The Shelbyville News
Saturday March 20, 1948
Page 5
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YOUR TOWN — PINHOOK
By Hortense Montgomery
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Brandywine Town known
as Pinhook was only a settlement of pioneers who depended largely on the fish
of the streams for food but most of them were so poor they could not afford to
buy fish-hooks so they used bent pins for hooks, hence the name "Pinhook."
Contributed by Barb Huff
The Shelby Republican
Shelbyville, Ind.
Friday, January 27, 1899
VOLUME XXXII.
Page 1
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CENTER SHOTS FROM BRANDYWINE.
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George Murphy is recovering from an attack of la grippe.
Isom Wray and J. W. Vanarsdall attended church here Sunday evening.
Mrs. Margaret Goodwin is very low her death being expected every day.
Rev. Smith will begin special meetings at the M.P. church in a few days.
The debt on the M.E. church of several years standing, was paid in full last week.
Mr. Hupp will move south of Shelbyville in March and Frank Adams will take his place.
Frank Gwin and family have gone to visit their parents. They expect to be away one month.
Charles Ewing is succeeding well as the teacher of the public school. The patrons are calling for a new school house.
Lewis Day will move from this neighborhood soon and Harvey Sandefur will occupy the house in which Mr. Day now lives.
Charles Vanlue, Harry Wright, Audrey Jones and the Pomroy sisters attend the township graded school at Fairland, while the children of John Montgomery attend school at Shelbyville.
Mrs. L. B. McClain, widow of Rev. T. B. McClain, a former pastor here, has been nursing her friend, Mrs. Goodwin, until she herself took sick and she is now resting at the parsonage in Fairland.
Rev. Westhafer closed a four weeks meeting here last Sunday night. While here he visited almost every family in the neighborhood and much good done in many families. Mr. and Mrs. Allen Ray, Harvey Sandefur and Mrs. Mary Hering were received into the church. Lawrence Coers will lead Sunday night meetings.
CENTER SHOT.
Copied by Phyllis Miller Fleming
The Shelby Democrat
July 18, 1895
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BRANDYWINE.
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Special correspondent to the Democrat.
BRANDYWINE, Ind., July 14, 1895.
There is a great deal of chinch bug in the corn, some pieces being nearly ruined.
Wheat thresing is over in this neighborhood. There was a poor yield and of inferior quality.
David Kepley is shortly to leave this locality and move near Blue River Chapel. All are sorry to have Dave leave, as he is a good neighbor.
Mrs. Rose Bassett was seriously injured Wednesday by being kicked by a horse, which struck her on the arm, breaking it just above the wrist.
The farm belonging to Midkiff and Yarling here is soon to be occupied by Mr. Midkiff's son. The neighbors extend to Mr. Midkiff and wife a hearty welcome.
As Calvin Bass was moving his traction engine along the road he struck a small bridge, which gave down under it, throwing Mr. Bass and Gilmore Thurston both off, but fortunately did not injure them or damage the engine.
Laura Cartwright Crum obit
AUNT SALLIE.
Copied by Phyllis Miller Fleming
This little town was laid out by Lewis
Morgan, June 14, 1832, surveyed by Leroy Gregory, deputy county surveyor, April 9, 1832; acknowledged
by said Lewis Morgan, August 6, 1832. Washington Street was located on the Michigan road, ninety-six feet wide.
Clay and Jackson Streets, each thirty-three feet wide. Alleys only six feet wide. Lots five rods by eight rods----forty
square rods----one-fourth acre in each. Four lots were laid off in a block and, and the blocks from one to ten.
There were forty lots load off in a low second bottom land. Said town is situate about one-fourth mile beyond
the point where the Michigan road crosses Brandywine Creek, and is about five miles northwest of Shelbyville, and
about one mile northeast of Fairland, on the C., I., St. L. & C. R.R. The nickname or sobriquet so often applied
to Brandywine Town, of "Pin-Hook," originated in this way. The early inhabitants were not only
very poor----too poor to buy steel fish hooks, which in those days were worth at least ten times as much as they
are now, so they took the common brass pins which were much cheaper, and bent them into hooks, with which they
fished. They were also inveterate fishers, and it was no uncommon sight to see both banks of Brandywine Creek lined
with men, women, boys, girls, and children generally, all busily engaged in fishing with pin-hooks. Brandywine
Creek at that time swarmed with fish, and an expert angler could soon "ketch" a mess of fish with no
better implement than a pin-hook, for he did it with skill and sleight-of-hand dexterity, the result of incessant
and persevering practice. Goods were sold here at different times in the history of the place, but in a business
point of view it is of little importance.
History of Shelby County, Indiana, Chicago: Brant & Fuller, 1887, page 447.
Copied by Phyllis Miller Fleming
Copied by Melinda Moore Weaver
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