This week in Indiana’s history …
1885 – The Indiana Supreme Court, in a case involving Switzerland County, upheld the authority of school boards to levy taxes in support of buildings and teacher salaries. The unanimous decision of all five justices was written by Justice Byron Elliott. In part, the ruling stated that “the system which has prevailed for eighteen years has carried our schools to a high state of prosperity and usefulness.”
1921 – Horseshoe pitching was all the rage in Indianapolis city parks. There were 78 municipal horseshoe courts, all illuminated by electric lights and open late into the evening. Pitchers had their choice of seven city parks: Ellenberger, Fall Creek, Riverside, Willard, Garfield, Spades, and Brookside, as well as the Riley Playgrounds.
1936 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt was in Vincennes to dedicate the George Rogers Clark Memorial. In his speech, the President said, “On this spot it was made known that we were to have a nation, instead of a confederacy of seaboard states.” A crowd of over 75,000 came to the ceremony, which included First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Indiana Governor Paul V. McNutt.
1938 – Mary Stewart Carey died in Indianapolis. A patron of the arts, she was active in the Daughters of the American Revolution, Civic Theater, and Matinee Musicale. She was a leader in the movement to adopt a state flag and was one of the founders of the Indianapolis Children’s Museum and the Orchard School.
1978 – Garfield the cat, a creation of cartoonist Jim Davis, made his first appearance in newspapers around the country. Davis was born in Fairmount and grew up in Marion. He had been drawing comic strips for several years when he came upon the idea of the mischievous feline. Millions of fans follow Garfield’s adventures in over 2,100 newspapers each day.
2018 – An Indiana historical marker was placed in front of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Richmond. It honors the work of Bishop William Paul Quinn, who assisted slaves on their way to freedom on the local Underground Railroad. He also established more than 50 AME churches across the country, including the one in Richmond, which was founded in 1836.