Historian of the Year Banquet April 12, 2008

The banquet was held on April 12, 6:30 PM, at the Chrisney Community Center. Harold and Georgia Banks were recognized as Historians of the Year.

John B. Chrisney was recognized as the Commemorative Historian of the Year. Don Rebel gave a talk about Mr. Chrisney.

The catered meal was provided by Windell's of Dale.

Monument Honoring George Honig Erected August 28, 2007

From The Rockport Democrat, June 1, 1951
Tablet Honors Creator of Village
A bronze tablet honoring George H. Honig, artist and sculptor, was unveiled Sunday afternoon during ceremonies in the Lincoln Pioneer Village which marked the formal opening of the new museum there.

Society and Members Contribute to Memorial

The tablet mentioned above was recently found in storage at the Lincoln Pioneer Village. It was taken to Grandview Aluminum Products where it was restored to its original beauty. Through the efforts of society members, a five foot granite stone was obtained from Schum Monuments in Dale, Indiana. The original plaque was mounted on it. In addition, a member contributed a bronze replica of a Honig plaster of the Village. A portrait of Mr. Honig was not found in the museum as the newspaper articles stated; however, a photo of a young George Honig was placed upon the granite memorial.

The Society contributed $500 towards the total cost of $1,278.36.

The Historical Society received a complimentary letter from the Rockport Parks & Recreation Board thanking them for the plaque. It stated in part "The plaque is a wonderful donation to our facility and we are happy that people can be made aware of just how much Mr. Honig did for us."

Historian of the Year Banquet June 9, 2007

The banquet was held on June 9, 6:30 PM, at the Chrisney Community Center. Kristine Manley was recognized as Historian of the Year.

The catered meal and Jerry's speech was enjoyed by all in attendance.

Historian of the Year Banquet April 22, 2006

The banquet was held on April 22, 2006, 5:30 PM, at the Chrisney Community Center. Mr. Orville Martin was recognized as Historian of the Year. State Representative Russ Stilwell presented the award honoring former Congressman Charles Lieb as the Commemorative Historian of the Year.

A crowd of 70 people enjoyed the catered meal and the speech by Former Governor Edgar Whitcomb.

History of South Spencer School Corporation

A member of the society has developed a web page that is a collection of articles and web pages about the history of the South Spencer County School Corporation. Click here to visit the page.

Rockport High School Column

Through the efforts of a member of the Society and Rockport High School alumni, the second column to the entrance of Rockport High School campus was rebuilt in August, 2005.

The entrance is on Walnut Street in Rockport, between Sixth Street and Lincoln Avenue. It marked the location of Rockport Collegiate Institute which later became Rockport High School.

Timeline History of Rockport High School (May be slow to load due to many images.)

Huffman Covered Bridge Workday

The Society is working to paint and remove graffiti from the bridge. The County Commissioners has approved money for supplies.

Historian of the Year Banquet
Dr. James Cooper Gives Presentation on Boner Bridge

The banquet was held on April 23, 2005, 5:30 PM, at the Chrisney Community Center. Mr. Joe Groves and his wife Eugenia were recognized as Historians of the Year and Mr. Benno Schum was the Commemorative Historian of the Year. The meal was catered.

Dr. Cooper, using dual projectors, made a presentation on the preservation of Boner Bridge. Everyone is waiting for the engineering firm to complete new plans. Dr. Cooper also showed slides of other bridges throughout the state that were saved from the ravages of time.

It was an interesting meeting with good food, friends, and historical information being shared by all.

Don Rebel and Walter Yeager Talk About George Honig

At the April 5, 2005 meeting, Don Rebel gave a talk about his relative, George Honig. Walter Yeager, who is also related to Honig attended and provided more information about the Rockport artist.

George Honig was a noted artist, sculptor, and also designer of the Lincoln Pioneer Village. Mr. Rebel told of how he had acquired some of the works and other memorabilia of George Honig's. When George was in art school in New York, NY, one of his teachers said that the Lincoln family just passed through Indiana on their way to Illinois. The teacher, and many others, did not know that the Lincoln's lived in Indiana for the formative years of Abraham Lincoln's life, 1816 - 1830. George did a lot of research into the life of Abraham Lincoln and had intended to publish a book about him, but the book was never published.

Mr. Yeager told of some of his recollections about George and his wife Alda when they would visit his family. He also had pictures of a plaque that George had made for his family's homeplace.

Rockport High School Historical Marker

On Saturday, April 2, 2005, at 10:00 AM, there was a historical plaque dedication program in the Rockport Elementary gym on Sixth Street. The plaque, sponsored by the Spencer County Historical Society, was placed on the white column facing Walnut Street in Rockport. This column is what remains of the old Rockport Collegiate Institute/High School campus.

The program in the gym at Rockport Elementary consisted of readings about early pioneer education in Indiana, history of the Academies in Indiana, history of the Rockport Collegiate Institute, and a multimedia presentation giving a timeline history of Rockport High School. There were displays of photos, paintings, memorabilia, and a zebra. Of special interest was the first diploma granted by the Rockport Collegiate Institute.

The history of Rockport High School will be available on the South Spencer School Corporation web site at a later date.

Plaques

The membership has been exploring the marking of historical places in the county with various types of plaques during the June and July, 2004 meetings. Grants are being pursued for this purpose.

The Society purchased a plaque for the 150th anniversary of the Spencer County Fair.

The Society agreed to fund, with the financial help of two members, a plaque to mark the location of the Rockport Collegiate Institute/Rockport High School on Walnut Street.

Historian of the Year Banquet

The banquet will be held on April 23, 2005, 5:30 PM, at the Chrisney Community Center. Cost of a ticket will be $10 and will soon be available from society members or at the Rockport Library. Mr. Joe Groves and his wife Eugenia will be recognized as Historians of the Year and Mr. Benno Schum will be the Commemorative Historian of the Year. The meal will be catered.

Activity:

Lincoln Presenter

A Lincoln presenter who attended our banquet in 2003, as part of their national convention, wrote that he wanted to put on a program to show his appreciation to the Society. It was open to the public and we had minimal costs as he was in the area for the 2004 convention. The auditorium of the Courthouse was scheduled for April 15, 2004. This year was the 160th anniversary of Lincoln's return to Spencer County in his campaign for Henry Clay. Also, April 15 was the date he died. The 80 minute show depicted the President's last day in office, as he reflected on major events in his life. This was an interesting evening.

March 2, 2004
Tickets sold fast for this event. Seating was limited and the cost was $7. They were available from the Rockport Library or a Society member.

There was a work day on Saturday, April 10, 2004, 1:00 PM for decorating the Courthouse in preparation for the program.

Activity:

Olde Rockport Pioneer Cemetery

The Historical Society has taken the lead in cleaning up the cemetery (See December Meeting Notes). As of January 25, 2004, around 100 man-hours have been contributed to the cleaning and marking of stones. These hours include the South Spencer High School Key Club members who worked on January 24, 2004. Click on the above link for more information.

February 28, 2004
Nine Historical Society members reported for another work day. More brush was hauled and trash was cleaned up from the grounds. No Key Club members were present. Two members worked on the property on February 23. The grounds are looking much better but a great deal of work remains. Of concern is the regrowth of shrubs and stumps that have been cut as Spring is near. A member found two new stones that appear to be carved bases under trash and trimmings that had been dumped. No words were on them. Over 126 hours of work has been devoted to the project.

July 7, 2004
Storms during the Memorial Day and July 4 holidays caused trees to be broken and limbs down in the cemetery. One large tree has a "widow maker" at the top making it dangerous to work in the area. Weeds and brush have regrown in the cemetery.

Activity:

Boner Bridge

Boner Bridge is thought to be one of only five of its kind in the United States. The one-lane, iron bow, string-trussed bridge has sandstone abutments, iron bents and a wood plank floor. It is unique because it is known as a three-span bridge as it contains three arches. The two arches on both ends of the bridge measure 50 feet in length. The middle arch is the bridge's longest, measuring 160 feet. It was re-floored and repainted in 1931.

The preservation of Boner Bridge has been a topic of several meetings. The DePauw professor who is concerned with the restoration was at a meeting to explain what progress is being made. This is a Warrick County project as the county on the west side is the one responsible. Members of the Pyeattesville community and Warrick County Historical Society attended one meeting. Several years ago, a company was hired to make recommendations. They wanted to make changes to the bridge that would not keep its integrity as an historical structure. This project has been stagnant and both Societies are attempting to keep their concerns before the responsible parties.

March 2, 2004
It was expected that action would have taken place by the Warrick commissioners by this time but the project is on hold again.

Activity:

Huffman Mill Covered Bridge

Work is progressing on building a new bridge around the only covered bridge in Spencer County. All three commissioners expressed concern with the bridge's preservation at a recent meeting. However, there will be no grant application to completely rehabilitate the historic bridge in 2004. This is disappointing to the Society but members will continue to monitor and work for the preservation of the bridge.

Activity:

Historical Tour of Rockport on CD

Several years ago, a cassette tape of the historical sites in Rockport was made by a Society member. It was designed to be played while you drove to the different places in town.

In December of 2003, two members of the Society were so impressed that they decided to update and add to the information. They created a CD that covers three miles of the town and will take about an hour depending upon how long a person stays at any of the sites.

This CD is informative even if you don't drive to the different places. Especially if you are acquainted with the town. It costs $10 plus shipping, includes a map, and is available at the Rockport Library.

Activity:

Web Sites

Two members developed Web Sites for Olde Rockport Pioneer Cemetery and Spencer County Historical Society in January, 2004. It is hoped the sites will help keep members informed of Society activities. For those who don't have a computer, the sites can be accessed at a public library.

Activity:

Lincoln Pioneer Village

Several members have been involved with restoration work in the Village and Museum. Most work has been preserving the artifacts in the Museum. An organization called Friends of Lincoln Pioneer Village has been formed to help with the project. A grand re-opening has been scheduled for April 15 - 17.