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.      

Nov. 13, 1968 — Thursday, Friday and Saturday Nov. 14-16 are the dates set for the Grand Opening of the completely new modern building to house Gambles Inc., giving a new life to Warsaw’s business district on East Market Street.

Gambles’ bright new structure replaces the unsightly debris caused by the Oct. 13, 1967, most disastrous fire in Warsaw’s history, when the three-story, half-block-long Moose Lodge building and a building owned by William Chinworth were reduced to rubble. Three firms in the Chinworth building, Miller’s Men’s and Boys’ Wear, Lowery Sewing Center and Fribley Market, were included in the destructive fire, which left the half block an eyesore for many months.

November 1961 — The State Highway Commission in Indianapolis has announced a $235,292,600 highway construction program for 1963-65, including 13.70 miles of U.S. 30 bypass from the Kosciusko-Marshall County line west of Etna Green to a point one-half mile east of the east city limits of Warsaw.

This is the first official notification that construction of the bypass is definitely scheduled.

Nov. 12, 1963 — For the second time within a year, the Whitley-Kosciusko county areas have been startled with the revelation that a young person committed murder.

A Whitley County girl, age 20, confessed to officers Monday morning that she murdered her mother in the family’s farm home four miles southeast of South Whitley last Thursday.

Linda Ann Miller, who resides in Fort Wayne, told officers she shot her mother, Mrs. Kenneth (Florence) Miller, 45, because of a long built-up resentment.

Nov. 14, 1958 — The newly formed Optimist Club in Warsaw received its charter last night during a meeting in the Lake City Bank recreation rooms. The Optimist Club is a service organization similar to Kiwanis, Rotary and Lions. Its motto is the promotion of youth work, nationally and locally. It differs from other local service clubs in that it is a “breakfast” club, meeting at 7 a.m. each Wednesday at Horn’s Restaurant. There currently are 27 members in the club. The officers are Robert Boley, vice president; John Logue, president; Fred Yohey, vice president; Richard Hamm, secretary treasurer; Howard Mock, Max Greenland and Paul Gadson, all directors. The Rev. Lee Rose, also is a director.