Years ago in Paulding County
By: MELINDA KRICK
40 Years Ago
From the Paulding County Progress, Aug. 20, 1986:
A Continental man is injured when his crop dusting plane crashed while he was spraying a soybean field near Ohio 613 and County Road 165 west of Melrose.The pilot sustained injuries and was taken to the hospital.
The Payne Post Office interior is being remodeled, including new doors, new equipment and updated and additional post office boxes.
Paulding Area Venture Corp. (PAVCO) is raising seed money to erect a shell industrial building to attract industry to Paulding. The site selected is on McDonald Pike at the old sugar beet factory site. Shares are selling as low as $50.
James Smiley, owner of 637 Auto Repair, recently returned from a 17-day, 7,000-mile motorcycle trip west, highlighted by stops at Mt. Rushmore, the Badlands, Yellowstone and redwood forests in California. He also stopped at the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D.
Clarence Adams of Scott is the county’s oldest active fireman and EMT at age 77. He coordinated emergency services at this year’s Farm Focus.
Dart leagues are now forming at The Rusty Nail.
55 Years Ago
From the Paulding Progress, Aug. 18, 1971:
A huge crane from Fort Wayne was in Paulding to set the white, pre-cast facing on the new Eagles Lodge building, tentatively set for completion in six weeks.
Native Son returns: Lt. Gen. Clare Gideon was the biggest attraction in Payne’s Pioneer Auto Show parade and was given the keys to the city. He is vice-commander of Air Force Logistics and second in command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. He graduated from Payne High School in 1934.
Paulding Chamber of Commerce members discuss whether John Paulding Days should be discontinued, after reviewing profit and loss reports for 1971 and 1970. A vote on “Do we want John Paulding Day next year?” passed by a vote of 12-1.
Paulding Exempted Village Schools will open with a full day’s session on Sept. 3. Enrollment in grades K-12 is 2,844.
The Paulding County Fair is Aug. 28 to Sept. 2. The schedule includes countywide beauty contest, pony harness races, All American Hell Drivers thrill show and band night. Membership tickets are $4.50. Gate admission is $1 for adults and 50 cents for children 12-16. Grandstand admission is $1 for adults, 50 cents for kids 12-16 and 25 cents for kids 6-12.
The board of directors of the Paulding-Putnam Electric Co-operative helped Herbert Monroe celebrate his 30 years as manager of the cooperative with a dinner at Johnson’s Restaurant.
75 Years Ago
From the Paulding Progress, Aug. 16, 1951:
One of the 39 entries in the Beauty Contest to be held at the Paulding County Fair, Friday Night, Aug. 31, will be chosen Paulding County Queen for 1951. The contestants come from the seven Paulding County high schools.
James MacKew, proprietor of the Oliver Farm Machinery and Plymouth-DeSoto Sales and Service, announced this week that he is now located in his new building located on Main and Caroline streets. The new 55 by 98 foot structure was built by Bernard Workman, contractor, and is constructed of steel and concrete blocks.
Mrs. Harvey Hyman, of Paulding, received word that her husband is now stationed in Tokyo. Lt. Hyman, the prosecuting attorney of Paulding County, who was called to active service this spring, arrived in Japan and is serving as a special agent with the Counter Intelligence Corps.
Dr. W.H. Caine, county health commissioner, reports there have been no cases of polio in the county this season. This is in direct contract to the epidemic that swept the county last year, making it the hardest his area in the U.S. on a basis of population.
The old steam engine with its mellow whistle which has passed up and down the Wabash Railroad tracks for many years, has gone into the discard and on Aug. 1 was replaced with a diesel engine. The morning of Aug. 1 was the final run for the steam engine, pulling the passenger train from Toledo to Fort Wayne.
At the movies: The Ohio Theatre in Antwerp will have a big double feature, “Al Jennings of Oklahoma” plus Roy Rogers and Trigger and also Dale Evans in “The Golden Stallion” (in color).
125 Years Ago
From the Paulding County Republican, Aug. 22, 1901:
Fair ground improvements are being pushed along satisfactorily ahead of the fair, which will be held Sept. 17-20. The old stalls along the road are being torn down. With new fences, new art hall, new barn, new stock stalls and many other new conveniences, Paulding County will have as fine a place to hold a fair as any place in Ohio.
W.K. Schooley broke ground for a large brick storeroom in Broughton.
From the Paulding Democrat, Aug. 22, 1901:
Two and a half blocks of new stone sidewalk is the latest improvement in Haviland.
There is strong talk of a party sinking 10 oil wells in the Melrose vicinity soon.
Ireton Bros. & Eikenbary’s elevator at Tipton, together with a large amount of grain and seed, was destroyed by fire Tuesday morning.
F.M. Bashore has a force at work this week putting a new roof on the county jail. The old sheathing was found to be in bad condition.
From the Payne Reflector, Aug. 22, 1901:
Payne’s new industry, the canning factory, was started Tuesday and is now running at full capacity. Recent rains ripened the tomato crop sooner than expected and growers began bring in their tomatoes. The management bought 600,000 cans last spring and these will either be filled with tomatoes or pumpkins. The factory gives employment to an army of boys and girls and will prove of great value to the community.
The new U.B. church at McGill was dedicated Sunday. In spite of the rain a large crowd was present at the ceremonies.
