It was reported to police officers recently that several “hop joints” are still being operated in Boyle County. The new law prohibiting the sale of any drink having alcohol in it, regardless of how little, went into effect June 14. No cream of hops or similar drinks can be sold in a dry territory. This law sounded the death knell of the hop joints throughout the state.
75 years ago — 1937
Harrodsburg celebrated its 163th anniversary on June 16 with the Harrodsburg Historical Society celebrating with a motorcade to historic spots in and near the city, especially the springs as the abundance of water was a factor in determining the pioneers to locate a settlement at this point.
Harrodsburg was laid off June 16, 1774, by Captain James Harrod and 30 settlers. They had stopped in the vicinity in May and began surveying the site for their town. Each settler was given a half acre “in-lot” within the limits of the settlement and a 10-acre “out-lot” for cultivation. Daniel Boone was here for the surveying and shared the land equally with the settlers. A historic granite marker on Lexington Avenue indicates where Boone’s cabin once stood. It was burned by the Indians in a raid on the settlement in 1779.
When Harrodsburg was 149 years old, a large celebration was held and this was followed by successive big celebrations on June 16, which resulted in the creation of the Pioneer Memorial State Park and the appropriation of $100,000 by Congress for a national sculptured memorial in the park.
Danville police and deputies from the Boyle County Sheriff’s office joined efforts in nearby counties in a search for a trio of bandits who held up the People’s Bank of Dunnville, a community 10 miles south of Liberty. They made away with between $2,500 and $3,000 in cash. W.A. Hammond, cashier of the bank, stated in a telephone interview that two men apparently middle-aged, entered the bank after 1 p.m. and one of them drew a pistol and stated they would not harm him if he would remain quiet. They scooped up the available currency and fled in a black Ford coach, in which a younger man was driving.
50 years ago — 1962
The Moreland First Baptist Church broke ground for the church auditorium to complete the new building begun in 1960 with an educational building. The Moreland church, which was started as a mission of Hustonville Baptist Church in 1954 under the leadership of Mr. and Mrs. William Bogie, now has a Sunday school enrollment of 152. The first pastor of the church was the Rev. Ernest Martin who served until 1958. The incumbent pastor is the Rev. James Spaulding.
The Danville Junior of Commerce played host to more than 250 dancers and 300 onlookers from all over, including Lexington and Somerset, as they held a Street Dance on College Street. All ages of people took to the dance floor to dance to the music of the Torques, a Lexington dance band headed by all-state basketball player Frank Harscher. Table and chairs were set under colored lights and spotlights, on the street which had been blocked off. This is the first such street dance held in Danville in 15 years. The Danville Jay Cees will give all profits from the dance to the Civic Roundtable for the further promotion of tourism in Boyle County.
Star-Lite Drive-In Theatre in Danville is advertising movies that audiences “must see it to believe it! The most terrifying combination we have ever shown on the screen!” The movies being shown are “The Fly” starring Al Hedison, Patricia Owens and Vincent Price; “The Bat”, featuring Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead; and “The Spider” starring Edward Kemmer and June Kenny.
On Sunday the features change to “The Guns of Navarone” with Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn; and “Everything is Ducky” with Mickey Rooney ad Buddy Hackett.
25 years ago — 1987
Historical sites are a major drawing card for tourists, according to statistics collected at the two state parks in Boyle County. Carolyn Jones, superintendent at Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site said over 33,000 people have visited the Civil War battlefield since April. At Constitution Square State Historic Site, about 8,000 people have toured since January, according to a registration book. Susan Hensley, director of the Danville-Boyle County Tourism Commission said, “Our targeted market is to senior citizens, history buffs and people interested in restoration. There is no way we can turn to encouraging conventions or be a party town. It is not what our community wants or needs.”
Aero-Tech, the company that operates the Danville-Boyle County Airport, is looking for easy ways to provide more services to the area. A spokesperson for the Lexington-based company said that in addition to serving corporate customers, Aero-Tech wants to provide services to area residents such as charter flights to other airports, and provide packaged vacation flights, such as island hopping in the Bahamas.
