Great Story….!!!! Thanks much Ed….!!!!
M-24 “Chaffee” Light Tank
This is the type of Tank they were playing in.
Winners to have dinner for 2 on me at any of Knightstown’s fine restaurants…….
1. Who is the only Revolutionary War veteran buried in Knightstown..?? Where is his grave..??
2. When did Lincoln’s Funeral train pass through Knightstown..??
3. When was the ISSCH founded..?? Who was it named for..??
4. When did John McCain’s son live in Knightstown and what did he do here..??
5. When did the Canning Factory open and when did it close..??
6. What was the first Railroad in K-town..?? When was it built..??
7. What was the name of the Automobile made in Knightstown..??
8. What Knightstown company was featured in the Sears catalogue.
9. When was the Library built..?? Who donated the money to build it..??
10. Who is Raysville named for..??
11. What is this structure and where was it located..??
12. Here’s another mystery picture. What is this and where was it..??
Post your answers in the “comments” block below…
It has been 56 or more years since I had contact with the folks listed below. My memory too may be a bit hazy on a couple. If you believe I have misspelled a name or erred in the listing please drop Ed Knight a note so he can correct the mistake.
Blaine Addison & Bob Parker-Worked at Goodman’s in the men’s department
Doc Ammerman-dentist
Courtney Armstrong-Plumber
Willard Avery-attorney
Cecil Binford-owned and operated the Knightstown Bowling Alley
Ernie Bradway-owned a grocery at southeast corner Brown and Franklin
Al Brown-KHS coach for a time; taught mathematics
Bonnie Buckles-photographer
Doc (Ralph?) Bush-dentist
Paul Butcher-mortician
Louis Carroll-president of the First National Bank
Lee Carroll-president of Citizen’s National Bank
Jim Chance-owned Chance’s grocery on West Main Street
Joe Cooney-bought the photography business from Henley
Lon Craig-sharpened Knightstown lawnmowers and ran projectors at Alhambra Theater
Allen Cravens-owned a dairy
Belvin Durham-custodian at Knightstown High School
Frieda Dougherty-owned the local bakery
Guy Fausset-town marshall
Dolly Flory-daughter of Louie Flory who ran Flory’s Sweet Shop next to the Alhambra Theater
Fred Forst-Indiana State Police, tragically killed on duty
D.W. Grossman-realtor
Oren Henley-founder and long-time owner of Henley Photo Studio
Flo Hickman-owned Flo Hickman Dress Shop on Main Street
Harvey Hopkins-owned Hopkin’s Furniture Store adjacent to Lord’s
Joe Irvine-owned the Hudson Dealership
Walter Jolly-owned and operated Jolly’s Drug Store with his son Harry
Orville Jones-shoe repair, bought the business from Lawrence
Alvin Kopp-manager of Goodwin Bros Dodge/Plymouth Dealership
Crack Lawrence-shoe repair man
Shorty Lindsay-barber, owner of Lindsay Manor Hotel
Herman List-owned a print shop on the public square
Chet Livingston-manager of Goodman’s Department Store
Ralph Lord-owned and operated Lord’s Grocery Store at Jefferson and Main
Bob Lukens-managed the Knightstown Grain Elevator
Harry Manning-radio repairman
Tom Mauck-owned Mauck Lumber Company
Tom Mayhill-bought the Banner from Bob Sitler and built a large publishing firm
Bob McShirley-postman
Mark Mercer-KHS coach for a time; taught civics
Jack Messick-barber
Zelda Moffett-managed women’s and children’s and home furnish area at Goodman’s Dept. Store
Harriett Moore - Long time clerk at Rody’s Department Store
Ernie Moreland - Part owner and operator of Rody’s at 125 E. Main
Phil Parker-owned Parker’s Grocery Store on Main street at Public Square
Vern Perry-owned the Knightstown Coach Company (National Body Co.)
Clarence Post-owner of the Post Gamble Store, later Post & Post Hardware at 133 E. Main
Claude Puckett-chief grave digger and manager of the Glen Cove Cemetery
Harold Ratliff - Owned the Jewelry store at 19 N. Wash., later Main and Jefferson
Wes Ratliff - Henry County Circuit Judge
Ross Reddick-sold used cars, later owned the Texaco Station at Main and Jefferson
Carl Rihm-local grocer and packing house owner
Mick Richey - manager of the Alhambra Theater for Mr. Watts, the owner
Gene Sharp-oil distributor. Owned Phillips 66 gas station for several years
Mike Schatzlein-florist
John Shafer-postmaster
Paul Shaffer-jeweler
Burt Sheidler-the local blacksmith. His forge was located at the east end of Warrick Street
Eddie Shores-worked with Herman List in print shop; later owned facility
Gene Short –Indiana State Policeman
Bob Sitler-owned the Knightstown Banner
Dick Steele-affable, long-time manager at First National Bank
Lawrence Stroup-Was the station master at the Big Four stop at the tracks just south of Carey
Carlos Tribbey-manager of the Main Street Kroger Store
Jimmy Thomas-owned the Standard Oil Gas Station at Franklin and Main; ran the DMV office for a time
Bob and Shirley Thompson-owned and operated the Western Auto Store on E. Main
Fudd Wagoner-owned the hardware store at 113 E. Main Street
Rags Walters- the Knightstown upholsterer; his shop was located on the west side of the public square
Ralph Ward-postmaster
Doc Watts-dentist
Jim Williams-Les’s brother. Owned a dry cleaning store on south Washington Street
Les Williams-public square restaurateur, town marshal, owner Phillips 66 station after Sharp
Tubby Woods-owned the Ford Dealership
Harold Van Buskirk-principal at Knightstown High School
Kiefer Vestal-owned the Elite Café adjacent to the First National Bank
Thanks Wayne…!!
How about everyone pick a couple of names and write something about them in the comments section…!!
The air was heavy and smelled of damp earth and fires long extinguished. The entry room was not very large, perhaps six to eight feet wide and just enough room for a 12-year-old to stand. The walls were stained with ash dust from fires built by other Knightstown explorers. The dirt floor was a mix of deep dust, ashes and bits of burnt sticks and tree limbs.
I was in the secret Knightstown cave.
Not many knew of this mysterious gash in the earth on the northeast edge of Knightstown. I don’t recall how my brother and I learned of its existence, perhaps from the late Bill Hiner, a neighbor lad who often shared our explorations.
We visited two or three times when we were in the fifth and sixth grades. Once we decided to explore its depths, but the tunnel soon narrowed to crawl space, and my claustrophobia prevented further investigation. Besides, we were certain some hideous monster was lurking in the darkness just beyond our flashlight beams. If we kept completely quiet and held our breath we could imagine hearing muffled sounds in the pitch black distance.
We had heard the cave extended far back under Knightstown and that there were other large rooms. It was said it extended under the old cemetery on east Morgan Street; others said it went far under Knightstown itself. I am not sure anyone ever had the nerve to completely explore its length. Despite the intrigue and the promise of high adventure we never ventured far beyond the main room. Unless someone has sealed the entrance I am sure it is still there today. It was/is located on the hillside overlooking Blue River, just south of the old Knightstown dump site that existed for many years on northeast Morgan Street.
It is possible the cave is even larger today. It was most likely created by underground drainage over the past 100 or more years. Now, 60 years after our explorations, it is probable erosion has created even larger tunnels—and even bigger caverns, if they really exist!.
For certain it still lies hidden in undergrowth, its opening agape like the mouth of a hungry beast. It is a timeless adventure waiting for rediscovery by new generations of Knightstown youngsters.
Thanks Wayne, That’s a great story..!!!
| When the decade of the 50s started we of the KHS class of 1957 were 11 years old and listening to the likes of “If I Knew You Were Comin’ Id’ve Baked a Cake” and “Goodnight, Irene, Goodnight”. When 1959 rolled around we were two years out in the world and the pop hits included “La Bamba” by Ritchie Valens, “Stagger Lee” by Lloyd Price, “Mack The Knife” by Bobby Darin and “Back In The U.S.A.” by Chuck Berry. What happened in between was a cultural revolution, and we were part and parcel of it and it was called Rock n’ Roll. I recently read a Washington Post article written by a ’57 classmate (several states removed) who said “we weren’t just in at the beginning of rock and roll, we were the beginning” How true…!!! The Baby Boomers like to take credit for a lot of things including Rock and Roll well, maybe they influenced Acid Rock or Folk Rock. The 60s ushered in a lot of great music but we, the class of 57, gave birth to real Rock n’ Roll.
It began for me when I got a radio for Christmas in Dec 1950. I remember what a big deal it was for me. My very own radio, WOW..!! I don’t remember exactly when I made the transition from listening to Captain Marvel to pop music but I think I was still pretty young, maybe 12. (We all seemed to grow up a lot faster back then.) I liked pop music but most of it was pretty dippy in those days. Sometime around late ’52 or early ’53 I was riding around with some older guys after a sock hop and one of them said he heard of a really cool station and tuned the radio to 1510 and eureka..!!! I found my kind of music…!!! The station was (is) the 50,000 watt WLAC in Nashville, Tennessee and the program was “Randy’s Record Shop” with DJ Gene Nobles and hardly a night went by when I didn’t try to tune it in. They played what was called “Rhythm and Blues” which was very different from the music under the same genre name today. It featured performers including Muddy Waters, Lightning Hopkins, Little Junior Parker, Sonny Boy Williamson, Howling Wolf, T Bone Walker, Big Joe Turner, Little Walter, Big Walter Horton and my very favorite Bo Diddle.
The “Randy’s” show with Nobles started at 10:15 every weeknight and at 11 on Saturday and was the best known but the R and B line-up on WLAC started at 9 PM with DJ “John R” (John Richbourg) and “Ernie’s Record Parade” sponsored by Ernie’s Record Shop of Nashville. Then came Gene Nobles with Randy’s then after that program Herman Grizzard took over as DJ of the “After Hours” show sponsored by Buckley’s Record Shop from midnight til 1:00 AM. I actually thought John R the best DJ but his show was harder to pick up because a lot of little stations were still on the air during that time slot. The later it was, the better the reception as low power stations went off the air for the night. Many nights it was impossible to pick up WLAC at all no matter how late.
I listened to these programs every chance I got as did most of my friends. We listened to the pop stations too but, in the early 50s they just weren’t playing what we wanted to hear. Patti Page was ok but how much “I Went to Your Wedding” and “Doggie in the Window” can a kid take….??? The simple fact is, we revolted..!! Millions of white teens and preteens like me were listening to WLAC and stations like it every night and we didn’t give a rats rear if it was considered to be ethnic black music, we loved it. As I reflect back on it I am amazed that we even knew about R & B music and the WLAC programs. There we were in a Podunk little town in the middle of nowhere and we were participating in a revolution. How did the word filter down to us in Knightstown that there was a lot cooler music around than the dippy stuff the Pop stations were feeding us..??? There was the same pent-up demand by white teens all over the US for music with pulsating rhythms, wailing saxes and throaty guitars. What we wanted was later to be called “Rock n’ Roll” and by golly we were going to have it even if we had to get it full of static, on an ethnic program all the way from Nashville, Tennessee. There were some visionary white performers who recognized the demand and began to fill the need with songs that emulated the earthy beats and lyrics of R & B and gospel music but were a little less ethnocentric. Among them was a young man from Memphis named Elvis. There were also some black performers who were considered R & B artists that began writing and playing for primarily white audiences like Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Fats Domino. Thus, Rock and Roll was born and we of the class of ’57 made it happen..!!! I’ve compiled a list of songs from the 50s and will include it here. I won’t try to suggest these are the most significant early Rock and Roll songs or have any importance in the revolution. They’re just some I like in no particular order. You may notice that “Rock Around the Clock” isn’t included. I always thought it was pretty bad and not really representative of the transition from R & B to Rock as some people claim. “Lawdy Miss Clawdy.” By Lloyd Price which made the Pop charts in 1952, two years before “Rock Around the Clock”, is a lot better candidate for that distinction. Also not included is Pat Boone. Does anyone seriously think he was a rocker..??? Don’t Be Cruel Earth Angel Dance With Me Henry Yakety Yak Let the Good Times Roll Happy, Happy Birthday Baby Who Wrote The Book Of Love Donna Unchained Melody Hearts of Stone Mr. Lee Bye, Bye Love Blue Monday For Your Precious Love |
Ed’s 50s Song ListI’ll put the recordings of some 1950s Songs I like on here. I’m using the Adobe Flash player to play the music. Here’s how it works: Click on the little triangle (arrow) to start the player. The green bar shows the loading of the music into your computer. The little red button thingie shows the playing progress. To stop the song click on the two little vertical bars at the end. If you start several songs and stop them before they finish the player might get hung-up - stuck.. If the player does gets stuck and won’t load the song, click the “refresh” page button at the top of your screen. Searchin’ Lawdy Miss Clawdy Love Is Strange The Great Pretender Heartbreak Hotel Party Doll Come Go With Me Memories Are Made Of This Eddie My Love Blueberry Hill Great Balls of Fire Splish Splash Whole Lotta Lovin Long Tall Sally “Be-Bop-A-LuLa” Little Darlin’ Sweet Little Sixteen The Fool Sheila La Bamba Blue Suede Shoes The Green Door In The Still Of The Night Only You Ain’t That A Shame Peggy Sue Dedicated To The One I Love Money Honey Since I Met You Baby Silhouettes Why Do Fools Fall in Love You Ain’t Nothin But A Hound Dog Brown Eyed Handsome Man My Prayer The Treasure of Love Speedo Ain’t Got No Home Little Girl of Mine Keep A Knockin’ Shake, Rattle and Roll Love Me Tender Get a Job Devil or Angel |
