100 YEARS AGO — 1913
Enoch Burton, candidate for jailer of Mercer County, is endowed with the remarkable gift of being able to hoo-doo warts. He is removing warts while he prosecutes his campaign and is said to be gaining many votes through his cabalistic powers. In a published card, Mr. Burton pledges that if elected he will set aside a room in the new courthouse at Harrodsburg where warts will be removed from the surface of his adherents free of charge during his incumbency.
An unknown man, supposed to have been dead several hours, was found on the railroad tracks two miles north of Danville. There were no papers or anything on his person. He appeared to be about 40, and of German decent. He wore two suits of clothes and officers believe he was a hobo who fell off a train. If the body is not claimed, interment will take place in the potter’s field.
The Light and Development Co. of St. Louis has taken over the Danville Light Power & Traction Co., which was purchased from the original incorporators several months ago. The business also owns the plant in Paris and a number of others around Kentucky.
The Abigail Mining Co., of which John S. VanWinkle, of Danville, is president, has struck a very rich vein of lead and zinc ore in his mine near Joplin, Mo. It assays 10 percent while 4 percent is considered first rate. A refining plant costing $8,000 is now being installed.
Other area owners of the Abigail Mining Co. include D.A. Gatliff of Williamsburg; attorney W.J. Price of Danville; and Mitchel Taylor, Thomas Lanier and George P. Crow, all of Danville.
75 YEARS AGO — 1938
On Jan. 29, more than 12,000 birthday balls honoring President Roosevelt, including the one in Danville, will be held in the 48 states, and at the same time millions of Americans will enlist in a national war against infantile paralysis.
That evening President Roosevelt will send out a radio broadcast to every corner of the land, giving his personal thanks for the support of those who have joined the nationwide fight again infantile paralysis. Every proceed from the nationwide party will be used to fight the condition.
The local celebration will be held from 9 p.m. to midnight at the Danville High School gym. Tickets are $1 for gentleman and lady.
Mrs. Henry L. Doherty, who is most pleasantly remembered as a “wee bit of a girl” in Danville when her father ran the Old Gilcher Hotel, also grew up in Catlettsburg under the name of Miss Grace Rariden. When she married Mr. Doherty, he was at that time credited with being the world’s most wealthy bachelor, controlling the neat little sum of $900,000,000. He has among his many holdings two of Palm Beach’s swanky hotels — The Palm Beach Biltmore and Whitehall.
50 YEARS AGO — 1963
The approximately 1,800 patients, members of the administration, staff and other employees at Kentucky State Hospital were possibly suffering more than any one group in this area as a result of an electric power failure, plus a break in a water line — two unrelated but simultaneous occurrences, according to J.C. Burgio, hospital administrator.
The extremely cold weather caused a high voltage wire on the east side of Danville to snap, causing power outages to part of Danville, Kentucky State Hospital on Shakertown Road and to the Perryville-Atoka area.
The facility was without any power for more than two hours, which included heat, lights and elevators. To add to the problems, a water line broke as a result of the extremely cold weather when the temperature registered 12 degrees below zero. Another fairly large water line also had broken during the weekend, but was already repaired when the second line broke.
25 YEARS AGO — 1988
The Danville City Commission voted itself a pay raise from $1,000 a year to $3,450 a year, as soon as the ordinance is passed. The mayor's salary will go up from $1,250 to $6,300. City Manager Edward Music said the average salary for mayors in similar cities was $7,200 and for commissioners was $2,400.
Commissioner Bunny Davis said, "I don't call this a raise. I call it upgrading the commission." The only commissioner voting against the raise was Glen Taul, who said he did not believe elected officials should raise their salaries during their term in office. Davis said the commission needed to be paid more to attract qualified people to serve on it.
Commissioner E. John Forsyth said, “If people know the responsibility, it is a paltry sum. I feel we’re worth at least the same as the magistrates.”
Boyle County magistrates, who are members of the Boyle Fiscal Court, are currently paid $3,855 a year.
The Mercer County Young Democrats were banned from renting the Lion's Park Community Center for one year by the City Commission because of continued rowdiness at dances the group has sponsored. "Basically, we had a situation where it was an open party and we were opening ourselves to be liable if something happened out there," a commissioner said.
For the past two years, the commission has been concerned about the roadhouse atmosphere prevalent at many of the gatherings, particularly problems with alcohol consumption by minors. In addition, the commission has also adopted stricter guidelines for renting the community center in hope of curtailing some of the rowdiness.
