The Republic from Columbus, Indiana • Page 16

Azalia; Takfes Pride in Long History 1 store. It was called the Bank of By KEITH WELLMAN Azalia. The Reno-gang, later caught af Seymour, made the Bank of Azalia one of its suc cessful targets. What once was considered a possible site for the Bartholomew county seat still is a source of pride of many families in, the area; but the only public business now transacted in the community is at a grain elevator. This is the lot which has been cast for Azalia, a small but proud community of fewer than 100 citizens.

Relatives and namesakes of many of the original settlers of the area still remain in the little town which was officially platted Aprjl I7 1831. -7 In 1859, another general store, known as Little aifcl -Newsom, was opened, and that store was continued in operation by various persons until 1962. In addition to the two general stores already mentioned, other businesses included saw mills operated by Mose Lewis and William Tuttle; blacksmith shops by Benjamin Fodrea and John Louden; a harness shop, run by Will Polen; a cabinet making operation, owned by a Mr. Graham; a wagonmaker, C.H. Overman; a cane mill, operated by Cheveral a woolen mill (from 1830 to J860) owned and operated by Joseph Parker and finally by Parker and Peel.

The woolen mill consisted of a carding machine which made rolls of yarn but no cloth and at that time represented a capital of $1,000. In 1839 and 1840, the cultivation of the silk worm was advocated in various parts of the county, including Azalia, where residents planted many mulberry trees in hopes of raising the valuable worms. As indicated, the business soon failed. A post office was built in 1832, and for several years the mail was brought by horseback from Jonesville, about five miles to the southwest of Azalia. Joel Newsom was the first appointed postmaster in 1859 with the post office operated in his store.

Joel Newsom died in 1909, and at that time, he had operated as a postal official longer than anyone else in the state. The post office continued in the Newsom family until 1935. Harold Newsom, a son of Ike Newsom and a grandson of Joel Newsom, was the last postmaster. Since 1935, the mail has been delivered to Azalia as a rural route. At the beginning of the town, there was a bank with a vault being housed In the Newsom Also from the start, there was a town ordinance, a justice of the peace, a constable and a sheriff.

At one time the streets were lighted with "coal oil" 8treetlamps. The main driveway through the town ran across the city square, and all livestock was permitted to roam about on the loose in town as well as out. the first justice of the peace was installed in 1821, and Washington Polen held that office starting in 1835 and ending in i876. Doctors did a thriving business, too, and several served the community, including Doctors Hawley, Davis, Saters, Lawrence, Cope, Little, DeLong and Hammond. One of the highlights of the community history occurred before Azalia actually became a town.

This was in 1824 when the state capital was being moved from Corydon to Indianapolis. The state records were being transferred by Samuel Merrill in a 4-horse wagon. Merrill and his band of workers stopped at the home of David Newsom in Sandcreek township to spend the night; so for one night at least, state records were housed in Sandcreek township near the community which was later to become Azalia. The David Newsom house still stands just north of where the town is now located, and the building is owned by Howard Newsom, grandson of Joel and great-grandson of David Newsom. During the civil war in 1863, a regiment of men was formed in Azalia, and on the evening of departure to battle, supper was served in the home of Mr.

Polen community surrounded by progressive and intelligent farmers." After starting with its agricultural support, the town grew to include manufacturing industries on a small scale. At the time of its platting, it was thought Azalia would become a city of importance, explaining the original planned width of the streets and the deeding of the property which included the city square to the populace by Mr. Newsom. He had visions of it becoming the county seat with a county courthouse being constructed there. In the early days, there was a boat yard west of the town on the banks of White river with the street on the north side of the town leading to the yards and appropriately named Boat street.

In addition to the shipping which was done up and down White river, trips were made to Louisville. Washington Polen, the father of Mrs. Olive Murray, operated a flat boat on the river and brought produce to the town for a store operated by Joel Newsom. Actually, the first general store in Azalia was owned by John C. Hubbard, and other merchants in the town in those days were Benjamin Ellis, David Newsom, S.W.

Kelly, Hugh Kelly, T.C. Parker, Mr. Polen, David Deitz, W.G. Prather and Grafton Johnson. Light was brought to bear on the subject recently when Miss Edna Murray, a present resident and one of the descendants referred to above, came across a paper written by her mother, Mrs.

Olive (Ollie) L. Murray, several years ago. Mrs. Murray, who. died in 1960 and who was the widow of Elmer E.

Mufray, started work on the paper a few years befgre her death but was able to finish the history study only to the early HMO's. Her daughter was able to recall several incidents related to her by her mother and still enjoys sharing tales of the times with Mrs. Margaret McHenry Peel, admittedly the oldest resident in the community at 89. Mrs. Peel is the mother of County Commissioner Russell Peel.

In part, Mrs. Murray's "Early History of Azalia" refers to some of the following facts: Sandcreek township was founded May 14, 1821, but it wasn't until almost 10 years later that the first community was officially recorded. This was Azalia, entered on the county records as section 24, township 8, range 6 east. The town was laid out by Joel Newsom into 64 lots with a public square 264 by 264 feet with streets 55 feet wide. It was replatted and enlarged July 7, 1848.

Mrs. Murray's writing described the early layout as a "prosperous and thriving farm 111 MmnC Peel is the oldest involving Azalia. Mrs. resident of the town. NEIGHBORLY CHAT Mi.t Edna Murray, left, and Mrs.

Margaret McHenry Peel visit almost daily to share stories of the past which at that time was one of the town's having'-been constructed in 1832. Church life was important to the community, too: In 1836 the Methodist church was organized" by the Rev. W.W. Hibben and a building housing the congregation later was erected on the site which has since become a graveyard in town. Early preachers besides the Rev.

Hibben were Williamson Terrell and J.B. Abbett, and the first Sunday school class leader was Samuel Baker. The oldest member of that congregation was Mr. Polen, who became affiliated in August of 1838. Mr.

Hibben's congregation first assembled in the community's log-school house until the church was built in 1840. The church was razed in 1920 because many of its members either had moved from the community or died. Other pastors besides those already named in- eluded J.L. Perry, George Church, J.L. Maupin, Joseph Gruber, George Conner, James Campbell, J.R.

Herman, H.W. Park and George Smith. In 1870 a railroad was built through the town by John R. Walsh and was owned by Eastern and Western. Later, the interurban passenger service ran through the town (1908 to be exact) and evidences of both the railroad and the interurban are visible today.

The interurban line was closed down shortly before the second world war. The Sandcreek Friends meeting also was organized early in the community's history. It was located north of Azalia, and at one time the meetinghouse also included a seminary where Quakers could enroll and study theology. Later Quakers in the Azalia area organized, and in 1875 a church was constructed. At one time members of the Friends faith alternated church attendance at Sandcreek and Azalia meetinghouses and finally combined the congregations and began to use the Azal ia building permanently.

That building, with one annex already constructed and a second being built, still stands. Another business not previously mentioned prospered at one time in the form of a brick hill. At least one home built from bricks made at the original hill also still stands in the community. Gradually businesses began to fold and now only one remains. That is the Azalia grain and seed elevator.

A school was closed at the conclusion of the 1968-69 school year with enlarging of the Rockcreek school and the general store was shut down in 1962 by the owner of the property at this time, Clyde Rhoades. Mr. Rhoades, although a fairly new citizen of the community, has taken a firm grasp of the community pride and takes it upon himself to keep the grass mowed and the area around the city square trimmed, as well as plowing all the city county seat, it's not evident today. Pride in the community's past accomplishments remains, and a prolonged visit and con I -( W- Section Two Editorial Classified THE REPUBLIC COLUMBUS, INDIANA, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1970 1 "RETIRED B1JSINESS" The Azalia grocery store and gas pumps been idled since 1962. The business changed hands several times over the years.

versation with any of its res- that idents will quickly reveal pride 1. I 1 XrjjAr I ft I i Si Hi v-- i 4 ') i A fti I it Jf I i i I 1 ft r-. I i VwJ '4s tm Km-rair it imMMWMM mmmmmmmm mm smk i. in aMiimnJ Black Music Center at Receives National Grant BLOOMINGTON A grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to establish a national Black Music cehtet- at Indiana university was announced today. by Wilfred C.

Bain, dean of the IU School of Music. ings of IU Archives of Traditional Music, the Latin American Music center, the School of Music library, and the collections of the University library, the catalog will further encompass data on music and on the. music of the blacks in Europe, and the South-ern Americas as well. Plans for the center grew out Republican Women Win Compliments Mrs. Roweta Stubblefield of North Vernon, treasurer of the Indiana Federation of Republican Women, in a recent party newsletter, Trunk Lines, congratulated women of the state federation for a $1,000 gift to the Republican State committee.

She also congratulated them for their jnew publication. "The Dynamo We Generate Women Power," and quotes from theJirst "The GOP women of Indiana have always generated woman-power, but never quite as much as now! We have women candidates on all lower levels county, state and legislative. Today many of our county officials are women; and we have one Superior court judge, one may "The': function of the Black Music center," Dean Bain explained, "will be to document the entire history of this culture, very much In the same manner its our Latin jAmerican Music center has worked in a related CLOSED SCHOOL Azalia school, with its windows boarded up, has been closed the past two school years. Play- Jna-Sn. jeme.ef Jhtremainina playfltauod David and Marilyn Dooley, children of Mr.

and Mrs. Billie Dooley who reside on Azalia road. REMAINING BUSINESS The only business which is sfill in operation at Alalia is the town elevator, located at the inletiecliQ.n-Ol RfiadJlQQiand. the railroad tracks. Directly north of the elevator is the Friends Meetinghouse built in 1875.

oL research previously conduct -fleW. "The potential role of this mu grapher and musicologist. The associate director will be' Prof. David N. Baker a major figure in jazz performance, composition and pedagogy.

These two" school of music faculty members' will be supported by- other- personnel to -be -announced later. The Center will develop an extensive collection of, books, recordings and other materials which will document all major aspects of black musical expression. Included wlll.be jazz, concert music, gospel music, rhythm and blues, ethnic and popular music. Supplemented by realted hold' ed by the University Black Music committee, a group of music professors organized by Dean Bain' immediately after the death of Martin Luther tung. 4 sic in future curricular and performance programs in the United States may well be determined by the research and reference activities of oar new Center." Appointed director of the project, which will be launched in September was Dr.

Dominique-Rene de Lerma, a noted biblio rv or, two elected state officials, two county chairmen and one district chairman plus six women in our state Legislature." ni Hope Town Board rv bves Budget Airnt 1 This committee has completed a year and a half of bibliographic research on the creative output of more than 800 black composers and initiated in 1969 a series of annual seminars on various aspects of black music. A transcript of the 1969 seminar sessions is included, in a forthcoming publication of the Kent State Press, "Black Music in Our Culture: Curricular on the Subjects, Materials, and edited by Dr. de Lerma, chairman of the Black Musk committee. 1 Officials from the National Endowment for the Humanities visited the finar sessions of the 1970 seminas and were, particularly impressedby the dedication and available opportunities in black music studies at IUs Internationally known school of i-Jx Persons interested In Information on the Black Music. center and Its services should contact Dr.

de Lerma at the school of Florida Taking Army to Courts? WASHINGTON (UPI) -Honda Gov. Claude Kirk has threatened to take the Army to court in an effort to block the dumping of 67 tons of nerve gas in the Atlantic Ocean east of Cape Kennedy. The Pentagon insists that the disposal, scheduled later this month, wouJd be perfectly safe. But Kirk, appearing at a congressional hearing on the" matter, said he had serious' misgivings. "If the ocean along our east coast became contaminated because something went wrong, if these (gas) missiles released-their- content- in manner not planned it could be disasteroufl for Kirk told the House merchant and fisheries subcommittee.

sfble to arrive at an actuai figure since the evaluation of the town of Hope is- dot known at this time by the board because of reassessment. Frank Hobllck, engineer for the town, reported the Hope Gas company, expects lines will, be ready, for use byiMonday or Tuesday. r-l He said the work of converting appliances and Haying connecting lines for users is now being Request to operate alurniture auction barn in Hope by Ted yhite waa taken under advisement. i Merhber the Hope town Mottdiy night approved 1 general fundrbudget of $35,200 for 1971 and learned that the new municipal natural gas sysf tern will turned on about the first of next week. 1 'president of the town board, ftld the board esti- mates the -proposed budget would necessitate an approxi 'mate 12.28 tax levy per $100 assessed evaluation.

White said the Iward ex- pecti the levy will be reduced inasmuch as It represent estimate. He said, It was fanpos- music, Indiana university, i JOWH 'INCINEOr. Clyde Rhoodesth last wtdenti i owner of the Alalia store which he closed in 1962, main" i tains th town square in the summer 'and plows snow off "V' tho streetf every winter voluntarily. Here he charges down thr old interurban fine which ran through the town square and which was shut down In the late 1930's. TnI A1AM 47401 Bloomington, i.