125 Years
July 31, 1898
The following statistics about Shelby County have been taken from the assessors reports to the county auditor: number of horses in the county, 8,467; beef cattle, 2,128; milk cows, 6,442; sheep, 7,287. Total number of acres of land owned, 254, 595; cultivated,172,594; in pasture, 31,661; in woodland, 45,682 and 4,061 lying in waste.
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A message was received this afternoon at the War Department from General Merritt announcing his arrival at Manila.
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The engine head of the engine at the Wagner Manufacturing Company’s plant blew out about 9 o’clock this morning. No one was injured, but the company was compelled to close down on account of the accident and it will probably be several days before they will be able to start up again.
100 Years
July 31, 1923
Brigadier General Sawyer, the President’s personal physician announced at 8 a.m. today, Pacific time, that President Harding was showing improvement. With the threat of pneumonia continuing, his condition was still considered serious.
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The Wiley Grocery, on Dallas Street, has been sold to John Bertsch of Mount Street, and he will assume charge about August 13. J. W. Wiley built the grocery and has successfully conducted it for he past nine years. He plans to move to California late in August for his health.
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Sidney checker enthusiasts will have an opportunity on Saturday to witness an exhibition between two expert checker masters. The match will be between Guy W. Garwood, ex-champion of Ohio and presently an instructor at Ohio Northern University and R. D. Banks of Chicago. Banks has been residing in Sidney this summer, being employed as an expert accountant.
75 Years
July 31, 1948
Louis F. Warbington, originator and leading promotor of Shelby County’s “Neighbors in Action” program to send 8,000 boxes of food overseas, will see that food distributed in Germany. Warbington will leave Washington on August 8 for Frankfurt, Germany as a representative of the Civil Affair’s Division of the War Department to analyze progress of his mission last year, establishing discussion groups among German farmers.
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A formal notice to vacate by August 31 was received this morning by C. J. Briggs, proprietor of the Briggs Drug Store from the real estate department of the National City Bank, Cleveland, representing the Fry Estate, owners of the two story building. The bank indicated another type of business would take over the location but was not at liberty to release the name or type. The Briggs Drug Store has occupied the location for 53 years.
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Dedication services at the First Church of God, 421 North West Avenue, Sidney, will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday with Rev. R. Eugene Sterner, pastor of the Third Avenue Church of God, Dayton, delivering the address. The congregation previously met in the I.O.O.F. temple.
50 Years
July 31, 1973
A forty-year career with the Dayton Power and Light Co. will conclude tomorrow when DP&L Sidney District Office Supervisor, Hamlin A. Blake, retires.
Blake, who resides at 330 Ruth St., Sidney, was first employed by DP&L in 1933 as a bill passer. He was promoted bill passer-meter reader in 1934, storekeeper and collector in 1935, chief clerk in 1937 and office supervisor in 1945.
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The waiting is over. Kay Clark and Roger Ditmer were selected queen and king of the 1973 Shelby County Junior Fair. Tense moments followed a question-and-answer competition while judges deliberated over final selection. The queen and king will reign over activities at the fair this week.
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Nine-nine draft horses made their first appearance at the Shelby County Fairgrounds in 27 years Sunday afternoon and evening.
Undoubtedly the sight of the horses brought back memories for the older residents. Such animals were used in days gone by for general farm work now done by mechanized work horses.
The draft horses were represented by owners from as far away as Indianapolis, Indiana and also from the Shelby County area.
25 Years
July 31, 1998
The Sidney Little League football program is going strong after eight years. The thanks goes to Butch Ward of Sidney. In the beginning Butch and Ron Scherer took their sons to the Troy fifth and sixth grade program as Sidney did not have one. The men then started a similar program in Sidney and it is still going strong today. They work with about 120 kids from Sidney schools and Lehman each year. Coaches Ron Burns and Tom Frantz are also assisting this year.
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Will the county have a web site? It appears it might be a reality. Dave DeVelvis appeared before the commissioners to discuss the topic. He related how he developed the Sidney city web site in 1996 and “now they are getting 50 to 250 hits a week.” Larry Kleinhens thought the website would be a major way
to communicate going forward. Commissioner Gary Van Fossen agreed. Regional Planning director Dave Waltz made the presentation.
These news items from past issues of the Sidney Daily News are compiled by the Shelby County Historical Society (937-498-1653) as a public service to the community. Local history on the Internet! www.shelbycountyhistory.org. Visit the Sidney Daily News website, www.sidneydailynews.com to read the rest of the week’s columns.
