York & Overton (1890s)

Those familiar with the over-century-old buildings on the west side of South Indiana Street, just south of the Main Street intersection in downtown Mooresville, Indiana, may be interested in these late 19th century (and early and middle 20th century) photographs of the businesses that occupied the premises. We begin with York and Overton in the 1890s.

York & Overton store (1890s) at

20-18 South Indiana Street in Mooresville

Downtown Mooresville, Indiana

"Make every word tell," instructed Professor Strunk at turn-of-the-20th-century Cornell University, when E. B. White, the great American essayist who wrote for The New Yorker alongside James Thurber, was a student there. (Strunk would have blanched at that last sentence.) Sounder writing advice cannot be found at any price.

Still, as wonderful as words can be in describing historical conditions, a photograph brings those descriptions to life. Here are two handouts (click links below) that present historical photos of downtown Mooresville, Indiana.

 

• Mooresville Town Views

 

• Mooresville Around Downtown

Flash From Your Past (Historical Flashcard Series)

FLASH FROM YOUR PAST

Here's a "flash from your past," if you're a long-time Mooresville resident.  We present our local history flashcard series, featuring old photographs in and around Mooresville and northern Morgan County, Indiana.  Just click the links below to see each flashcard.

• Flashcard #1:  Farmers State Bank
• Flashcard #2:  Mooresville's First Police Car
• Flashcard #3:  Day Grocery
• Flashcard #4:  Covered Bridge on the Old Waverly Road
• Flashcard #5:  Mooresville Sanatarium (i.e., Sanitarium)
• Flashcard #6:  Sam Wade
• Flashcard #7:  Dr. William L. Thompson, M.D. (see this blog post for the flashcard)
• Flashcard #8:  Banner Flour Mill
• Flashcard #9:  Bolton Sorghum Factory
• Flashcard #10:  Comer & Scearce Lumber Company
• Flashcard #11:  Indiana Brass & Iron Bed Factory
• Flashcard #12:  McCracken House (Restaurant & Hotel)
• Flashcard #13:  Allison Grocery
• Flashcard #14:  Northside of West Main Street (1960s)
• Flashcard #15:  Pure Oil Gasoline Station
• Flashcard #16:  Henry Conduitt House (later Comer Sanitarium & Kendrick Hospital)
• Flashcard #17:  Burch Grocery
• Flashcard #18:  Scruggs Dry Goods Store
• Flashcard #19:  Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Church
• Flashcard #20:  Mooresville Public Library
• Flashcard #21:  Samuel Moore & Eliza Moore
• Flashcard #22A:  "Old" Town Park
• Flashcard #22:  Old Settlers Picnic #1:  Origins
• Flashcard #23:  Old Settlers Picnic #2 (Rocking Chair Competition)
• Flashcard #24:  Old Settlers Picnic #3:  Parade
• Flashcard #25:  Indiana State Flag (& Paul Hadley)
• Flashcard #26:  Amos Rusie, "the Hoosier Thunderbolt" (all-star professional baseball pitcher)
• Flashcard #27:  Mooresville Town Banner (Flag)
• Flashcard #28:  Mooresville Academy School
• Flashcard #29:  Old Mooresville High School
• Flashcard #30:  I.O.O.F. (Odd Fellows) Building
• Flashcard #31:  First Christian Church
• Flashcard #32:  Fall Creek Furniture Company
• Flashcard #33:  Mooresville Friends Church
• Waverly Flashcard #1:  Waverly School #1
• Waverly Flashcard #2:  Waverly School #2

Lindley Block

The Lindley Block (1905-1925) stood on the southwest corner of the intersection of Main and Indiana Streets in downtown Mooresville. It resembled a modern "mini-mall" in that one walked inside through a common hallway to enter the businesses (although outside ingress was also available).

Q & A from Newby 3rd Graders

Elementary school students ask direct, yet sophisticated, questions about history. They have the enormous advantage of not having decades of academic overlay restricting their inquisitiveness. At Newby Memorial Elementary School, in Mooresville, IN, third-grade students are first exposed to local and state history as part of their curricular requirements, although it is during fourth grade that state education requires Indiana history to be specifically taught. You have already, I hope, seen and enjoyed the original artwork from Newby third graders under the direction of Mrs. Nora Carroll, which was previously featured in an earlier blog post. We have a digitized handout exploring typical local history questions from Newby third graders. You will learn as much from the questions as the answers. These are bright kids, interested in learning more about their hometowns and communities.

Newby Elementary School First Graders (1955)

(click photo to enlarge)

 

Newby Elementary School under construction (April, 1936)

(Photo courtesy of the Mooresville High School Alumni Association)