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. For more history of Kosciusko County in the news visit yesteryear.clunette.com

Jan. 3, 1963 — The state fire marshal’s office has informed the Tippecanoe Valley School board that the Burket seventh and eighth grade school building has been condemned and must be closed at the end of the current school year — and will not reopen in the fall of 1963.

The two-story structure in Burket is just north of the new six-room elementary building completed a few years ago. The condemned two-story building is brick and has wooden floors. It was built a number of years ago and formerly housed both the Burket high school and grade school students.

Jan. 4, 1954 — Records revealed that 47 Kosciusko County residents suffered violent accidental deaths during 1953.

Accidents that occurred in this county killed 30 people, of which 18 were Kosciusko County residents and the other 12 from elsewhere. Of these 30, 21 were killed in automobile accidents, one by a train, three by drowning, two by strangulation, two by gunshot wounds and one by a fall.

Twenty-nine Kosciusko County residents were killed outside this county. Of these, 24 were victims of automobile accidents, two were drowned, one was burned to death and two died of gunshot wounds.

1848 — The first courthouse in Warsaw was completed in 1848 at a cost of $4,200. Located on the courthouse square, the building was of wood construction and though inexpensive, it presented a pleasing appearance and was a great improvement over the building earlier used as a courtroom. Previously, a structure was used temporarily on Lot 101 at the northeast corner of Center and Indiana streets, and then a two-story house was built on the same location after the first building burned down.

– Compiled by InkFreeNews reporter Lasca Randels