Harvest Dinner 2011

Today, we bring you one of Sylvia Henricks' "Remembrances." You can read more of Sylvia's columns weekly in The Franklin Township Informer, or in her book From The Ash Grove (available directly from the FTHS, and via the web site).

Forty members and friends of the Franklin Township Historical Society met for their noontime Dinner and Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 29, at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Wanamaker. The fellowship hall was artfully decorated with fall colors for the “Harvest Dinner” prepared and served by Jim, Sue and Kevin Winton.

Society Vice-President John Kanouse greeted guests, and invited all to share in a few moments of silence in memory of our late president, Diana Stevenson. After the meal, enjoyed by all, John recognized the board members, presented the 2012 Budget, and distributed a page of “What We Did in 2011.” He spoke briefly of the value of our Society, both to individuals and to the community. Not only is our preservation of records, abstracts, and photographs valuable, but as we work with young people -- students and Boy and Girl Scouts – we try to encourage in them an appreciation of our community’s place in state and national history.

Our guest speaker was Nan Hendrickson, a retired teacher, who has, over the years, presented her talks on Hoosier Poet, James Whitcomb Riley, to wide and appreciative audience. With a few remarks about each poem, she recited “Little Orphant Annie,” “Out to Old Aunt Mary’s,” “The Bear Story,” and several others. Of the dialect, she said, “That was just the way we talked,” referring to her own Indiana childhood.

A distribution of door prizes concluded the day. For the prizes, we sincerely thank Wheatley’s, Exclusive Salon, Focus Therapeutic, and Mascari Cleaners. Three more events will complete our year’s activities – the Acton U.M. Craft Fair on Saturday, November 5, Christmas in Wanamaker on Saturday, December 3, and our Society’s Old-Fashioned Christmas at the Meeting House on Sunday, December 18.

Society members Ginny Compton, left, and Bob Fraley, right, greet speaker Nan Hendrickson, who holds a 1937 volume of James Whitcomb Riley poetry that belonged to her father.

Remembrances: Hittle Tile Factory

Today, we bring you one of Sylvia Henricks' "Remembrances." You can read more of Sylvia's columns weekly in The Franklin Township Informer, or in her book From The Ash Grove (available directly from the FTHS, and via the web site).

This interesting old photograph, its mounting broken, but taped to a piece of cardboard, and a torn edge also taped, is titled “Isaac Hittle Tile Co. 1880” It appeared in a March 12, 1976, issue of the Informer, under the heading “A Bygone Era.” The caption (unsigned) was “One of the oldest factories in Franklin Township was located one fourth mile north of Edgewood Avenue on Hickory Road. It was known as the Isaac Hittle Drain Tile company. It was located on the Isaac Hittle property, now owned by Ed Klasing and Bob Waterman. The factory made field drain tile around the year 1880.

“The mud for the tile came from the Hittle farm and was hauled in by steam engine and four wagons. It took three days and nights to bake a kiln full of tile. The farmers would drive for miles to get the tile the day the kiln was opened. The tile were so hot they would burn rings in the wooden wagon beds.

“The day the kiln was opened was a time the men swapped stories and watched the dogs fight. The man who was watching the kiln, at times would kill a rabbit and hang it in front of the fire door to cook.”

A business card for “Isaac Hittle, Manufacturer & Shipper of Superior Drain Tile (From 2 ½ to 9 Inches), Gallaudette, Indiana. Prices per M: 2 ½ in. $10 ; 3 in.. $11; 4 in. $17.50; 5 in.. $26; 6 in. $37; 7 in. $45; Made to Order: 8 in. $60; 9 in. $85.”

The Society’s book Historic Treasures of Franklin Township, includes more about the Hittle Family. Of Isaac, the biographer says, “Isaac Hittle continued to live on the farm but had many other interests. He owned and operated a tile factory from 1875 to 1898, and also a threshing machine. He was a surveyor, and was secretary of the New Bethel Farmers’ Mutual Insurance Company until his retirement in 1924.”

Annual Membership Harvest Dinner - October 29

Join us for our annual Harvest Dinner on Saturday, October 29 at 1:00 p.m. This year's dinner will be held at New Bethel Baptist Church. Our guest speaker is Nan Hendrickson, who will share the poetry of Indiana's own James Whitcomb Riley.

Cost: $15 per person

Menu:

• Roast pork in pineapple sauce
• Roasted red potatoes
• Oriental slaw
• Vegetable medley casserole
• Rolls with butter and apple butter
• Choice of peach or cherry cobbler

To make your reservation, please mail your name(s) and a check for $15 per person to:

Franklin Township Historical Society
P.O. Box 39015
Indianapolis, IN 46239

Reservations must be received by October 22.

In Memory of Diana Stevenson

The president of the Franklin Township Historical Society, Diana Stevenson, passed away on September 26, 2011. In the following Remembrances column, president emerita Sylvia Henricks looks back at Diana's contributions.

It was a beautiful day, this past July 6, when the Franklin Township Historical Society visited the Propylaeum at 1410 N. Delaware Street. Preceding the event, Diana met some of us at the Meeting House and gave us a leisurely drive “into the city,” with a short detour through the Old Northside neighborhood to see the recently restored Central Avenue Methodist Church, built in 1891 with additions in 1900 and 1922, now the home of Indiana Landmarks.

Arriving at the Propylaeum, we still had time for a bit of visiting on the big porch, and a photograph or two of all 14 of us, before we entered the impressive front door for our tour. The 19th Century house, built as a private home, with a wide stairway leading to a ball room on the third floor, has been the home of a Women’s Club for many years. The Club’s original building stood on North Street, and was razed in 1923 when the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza was built. Organized in 1888, by a group of Indianapolis women, the club’s name means "gateway to higher culture."

Our group reassembled for lunch in the sunny first floor dining room where we enjoyed good food, cloth napkins, stemmed glassware, and gracious service. It was a day to remember.

I sat near Diana, and took her picture. Not one of us would have believed that Diana would soon leave us. Our President since 2009, we considered ourselves fortunate to have so energetic and personable a leader. Even before she became president, she made a valuable contribution to the organization in 2005, using her skill to promote our application to the National Register of Historic Places to have our Meeting House (the former Big Run Baptist Church and Cemetery) added to their list.

We shall miss her, but shall be forever grateful for the time she spent with us.

Cemetery Talk September 18

A Big Run Cemetery Talk is planned for Open Hours at the Franklin Township Historical Society Meeting House on Sunday, September 18.

Dana Crapo, the Society’s treasurer, is also its most knowledgeable person concerning burials in the Big Run Cemetery, across the road from the Society’s Meeting House at 6510 S. Franklin Road. Dana says he has long been bothered by extra names on headstones in the cemetery, not included in the cemetery records made by a locarecorder (Mrs. Leo C. Hoyt)) in the 1960s. (At that time the Big Run Church was still in operation. It became the property of the newly formed Historical Society in 1976.)

Dana, long wondering about those unrecorded names in the cemetery, now believes he may have the answer, that before the Big Run Church was built in the 1870s, there was a Willis Smither family burial plot on the site of the current Big Run Cemetery. That will be the basis for his talk at the Meeting House during Open Hours on Sunday, September.18, at 2 p.m. “I will provide maps and hand-outs,” he says, and invites all interested persons to attend.

Authors Fair - Sept. 24, 2011

The Franklin Township Historical Society is sponsoring an AUTHORS FAIR on Saturday, September 24, from 1 to 4 p.m., at the Franklin Road Branch Library. The event is free, and will provide readers and would-be writers with the opportunity to meet 10 (or more) local authors, look at their books, and perhaps buy an autographed copy or two.

Other features of the afternoon will include a panel led by three authors who represent different aspects of current writing. Brenda (Kight) Lempp will talk about her poetry which she began writing at age 13. She has self-published two chap books which include some of her experiences growing up as one of nine children. She attended Acton Grade School, graduated from Franklin Central and from Franklin College where she earned a journalism degree. She now lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and their three children.

Panel member Greg Seiter has a full-time job with the AAA Hoosier Motor Club as public affairs manager, and is also a free-lance writer for several publications.including AAA’s Home & Away and SOUTH. He is a graduate of Perry Meridian High School and the University of Indianapolis. He lives in Franklin Township with his wife and two children.

The third panel member is Anne Meyer, a graduate of Broad Ripple High School, and Indiana University. She also did graduate work in Education at Ball State. She received her Diaconal Minister’s Order from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She has written many strories, articles, and devotional literature. She has four children, and 6 grandchildren “from 2 to 5 years old.” She lives in Franklin Township with her husband, and is a member of the Acton United Methodist Church.

The panel will each give a brief summary of his/her writing experiences, and then respond to questions from the audience. There will be drawings for several door prizes during the afternoon, a table of used books on writing for sale and light refreshments.

Everyone is welcome. Authors displaying their works will include Joe Skvarenina, Debbye Butler, Duane Nickell, Brenda Lampp, Cindy Whitis, Theresa Hatfield, Gary Straber, Betty J. Spahr, David Ostheimer, Sylvia Henricks,and perhaps others.

Marjorie Main, again on the silver screen

We posted last year when the Historic Artcraft Theatre in Franklin, Indiana showed a classic Marjorie Main film. Marjorie Main was born right here in Franklin Township -- in the town of Acton, to be precise -- and appeared in more than 80 films, often opposite big-name stars such as Humphrey Bogart and John Wayne. She is best known as Ma Kettle, from the series of popular comedies.

If you missed your chance to see Acton's big-screen diva in action -- or if you'd like to see her again -- thank your lucky Hollywood stars, because they're doing it again!

This year, the Artcraft is showing the classic comedy Ma and Pa Kettle Go To Town the weekend of September 30-October 1. Get your tickets early; the theatre, which can seat over 500 attendees, has been known to sell out for popular films. People come from all over the world (literally!) to see movies at the vintage theatre. You can pre-order tickets at the Artcraft's website.

The Historic Artcraft Theatre is a 1922 vaudeville house and movie theatre that is now in the care of Franklin Heritage, Inc. It is staffed by volunteers, and all proceeds from events and ticket sales go toward restoration and preservation of this historic jewel. Arrive early and tour the building, or have a snack at one of Franklin's local eateries.