Mooresville's Oldest Mystery (Mooresville Moments Series)

In the July 20, 1916 edition of the Mooresville Monitor, Solon M. McNabb wrote a newspaper article entitled "Mooresville's Oldest Mystery." It was reprinted in the 1999 newspaper column, Mooresville Moments, edited by Wanda Potts, local historian and Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002), Mooresville Public Library, Mooresville, Indiana.

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"The White River," by Danny Buckley

We have it upon good authority that "The White River," by MPL composer Danny Buckley, was inspired by Native American and Indiana pioneer history surrounding the White River, which flows about six miles east of the composer's childhood home two miles southeast of Mooresville, Indiana (in Brown Township, Morgan County). This piece is track four of the instrumental music CD Through Abstract Eyes (2010). Our music video below provides some background to the musical tale:

MPL Video Productions
MPL Indiana Room Collection
billb@mooresville.lib.in.us

Old Settlers Queens (Mooresville Moments Series)

As the Old Settlers Fair nears (Aug. 8-10, 2010, at Pioneer Park, Mooresville, Indiana), we reprise another newspaper column from the Mooresville Moments series (1999), in which Wanda Potts, town historian and Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002) at Mooresville Public Library, recounts the history of the Old Settlers Queen contest.

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Samuel Moore Donates Old Town Park for Old Settlers (Mooresville Moments Series)

In today's reprinting of Mooresville Moments (1999), local historian and retired librarian Wanda Potts recalled the establishment of "Old Town Park" on South Street on land donated to the Town of Mooresville, Indiana, by Samuel Moore, founder of the town. This land was to be used for the annual Old Settlers Picnic and Reunion, and the gathering was held there until 1995, when it moved to the newer, larger Pioneer Park on Indianapolis Road.

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Newspapers in Mooresville, IN (Mooresville Moments Series)

Another installment of Mooresville Moments (1999) is reprised below. In this column, now-retired librarian and town historian Wanda Potts recounts the history of newspapers in Mooresville, Indiana.

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Mooresville G.A.R. Post #278 (Founded 1899) (Mooresville Moments Series)

Today's Mooresville Moments reprint (1999) covers the history of the Mooresville G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic), Post #278, which was founded in 1899.

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Mooresville's Fire Department (Mooresville Moments Series)

Here is another Mooresville Moments newspaper column (1999) written and edited by Wanda Potts, Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002), Mooresville Public Library. This installment explores the history of the Mooresville, Indiana fire department, based upon information from the library's vertical files.

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Little Red Covered Bridge, Old Waverly Road (Mooresville Moments Series)

Today we reprise an installment of Mooresville Moments, a 1999 newspaper column written and edited by Wanda Potts, Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002) at Mooresville Public Library. This installment, written by guest columnist and longtime Mooresville resident Lula Mae Bucker, examined the history of the "little red covered bridge" that once spanned the East Fork of White Lick Creek on the Old Waverly Road, where today the intersection of State Roads 144 and 67 is situated, just east of Mooresville, Indiana

Waverly Road Covered Bridge (S.R. 144 & S.R. 67) -

Old Settlers Picnic (1870-Present)

Our latest "treasure trove" local history video presents some of the history of the Old Settlers picnic and reunion in Mooresville, Indiana. Except for one year during World War II, the festival has been held annually since its inception in 1870.

Lindley Block (Mooresville Moments Series)

This installment of Mooresville Moments (1999) reveals the history of the Lindley Block, which was akin to a modern mini-mall and once stood on the southwest corner of the intersection of Main and Indiana Streets in downtown Mooresville, Indiana. This newspaper column was written and edited by Wanda Potts, town historian and former Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002) at Mooresville Public Library.

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I.O.O.F. Buildings (Flashcards & Postcards Collection)

As part of our "treasure trove" of flashcards and postcards, we offer this flashcard (below), which summarizes the history of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) buildings that once occupied the northeast corner of the intersection of Main and Indiana Streets in downtown Mooresville, Indiana.

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Mooresville IN Fires (Mooresville Moments Series)

This installment of Mooresville Moments (1999) reviews the more famous fires that ravaged businesses and houses in Mooresville, Indiana, throughout its history, and it refers to the history of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) buildings that once stood on the northeast corner of the intersection of Main and Indiana Streets in downtown Mooresville.

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Mooresville Moments was written and edited by Wanda Potts, Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002), Mooresville Public Library, in 1999 to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the town's founding in 1824.

Historic Sites in Mooresville, Indiana (Mooresville Moments Series)

We continue with Mooresville Moments, the 1999 newspaper column written and edited by Wanda Potts, Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002), Mooresville Public Library. Mrs. Potts wrote and edited the column to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the founding of Mooresville, Indiana (1824), as well as the 200th anniversary of the birth of the town's founder, Samuel Moore (1799-1889). Today's installment examines historic sites in and around Mooresville, Indiana.

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Children of Great Depression Remember (Mooresville Moments Series)

We continue our reprint series of Mooresville Moments, a 1999 newspaper column written and edited by Wanda Potts, Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002), Mooresville Public Library, Mooresville, Indiana. The column examined a multitude of local historical themes to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the town's founding in 1824. This installment recalls the memories of children of the Great Depression and how their lives were affected.

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"Old Settlers" Song Lyrics (Mooresville, Indiana)

Here are the lyrics to the folk song Old Settlers, which commemorates the founding (in 1824) and settlement of Mooresville, Indiana. The lyrics were written by Janet E. Buckley & William R. Buckley; music (shown in a previous blog) composed and arranged by Danny Buckley. (Music and lyrics copyright [c] 2010 by Daniel E. Buckley, Janet E. Buckley, & William R. Buckley. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission.)

Lyrics: "Old Settlers" (Mooresville, Indiana Folk Song) -

"Old Settlers" Song Video (Mooresville, Indiana)

Since our last posting, we have prepared a video for our Treasure Trove local history series on the library's YouTube Channel. The video features the folk song Old Settlers (music composed and arranged by Daniel E. Buckley; lyrics by Janet E. Buckley & William R. Buckley; copyright [c] 2010. Used by permission). As you can hear from this video's soundtrack, the newly arranged song features four musical voices: vocalist (here, vocalizing the notes rather than the lyrics); acoustic guitar; banjo; and mandolin.

An earlier blog discussed the 2009 "single melody line" version of Old Settlers.

Danny Buckley (B.A., Music Business, Millikin University, 2010) volunteers his services as a musical composer to Mooresville Public Library, and his original works grace all of the library's videos on its YouTube channel. Janet E. Buckley, M.L.S., is a Mooresville, Indiana native and serves as head of Technical Services at Greenwood Public Library (Greenwood, Indiana). William R. Buckley is Indiana Room Historian at Mooresville Public Library.

We hope you enjoy our video tribute to the old settlers of Mooresville, Indiana.

Updated "Old Settlers" Song (Mooresville, Indiana)

As the Old Settlers Festival in Mooresville, Indiana approaches (August 8-10, 2010), we thought it appropriate to include a revised version of the folk song Old Settlers, which was originally composed in 2009 with a simple melody line. The new arrangement (below) includes four musical voices (vocalist, acoustic guitar, banjo, and mandolin). The music was composed and arranged by Danny Buckley, composer for Mooresville Public Library and 2010 graduate of Millikin University (B.A. music business); the lyrics were written by Janet E. Buckley, a Mooresville native, and William R. Buckley, MPL Indiana Room Historian. (Janet is a librarian; she is head of Technical Services at Greenwood Public Library in Greenwood, Indiana).

We hope you enjoy this wonderful new arrangement by Danny Buckley. We hope to post an instrumental version of the song on our YouTube channel (if possible).

"Old Settlers" Song -- Mooresville, Indiana -

Old Settlers Music & Lyrics Copyright © 2010 by Daniel E. Buckley, Janet E. Buckley, & William R. Buckley. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission.

Friends Church & Cemetery (Mooresville Moments Series)

We feature below another Mooresville Moments newspaper column (1999), written and edited by Wanda Potts, Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002), Mooresville Public Library, which discusses the history of the Society of Friends (Quaker) Church and Cemetery in (and near) Mooresville, Indiana.

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Franklin Ice Cream Shop (Mooresville Moments Series)

In her newspaper column Mooresville Moments (1999), Wanda Potts, Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002) at Mooresville Public Library, described many popular businesses that comprised a significant place in Mooresville, Indiana history. This column examined Franklin Ice Cream Shop.

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Paddle Indiana, by Alan McPherson

Alan McPherson's Paddle Indiana: An Access Guide to Canoeing & Kayaking Indiana's Lakes & Streams (Bloomington, IN: Water Publishing Co., 2000) is an excellent pathfinder for anyone interested in negotiating Hoosier waterways by canoe or kayak.

Join our pioneering ancestors in traveling Hoosier lakes, rivers, and streams. It's a great way to learn about Indiana's riparian ecosystems, and it's a lot of fun to boot.  The book is available in our Evergreen Indiana online catalog.

Composer Rev. Dr. Frank C. Huston & the "Town Song" of Mooresville, Indiana (Mooresville Moments Series)

In her newspaper column Mooresville Moments (1999), Wanda Potts, Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002) at Mooresville Public Library, wrote about the unofficial "town song" of Mooresville, Indiana and its composer, Rev. Dr. Frank Claude Huston.

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Previous MPL Indiana Room Treasure Trove Blogs about Rev. Dr. Frank Claude Huston:

• http://mplindianaroom.blogspot.com/2010/04/mpl-treasure-trove-frank-huston.html
• http://mplindianaroom.blogspot.com/2010/04/rev-dr-frank-claude-huston-famous.html

Miss Elsie Record (Mooresville Moments Series)

In her 1999 newspaper column Mooresville Moments, Wanda Potts, Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002), Mooresville Public Library, paid tribute to Miss Elsie Record, who taught in the Mooresville, Indiana schools between 1907 and 1947.

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More Centennial Celebrations (1924) (Mooresville Moments Series)

We continue our reverie of the 1924 Centennial celebrations of the founding of Mooresville, Indiana by reprinting another installment of Mooresville Moments, a 1999 newspaper column written and edited by Wanda Potts, Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002), Mooresville Public Library. The columns celebrated the 175th anniversary of the town's founding in 1824.

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1924 Centennial Party (Mooresville Moments Series)

In August, 1924 the townspeople of Mooresville, Indiana held a community party to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the town's founding. In 1999, to celebrate the 175th anniversary, Wanda Potts, Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002) at Mooresville Public Library, recounted the events from 75 years before.

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Bill Buckley
MPL Indiana Room Librarian
billb@mooresville.lib.in.us

Remembering Veterans (Mooresville Moments Series)

In November, 1999, Wanda Potts, Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002) at Mooresville Public Library (Mooresville, Indiana), compiled this tribute to local veterans (below) in her Mooresville Moments newspaper column. Remember to use the "full screen" viewing option (right-click) if the document below is partially obscured.

Lula Mae Bucker, a long-time Mooresville, Indiana resident, wrote several guest columns for Mooresville Moments (1999). One of her columns about the veterans' memorial, as it appeared a decade ago in Mooresville, Indiana, is reproduced below.

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100 Historical Facts About Mooresville, Indiana & Vicinity (Mooresville Moments Series)

In today's excerpt from Mooresville Moments (1999), Wanda Potts, Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002) at Mooresville Public Library, shares 100 interesting historical facts about the town and surrounding Morgan County area.

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Mooresville Moments (1999): Newspaper Column Looking at Mooresville and Morgan County, Indiana History

In 1999, to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the founding of Mooresville, Indiana, Wanda Potts, Indiana Room Librarian (1966-2002) at Mooresville Public Library, wrote and edited a series of newspaper columns entitled Mooresville Moments, which examined the local history of the town and surrounding Morgan County, Indiana.

Today we begin reprinting these columns to add to our "treasure trove" of local history. No living person knows more about the history of Mooresville and vicinity than Wanda Potts. You will enjoy reading upcoming columns, in which Mrs. Potts shares her encyclopedia knowledge of the town and its legacy.

Embedded below is the title page from the series. Please use the "full screen" viewing feature by right-clicking the document, if it is partially obscured by the menu on the right side of the screen.

Mooresville Moments (1999): Title Page of Newspaper Series -