From the Files of the Kosciusko County Historical Society

Editor’s note: This is a retrospective article that runs a few times a month on InkFreeNews.

Information for this retrospective series is courtesy of the Kosciusko County Historical Society.

March 26, 1984 — Words will not be able to adequately describe the feelings, excitement, joy, celebration and wonder that continued to shake this city and area today after Saturday night’s triumph by the Warsaw Tigers for the state high school basketball title.

For all who had even a small part in it will take with them that small piece of hysteria and plant it in a part of their memory that will never be erased, for the Warsaw team did for the community what no other single event could ever do.

The Warsaw community has a wide boundary. After the celebration, tiger tails hung in trees going all the way from Market Square Arena to the high school grounds in Warsaw. And even beyond that the sharing went.

Shortly after the Tigers had won the state title Saturday night, downtown Warsaw turned into a scene of joyous pandemonium.

March 28, 1974 — For Silver Lake residents who are 30 years old or younger, Paul Sittler is the only town postmaster they’ve ever known.

For 29 years, townspeople have bought stamps, mailed packages and letters and daily emptied their post office boxes, filled by the jolly, graying Sittler in the little red brick post office, on the corner of Ind. 15 and Ind. 14.

But today, Postmaster Sittler is retiring, in accordance with a mandate from the United States Postal Service that states all employees age 70 must retire. Sittler says he doesn’t want to quit, but “that’s the rules.”

April 1, 1966 — A 17-year-old girl led her nine brothers and sisters from a crowded bedroom but a 7-year-old brother perished in the blaze as flames swept through the Jessie Whitaker home near Silver Lake late last night.

The victim, Jessie Duane Whitaker Jr., a second-grade pupil at Silver Lake, died of asphyxiation, according to county coroner Dr. Joe Bill Mishler.

Pauline, who had been left in charge of the 10 children while her parents were working, smelled smoke, woke the children and led them outside. Jessie, however, did not respond to her call. When Pauline attempted to get back into the structure to save the lad, flames fanned by a brisk wind drove her back, according to a statement given to Deputy Sheriff Roger Fellows.

– Compiled by InkFreeNews reporter Lasca Randels