July 17
In 1900, the interurban line between Greenfield and Indianapolis began regularly carrying passengers.
July 18
In 1933, the Daily Reporter included word from Shirley that two men digging a basement had unearthed a human skull and several other bones, which they believed to be part of the skeleton of an American Indian. The wife at the home said older residents had told her the site was an old Indian mound and cemetery.
In 1967, Hancock County’s John Modglin died in Vietnam.
July 19
In 1972, country singer Skeeter Davis performed in Greenfield at the Hancock County 4-H Fair.
In 2007, Greenfield’s Jake Fox made his debut with Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs.
July 20
In 1924, the Memorial Building in Greenfield was dedicated.
In 1959, county employees were working to copy public records to microfilm.
July 21
In 1989, Greenfield officials announced Greenfield Senior Center would merge into the Greenfield Parks and Recreation Department. Parks superintendent Clark Ketchum, as part of the announcement in the center at 19 W. North St., said it was possible a combination senior center-community building would someday take shape near the Riley Park shelter house. Years later, the Patricia Elmore Center was built and named for the first, and so far only, woman to serve as mayor of Greenfield. Pat Elmore died July 3, 2023, at the age of 87.
July 22
In 1916, “Hoosier Poet” and Greenfield native James Whitcomb Riley suffered a stroke, his second in a month, and died.
In 1970, Hancock County’s Mark Draper died in Vietnam.
July 23
In 1927, fire destroyed Shirley Christian Church and a nearby home where the fire began. A new brick church building was dedicated in March 1928.
In 1996, Greenfield’s Jaycie Phelps and other members of the “Magnificent Seven” U.S. women’s gymnastics team won the Olympic gold medal in Atlanta.
