
-
Fairchild's Garage
- A.J.IdaFairchild
Dunreith Restaurant
Riggs
- Brenan
Flamingo Motel
Lyle
- Wayne Sulteen
Pine Manor Motel
- Shop Charles and Howard Glidewell
Glidewell's Blacksmith
(Miller)
Judy's Beauty Shop
Haase
- Judy
Hilkert Machine & Tbol
Company
Wayne V. Hilkert
Kiger Printing & School Supplies
E.rv\¡. Kiger, Jr.
Garland Newkirk
Carpenter (retired)
(retired)
Howard Steele
- Carpenter Paul "Red" Childress
Red's D-X Service Station
- Walter
rüalter Tire Service Harold
Standard Oil Agent
Ralph C. Van Hoy
\üeeks'TV and Radio- Service Jesse Weeks
Dunreith Cabinet Shop
Gerald Doddridge
-
Shell Sergice Station
- Gene Allen
Ralph Hollinger
Carpenter
Dunreith Businesses
and Merchants - 1994
Flamingo Motel and Restaurant
- Lowell and Etsuko Jarvis
Blacksmith
Howard Glidewell (retired)
Carpenter - Ralph Hollinger (retired)
Service Station
Williams
- RalphTed
Custom Sign Service
Cook
Kiger Printing Company
E.W and Peter N. Kiger
Dunreith Hair Station -Amy Martin
Mabel and Bruce Haltom
Old National Trail Antique Shop
Antique Shop Bob and Grace Braga
- Rex Norris
Norris ïYucking
Johnson Brothers- Heating and Plumbing
Hardwick Pest Control Wayne Flynn
-Edward Gay
J.J. Stone Company
-
Evans
David H. Hudelson
John F. Yates
William R. Pierce
David H. Hudelson
Hyde
Hamilton
John W Hayes
Edwin C. Hoffman
Nat F. Vickery
Hugh L. English
Lula M. Welch
??
Ida M. Cude
Emily (Griffrn)
Thomas H,
?
?
David H. Jordan
1953
Maxine (Finchum) McFarland 1980
Judy (Swartz) Dishman
L992
Dunreith Area Deaths, 1944-1994
(Name)
Minnie (Kiser) Boyd
Ollie C. Boyd
Minnie O. Brown
Brown
Mildred (Jarrett) Cherry
Clarence Eli Conrad
Frank Copeland
Nora Copeland
Flossie E. (Kiser) Crum
Verney G. Crum
Ida M. Cude
Ora E.Cude
Minnie (Hodson) Deem
John Thomas Duke
Kaminda Hazel (Steele) Duke
Della I. (Muse) Durham
Odom Durham
Oshie Tlieschman Ellis
William Erskine
Charles Glidewell
Ernest "Mope'Glidewell
Jennie L. Glidewell
Willianr'Will" Harrold
Elizabeth Harter
A¡thur M. Henshaw
Howard Henshaw
Lucile (Binford) Henshaw
Dorothy (Deem) Hollinger
George B, Howe
T. Maxine (Glidewell) Howe
Alma Jane (Duke) Hudelson
Fred Elton Hudelson
David H. Jordan
F. Fadella (Glidewell) Jordan
H. Mabel Kassen
Christopher M. Kiger
Louise (Niven) Kiger
Marshall Kirkham
Harold R. Linville
Shelby (Newkirk) Linville
Marie (Hudelson) McDonald
Robert Lee McDonald
Harvey E. McGuire
William'Will"
(Birth)
(Death)
1891
1885
1877
1877
1910
1900
1984
1872
1878
1894
1894
1871
7947
7957
1988
1973
1945
7874
1952
1867
1882
1890
1881
1878
1959
I9l7
1894
1883
1905
1914
1865
L844
1972
1955
1970
7994
1974
1961
1969
1981
1958
1984
1973
1965
1980
1976
1944
1944
f897
1945
L949
1984
1901
1914
1917
1994
L976
1860
1898
L874
1873
1919
I92L
1973
1958
7957
1990
1985
1896
1985
t944
1984
1991
1965
1970
1911
1875
1920
7921,
1899
7932
1938
7994
7962
1978
1987
Jerry Johnson
The Specialty Shop - David Jones
Ag One
Îìom Thackery,
Manager
Mid America Pallet Service - Bob and Lisa Wells
Weeks'T.V. Repair
Weeke
- Jesse Daniel
Partial List of Postmasters
and Dates of Appointment
1861
Jordan Pickering
Thomas
Odom Durham
Joe Amie
-
1863
1867
1870
1870
L876
1885
1888
1889
1893
1895
1897
1901
?
The old interlocking station was abandoned years ago and has
since fallen into a state of disrepair. A photographer for the Henr¡r
County News-Republican snapped this picture February i5,
1990. The old building can be seen today immediately southeast
of the intersection of U.S. 40 and State Road-3 in Dunreith'
1894
1965
1993
1964
1892
t975
Clarence E. Smiley
Emma E. (Poer) Smiley
1880
1894
1899
Harlan R. Sorrell
1930
1955
1980
1983
1957
Kenneth Sorrell
1921
7972
Jessie Thomas
1885
Jesse Harold Weeks
Viola (Brenneman) Weeks
Howard Steele
Jennie Steele
1923
1882
1963
1989
1979
1966
1982
Harry E. Miller
Lee J. Nease
Alta (Stevens) Newkirk
James Garland Newkirk
1890
Lillian E. (Hayes) Peters
L922
1894
1895
'/f
Dunreith's New Fire Station
Photo taken July 31, 1994.
This turn-of-the-century photo shows the old railroad
ing station for the Pennsylvania and Nickel Plate rail¡oads at
the east edge of Dunreith.
IVashington Street (National Road or U.S' 40)
1940
Photograph of Lillian þ. (Hayes) Peters (1880-1955) was taken
inside the old frame Dunreith school, circa 1907. Above the blackboard is a picture of Christ. The interesting saying on the wall
reads "Ordèr is Heaven's Firsi; Law," Other sayings on the board
read "Make a way or find one" and "Do the hard thing frrst." She
had drawn a picture ofthe old school and surrounded the scene
with carefully executed flowers. A saying near this scene reads
"First signs of Spring."
*îr
eleDunreith's Pennsylvania depot is pictured on the left with the canning factóry
vator in the background. Old U.S. 40 (unpaved) is visible in the foreground. The road
curved to the left (north) between the depot and canning factory, crossed the Pennsylvania tracks, then turned back to the east following the same route as the road today.
The crossing watchman's house can be seen behind the crossing sign. Photo taken April
4,
1915.
Á
Arthur M. Henshaw
1860-194õ
Minnie (Chandler) Henshaw
1864-1929
Ye Wayside
Howard Newkirk
Civic booster Howard Newkirk is pictured with Santa at the 1985
Dunreith Fire Department Christmas Party for the youngsters
of the community. Mr. Newkirk is a prominent member of the
Dunreith Christian Church, a former fire chief and a longtime
member of the Dunreith Town Board.
Inn Tavern
1939
Operated by Amos Vickery and John Irvin.
Dunreith Friends Meetinghouse
Caroline (Osborn) Edgerton
1831-1917
Mrs. Edgerton and her husband Wiltiam were prominent abolitionists living in the Dunreith community prior to the Civil War.
Their home was a depot on the underground railroad. The house
has its original slate roof and a most unique circular suspended
stairway. The original red glass in the front door enables a person to look out but prevents someone on the outside from looking in. The house was later owned by Samuel Exum and Jennie
(Elliott) Unthank, Frank and Abbie Benninger, Perry and Margaret E. Miles, and Bert F. and Rhoda C. Norris. In 1927 Samuel
T. "Tiny" and Mae Haguewood purchased the historic old home.
Their daughter Hanna is the current owner and occupant.
Today the old John M. Cude store is unoccupied and neglected.
"Ma" Parish had a grocery and lunch room in the brick building,
erected circa 1880, for a number ofyears and her daughter Sadie
O'Melia lived in the old store until advanced age made it necessary for her to move to a Shelbyville nursing home. Bob and Correna (Hall) Thompson were perhaps the last occupants, operating an antique store in the building for several years. Photo tak-
en July 31, 1994.
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Dunreith School
Õ
- Circa lgl0
, Carl Kassen, Julian Crum,
),
I Owens.
a
Gladys Saul, Dorothy (Deem)
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Back Row (l' to r.): Shirìey Sorrell, Ruby Ledbetter, UnJ<nown, Lillian E. (Hayes) peters,
teacher, Sheridan Sorrell.
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Edith (Ward) Hoover
Longtime music and art teacher at the
Dunreith
school.
Dunreith Christian Church
Sunday School Class
1930
Glidewell, Teacher
. Rqlph Tluitt, Verna Bennett, Mildred Addison,
Berniece Eilar
rd Steele, Pete Roland, Mrs. Arlie Brewer, Charles
):_Dorothy Ford, Elan Smith, Mrs. Logan, Mrs. George Boyd,
Nicholas (and infant), Herbert Nicholas (and infant), Jenny
Pauline Borror.
Pack-Rov-(Iæftto right): Rev. Logan, Lindsey Sorrell, George Boyd, Ralph Tfuitt, Christy
Sorrell, Robert Glidewell, George Smith and Roy Borror.-
1901-1984
Mrs. Eilar was the last teacher at the Dunreith School, teaching there from 1929 until
1941. She ended her teaching career at
Spiceland Elementary in 1955.
\"
I
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i
Washington Street, Dunreith, Circa 1g10
Businesses of John M. Cude & Son, George R. Smalley and Mrs,
T.S. Bowen are clearly visible.
Interurban Passenger Station
Date Unknown
Dunreith's Little White Kitchen Restaurant
and Filling Station
This editor remembers the famous eating establishment. But by my time the filling station was gone and a larger restaurant had been erected to serve the local clientele and
all the hungry travelers along U.S. 40.
Fred E. (1873-1957)
and
Alma (Duke) Hudelson (1874-1958)
(
Honty tounty'tunPiko r'0.
no6.9.)
Tr{rs rrcKET aooo nnoM
{tÐigbtstoryh-to
TraYelcr6
oD
D
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3
unreith.
wlll
ly wil
(".
7 ti"tu 6 wlll
One can only gúess as to the age of
this ticket'
Home of Fred and AIma (Duke) Hudelson
Photo taken June 11, 1927
Left to right: Mary Ellen (Allen) Hudelson, Homer Hudelson and Alma
--+s+x";3+-
(Duke) Hudelson.
Dunreith School
William "Will" Harrold
1903
Henshaw.
L865-r944
Married Flora Hodson (1866-1922)'
Circa
- identifred)
(Students only partially
(1.
Back Row to r.): Cla¡ence Kimbrel, Ray Welch, Violet Bowen, Nora Greenstreet, Stella Duke, Claude Chandler, May Pierce, Opal Harrold, Raymond Owens, Berniece
a
daughter of Jonas and Mary Ann (Antrim)
Hodion. Will and Flora had four children:
Blanche Rifner, Pearl Holtsclaw, Walter
Harrold and Opal Roberts. He is pictured
uHote."
in this 1924 photo with his dog
Middle Row
(1, to r,): Ruby Saul, Edith Cox, Vivian Conrad, Anna Harrold, Nettie Wright,
Clara Chandler, Hazel Harrold.
Bottom Row: Far lefl, Minnie (Kiser) Boyd; Second on left, Earnestine (Williams) Millikan; Far right, dark suit and tie, Ralph Henshaw; Far right, boy with hands folded
over knees, Ross ÌWilliams.
Tbacher (standing far right): George
Cox,
SCORE CARD
\Vee
Golf Course
+
Eighteen Holes of Fun
Little
W"hite Kitchen
DUNR,EITH, IND,
Straughn Garage
Everything
for the Auúo
Wrecker Service
The Benjamin F. & Margaret Henshaw Home
U.S. 40 East, Dunreith
Shell Gas and Oil
STR,AUGHN, IND.
Picture taken in 1870s or 1880s
The old home, erected in the 1860s, served as an inn for those traveling along the Na'
tional Road. It was moved back (or north) several feet with the widening of U.S. 40 in
1928. Four generations of the Henshaw family have resided in the old residence.
(1) Benjamin F. (1820-1887) married Margaret Morgan (1823-1898)
(One of their sons was Arthur M.)
(2) Arthur M. (1860-1945) married Minnie Chandler (1864-1929)
(A¡thur and Minnie had four children.)
(3) Ralph C. (1888-1937), Berniece (1891-1975), Howard D. (1898-1949)
and B. Franklin (1903-1982)
(Howard D. married Lucile Binford t1897-1984J and they had two children.)
(4) Alan Binford Henshaw (b. 1934) and his sister Mary Elizabeth or "Libby''(b. 1937)
(Libby continues to reside in the historic old home.)
Wee golf score card used
in
1932.
H. Mabel Kassen
1896-1985
A precious lady, Miss Kassen was a lifelong Dunreith resident. Many will not
soon forget Miss Kassen and her compan-
ion Miss B.
Frances Wright driving
around the Dunreith and Spiceland communities in Miss Kassen's 1939 green
Buick. She could still be seen behind the
wheels of this car well into the 1980s.
,z
Verney G. Crum
1894-1973
An electrician for the town of Dunreith, Mr. Crum purchased the
Dunreith Garage in 1930, operating it and an adjoining restaurant for fifteen years. He was also a longtime employee of both
the Penn Central Railroad and the Dunreith Packing Company.
Mr. Crum was a son of John and Elizabeth (Hayes) Crum.
Flossie E. (Kiser) Crum
1894-1988
Born at Dunreith, a daughter of Elmer W. and JoAlta (Lindamood)
Kise¡ Mrs. Crum was graduated from Spiceland Academy in
1913. A longtime member of the Spiceland Town-Township Public Library Board, she also served as Dunreith's Courier-T'imes
correspondent for thirty-five years.
The barn of the late Marshall and Edna Kirkham was convt:rted
into a residence several years ago by Jerry and Ladonna (Wink-
hart) Cash. Photo taken July 31,
1994.
tw
years
brick building was
the downstairs was occuPied
bY John Cude's grocery then suc-
cessively by Odom Durham's, Clency Personette's and Ora
Chance's groceries. The post offrce was also located in the buildrng for a number of years. Above was Cude's Hall, a place where
the people of Dunreith attended a variety of events. The stage
and dressing rooms are still in place today. Dante's Antiques,
owned and operated by May Linville, occupied this building for
the last 35 years. Mrs. Linville closed her shop earlier this Year'
Currently the venerable old building is home to Bob and Grace
Braga's Antiques. Photo taken July 31, 1994.
Gretchen (Kiger) Cryer
Noted Broadway playwright,lyriciÀt and recording qf-it!' 9"9t"\en is a Dun¡eitñ nati.'e and a graduate of Spiceland High School,
Class of 1953. Photo taken in 1987'
"Big Georgets Placet
Substation (teft) and Passenger Station
Photo taken Sept. 12, 1915
Quite a notorious place in its day, the White Rose station and restáurant was operated by George P. and Sadie O'Melia. In later
years the Chat and Chew restaurant was located here' Photo taken circa 1930.
Left to right: Joe Dugler and Ott Kimbrel.
uilrTt0
silns
PfxiT
fffict
TV"o Sisters
Often referred to as the "Dunreith Girls" or the "Dunreith Sis-
Dunreith's new post office was first used at the 1987 Pan
Games in Indianapolis Dismantled, it was moved in sections.
Photo taken July 31, 1994.
accounted for a third of the company's business.
,
Carl Wiles was the Standard Oil bulk plant operator in Dunreith for many years.
This photo was snapped in 1938.
James Garland Newkirk (L892-1975)
and
Alta (Stevens) Newkirk
(1894-1964)
Prominent members of the Dunreith
Christian Church.
L---------jl,
.----->+'
t,
Sunday School Class, Dunreith Friends Meeting
Photo taken circa 1913
Standing (far left): John W Hayes, Sunday School superintendent; Standing (far right):
Elizabeth (Hill) Williams, class teacher; Seated at piano: Marie (Hudelson) McDonald;
Seated, first row (third from left): Edith (Chew) Moflitt; Standing, back row (frfth and
sixth from left): Howard and Berniece Henshaw. Virgil Brock was serving as the pastor
at the time this photo was taken.
Howard Glidewell
WìÀ.$Ñ:.
Glidewell's Blacksmith Shop
Photo taken July 31, 1994.
"u'w
The photo of Mr. Glidewell, horseshoe in hand,
was snapped by this editor in July, 1984. He
worked all his life in the smithy founded 111
years ago by his grandfather.
The State Road 3 overpass west ofDunreith had just been completed in 1939 when this photo was taken' The Pennsylvania Railroad tracks and the National Road (U.S' 40) are clearþ visible.
l--
¡
This photo of the Dunreith Friends Meetinghouse was taken circa 1915.
The building that had once been the home of Big George's Place
and later the Chat and Chew restaurant is now a private residence. Photo taken JulY 31, 1994.
Dunreith School
Erected
-
1908
This undated photo shows a Pennsylvania train stopped at
Dun¡eith.
This faded newspaper photo shows the Dunreith Friends Meeting in 1909. The frãme Dunreith school can be seen on the left.
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Lucile (Binford) Henshaw
1897-1984
Married Howard D. Henshaw (1898-1949)
in 1929. Mrs. Henshaw was a longtime
elementary teacher'
EÉ1
Dunreith Christian Church
Photo taken July 31, 1994.
Old Dunreith School
Erected
Razed
-
1864
1908
COMMUNITY SONG
Marie (Hudeleon) McDonald
1899-1962
The daughter of Fred E. and Alma Jane
(Duke) Hudelson, shê was the mother of
nine children and the owner and opera-
tor of Dunreith's Corner Cottage Cafe,
known in recent years as the Flamingo.
Sung to the tune of
..THE OLD OAKEN BUCKET''
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
How dear to my heart are the scenes of my childhood,
When fond recollections present them to view;
The school of my youth, and the playground near by it
Was all dear to me as to you.
There is where we \ilandered away from that schoolhouse,
Day after day when the weather was warm;
Then what did "J" do, but stand us in the corner,
If it did us no g:ood' it sure did us no harm.
How sweet are the memories of childhood in Dunreith,
The old Buck Creek church, where we all used to come;
The Crums and the Hayes, the Hinshaws and Harolds,
Were all residenters when Dunreith was young.
Judy (Swartz) Dishman
Appointed postmistress at Dunreith in
October, 1992, she earlier served in the
same capacity at Greensboro.
The Old National Road and the Drugstore beside it,
The bridge and the tollgate; the boys use to run;
The home of my father; the old well beside it,
And mother's good biscuits and oceans of fun.
The B¿nner Print
t*
Rev. Leonard R. and Sharon Dice
Dunreith's Liberty Baptist Church
Photo taken July 31, 1994.
Rev. Dice was the founder of the
Liberty
Baptist Church in 1982 and continues to
pastor the congregation.
llE ST
sÏ.
Red Pickett, shown here, oPerated the Hoosier Pete Jr. station with Gene Walter oper-
ating it at a later date. It was located between the railroad and Old U.S. 40, west of
the PennsYlvania depot. Photo taken circa 1926.
I
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Haltom's Old
Photo taken July 31, 1994.
THIS TICKET IS GOOD FOR.A BOTTI-E OF
Ralph Hollinger (b. 1906) is a
longtime Dunreith resident,
former frre chief and one of
At The Little White Kitchen
COMPLIMENTS OF
Kenneth Sorrell
Coca-Cola Bottling Works
L92r-L972
Prominent Dunreith resident.
NEW CASTLE, IND
rÁr's
t.
YATES
¿,"
here sometime during the late
1950s helping with a Lions
project, the installation of
street signs in Dunreith.
This ticket was issued circa 1932.
J'
three remaining charter
members of the Spiceland
Lions Club. He is pictured
aÀlcLlFf
RA,"Crrr'f',
D f-r Ft Fù E r T fr, r r\t D r/\ rr -\,
DDALEßS
I\
Þtry Goodsu
f¡. G, G.6,RTER,
ßusu0uNu UNT[sr,
EOOTS A,l[D SITOES'
READY.MADE CLOTHING
Cofün's Stntion, Iuiliuta.
qUEENSWÀRE' Etc.
À !'iDc Atsortntcnt of L.ADIES' SttOES, both Scs'cd And Peß84d, Ând ¡fEN'S aorl
tte-¡,ll ôrticlcs chesp for Cssh.€{
rtsEls ¡ittrt&ous C)f(tDE GAS-
DOY'S IJOOTS
Highesú Prioe Paitl for WOOL.
An 1869 advertisement.
An 1869 advertisement. Note that the name CofÏin's Statíon was
still being used even though the name was changed to Dunreith
in
1865,
THE
CSTLDREN oF THE Asnny.
f; 6sfP,
BY
REGINA MARIA ROCHE.
A
matchlcss
prir¡
'Wìtb cqurl virtue formcd, and egual grace,
Thc samc, distinguishcd by thcìr scr alonc:
Hcn thc mild luac of the blooming morn,
And his the ndiancc of the risen day,-Tnousox.
Dunreith Christian Church
1963
ILLUSTRATED BY F. O. C. DARLEY.
t)0uBr_t
6Âf|Àct
RAII ¡r
'ptñ ¡r
9'
9,\lh\
^st
PHILADELPHIA:
PORTER & COATES.
Title page for book Children of the Abbey. Emory Cofïin took
Dunreith as his middle name after reading a similar copy of this
book. This particular volume is the property of the editor.
George P. "Big George" and Sadie (Parish)
O'Melia, círca 1929, in front of James
Sherman's hotel.
Ralph Williams
Benjamin F. Henshaw
1820-1887
Merchant at Dunreith from
1865
until his death.
Mr. Williams has operated service stations in either Spiceland
or Dunreith since 1958. He has been at his present location at
the junction of U.S. 40 and State Road 3 for the past nine years.
Photo taken in 1987.
PI]BLTCdIIONS OF TIIE IIENRT COUNTT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
(Note:
Cemetery Records oi
H;;o
.$r'5.00
row,,strii'..:::::::::: NOT a CURRENT LIST rBLrcATroNS A'Ar'ABLE
Dudley Township ..
stony creek
In addition to the listed price, there is a mailing charge of $3.00 per item)
rterim Report ' ' '. '
tt"ory Count
& ruff",.o.,
& Harris
*it*nu;;,.
.
spiceland rownship (Revised)
Greensboro
..,.
i:T":"*:Ï1T:$:ö^ó
for BooKS or pRtGES i::T:ilf
aphical Memoirs of Henry county' 1902'
¡rtr.,r,
¡ur information
office for
call
lll our orr¡ce
Blue River Township
Blue River Tbwnship Index .
' . z.uu
Maylill, R.-Thomas. Land Entry Atlas of Henr¡r
fhe People's Guide to Henr¡r
n."tr,"rr. eü;;; ö;rr;y ;i H;ry,
"o"ïî,* R";i.k
'....ütrr.uu
fi.iaingichardp.
Henry County,
In addition back iss
1821.1849
" " " '$25'25
""*'"¡#lÍ
iåbb;
hild
ffiä:00
of
00
he
ble as long as the
i3åB;ðïiï"'iJ':
each.
ïl;" ffi::
""*i:f$"f rffi; ä|gri,f,:m;*fii"#9""*t
. . ::::.:::.1iüü
age and handling
NErv: Reprint efr-rsrwoed-& warson 1857 Henrv countv Landowners wall Map Atlas
' ' '$rs'oo
'
.fOSEPII SIIIIIII'
IIDNRY COUNTT'S I.AST CTYIL WÄR. VEIDR'AN
(Editor's note: The following death notice appeared
in the New Castle Courier'fimes sometime during
1941.)
Death came peacefully today to Henry County's last surviving
veteran of the Civil War, 96-year-old Joseph Smith' The old soldier died in his sleep at 4 o'clock this morning at his home on
Brown Road. He had been in failing health for the past three
months.
The infirmities of age, combined with asthma and a heavy cold
brought the passing of the veteran, an artilleryman with the 5th
Ohio Battery in the War Between the States and a resident of
this community 68 years.
Once wounded and once a prisoner of Confederate forces, Mr.
Smith recovered from a gunshot injury received in a foraging campaign near Little Rock, Arkansas, and returned to serve out the
remaining two yeärs of the bitter conflict with his regiment'
Ttappeã with a companion in a farmhouse near Dardanelles,
TenneiÀee, during the drive of western Union forces to cut offaccess to the Mississippi River from the Southern armies, Mr' Smith
often recalled how he escaped that capture and returned to his
own unit with federal cavalry help.
He enlisted at the age of 16 and, aside from frve weeks in which
he was convalescing from the wound, served four years.
Bo¡n in Alsace-Lorraine, the son of Jacob and Alice Keller
Smith, Mr. Smith came to this country as a boy and settled with
his family nea¡ Hamilton, Ohio, where he spent his youth. His
father was a native of Alsace-Lorraine and his mother was of
Dutch parentage.
Seven years after being mustered out of the service, Mr. Smith
moved near New Castle where he has resided since. During his
active life he was a farmer. He was active in the G.A.R. and was
also the last survivor of the local George W. Iænnard Post, No. 148,
In 1938 he made the trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, whe_re
Union and Confederate veterans gathered in joint reunion on the
seventy-frfth anniversary of one o?the frercest battles in all mili-
tary history. Mr. Smith enjoyed the trip and continued in
good
health up until a few months ago. Only recently was he forced
to give up his weekly visits to the downtown business district.
Full military honors will be bestowed at funeral services to be
held at the First Christian Church T\¡esday afTernoon at 2 o'clock
with the Rev. L.C. Howe and Rev. Charles Holiday offrciating. The
American lægion will have charge of the services at Batson Cemetery, Liberty Township, where burial will take place. The body
will be removed from the Stanley Mortuary to the residence on
Brown Road where friends may call after 6 o'clock this evening.
Surviving are seven sons, a daughter, 25 grandchildren, 39
great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. Five children preceded their father in death.
ÄIDIIüT COTTTNS IIST
(Editor's note: Genealogists will be interested in
Aletha lFluke] Coffin's list of 400 Guilford County,
North Carolina families who settled in Henry and
Underhill, Vestal, Walker, Ward, White, Wilson, Williams, Worth,
Wright, Winslow, Wheeler, Willis, Wells, Weesner, Wood, Woodward, and Wickersham.
Wayne counties before 1835. The list is from the Feb-
Other Families: Aydelott, Anderson, Archer, Anthony, Austin, Bartlett, Bats, Badger, Bennett, Berkley, Bland, Black, Ben-
Mrs. Coffin's son Emory Dunreith Coffin had a Henry
County community named in his honor. Vestal, her
husband, was oflen referred to by the overblown title
"Father of the Underground Railroad." According to
Dr. Thomas D. Hamm, Aletha Coffrn was a "mysterious ráoman who claimed to be the last of the Albanoids, the prehistoric inhabitants of lreland, and to
possess the gift ofsecond sight." Her portrait is dis-
ton, Brownloq Bitton, Bruce, Bratcher, Coltrain, Cameron, Caldwell, Cravens, Carnthers, Carpenter, Cummins, Couch, Cunningham, Chipman, Crawford, Casket, Dobson, Dock, Dubar, Dotson,
ruary 27,1891, issue of the New Castle Courien
played
at the Henry
County Historical Society
Museum.)
(þaker Fnrnilies:
Adams, Allen, Albright, Armfield, Andrewe,
Albertson, Bales, Barker, Ballenger, Ballard, Benbow, Beeson,
Bird, Binford, Bowman, Brown, Boone, Brittåin, Branson, Brookehire, Butler, Baldwin, Burcham, Beard, Bund¡ Carter, Cana-
worth, Hamm, Hicks, Henley, Iddings, Jones, Johnson, Jessup,
Judkins, Jenkins, Jackson, Jay, Julian, Kersey, King, Knight,
Kendall, Kirk, Lindley, Lane, Lewellen, Lewis, Lindsey, Lamb,
Moffitt, Mills, Marshall, Murphy, Moon, Mor:ris, McCracken, New-
Depew, Demoss, Dugan, Duncan, Dickerson, Emonz, Fisher, Fur-
gerson, Fletcher, Forsythe, Flint, Fogleman, Forbes, Gilbreath,
Gray, Gross, Grimes, Graham, Greeley, Gilcrest, Gillespi, Garne¡ Good, Gambold, Howard, Hunter, Hitchcock, Huran, How-
erton, Hargrave, Harrison, Hendricks, Harper, Hernly, Haley,
Ivens, Irving, Jennings, Kitchen, Kent, Knox, Kane, Kingsborough, Kingman, Kirkman, Kimble, Kellums, Kope, Kuhn, Lambert, Lloyd, Lennard, Logan, Iong, Lisby, Lakin, Lucans, Lasater,
Lilley, Ledbetter, Little, Iæech, Lyneer, Iæachman, Lawson, Maddy, Mal¡ Mitchell, Milton, Moorhead, Miller, Murron, Mastin,
Morrison, McCuston, McConnell, McGibony, McGrady, McFarland, McKnight, McDaniel, McGibbons, McClure, Mclver, McMasters, McNary, McMirren, McAdee, McCloud, Misstin, Moody,
McChance, Noble, Newton, Nelson, Norman, Oliver, Orth, Oisler, Oakley, Ogden, Ovil, Parton, Pendleton, Pitman, Prentiss,
Preston, Patterson, Parish, Potter, Pee, Pugh, Pumphrey, Potts,
Porter, Phillips, Queen, Quincy, Quakenbush, Ranson, Randall,
Rubottom, Raft, Rightsell, Reeder, Ramsey, Reasoner, Richardson, Rickard, Roach, Riley, Rollings, Redman, Reed, Ross, Ruston, Rush, Stoneman, Staley, Sloan, Stevens, Stephenson, Strickland, Sullivan, Strawn, Stroud, Stockton, Snodgress, Thtt, thtum,
Tincher, Thorp, Tracy, T\rrner, Thueman, Tbotten, Tbmps, Tash,
Ubanks, Vinton, Varney, Vickery, YanZant, Van Buren, Venbenner, Vaughn, Voss, Walls, Warren, Wadkins, Wicker, Whitington,
Whitworth, Williamson, Wallis, Walls, Welsh, Winston, West,
Wharton, Watson, Woodson, and Wray.
DAIIIIIX R'DCORDS
Family Record Sheets & Family
TYee
Charts by R.T. Mayhill
have been included in this issue ofthe Historicalog. They are copy-
WORTII PONIDDRING
* A grouch is a person who somehow can manage to frnd something wrong with even the good old days.
* Kids now worry about cleaning up the environment, but still
haven't figured out how to do the same thing in their rooms.
* Elbow grease gives the best polish.
* A grantimother is a mother who has been given a second chance.
* There is one art of which man should be master the art of
reflection.
* How come an educational system that put so much emphasis
on penmanship produced so many doctors?
* When young, you adjust your hair to the existing hairstyle;
when old, you adjust your hairstyle to the existing hair.
* A penny saved is no longer worth writing an adage about.
righted but members may feel free to make copies for their own
purposes as Mr. Mayhill has given permission to do so, or they
are available from The Bookmark as follows:
Family Record Sheets - For 3-ring binders, 8lzx1-1- with Mylar reinforced edges to keep sheets from tearing out; desigrred
with typewriter spacing, ruled lines for footnotes on backside,
on good grade white bond paper; planned to permit occupations,
residences, 2 or more marriages of parents, 12 children to a
page, also cemetery and address space allowed.
Family Tbee Charts Mylar reinforced edges, for 3-ring binder, typewriter spaced, 4 generations.
Continuation Sheets
Mylar reinforced, for 3-ring binder,
-
ruled lines with typewriter spacing.
129 per sheet
$1.25 per dozen
$5.00 per 50 sheets
$fO.OO per 100 sheets
(May be mixed)
Postage and Handling
- $3.50
MasterCard & Visa card accepted.
Indiana residents add íVo sales tax,
The Bookm.ark
36 Public
Square
Box 90
Knightstowrr, IN 46148
1-800.876-5fgg
FAMILY
(Enter Footnote References
and compiler on reuerse side)
FATHER
Event
Family #
N
Day Monlh
RECORD
County
Year
State
Country
1
Married
2
Death
Cemetery (or present address):
3
Occupation:
(
(
)
at
)
MOTHER
Event
Day
Month
Maiden
Yea¡
County
State
Other Residences & Occupalion
Birth
I
Married
2
Date
3
Death
(or
HER
#-
Hts[ornrn(møiden)
Hrs F,\
Other
Other
Date
Obher Residences &
Birth
Occupation:
address):
#-
FATHER
Other ( )
Other ( )
CHILDREN: (in order of birth)
Full given name
Her Mother
.l
d
Mo.
1
M^R:
Year
(CountrY)
Occupation
County State or Other Residences
B
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2
Index
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Cemetery
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(a)If tiuine, crosso(tDqndtl,ÌiteL(liuirrs).yeorondaddress
and politics; civil and military service; clubs and societies; offices held; real estate owned; wills; he¡rlooms; estate ¡nvenlor¡es; noles on possible relared families.
461218. Phone 317-345-5133.
For Sale by The Bookmark, P.O. Box,90, Knightstow4
@ R. Tuor'rns Mnyu¡r-u
1983
IN
FAMILY CHART NO.-
Data ComPiled bY:
Continuation of Ch¡rt No.-
Stat€-
Ciüy
Suggestion: Write dates: day'mo"year
as 29 Aug l88f
b
16
8
b
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af
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b
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28
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r
28
l1
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b
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Continued on chart
-
--
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29
at
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7
Continued on chart
27
at
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b
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m
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Continued on choÌt
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23
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-
m
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Continued on chatt
Continued, on chsrt
at
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af
b
Contínued on chart
r9
at
at
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m
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m
b
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b
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residence
17
I
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fl-2d
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r-resided
b-born
m-married
d-died
Continued on chart
-
r2
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Continued on chart
af
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b
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For Søle by The Bookmarþ, P.O.
Bor
gO,
Knightstowr¡ IN
-
31
,161,18.
Phone 3173<16513í1,
Continued on chart
Ert.
170.
-
A CHIRONOII)GICAL IISTING OF IIDNIHY COIINTY
DVDtrTfS,
198()-1949
-
chartered.
opens in New Caetle.
- New Castle Productsgank
Lewisville is liquidatcd'
- The First National Farm of
is organized'
Bu¡eau
Henry
County
The
-
at New Castle.
Main and Sons of Mooreland open a funeral home in New
Castle.
- The Best Ever Dairy occupies new quarters at 411 So. 15th
Street, New Castle.
1937 - Spiceland's gymnasium is erected.
- Baker Park is dedicated at New Castle and named afìter
Sidney E. Baker, longtime New Castle mayor.
1938
- New U.S. 40 is constructed across southern Henr5r County.
last natural gas well at Iæwisville is abandoned.
- The
- (Aug. 13 & 14) Spiceland observes its centennial.
- The Indiana Condensed Milk Company closes its plant
1939
-
at Lewisville.
operation.
1931
Meeting is digcontinued.
- The Dunreith Friends
begins publication
News-Republican
County
Henry
Ihe
-
in New Castle.
- The Mechanicsburgbranch of the Middletown Public Library opens.
1932 - New CãstË wins the state boys'basketball championship'
1933 - The Henry County Bank, located at Spiceland, is liquidatæd.
opens in New Castle'
- Bradway Chocolate Company
- MortonÁ, a women's ready-to-wear shop, opens in New
Castle.
1934 - Indiana Bell builds new offices in New Castle.
1e35
-
,ìi il"rî"ti,iitri;.
ions Club is chartered'
Castle's Castle Theater opens'
- (Oct. 10) New
Church is dedicated at New Castle'
Lutheran
Trinity
Hoty
1936 - Henry County R.E.M'C' opens.
Postmaster General, dedicates l(rrights-
-
-
James A. Fariey,
town's new Post office.
The Broad Strãet Church of the Nazarene is organized
The Kennard Nazarene Church is organized.
Knightstown's Sunset Park opens.
(May 12) The Eli B. Phillips Nurses Hall opens on the
grounds ofHenry County hospital.
(Oct. 15) Helen Keller speaks at New Castle under the
auspices of the B.P.W.
(Oct. 15) Brammer-Jacobs Furniture Store opens in New
Castle.
1941 - Raintree County is published by Ross F. Lockridge, Jr.
- Henry County's sole surviving Civil Wa¡ veteran, Joseph
Smith, dies.
- New Castle's Courier-Tines celebrates its centennial.
L942 - Congressman Raymond Springer and Governor Henry F.
Schricker dedicate the 4-H buildings in Memorial Park.
1945 - Lions Clubs are organized at Lewisville and Spiceland.
1946 - World Bestos (Division of Firestone) opens in New Castle.
- The Kennard Lions Club is organized.
L947 - (Aug. 6) W.C.T.W. goes on the air as an F.M. station.
1948 - (Sept. 1) Charles A. Beard, "Dean of American historians"
1940
and a native of Henry County, dies at his New Milford,
Connecticut, home.
1949
- Spiceland's town building is constructed.
- Lions clubs are organized at Middletown,
Shirley and
Cadiz.
Non Profit Org.
THE HENRY COUNTY HISTORICALOG
Yol.22
Fall, 1994
No.2
Published twice a year by the Henry
County Historical Society, Inc., 606
South 14th Street, New Castle, Indiana
47362.
Richa¡d Pickering Ratcliff, Editor,
303 South Pearl Street,
Spiceland, Indiana 47386
U. S. POSTAGE
PAID
Permit No. 67
Yol.22 - Number
Fall, 1994
THO HUNRY OOUNT'Y
F(]UNOED
IEET
HIgT0R[04b00
I
!?
HENRY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
"Bringing history to life
. . .and life to history."
Tun tsrumvuÀL Pusuto¿T[o]r 0n Tuu Hn¡vny 0oulvuv HrsnonroÀü $ocrnty,
nlvc"
2
THE HENRY COUNTY HISTORICALOG
RatÆIiff
(Spicelantl)
is the
biannual publication
of the
HENRY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.
606 So. 14th St.
New Castle, Indiana
Richard p.
E"ryy
C_o.
Historian, Since
1982
Society Trustee, 1965-1986
Society President, 1986-1988
Telephone:
3r71629-4028
47362
Founded
- April, 1887
Historicalog Editor, 1973-1994
Officere
Mrs. Køthy (Denncy) Rogers, Presid¿nt
(Neut Cøstle)
Mrs. Dorotha (Hoover) White, Vice-Pres.
Tbusteec
Mrs. Betty Abdd) Coshner
"v
(New Ca.stle)
Stephen R. Smith
(Shirlcy)
(Ashland)
Mrs, Joøn Pøul, Secretary
(New Castle)
Mrg Celiø (Hømmcr) Burns
(New Cøstle)
Richard Scott Bouslog
Miss JoAnn Ed,wørds
(New Cøstlc)
Membership Secretøry
(New Cøstle)
Douglas W. Wilson, Tleasurer
(Knightstown)
"Unless you cherish the
rnemory of your ancestors,
you deserue to be forgotten by your PosteritY'"
Edmund Burke
-
Curator
"I
høue euer had a pleasure
in obtainíng øny little
ønecdotes of ny e.ncestors."
- Benjørnin Frønklín
-
Mrs. Betty Ircu Heintz
"I know of no way of iuds¡ng
the future but by the pøst."
-
Patrìck Henry
IT'S BDDN GR'E¡II I-UN, BUT . . .
After nearþ fifly issues, I frnd ifs time to turn the editorship
of the uHenry County Historicalog" over to someone else. I've enjoyed churning out the biannual issues, but someone else needs
by their exceptional cu¡ato¡ Mre. Hazel Phillips. I greatly admi¡ed
her work and had the good fortune of meeting her circa 1970. I'm
society continues to publish this little magazine as I'm certain
many members of the society do not want the publication
certain she's been gone for years now as she was quite elderþ
at the time.
I often think ofall those who were around to read those frrgt
issues but have since passed away. How I miss John Jordan, Mary
E. Caldwell, Ralph and Janet Bush, TYam lce, Mary Wa¡rman,
CliffPayne, and others too numerous to mention. They gave me
constant encouragement and were avid readers of the little
discontinued.
magazine.
to pick up the reigns and run with the project. Fresh ideas are
needed.
Who
will step forward and assume the editorship? I can think
of any number who would be great in this capacity. I do hope the
In 1973 I began the "Historicalog" while serving
as chairman
of the board of trustees of the Henry County Historical Society.
The idea for the "Historicalog" and the name came from the pub-
Iication of the Warren County Historical Society (Ohio), edited
So this is my last issue. With this final effort I end my thirtyyear association with the Henry County Historical Society, having served as chairman of the board of trustees, society president
and newsletter editor. It'g been great fun, but . . .
DUNRDITI'I TIIROUGII TIIE YFIIR.S
(Editor's note: A number of people have assisted me
in preparing thie account by sharing their memorabilia and knowledge of the history of the little Spice-
land Tbwnship community located along the National Road. I particularly wish to thank Robert and Betty
[McDonald] Newkirk, Howard Newkirk, Pauline
lMerryman] Poer, Mary Elizabeth "Libb]/ Henshaw,
Lola [Renfro] Miller Conrad and David Newkirk.
Many ofthe photographs used here are from the collections of the late C. Frederick Poer, Sadie [Parish]
O'Melia and Flossie [Kiser] Crum. The O'Melia and
Crum photos have been in my possession for a number ofyears. Also providingvaluable information and
assistance were Maxine McFarland, Nancy [Jo¡dan]
Rose, Judy lSwartz] Dishman, R. Thomas Mayhill,
Anna Claire ßIewkirkl Noel, Ttromas R. Ratcliff, Amy
Martin and Jo Ellen [Linville] Pitts, George Smiley
and Rev. Leonard R. Dice.)
A Brief History of Dunreith
-
Dunreith is located along the Old National Road (now U.S. 40)
and State Road 3 in south central Spiceland Tbwnship. It is believed by some that a Mr. Cox might have built a tavern in the
vicinity as earþ as 1844 to accommodate the westward travelers. Thadition also suggests that the earliest cluster of houses
there was called Crum's Springs. A few years after the Indiana
Central Railroad passed through the township in 1851, a stop,
known as Coffrn's Station, then Dunreith, was established. This
railroad was later called the Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburgh
line and in recent years the Pennsylvania then Penn CentrãI.
fire village was formally platted J:uly 22, 1865, by surveyor
James M. Clements forJohn William Griffrn (1831-1918), Thomas Evans (1838-1889), and Caleb Johnson who established a store
there in 1863. A post offrce was established on July 2, 1861, with
Jordan Pickering serving as the frrst postmaster. The town was
incorporated in 1870 and by 1871 there were 180 residents in the
community. By the 1870s the town had grown to include a dry
goods store, a hardwa¡e and feed store, a tile factory a steam sawmill, a hotel and a blacksmith shop. A small cannery was opened
near the turn of the twentieth century.
In 1881 the New Castle and Rushville division of the Lake Erie
and Western Railroad was constructed through the town, crossing the earlier railroad at the eastern edge of the community. In
later years the 1881 line was known as the Nickel Plate Raitroad.
Dunreith's two rail lines were nicknamed by the residents as the
uPan Handle"
and the "Spoon Handle."
In addition to the railroad the interu¡ban also played an important part
Parelleling the old double tracks of
nce ofwhich can hardly
be found tod
cks of the Tbrre Hauté,
Indianapolis
iana Railroad. At Dunreith a branch line cut north to Spiceland and beyond. The last
interu¡ban passed through Dun¡eith March 3, 1933. t}re old electric interu¡ban substation remains today at the corner of West
Street and U.S. 40. The passenger station, a neat brick structure
down years ago. In later years
ation and garage. Tbday, how-
Jordan Pickering
Appointed Dunreith's frrst postmaster
July 2, 1861, he was a son of Jonas
(1783-1856) and Ruth (Gregg) Pickering
(1783-1860), Henry County pioneers.
Born May 31, 1820, he married Cather-
ine Bristol in 1846.
the purpose of boring, sinking, digging and constructingwells and
mains for the obtaining of coal oil water and coal and to fur¡rish
and supply fuel, light and water and to do such other mechanieal mining and manufacturing business as may be decided and
determined upon by said company and association." The directors
son,
stoc
E.N
liam Edgerton.
The Citizens'Bank of Dunreith
ton, Harrold and Company. The
to the tune of $6,000. The bank
Cude's Hall, a place were Dunreithians attended medicine
shows, put on amateur plays, attended square dances, commu-
the Dun¡eith Christian
ized in the area as earþ
Christian Church at the
1982, and occupies a building erected in 1975 for a Church ofGod
congregation. Rev. Leonard R. Dice, the frrst minister of the Baptist congregation, continues to pastor the church.
organized
igging and
laying and
." And "for
brothers of Ogden providing the fiddle music.
tlohn William Griffrn
.Iohn
À
Copeland
1853-1924
Influential member of the Dunreith
Friends Meeting.
1831-1918
One of the founders of Dunreith, he was
a son ofJoseph (1806-1890) and Rebecca
(Burgess) Griflin (1811-1903), Spiceland
Tbwnship pioneers. A leading anti-slavery
advocate, he was the last of the known
abolitionists in Henry County. His farm
home northwest of Dunreith is currently
the property ofJames and Sharon (Starbuck) Gardner.
Thomas Evans
1838-1889
A founder ofDun¡eith and one ofits earliest merchants, he later operated a store
in
Spiceland. His parents George
(1802-1863) and Mary (Hasket) Evans
(1798-1859) were Spiceland lbwnship pioneers and his son George operated a groc-
ery
in
death
Another play, sponsored by the Dunreith Christian Church, was
The New Minister" with Ralph Lord playing the part' of the minister. Hazel Hudelson was the pianist and Margaret (Vaughn)
DeWitt was the bride-to-be.
After the death of Emory Dunreith Coffrn, who is discussed in
detail later in this feature, perhaps the most influential merchant
in Dunreith for the next twenty-five years was Benjamin F. Henshaw (1820-1887). Like Coffin, Mr. Henshaw was a native of North
Carolina, born Augrst 6, 1820, a son of Benjamin and Anice (Bowman) Henshaw. Coming to Henry County with his parents in
1832, aftær his marriage to Margaret Morgan (1823-1898) in 1842
he lived and worked for several years in Knightstown and Greens-
In 1865 he moved to Dunreith where he became the leading merchant in town, remaining there for the rest of his life.
Benjamin and Margaret Henshaw erected a beautiful home at
the east edge of Dunreith in the 1860s that also served as an inn
for weary travelers on the National Road. Several interesting
stories have been passed down through the family rqgarding the
boro.
old house. One incident involved a man who raised a window and
took money from the pants pocket ofa sleeping guest. On anothe¡ occasion a traveler sleeping in a downstairs bedroom dropped
his gun on the floor; it went off and killed the man in the bedroom above. Another story is of a lady staying there, perhaps a
guest, who was frightened by a strange man coming down the
stairs. Supposedly he left after she cautioned him not to wake
her baby.
Well maintained and partially restored, today it is the home
of Benjamin and Margaret's great-granddaughter Mary Elizabeth
"Libby" Henshaw, a longtime Knightstown elementary teacher.
The late Lucile (Binford) Henshaw, mother of Libby and Alan
Henshaw, also of Dunreith, used to tell the story that when she
moved into the house as a bride in 1929 there were, by actual
count, seventeen rocking chairs placed throughout the dwelling.
At the turn ofthe century and for several years thereafter John
M. Cude (1829-792L) was perhaps Dunreith's leading merchant.
His old brick store, erected circa 1880 and now unoccupied, still
remains on the south side of Washington Street. Mr. Cude also
operated a huckster wagon pulled by his trusted mules "John"
and "Pete," often traveling as far northwest of Dunreith selling
his wares as the Stone Quarry Mill area. Many cunent residents
of Dunreith fondly remember Miss Ida Cude (1871-1945), one of
his daughters and a former postmistress of the town.
No history of Dunreith would be complete without mention of
Spiceland for years prior to his
in
1947.
Glidewell's blacksmith shop. Closed in 19g3 due to the declining
health of its owner, third-generation Howard Glidewell (b. 1g0B),
no one can remember whenthere wasn't a Glidewell shop as Howard's grandfather Robert (?-1908) began the operation in 1888.
Charles Glidewell (1883-1965), Howard's father, worked at the
trade all his life and once had business cards printed with the
A visit to the blacksmith shop was an experience. Important
dates and weather information from years past could be found
penciled on the walls and recorded in notebooks. Old chairs were
placed around the stove for the benefit ofthe loafers and iron shavings and scraps of metal were at every turn,
As long as he practiced his trade, no one could come close, equal
or surpass Howard Glidewell's work. Because he learned to duplicate the intricate work of the old masters and could fix just
about anything, people came to his shop from great distances.
He is a master blacksmith and, it is believed, the last in HeruXr
County.
With the widening of the National Road (U.S. 40) in 1928 and
the construction ofthe new highway bridge over the Pennsylvania
Rail¡oad carrying traffrc over the relocated State Road 3 in lg3g,
the railroad crossing menace in Dunreith was eliminatæd. Tlans-
portation-born accidents and tragedies often plagued the town
over the years. The two most recent made headlines around the
world when the Goodyear blimp tangled with high tension wires
at the east edge of town in 1967 following the Indianapolis 500
and the train wreck and explosion on January 1, 1968. The headlines may have been small in far away places like Tbkyo, but they
were there.
A previous train wreck on June 11, 1948, derailed several cars
of a freight train and did some damage to buildings and homes.
A catastrophe in August or September of 1901 was caused when
gas from mains got into several homes and businesses, causing
explosions and fires. And about 1943 the I.O.O.F. lodge was destroyed in a gas explosion but was soon rebuilt.
In
killed
OnM
ters d
Those who watched the blast from the distance thought surely that every living person in or near Dunreith must be dead. The
shrieking of frre trucks and ambulances near the town emphasized the wild confusion that ensued. Chemical experts were
dumbfounded when they arrived later to learn that no one was
dead or even seriously injured. They said that by all rights, the
little band of firemen, police, and curious spectators who gathered a block away from the explosion should be in eternity. Fortunately, however, the tank car which exploded was standing
erect, and the blast shot straight up in the air, heaving the tanker dome two blocks away.
The series of events, starting with the train wreck at 9:30 Monday, January 1 and ending with the cyanide poisoning ofBuck
Creek and Big Blue River, seemed to create a new crisis almost
every hour after the time of the wreck through January 4.
The wreck itself resulted from a broken piece of track. An
eighteen inch piece ofmetal had broken offthe top ofthe north
rail ofthe westbound Pennsylvania track at a point frfteen feet
east of the Nickel Plate Railroad crossing which intersects the
Pennsylvania at the east edge of Dunreith. When the ninety-seven-car westbound train No. PR11-A passed over the broken rail,
the eighty-ninth car of the train was derailed. This car rode
astraddle the track to a point west of Water Street in Dunreith
where it swerved offthe track and struck the twenty-frrst car of
the eastbound Pennsylvania train, SW6, containing 107 cars.
The two cars made contact about 1,250 feet west of the broken
Tombstone of Emory Dunreith Coffrn
Old Friends Cemetery, Spiceland
Photo taken July 31, 1994.
dangerous crossing. Three Muncie men were killed on May 20,
1939, when the car in which they were riding was hit by a west-
They had apparently misunderstood the
ignal. At the time, the Courier'fimes
been the scene ofnearly a dozen fatal accidents in recent years. Flossie Crum, longtime Courier-fimes
correspondent from Dunreith, often reported fatal accidents which
occurred where U.S. 40 crossed the Pennsylvania tracks.
In 1942 a Tennessee man died at the junction of State Road
3 and U.S. 40 when he failed to stop at the intersection.
New Year's night 1968 will never be forgotten by the residents
of Dunreith. The town came close to being blown off the map in
a sensational explosion, causing damage in excess of one million
dollars.
Following a spectacular two-train wreck on that frigid, nearzero night, a chain of weird events attracted newsmen and pho'
tographers from three states. National television commentators
carrié¿ news and pictures from the scene and for several days
Dunreith was in the headlines around the world'
Almost as if it rated alongside the war in Vietnam, even the
Pacific edition of "stars and Stripes" carried a story on the explosion on the front page of its January 4 edition!
Before the crisis subsided frfty-eight state police units were at
the scene ofthe disaster at one time or another during the threeday period ofdistress. The Red Cross quickly arrived at the scene
of ihe disaster as well as police departments from New Castle,
Rushville and Knightstown and civil defense units from Knightstown, New Castle and Middletown. Firemen from twenty-nine
frre departments answered the call for help with units coming
from as far away as Richmond, Muncie, Anderson, Greensburg,
Hartford City, Connersville, and rWright-Patterson Air Force Base,
rail, and within seconds, twenty-seven rail cars were tossed
around like so many toys
- six off the westbound train and
twenty-one off the eastbound.
Most of the cars piled up about 1,400 feet west of the broken
rail on the tracks and across U.S. 40, just south of the Dunreith
Canning Company and near West Street. Of the twenty-one derailed cars, five carried liquid chemicals, two having acetone cyanhydrin and one each had methyl methacrylate, ethylene oxide and
vinyl chloride.
Parked on a siding were two tank cars and one 12,000 gallon
storage tank of anhydrous ammonia. Near the storage tank were
smaller tanks used to haul this ammonia to farm fields, and about
haìf of them contained ammonia.
The five rail tankers containing chemicals were all together
in line on the train and were in the center of the pile-up, which
became the center of the frre and about an hour later, of the
explosion.
The car containing ethylene oxide was the one which exploded,
causing all the damage to homes in Dunreith as well as to the
two houses which burned. At about 10:45 the big explosion occurred. While the police ordered all spectators out, and all Dunreith residents evacuated, no persuasion was needed after the
harrowing blast that shattered windows and shook offplaster in
many houses and buildings. A blockade was also o¡dered.
Many Dunreith residents had interesting stories to tell of their
experiences that New Year's night. Ralph Hollinger, now eightyeight years old, Dunreith frre chief at the time, said there were
a number of newsmen and others near the Citgo Service Station,
and he kept warning them to get farther away. After the explosion, he said he had no trouble whatever keeping people away
from the scene. The late Kenneth Sorrell was standing at the filling station across from the explosion when it hit. He grabbed a
woman, who he thought was his wife, and headed for cover. When
he got halfway there he discovered it wasn't his wife that he
grabbed!
The late Mrs. Marshall (Edna) Kirkham ran from her home
amid falling debris. The scarfon her head caught fire from burn-
ing embers. Clarice Jackson, an English war bride and a resident of Dunreith since 1946, said she lived through the bombing
of London during World War II, but the experiences that New
Year's night were more terrifying.
Dunreith has always been noted for its good places to eat. The
Little White Kitchen, started by Bill Fentress who also built
Laughing Waters Swimming Pool at Ogden, will long be remembered by area residents. The restaurant started out small but
grew with the passing years. At one time a baseball field, an
l8-hole wee golf course, a service station and a tourist camp were
part ofthe restaurant complex. In later years only the enlarged
Group of Dunreith Rcsidents
Photo taken circa 1906
Front Row to r.): William R. Macy (1820-1916), John M. Cude (1829-1921), Caroline
Edgerton (1831-1917), Unknown, John William Griffin (1831-1918), Mary Jane Hall Grif(1.
frn (1840-?), William P. Bundy (1833-1917).
Back Row (1, to r.): Samuel Exum Unthank (1848-1922), Jason Holloway (1851-?), Cynthia Holloway (1854-?), Albert Williams (1849-1932), Jennie Unthank (1850-1937), futhur W. Osborn (L859-I924), Elizabeth H. Williams (1858-1944), William L. Cory
(1857-1920), Virginia G. Cory (1865-1933), and Martitia J. Bundy (1833-1907). Mr. Macy
was Dunreith's first blacksmith.
restaurant remained, George and Edna Stretch operated The
\{hite Kitchen for several years and were followed by Don Long.
The Henry County landmark burned circa 1955.
It's rare to frnd a flamingo in the middle of a cornfield. But such
an image best describes the Flamingo restaurant. The restaurant
was originally located between the Pennsylvania tracks and the
interurban station and operated by Fred and Alma Hudelson,
though not called the Flamingo. Mr. Hudelson had it moved years
ago to a location on State Road 3 where their daughter Marie
McDonald continued to operate the restau¡ant, naming it the Corner Cottage Cafe. Law¡ence "Big And/ Anderson later ran it for
a number of years,
The restaurant burned several years ago and was rebuilt and
enlarged considerably by Walker and Hiroko "Ann" Haney who
operated the eatery for about a dozen years until 1989. Mrs.
Haney was always conscious of the meat-and-potatoes sensibilities of her patrons. Nothing too fancy or expensive was her rule.
Yet under her management you always got more than you expected
especially if you ordered pie!
- and
Lowell
Etsuko (Kuhn) Jarvis are the cu¡rent owners of the
Flamingo. The tradition of good food sensibly priced continues
under their ownership. The Flamingo caters to ove¡all-clad farmers, as well as well-dressed couples. "Regulars" are all kinds of
folks from Dunreith and surrounding communities
- businessmen, retirees, construction workers, farmers, truckers
and fam-
ily groups.
Members of the Dunreith Town Board in 1909 were John Harrold, Frank Saul and Henry Elliott with Frank Copeland serving as clerk-treasurer. The Odd Fellows lodge was going strong
that year, meeting every Wednesday night over J.K. Kennedy's
store.
In 1941
Dunreith had an elevator, a canning factory, one
church, one garage, five filling stations, three groceries, three reStaurants, a lodge, two gasoline and oil distributing plants and
a blacksmith shop. The population stood at 187. Members of the
town board were Carl Wiles, Frank Copeland and Luther Sorrell
as clerk-treasurer, Sidney Sorrell
was the electrician for the municipally owned electric company
which started in 1918 with eighteen consumers.
Members of the town board in 1963 were Jason Ritchie, John
Jackson and Robert Newkirk with Garland Newkirk serving as
clerk-treasurer and Thomas Haase fire chief. Shelby (Newkirk)
Linville, daughtær of Garland and Alta (Stevens) Newkirk, served
with Verney G. Crum serving
Fred E. Hudelson
1873-1957
Mr. Hudelson farmed until 1918, then operated a restaurant with his wife Alma in
Dunreith for nearþ twenty years. He was
also clerk-treasurer ofthe town from 1944
until 1948, ajustice ofthe peace and an
insurance agent.
as clerk-treasurer for twenty-two years prior to her death in 19g4.
Today's clerk-treasurer is Jo Ellen (Linville) Pitts, granddaughter of Garland and Alta Newkirk and a daughter of Harold and
Shelby Linville. The town board consists of Howard Newkirk, Tim
Martin and Thomas R. Ratcliff. Mr. Martin is also the current
frre chief.
The Story of Emory Dunreith Coffin
-
Emory Dunreith Coffin, the man for whom the town of Dunreith was named, was born at New Garden, Guilford County,
North Carolina, September L9, L824, a son of Vestal and Aletha
(Fluke) Coffrn, and died at Dunreith July 4, 1863. Vestal Cofïin
is often referred to as the founder ofthe undergtound railroad.
Emory married Elmina H., daughter of Joshua and Sarah
(Hunt) Foster, who was born Decemb er 27 , L827 . Coming to Henry
County in 1849, Emory and Elmina and their two children Julius
Vestal (b. 1846) and Lau¡a Ellen (b. 1848) were received into membership at Spiceland Friends Meeting on December 19 that year.
Five other children
Maria Louisa (b. 1851), Alice Carey
(b.
1856), Amanda F. (b. 1859)
and Walter E. and Mary E. (twins,
b. 1860)
were born in Henry County. Julius married Sarah E.
Jones, October 10, 1871. Laura Ellen, known in later years as
Eleanor, became the wife of Albert Henley, October 21, 1869.
Maria Louisa married Stephen Jones and Alice Carey, who became a noted author, married a Mr. Russell.
Emory D. Coffrn was a rabid abolitionist and was particularly
upset with the pro-slavery and anti-slavery agitation in "Bleeding Kansas" before and during the early years of the Civil War.
Local tradition has it that he planned to move to Kansas in 1863
to take up the anti-slavery cause, but died before his goal was
accomplished.
To honor Mr. Coffrn the name of the community was changed
from Coffrn's Station to Dunreith in 1865. Coffrn had operated
a store there for several years and was the person responsible
for securing a ¡ailroad station and post offrce for the community.
When a young man, he read a book called Children of the
Abbey. In the book a "Dunreith" Abbey was mentioned. Impressed
with the name, he took Dunreith as his middle name.
Emory D. Coffin is buried in the Old Friends Cemetery at Spiceland along with his son Julius V who died April 17,1874. After
the death of Emory, Asa C. and Mary (Foster) Davis of Dunreith
adopted Amanda F. Coffrn, their niece. Mary E. Coffin accidentally drowned August 25, 1884, and is buried at Boon-on-theRhine, Germany. Following the death of Emory D., Elmina Cof-
frn married in 1866 fimothy Wilson, a widower, who served as
superintendent of Spiceland Academy from 1874 to 1876. Elmina
diðd August 4, tg1-l . One of Timothy Wilson's sons by his frrst
wife Elizabeth Ann Tþrrell (1831-1865) was Matthew
T.
first husband of longtime New Castle teacher
Isadore (Hall) Wilson Kirk (1866-1950).
(1863-1891), the
nating look at rural life in the years prior to the Civil War'
"Ocõasionally I have an inclination to tell you the history of
Dunreith. Here it is. There is one comfort in this. You don't have
to read it. But it is a relief to get it off my mind.
"In 1849 the Coffrn family moved from New Garden, North
and had the papers
She was five years
hung up a quilt in
little girl cried
able two weeks for mother or the children.
"None in Spiceland knew anything about the slave girl, none
was expectinã her, and none was wanting her, but Friends in
The
Spiceland inte¡ested themselves in the case, so she was sent to
New York to Friends who would take care of her. She grew up
there as a white girl, was sent to school and married a very rich
man. Their ten-year-old child died. They lived in grand style and
moved in the best society. Someone in New York was mean enough
to tell it, that this airy, rich lady was sold as a slave. He¡ husband sent her away, society dropped her, and she died of a broken heart.
"My father had a dry goods store in Spiceland, and we lived
there several years. A road leading south from Spiceland, two and
one-half miles, met the National Pike. This came from Washington, D.C., running west to St. Louis. Every few miles along this
pike was a tavern. Half of this building for the owners, the other
half for the movers. A continual stream of movers going west to
settle in the western states. Down at the corner where the road
from Spiceland joined the National Pike was located a tavern.
We moved down there and lived in the tavern half while my father built a small home, half a mile east from that corner on the
National Pike. There was a little rise there so that our front yard
sloped down to the pike. On the east of our home the yard sloped
down to the barn and a meadow for the horse and cow. The ground
sloped away on a level to the north, and sloped down a little on
the west side to a swamp elm play house my father set out. This
little swamp elm circle made us a very pretty play house. Paralleì to this National Pike was a railroad grade ready for the rails.
While we ìived in the tavern I saw them lay the rails for this railroad. This railroad ran parallel to the pike, not very far apart,
for about frfty miles to Indianapolis.
"We moved into a little new home on the rise. Our yard sloped
down to the pike. After living in this a few years my father moved
his home across the pike and placed it between the pike and the
railroad, The pike was at our front fence, the railroad at our back
fence. Then on the rise where ou¡ little house had stood, my fa-
Christian Endeavor Class
-
1894
Dunreith Friends Meeting
Con Shugart, Minister
Maggie C. Watson, Teacher
.WILI-LAM EDGERIIOI\T.
BY BEN''AìÍIN
¡s. P.A'REER.
A strong man has fallen,
A brue man frotìl us gone I
A brave'soul passetl. callilt¡¡
. To his fellowtuen, "OÌt !"
And, soberl¡ serious,
Urselfishly wrougtrt
For pure lives, happy houres,
Wbo recks that he thottgbt
As or you or I thougbt
O!
nob
love-sanctifl ed thorr glr t.
nought th
May a mor
Than. in love
licd
.A.nd
Às.to methocls and mc¿rns
By his con
e.
To rench ends bheo rve roughb?
he
followed
bis
light,
So
His l\{aster lre follos¡edThus he lived out his day:
'fo hrs praise be ib saidMay grass grow ancl rose bloorn
ttle highrvoy of faith
On
'Where
his dwn conscience led' Long and well o'er his clny !
His Lord hcimehascalled hitn
Fol salvation of man
And in hope may we cry
ÌIe contended wibh meIr,
To his sor¡I, onward marcbing
D¡r,rétl to differ rvitb friends
As one lone man wiblt ten.;
"Aurevoir-not good-bye;"
Sadie (Parish) O'Melia is shown in front of her parents'National Grocery and Lunch Room. This picture was taken
prior to 1928 as the porch was removed that year to make
way for the widening of U.S. 40.
the bank and sang hymns, I soused in various ones, while they
At the time of William Edgerton's death, Henry County poet Benjamin S. Parker penned the lines printed above. William Edgerton (1827-1904) was an extremely important resident of Dunreith
and Henry County from the pre-Civil War period until his death.
An active abolitionist and ìater a temperance crusader, in 1886
Mr. Edgerton and his wife Caroline, pictured elsewhere in this
history, hosted the state convention of the Indiana Prohibitionist Party. He died February L2, 1904, at his home north of Dunreith and is buried in Circle Grove Cemetery, Spiceland' His tombstone epitaph: "Always faithful to his convictions ofright regardless alike of the praise or blame of his fellow man.o
ther built a larger home. This was the home we seven children
grew up in.
"The first stage to go west over the railroad was six engines
fastened together, no cars. When trains were running people used
to come down from Spiceland to see a train go by, and then return home. The National Pike and railroad crossed aÌmost exactly in front of the tavern on the corner.
nAt our corner tavern the road from Spiceland kept on across
the National Pike and across the railroad, went up between banks
a little distance to a Campbellite church. A cemetery at one side
of this little road, members of this church buried there. Half a
mile from our house in Dunreith was a little river. The members
of that church went down there for baptizing. Occasionally the
younger children and I dressed for the water and went down there
and had baptizings of our own. While the dripping ones stood on
wiped away Buck Creek tears. I dipped the dog in too, and saw
his fleas floating away. As children we had six drakes. They all
formed in line and waddled down there to swim. Never in a group.
When through with their swim, they formed in a line and waddled home again,
"When trains were running the railroad placed a station there.
This was called Coffrn's Station for many years. My father built
a white two-story dry goods store, this between the two roads.
TWenty-frve feet from the front door of the store was the pike,
and twenty-frve feet from the back door ofthe store was the railroad. Then along the railroad he built a large warehouse where
farmers could bring their grain for sale. Then came a drugstore,
then a grocer, then a school building, then a church. People came
and built homes. After being called Coffin's Station for many years
the name was changed to Dunreith, which was my father's middle name. This is history. When a boy under twenty he ¡ead a
book called Children of the Abbey. In it was mentioned Dunreith Abbey. This he chose for his second name. So it became Dunreith for all the following time. It has grown to quite a little town.
'The President of the Carnation Milk Company, Mr. Elbridge
Stuart, as a boy under twenty, worked in my father's warehouse
as an apple dryer located in the corner ofthe warehouse, and so
fame attends the early history of Dunreith. One of his brothers
was a doctor and served Dunreith, Spiceland and the country
neighborhoods. A frne doctor. Many years after we left Dunreith
a north and south railroad was built on our north meadow lot
line. This road ran from Rushville to New Castle. I think it was
in 1865 we saw Lincoln's funeral train go by. A floating piece of
black cloth draped along the sides of the car."
Cordially,
Eleanor (Coffrn) Henley
The Dunreith Christian Church
-
There has been a Christian church in what would become the
town of Dunreith since 1838. In that year the Disciples started
*""R'ììî\ìì'l-:;"
'l-t
"Ma" Parish, the mother of Sadie (Par-
Srashington Street,
Circa
I
LO.O.F. lodge hall can be seen on the far right. Note the interurban tracks in the center of
the street.
a movement to erect a log church to house their members at worship on land donated by Thomas Johnson. This church was organized some twenty-hve years before the town was platted.
Originally the congregation was known as the Buck Creek
Christian Church, named for the stream running east of town.
This old church was located south of the former Pennsylvania
Railroad tracks and the Dunreith Cemetery. Early members of
the congregation were Joel Harrold, Curtis Hall, Cynrs Newby
and Andrew Harrold. Early ministers were Isaac G. Lowe, Rob-
ert Edmonds, and Seth S. Bennett.
Rev. John A. Mavity was minister of the church in 1874. Chu¡ch
membership that year was 75. The Spiceland Reporter, March
77, I874, carried the following item:
"Last Monday evening the Rev. Mr. Stine delivered
a lecture at the Dunreith Christian Church, telling
his audience what he knew about the Christian religion; and before half completed, it was apparent to
all that he knew but little about this or any other religion. He spoke nearly two hours, and at the close
invited discussion. Rev. John A. Mavity, pastor of the
in a disclosure of frfteen minutes'
length, completely demolishing him, amid the apchurch, replied
plause and cheers of the audience."
By 1880 the church had almost ceased to exist. Ultimately, the
church was reorganized and renamed the Dunreith Christian
Chu¡ch. The church membership stood at 42 in 1884 with J.N.
Hall, Samuel Bell, Jesse Ha¡rold and Samuel Berry as promi-
nent members.
In 1906 the church was again reorganized after being abandoned for five years and a decision made to build a new church.
Services were held in the Dunreith school until the new church
was completed. The old church was razed with as much lumber
as possible salvaged and used in the new building. The new chu¡ch
was dedicated January 17, 1909, by Rev. L.L. Carpenter and Rev.
L.C. Howe.
The Dunreith Christian Church was closed for a time circa
1932, but was reopened due to the hard work of Odom Durham,
who had only recently moved to Dunreith from Mt. Summit, Garland Newkirk and Howard Steele. The Sunday of the reopening
buckets had to be placed about the sanctuary as the leaking roof
had not yet been repaired. Pews were secured from another
church, cut to size and refrnished by Mr. Steele and Mr. Newkirk.
The Dunreith Ladies Aid Society was organized April 17, 1906,
to assist the church with'strength, talent and money." Some of
the founders were Minnie Foster, Belle Hobbs, Belle Perkins, Rebecca Berry, Mary J. Wright, Lottie Rowe, Jennie Rowe, Gertrude
Kimbrel, MaryAbercrombie, Elizabeth Owens, Lena DeWitt, and
ish) O'Melia, is shown seated in front
ofher grocery store. Picture taken circa L928.
Effre Crane. Presidents over the years have included Minnie Foster, Margaret Jarrett, Myra Conrad,Hazel Duke, Emma Christy,
Della Durham, Mabel Nugen, Helen Scott, Alta Newkirk, Julia
Riley, Elan Smith, Lura Walter, Mabel Boyd, Helen Miller, Oshie
Îlieschman Ellis, Mildred Cherry, and Betty Newkirk.
Church membership stood at approximately 100 in 1963. Influential members of the church from 1935 to 1965 included Odom
and Della Durham, Howard and Jennie Steele, Charles Glidewell, Thomas and Hazel Duke, Garland and Alta Newkirk, Robert and Betty Newkirk, Howard and Ethel Newkirk, J. Clay Sorrell, George and Elan Smith, George andVirginia Smiley, Edward
and Helen Miller, Herman Johnson, OrvaI and Mary Lou Butterfreld, George and Mildred Cherry, Purgie and Julia Riley, Lola
Mille¡ Conrad, Ethel Bell, Dora Cross and Howard Glidewell.
Ministers since 1938 have been Kelsie Martin, Henry'Weaver,
FrankAlbert, H,R. Swearingen, Harold Schneider, Wallace Gardner, William Scott, Roger Lehman, Phil Gardner, Robert Farringer, Tbm Harrison and Howard Wickersham, the current minister. Rev. Farringer served the church from 1959 to 1979.
Joining the Dunreith Christian Church in 1921, Agnes (Holtsclaw) Essington (b. 190õ), the widow of Cash N. Essington, is the
oldest member of the chu¡ch in terms of age and length of service.
The Dunreith Friends Meeting The Dunreith Meeting was organized by Spiceland Monthly
Meeting of Friends in 1867. Among the organizing members were
Frances W. Thomas, Caleb and Asenath (Evans) Johnson, TimothyWilson, George and Martha Butler, Benjamin C. and Rachel
W. (Robinson) Pritchard, Rhoda and Susan Johnson, Jeremiah
H. and Luzena S. (Johnson) Thomas, Luke and Jane (Dickey)
Wiles, Asa C. and Mary A. (Foster) Davis, Jeremiah and Ann
(IGnworthy) Griffin, Jesse and Rachel (Hester) Bundy, and Hiram
Thompson. In 1884 the overseers were Lindley Johnson, William
Edgerton and Rebecca Thomas.
Former ministers of the old meeting were Frances W. Thomas, Con Shugart, Oliver Gotchall, George Bird, Leanna Hodson,
Daisy Barr, Elizabeth Bundy, Ida Parker, Virgil Brock, Miss Alice
Lawtence, Everett Davis, William Tïueblood, Marie Cassell, Milo
Hinckle, Thomas E. Jones, who later became President of Earlham College, and many othe¡s.
John W. Hayes was superintendent of the Sunday School for
many years. Lillian E. (Hayes) Peters organized the Christian
Endeavor Society. Sunday School teachers were John Copeland,
Nora S¡rmons, John Cude, Martha Florea, Elizabeth Williams,
Lindley Johnson, Ida Cude and Catherine Holt.
Just a few of the families who attended the meeting over the
years were Benjamin F. and Margaret (Morgan) Henshaw, Arthur M. and Minnie (Chandler) Henshaw, the Chandlers, the
Forbes, William and Caroline (Osborn) Edgerton, William and
Elizabeth Bund¡ Albert and Elizabeth (Hilt) Williams, Elmer and
Jo Alta (Lindamood) Kiser, the Copelands, Ernest and Minnie
(Hodson) Deem, the Fred Hudelsons, Ellis and Nora (Deem) Symons, the McFarlands, the Floreas, the John Cude family, the
Conrads, the Harrolds, the Gotchalls, the Pratts, the Crickmores,
the Glidewells, the Kimbrels, the Sauls, and the Greenstreets.
The meeting was "laid down,' to use Quaker terminology, in
1931. It was a sad day when the small group of Quakers in Dunreith and surrounding vicinity had to offer at public sale their
meetinghouse in 1932. After many of the members died, it was
sold to J. Clay and S.N. Sorrell who converted it into a dwelling.
The steeple was removed, imitation brick siding added and a small
room was attached t¡ the front. The building was razed and a
new home built on the site after a frre seriously damaged the
structure in 1993.
The
llunreith School -
The Dunreith school was built on Cherry Street about 1864,
on a lot where the home of Ethel Bell now stands, a two-story
frame building with four rooms. T\vo of the rooms were large and
used for assemblies and two were classrooms. Four teachers were
generally employed there.
During the earþ years the teachers were Samuel Macy, Mary
(Stubbs) Painter, Laura Osborne, John and Mary Westerfield, Joseph Doan, Nathan Brown, Ben Morgan, Charles Newlin, Jay
Buck and Lida Stuart. The typical school day lasted from 8 a,m.
until 4 p.m. with attendance often reaching 100.
Summe¡ sessions were held from 1876 until about 1888. Some
of the teachers for the summer sessions were Corrie Bogue, Rose
Cude, Anna Edwards and Clara Edwards.
The pupils learned geography by singing the states, capitals
and their locations. Multiplication tables were learned in the same
manner. Double desks and seats with iron bars between them
were used until 1896. The heating system was boxed stoves that
would accommodate as many as a half dozen huge sticks of wood,
piles ofwhich were stacked near the stoves to be ready for the
morning frres. These stoves continued to heat the old building
until it was razed in 1908.
Teachers during the 1880s and 1890s were Albert Smiley, Lizzie Edwards, Israel Hatton, Henry H. Hudelson, Walter Bowen,
Anna Burgess, Alma Phillips, Miss Kerr, Mr. Pritchard, Walter
Deem, William L. and Virginia (Griffrn) Cory, Etta Ball, Lela
Smith and John Miller. Instructors in the old school from 1898
until 1908 were Will Glidewell, Pearl (Millikan) Hardy, Etta (Burt)
Collins, Bertha (Pearson) Holtsclaw, James D. Holtsclaw, Charles
Veach, George Cox, and Miss Knowlton, the music teacher. Spelling matches were held every Friday afternoon.
In 1908 a new brick building was erectedjust outside the north
corporation line, thus making Dunreith a township school' James
D. Holtsclaw and Lillian E. (Hayes) Peters were the frrst teach-
ers in this new building. Eight grades were housed in the build.
ing until 1932. The building was heated by a furnace, had a basement and two cloak rooms.
Among those who taught in the new building were Edwin B.
Ratcliff, Ethel Chandler, Rachel (Test) Fletcher, Ella Jarrett,
Ralph Test, Vivian (Pickering) Jefferis, E.C. lbttoa Lawrence Williamson, Wallace Brenneman, Ben Reeves, Lena (Shively) Test
Holtsclaw, Julia (Pierce) Appleton, Ruth (Hiatt) Hunt, Thelma
(Can) Benjamin, Charlotte Meeks, and Martha Jane (Shively)
Wise. Substitute teachers were Elizabeth (Hill) Williams and Ruth
Harvey, Berniece Henshaw taught home economics one year and
Lydia Sellers taught music and art for a time. She was followed
by Edith (Ward) Hoover. Mrs. Loring (Berniece) Eilar and Mrs.
Hoover were the last teachers at Dun¡eith as the school was closed
about 1941 by Spiceland Tbwnship Trustee Roydon Gordon with
the remaining students transferred to Spiceland.
At the time of the closing Mrs. Eilar had taught at Dunreith
12 years. She ended her teaching career at Spiceland Elementary in 1955. As of this writing, Mrs. Thelma Benjamin, now residing in Defiance, Ohio, is the only remaining Dunreith teacher.
Ross Williams, a former Dunreith student, related the following story in his book Ihe Autobiography of An Average Man,
published in 1963:
The Dunreith School at this time (about 1902) was
a ramshackle two-story frame building with
one
teacher teaching the first four grades downstairs and
anothe¡ teacher teaching the upper four grades upstairs. Even in those days we had good teachers and
poor teachers. I was in the sixth grade and I think
I was able to distinguish a good teacher from a poor
one. I had a man teacher who told questionable stories
to the older boys and his teaching technique consisted
ofhearing the various grades recite. Each class was
about fifìeen minutes in length. For example, he
would come to a history class and say to one pupil,
"ì,Iow tell what you found on this page," and so on until the lesson was covered. At the conclusion of this
hearing, the assigrrment for the next day's lesson was
given and on he would go to the next class. As I recall it my mother had something to do with getting
rid of this teacher.
The Dunreith Cemetery
-
The Dunreith Cemetery is located adjacent to U.S. 40 at the
southwest edge ofthe town ofDunreith on Section 32, Spiceland
Tbwnship.
The cemetery is located immediately north and across the road
from the site of the old Buck Creek Christian Church. The church
was founded in 1838 and occupied the site until the present church
(renamed Dunreith Christian Church) was erected in 1909.
Many of the individuals buried in the cemetery were members