Oct. 25
In 1903, Mother of God Roman Catholic Church was dedicated in Shirley, with 103 attending the service. When the town’s gas boom faded, so did attendance; the building was razed in the late 1920s.
In 1917, Charles Downing was chosen as fuel administrator for Hancock County, appointed to help secure the necessary supply of coal.
In 1965, Hancock County native Robert Harlan II was missing in action in Vietnam.
Oct. 26
In 1967, a former Greenfield resident pled guilty to starting a fire in the cellblock of Hancock County Jail more than a year before. He had been arrested in August 1966 on a charge of drunk and disorderly conduct.
Oct. 27
In 1976, Hancock County officials and Indianapolis Airport Authority representatives conducted a ground-breaking ceremony for Mt. Comfort Airport, which was later renamed Indianapolis Regional Airport.
Oct. 28
In 1949, a 69-year-old former Greenfield resident and his four sons were indicted by a Dayton, Ohio, grand jury in connection with the sale of $156,945 worth of unregistered oil stock and gas leases.
Oct. 29
In 1924, former presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan spoke to about 1,800 people at the Memorial Building in Greenfield.
Oct. 30
In 1987, city officials met with representatives of the U.S. Postal Service and representatives of U.S. Sens. Richard Lugar and Dan Quayle amid efforts to keep the Greenfield Post Office in the downtown area. The pleas came after the postal service announced earlier in the fall it was accepting bids from property owners in an area bordered by Interstate 70 and county roads 100 South, 250 East and 75 West. Today, the post office remains at 207 N. State St.
Oct. 31
In 1951, the Weil Theatre offered a free show to celebrate its fifth anniversary, followed by a free show the next day as well. The feature picture was “Daughter of Rosie O’Grady,” starring June Haver and Gordon MacRae. Today the theater is the H.J. Ricks Centre for the Arts.
