A "Fiery" Landmark Comes Down

A slightly over-forty-year landmark in downtown Mooresville is coming down this month.

 The "Old" Mooresville, Indiana Fire Station

(at the northwest corner of the intersection

between Indiana and Harrison Streets)

Constructed in 1970

Demolished in February, 2013

(Click Images to Enlarge)

According to historian James R. Bruner, the firehouse was built in 1970 by volunteers at a cost of $36,000.  That was an amazing bargain, thanks to the volunteer labor.  What did the building look like before demolition?

(Photo by Chris Allen)

An Online Historical Adventure For African-American History Month

During African-American History Month it might be instructive (and fun) for our library patrons to experience the underground railroad through an online video game. Mission US, in conjunction with WNET Thirteen, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, has such a game: "Flight to Freedom."  Here's a promo trailer that shows us what to expect.

To play the interactive video game, visit the Mission US website and choose Mission 2.  The game immerses the player in the escape of a 14-year-old Kentucky slave named Lucy.  You become Lucy.  Your decisions determine if she escapes bondage.  There were many perils fleeing slaves faced travelling the Underground Railroad, and by playing this game, you, too, will face these dangers.  Who can you trust?  How will you manage to meet basic biological survival needs in unfriendly territories?  Will you reach freedom?

Interactive gaming such as "Flight to Freedom" fuels learners' interests in history and brings the past into sharp focus for modern students.  There is no substitute for "being there," even if "there" is simply a computer simulation.

P.S.  Television viewers first became "eyewitnesses" to historical events watching the television series You Are There (1953-1957), hosted by famous news announcer Walter Cronkite.  On April 17, 1955, the audience witnessed issuance of President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation (January 1, 1863).  I couldn't find a video clip from this episode (or the entire original series, amazingly), but here is a clip from the revival of the program when it aired Saturday mornings on CBS (1971-1972), which I watched when it was first broadcast.  This episode took viewers to the siege of the Alamo.

History of Mooresville, by Julie Kyle-Lee

In 2001, local historian and museum curator Julie Kyle-Lee wrote a brief history of Mooresville for the Morgan County History & Genealogy Association. This interesting, informative article is now available through our online cloud storage.

My Library has a playlist of its local history videos on our YouTube channel.  Informative and interesting--well, hopefully.

New Display Monitor

The library has just installed a new display monitor to keep you updated on our programs, events, activities, and services.

We should have it running soon!  Stay tuned!

Answers to Weeks 1-3, Mooresville History Hunters

Remember these photos from the first three weeks of our Mooresville History Hunters game?

Week #1

Click Images to Enlarge

Click Here for the Answer

or Click Here, Too

Week #2

Click Here for the Answer

Week #3

Click Here for the Answer

or Click Here, Too

See how easy it is to find the answers on this "local history" blog?  The game is fun to play when you know where to dig for history.

Our "treasure trove" local history video summarizes the history of Mooresville Sanitarium, which later became Comer Sanitarium/Hospital, then Kendrick Hospital.