Monday, August 24, 2009 6:08 PM CDT
Book tells Clark County history with photos, narratives
By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
MARTINSVILLE — Dwight Connelly said his journalism and history background made him want to put as much written information as possible in his new book about Clark County.
Given that the “Images of America: Clark County” book released by Arcadia Publishing is a photographic history, Connelly said he focused instead on putting these pictures in perspective with brief narratives. Fortunately, the Martinsville native had some good photos to work with in the book.
“A lot of them have never been seen by very many people at all,” Connelly said. “(The publishers) take photos that might not otherwise be seen and put them into book form.”
Connelly, who co-authored the book with the Clark County Historical Society, said two of his favorite photos in the 128-page book show Marshall’s Archer House hotel, built circa 1841-44, before its west side was obscured after about 1918 by the construction of other buildings.
Abraham Lincoln stayed at the Archer House before he was sworn in as president and Grover Cleveland stayed there during his presidency. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Connelly, a retired teacher and veteran journalist, was surprised the most by a photo that showed the circus-like celebration that marked the 1902 opening of Casey’s Fairview Park.
“I was not aware when they opened the park they had a horse jump 80 feet into the water from a platform,” Connelly said.
Photos from the private collections of local residents, as well as the archive of the historical society, of which Connelly is a member, are included in the book. This archive provided the seven photos of the Handy Writers Colony that are in the book.
Connelly said the colony, which operated from 1949 to 1964, was unique because it “didn’t cost a dime” for aspiring authors to participate. He said they paid their host, Lowney Turner Handy, through physical labor.
Handy’s letters and the advice they contained became treasured heirlooms of many of the colony’s writers, even though Handy herself was an unpublished author.
“She apparently had the ability to instill in others the desire to keep at it,” Connelly said. He served on the board of the James Jones Literary Society for several years.
Handy is pictured in the book with colony luminary James Jones, author of “From Here to Eternity,” and Montgomery Clift, one of the stars of the film adaptation of this book.
The book also includes many photos depicting the ever-changing downtowns of Casey, Martinsville, Marshall, Westfield and other Clark County towns, as well as photos relating to the Wabash River, the National Road, the railroads, and the early 1900s oil boom.
Connelly said he hopes the photos in the book will be useful for older Clark County residents to look through while their recollections of local history are recorded on video for posterity.
“Older people can relate to how things used to be. The pictures will jog memories,” Connelly said.
For more information, go online to www.arcadiapublishing.com.
Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 238-6861.
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