Title: Book features Randolph Co.
Author: Staff Writer
Publisher: Pal-Item
Date: 8/30/09
More than 200 vintage postcard images are featured in the new Postcard History Series book "Randolph County."
Released in July by Arcadia Publishing, the book includes images of nearly every community the county, including Winchester, Union City, Farmland, Parker City, Ridgeville, Saratoga, Lynn, Modoc, Losantville, Carlos, Spartanburg, Crete, Arba, Bartonia, Harrisville, Deerfield and Windsor.
The book is for sale at several Randolph County retailers and from the publisher.
Randolph County Historian Gregory P. Hinshaw, who is superintendent of Randolph Central School Corp., compiled the book with Judy Wilson Wright, Linda L. Black and Thomas Keesling.
The authors, along with several other residents, contributed postcards from their own collections to be used in the book.
The images, mostly from the first quarter of the 20th century, show brick and clapboard buildings, businesses, schools, homes and depots, cars, buggies and trains.
Settled by pioneers from the South, Randolph County was organized in 1818 and named for a county in North Carolina. Winchester has always been the county seat, and some of the county's other incorporated towns owe their existence to the coming of the railroads between 1852 and 1882.
Arcadia Publishing has developed a series of postcard history books about counties and communities across the country.
A postcard book about Wayne County was compiled by Morrisson-Reeves Library archivist Sue King and released in 2005-2006 to coincide with the bicentennial celebration.
Title: Book pictures Randolph County of 100 years ago
Author: Winchester News-Gazette
Publisher: Bill Richmond
Date: 7/16/09
A new book by County Historian Greg Hinshaw with Judy Wilson Wright, Linda Black and Thomas Keesling depicts the Randolph County of 100 years ago. It includes, with detailed perspective, historic postcard views of nearly every town and village in the county.
"Arcadia Publishing contacted me before I was hired as Randolph Central Superintendent to see if I would be interested in doing a book," Hinshaw said. "I had a number of postcards already so I suggested this format. Judy Wright, who worked with me on the Farmland history book in 2002, had said it was always her dream to do a postcard history of the county so I contacted her right away.
"I also knew Thomas Keesling collected and archived picture postcards. And Linda Black specializes in the history of the southeastern part of the county. We worked together to be broadly representative of all of Randolph County. There are postcards in the book from every one of the 12 old Randolph County townships (there are now 11). There are postcards representing places such as Carlos, Harrisville, Bartonia, Spartanburg and Crete."
An index, researched and created by Hinshaw, gives detailed information about the locations pictured. For a relatively inexpensive book (listing for $21.99) it contains a lot of information. Most anyone interested in Randolph County will find a great deal to be fascinated about, including scenes that have changed greatly over the years as well as grand buildings that no longer exist.
"The book creates a real snapshot of the area," Hinshaw said. "It gives you a real sense of what things looked like across Randolph County in the time period from 1905 to 1925."
The book is available for purchase locally at the Hallmark and Christian book stores in Union City, Ind., and at the Randolph County Historical Museum. It can also be purchased through Arcadia's website, at Amazon.com and through other online booksellers.
Hinshaw said he sees the book as another facet of the county's documented history.
"I think you would be hard pressed to find 200 high resolution images of the county's history so well documented anyplace else," Hinshaw said.
He would like to do a similar book on Friends churches in the county.
"When you undertake something like this, you mainly do it for the enjoyment and for the pleasure it will give others," he said.
Hinshaw was appointed official county historian in 2004 by the Indiana Historical Society and Indiana Historical Bureau. A lifelong resident of Randolph County, he is a Monroe Central High School graduate and with bachelor's, master's specialist and doctoral degrees from Ball State University. He is beginning his second year as Randolph Central Schools superintendent.
Thomas Keesling is a Lynn native, currently living in Indianapolis. He attributes his interest in local history to his parents, James and Jean Keesling who expressed a keen interest in family genealogy and respect for the past. He is the owner of Hoosier Recollections, a business that digitally restores antique photographs and sells framed art prints based on antique postcards and other items from the past.
