Stranger's Grave

In June, 1830, a young man named Eli Macy, on horseback and carrying a rifle, undertook to ford the Wabash at Godfroy's trading house where there was a ford. The river was up, and he was drowned. His body was found, some days aferward, in a pile of drift near Col. Reyburn's old homestead. The lone grave, inclosed with palings and marked by a stone, on the bank of the river near the Reyburn residence is where he was buried.

Congratulations Seniors!!

WAY TO GO!!!!

Senior Art Show

Last night, I had the privilege of going to the senior art show at Peru High school. It was a wonderful presentation put on by the aspiring artists of our town. The seniors each had their own space to show their talent as well as personal interests. They all did a great job, I as well as others who attended, were very impressed.
Aaron Newport- Mick Heron
Matt Hensley- Megan Huddelston
Curtis Hopper- Virgil Clary
Ashliegh Stanley- Aaron Jones
Kyle Miller- Kim Marburger
Kendra Hack- Demetric Jiles
Sherri Gray- Shae Laycock
Be proud of your accomplishments, You made us proud. Students will have the opportunity to view the art Friday at school. Good luck to all of you.

Maria Rasputin Mauled In Peru

Gather 'round children because I'm about to tell you a story.

Once upon a time there was a big, black Himalayan bear, named Himmie, who darn near killed Rasputin's daughter, Maria, right here in ol' Peru.

Now, who's Rasputin you ask? Well, some call him the Mad Monk, but to others, he was a noble man. He lived back in the days when Russia had an aristocracy; before the commies took over. Well, Rasputin was supposed to have all kinds of magical powers and he had a lot of influence with Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra. There were lots of folks who didn't like Rasputin, he was a womanizer and a drunk, so they had him killed...again and again. The legend says they poisoned Rasputin, shot him, beat him, and finally, pitched him into a river where he drowned. Who knows what really happened, but it makes for a great story, huh kids?

So, Rasputin has a daughter and her name's Maria. After the commies killed her daddy, the Tsar, and Tsarina, little Maria needed a vocation; no, not a vacation, a vocation, she needed a j-o-b. Well, Maria loved animals and she became a lion, tiger, and bear tamer. Being Rasputin's daughter and all, European folks came out in droves to see Maria "hypnotize" the dangerous beasts. To make a long story even longer, Maria landed right here in Peru working for the Hagenbach and Wallace circus.

One day, Maria got in the cage with Himmie and he was doing one of his famous somersaults. Maria's English sounded more like Russian and ol' Himmie accidentally knocked Maria over. She panicked. At that point, 400 pound Himmie decided he liked the taste of Russian and chomped down on Maria fourteen times. A couple of fellas saved her, but she lost lots of blood. It didn't look like Maria would live. They put her up in Dukes Hospital and Dr. Malouf saved her life; just like he did with Clyde Beatty. They even brought leopard cubs up to the hospital to cheer up Maria.

Well, Maria recovered, worked in more circuses, and lived happily ever after.

Sam Blue Cigar Store

Sam Blue, 61 North Broadway, had twelve cigar makers in his establishment. Mr. Blue manufactured a number of leading brands which are of a high order of excellence, such as "Sumatra" and "Old Stock". The aim of Mr. Blue was to place before his patrons honest goods which were appreciated by the public. In the general stock you could find a complete line of smoker's articles. Mr. Blue was in every way entitled to the confidence of the trade, and was an enterprising representative of the cigar and tobacco business in the city of Peru.

In Memory Of

Fredrick Long passed away April 15, 2006. He was born the son of Thomas and Pearl Clark Long. He will be sadly missed by all his family.

Juried Art Exhibition

A statewide art exhibition takes place every four years for elementary art students. Judging for the Int'l Violin Competition was sent to regional in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Finalists are then selected and are sent to Indianapolis for final judging.

Two Miami County elementary students were regional winners that advanced to state. The two students were chosen as Grand Award Winners. On Sunday May 7, 2006 they will receive a check for $100 and a certificate of honor. Their art teacher will also receive a check for $100 for purchasing art materials. A commemorative plaque of a full color reproduction of the artwork will be given to hang in their school.

Easter Egg Hunt

An Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by the Presbyterian Church took place at 10:30 this morning. The children were lined up waiting to get their colored eggs. A special Easter Bunny made an appearance at Miamisfort. A fire engine sounded it's shrill siren--and the children toddled, walked, and ran to find their prize eggs. Thanks to the many merchants who donated to this cause. There were over four hundred children ages one through age 12.

We must not forget the reason why we celebrate Easter. Church services will be throughout the county. The Presbyterian Church service starts at 10:15 a.m. There will also be a sunrise service for early risers at 6:30 a.m. Have a blessed Easter Day and enjoy your families.

Book of Hoosier Artists

W. Mark Butterfield , a patron of the arts, has compiled a book of Hoosier Painter of the 21st Century. Mark is from Greenfield, Indiana.

Peru's own Willa Howell Bullock is listed in the book. Willa has won numerous awards for her outstanding oil paintings.

It's a Hair Thing

Pat Sparks has painstakingly taken care of my hair for around thirty years. She is a real expert at dodging all my cowlicks. My hair has a mind of it's own--it doesn't like scissors. She went to a beauty seminar once upon a time and decided to do this new scissor cut on me--guess what happened? My cowlicks had a mind of their own and stuck straight out from my head. Oops!better not do that again.

Pat started at Mr. Ron's in 1966. They moved into the trailer in 1971 with George joining that next year. Then they moved into their new building August 23, 1983. Their business is located at 504 West 10th Street.

The crew consists of Susie, Tonya, Kim, Kay, Beth, Ginny, Tara, Lisa, Joy, George, and Pat. They are experts ( male or female) for haircuts, color, perms, and basically whatever the customer wants. They do great up-do's for the teenagers going to prom.

George wanted to experiment on Pat and decided to color her hair--she drove all the back roads to get home and dodged anyone who might see her--her hair was orange-- George has gotten better since his experimentation days.

Give them a call at George& Pat's Style Shop
765-473-7680

David Hood

"Davy" Hood is remembered as a prim, popular fellow, who could be found most of the time at Porter's drug store, where now stands the building occupied by the Peru Trust Co. He was a son of Wm. Hood, of Hood& Britton, who founded the town of Peru in 1834, as the seat of Miami County.

Flouring Mill in Peru

Since the washing out of the dam Messrs. Isaac Miller and son have removed, and rebuilt their mill at a point west of Broadway, near the I.P and C.R.R. track. They have a first class mill for merchant and custom work (across Miami Street from the Sanitary Milk & Ice Cream Company.

My great grandfather, Gustav Geberin, owned this mill for about a year and traded it for three houses on Riverside Drive.

Hugh McCaffrey was also an owner of the famous "Magnolia" flouring mill. The mill had the capacity for grinding 1,200 bushels of wheat and turning out 300 barrels of flour.

Happy Birthday Brother

If you see my brother --wish him
a Happy Birthday.
Terry, you are the best brother any
one could ask for!!
Lots of Love on your special day.

Historical Trivia in Peru

The Miami County Museum has a broom-making machine dating back to 1778. Joseph Grogg, Perry Twp. brought the item from Connecticut in a covered wagon. The Grogg family maintained the machine over one hundred years before donating it to the Museum. There are many treasures to observe at the Miami County Museum located on Broadway and Fifth Street. They have a staff that will answer questions or get you an answer. It's a great place to take kids!

Navy Base in Peru

Grissom A.F.B. was commissioned as a U.S. Naval Reserve Aviation on July 1, 1942. It was promoted to U.S. Naval Air Station one year later. It was used as a training base for Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard Pilots. The station existed only three years. It was closed and leased to the Bunker Hill Corp. as farmland until the Korean Conflict.

It would be different to see Navy men walking down the streets of Peru instead of Air Force today.

My mom said when I was quite young, some young ladies would put me in my stroller and walk downtown because the sailors couldn't resist stopping and looking at me with my cute curls and smile. That way, the young ladies could strike up a conversation with the sailors.

We have had in our family, a sailor aboard the Lexington, a sailor on the Enterprise and a grandson soon to be stationed in Spain. Thank God, for the young men and women who serve our country.

Mavrick's Tavern

Nick Mavrick purchased the building in 1922. In 1925 he remodeled it. A coney island business operated by his brother Pete was in half the building and a grocery/meat market operated by Tom Delivan in the other half was in the location from 1927 to 1931.

In 1933, Nick obtained the first liquor license in Peru to officially open Mavrick's Tavern. The photo was prior to becoming Mavrick's Tavern.

Railroads in Peru

The railroads were a major part of Peru's economy several years ago. As we remember it was quite common to get delayed at crossings by trains coming through Peru. In 1896, there were six railroads in operation--Lake Erie & Western; Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis; Wabash; Eel River; Peru & Detroit; and Chicago & Erie.

The Wabash Cannonball, spewing steam and clickety-clacking along the rails, was in Peru for a commemorative ride. Hopping aboard the steam engine to watch the fireman shovel coal into the massive firebox was unforgetable. It was one of those things "Always wanted to do and got to!"

The Hottest Band In Peru: KISS

It's with some amusement I've been reading about KISS bassist Gene Simmons (and partner Richard Abramson) recent marketing agreement with the Indy Racing League.

There are a handful of Peruvians who remember, including myself, who remember humbler days when KISS played the Circus Center on Halloween night, 1974. The tour, in support of their second album "Hotter Than Hell", rolled into Peru and blew the roof off the Circus building.

Things I remember about the concert:

• Speakers, speaker, and more speakers. Once they hit the stage, the speakers became instruments of submission. I've never been to a louder concert...ever. With concrete floors, iron beams, and a sheet metal roof, the ear splitting music ricocheted around the building. That night, a number of Peru kids lost a little hearing. Huh?
• The blinding flash pots which opened the show. The explosions shook the building and once my eyes cleared, KISS was already a third of the way through their opening song ("Strutter", I think). Not being KISS knowledgable, I thought, "cool, they dressed up for Halloween!" Little did I know that two years later, the band would be featured on The Paul Lynde Halloween Special.
• You couldn't yell conversation at the show; even between songs. We were too stunned and temporarily deaf.
• They played songs from their soon-to-be-released album, "Dressed To Kill".
• The Gene Simmons fire spitting didn't impress me. I'd seen the same thing in Peru's circus.
• About two thirds through the show, I entered the "Official KISS Pain Zone" and split. I walked home, sat on my front porch (2 blocks away) and listened to the rest of the show.

As time passed, I watched KISS grow into mega-superstars. I saw KISS play two more times in arenas, once in December of 1977, the day blizzard covered Hwy. 31 opened for traffic.

Godfroy Farm bought by Ben Wallace

A 220 acre farm inherited by Gabriel Godfroy was sold to Ben Wallace in 1891. The land originally belonged to Chief Francis Godfroy who obtained it from the U.S. Government in 1826.

The farm is situated in the fork of the Wabash and Mississenewa rivers about two miles east of Peru. Ben Wallace paid $20,000 for the prime land. He later used the land for the great circus headquarters.

An interesting note about Francis Godfroy's father was that he was a full blooded Frenchman and came of stock of which heroes are born. He was a descendant of Godfroy of Bouillon, chief leader of the First Crusade. He headed the French force sent out against the Infidels for the recovery of the Holy Sepulcher and took the city of Jerusalem.

Prices in Peru

Thinking about the price of gas made me reflect on prices of goods then and now. For $1.00 back in the 50's you could cruise Broadway all evening. Now gas is $2.60 a gallon-- Add to that the price of insurance, plates, excise tax, general maintenance that totals up to quite a sum of money.

Back in the late 1800's you could buy a pair of jeans for 50 cents to $1.00--now $15.00 to $150.00. Women's shoes could be bought then for $1.00-$2.00--now they range from $10.00 for flip flops to $150.00--some more than that.

In the 70's I spent $50.00 on a week's supply of groceries (that was buying a gallon of milk a day). In the late 1800's coffee, 20 cents--now $5.00 plus. Sugar was 20 cents--now $1.89. In 1903, 200 hogs sold for $55,000--now a champion hog can command a price of $10,000 up.
What happened to penny candy, 5 cent ice cream cones, and admission to your favorite movie for 25 cents?

I still look for things that are free--playing kick the can with my grandchildren, going to the park, a donation to take them to the museum, going to the cliffs, checking out all the history in Miami County. Your TIME is priceless.