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.

Aug. 31, 1954 — Two men reported seeing a “flying saucer” this morning while en route from their Oswego homes to Leesburg.

Herman Buckingham and Jack Rader, who were driving in separate cars toward the Leesburg Lumber Co., where they are employed, said the “flying saucer” cast a reflection on their windshields. They looked skyward and saw what they described as a “shiny ball of fire” traveling westward.

The two men said the saucer disappeared from their view in a split second.

1882 — In 1882, Warsaw was just becoming introduced to telephones. Dr. W. H. Eggleston was one of the first to install one of these talking devices. The first phone message was sent out to the home of Judge Frazer in East Warsaw. The idea of the telephone spread to some extent, but it was not until in the 1890s that there were really many patrons. At that time, the central was upstairs in the corner room of the Moon Block. There was much talk in 1882 of telephone lines to the small towns of the county. 

Another innovation of 1882 was gas. J. D. Kutz seems to have been the first gas man of prominence. Gas was the up-to-date lighting medium of the early 80s.

Warsaw placed a gas post at all prominent corners about the town. A man was hired to light them in the evening and turn them off in the morning. The globes, too, had to be swabbed out daily. This was one man’s job. 

Gas lights stayed in the old town for about 15 years. They were better than nothing, but even with them many people still carried lanterns if they lived very far out. 

1882 — In 1882, Warsaw still depended on cisterns for fire protection. These were on all main corners. They were kept full by pumping the water from some nearby pump. Nelson and John Richhart were two of the pumpers of the day. Nelson would lead John up to the pump handle and John would do most of the pumping. From these cisterns, the water for a fire was pumped by a steam pumper. 

It was not until about 1886 that the water works was installed at the foot of Buffalo Street. The fire department consisted of two companies, the Never Fails and the Protection Engine Company No. 1. They had parade suits so that on special occasions they could come out in uniform and take part in the doings of the day. Perry Brown was fire chief and William Conrad was foreman. The apparatus was either pulled to the fire by hand or hooked onto a dray pulled by a team of horses. To announce the fact that a fire had broken out every whistle in town and every bell was at the command of the department.

– Compiled by InkFreeNews reporter Lasca Randels