This souvenir commemorated the dedication of Mother of God Catholic Church in Shirley.
Archdiocese of Indianapolis Archives
Oct. 2
In 1902, 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 1966, the cornerstone was laid for a new Fortville Christian Church building at 9450 N. County Road 200W, where the church still meets today.
Oct. 3
In 1974, a two-ton rock, engraved to mark the spot of James Whitcomb Riley’s “Old Swimmin’ Hole,” was dedicated after the Mayor’s Breakfast of the Riley Festival.
Oct. 4
In 1909, work began on North State Street on new cement sidewalks, replacing black pitch walks that were put in some 18 years before.
In 1925, the congregation now known as Willow Branch United Methodist Church dedicated a church building.
Oct. 5
In 1964, a petition with about 175 signatures was filed with the county auditor; signers were asking county commissioners to grant Greenfield Plan Commission authority over a “buffer zone” just outside city limits.
Oct. 6
In 1997, Shirley Town Council established a 10 p.m. curfew, hoping to curb Halloween-related vandalism.
Oct. 7
In 1849, “Hoosier Poet” and Greenfield native James Whitcomb Riley was born.
Oct. 8
In 2001, Hancock County Commissioners said they would pay the maximum allowed by law to owners of homes they wanted to buy to make way for a new courthouse annex southeast of the courthouse.
