This week in Indiana’s state history …
1814 – Sarah Bolton was born in Newport, Ky. When she was age 3, her family moved to Indiana. She grew up on farms in Jennings and Jefferson Counties. Known as the “Pioneer Poet,” she was also an activist for women’s rights. She later lived in Indianapolis and the Beech Grove area, where the city park is named for her. Her most famous poems are “Indiana” and “Paddle Your Own Canoe.”
1904 – Abe Martin first appeared in The Indianapolis News. Created by newspaper artist Kin Hubbard, Abe was a rural character famous for his “sayings.” His daily comments were syndicated and published in newspapers across the country for many years. Indiana’s Brown County State Park pays tribute to Kin Hubbard and the many rustic characters he created.
1913 – In University Park in Indianapolis, a Christmas tree was decorated with colorful electric lights, a new innovation for the time. Mayor Henry Wallace organized the event in conjunction with the Cornelia Cole Fairbanks chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The 50-foot cedar tree, provided by the Bridgeport Nursery, was the centerpiece for music each evening by local choir groups.
1928 – The L. S. Ayres Department Store offered its customers a “telephone shopping service.” Newspaper advertisements invited the public to call the “intelligent, well-trained personal shoppers” and the gifts “would come trotting out to your home just as if your best friends had been shopping for you.” Other stores offered similar programs, made possible by the fact that nearly 40 percent of American homes now had telephones.
1950 – The Marion County Civil Defense Committee announced that fire sirens and factory whistles would be used to warn the community of any impending air raids by enemy planes. The move was in response to the heightened “cold war” tension across the nation. Air raid drills had already been conducted in all city schools.
1970 – Top-selling Christmas toys reflected the nation’s space program and lunar expeditions. Woolco stores advertised a child’s “Space Helmet with headphone.” There were also futuristic tools for young astronauts, including the Ionization Nebulizer “which emits a fine mist to decontaminate and deradiate lunar specimens.” The well-equipped space traveler could also have an equipment belt with a “signal communicator, scanner scope, and belt buckle with a secret compartment.”