The nature of local news was that it was always of more interest to people it didn't affect. The ancient papers are full of tidbits, trivia and say-what blurbs that, a hundred years later make ya go .........
HMMM .........................
This nifty item from back in the day tells of Doctor Turner taking a leave of absence to visit Boston for some purpose that even the reporter thought sounded a bit fishy. This was from the 1850s. Maybe the good doc was indeed going fishing and didn't think it was any-of-yer-beeswax.
This one doesn't speak to any nefarious deeds, but it evokes a chuckle all the same. Doc Linegar, proprietor in potions, notions, salts, salves and whatever else ails you, including castor oil, witch hazel and licorice, five for a penny. And in case you need a loan, he has the lowest interest rates in town. From 1902.
Some able speakers were likely to be available in case you wanted to make a point about the evils of the demon rum. The temperance movement in Fairfield was robust, unless you had a wagon that occasionally visited people in Laurel, who also voted down booze by a narrow margin. Nobody who didn't drink was in favor of this. 1867.
Baseball, as it was played in 1905 -- a raucous affair without much glory or glamour. You brought your team, they brought their team and the umpire worked for peanuts. Bad umpiring was always the complaint when the favorites lost. Fairfield's baseball team doesn't have much recorded history. Most likely just some guys who were taking up a dare. Final score was 17-16. We lost. Ump sucked.
These clips are from old Brookville papers, snipped from online sources that are generally available to the public without cost through your public library.
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