Norristown

Washington Township
Township 11N,  Range 7E,  Sec 32

The  Shelbyville  News
Saturday January 17, 1948
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YOUR  TOWN—NORRISTOWN
By Hortense Montgomery
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          Rev. Sluter writing in 1880 names Norristown as the largest town in Washington township.  Mr. Chadwick writing in 1909 names it one of the defunct places of the township.  Both agree that it was founded in 1851 but Mr. Chadwick November 22, while Rev. Sluter says "November 23," by  David  and  William Winterrowd  and  Henry Deiwert."  Mr. Chadwick says "David Winterrowd and others including Henry Deiwert."  These little discrepancies perhaps will make no difference as they were small villages, unless it could be –and could it be? that many years from now some important historical matter or some point in law hinged on some such seemingly unimportant matter.  At any rate we’re giving both recordings for future historians to bother themselves over.
          Henry Deiwert was the first merchant who came to the settlement as early as 1845, the year in which Washington township was organized as a township.  William Winterrowd and other early dealers were  Sylvester Gibson,  David Tuele,  Dr. W.A. Bodine  and  John NewtonJames N. Norris  was a physician for whom the town was named.
          In 1909 business was confined to "a small retail store and a shop or two."  When Rev. Sluter wrote the town has "several stores, two churches and an excellent school building."  Now there is one grocery store owned by  Mrs. Other Hatton and one filling station owned by  J. C. Scott.  The village has an up-to-date beauty shop with the firm name of Helen’s Beauty Shoppe.
          Norristown has rural mail delivery service, its mail coming from Hope; before that the mail was brought from Flat Rock. It is said that Norristown was one of the very first places in the country to have rural delivery service. Early in its history it had a post office and, for mail, the village was known as Winterrowd.
          The first school in the village, a frame building in the south part of the town was succeeded in 1907 by a four-room school erected on an acre of ground and this provided for a high school.  About the spring of 1913 this building burned and the present building now the Masonic Lodge building was erected.  Pupils now go to the consolidated school at Flat Rock.  The present trustee of the township,  Raymond Patterson  lives in Norristown.  The last school building was taken over by the Masons who have a flourishing order there of 200 members.  They remodeled and refurnished the building and now have one of the most attractive lodge rooms in the county.
          One nice thing about the village is that its one church is a community church which serves all the folks who wish to engage in religious services.
          In speaking of the pioneers of these small communities one scarcely knows whether they belong to the village or to the farm bordering the village.  Here, or nearer at least, lived the  Van Benthusen  family, a family with an enviable pioneer record.  Mr. George Parrish  of East Hendricks Street, Shelbyville stems from this family for his grandmother was a VanBethusen; there were five brothers, all serving in the Mexican and the Civil Wars.  One of the brothers  James was a member of the Constitutional Congress of Indiana.
          Everyone has heard of the  Laura Spellman Rockafeller  Foundation dedicated to his wife by  John D. Rockafeller as a memorial; but perhaps few knew that Laura Spellman was a native of Shelby county and a member of the Spellman family one of the eminent pioneer families of Washington township.  This Foundation has since been merged with the Rockafeller Foundation.
          Norristown has now about 18 or 20 homes representing a population of 70 to 75 persons, enough to make a homey and friendly community and to carry on neighborhood projects with a spirit of co-operation.
          Norristown is a small town but about two summers ago it made big headlines all over the country with its snake of pre-historic size.  It was a story to match that of the flying saucers later one.  Travelers were scared out of their wits to get near to the serpent’s lair.  The fun that Norristowners got out of their joke can be imagined as they probably sat talking in small groups over the rumors they had made.  Well—everyone else enjoyed it too.  And it won’t be a bit surprising if, in a few years from now, that old serpent makes another visit to the neighborhood and slithers through the fields.
          Mr. Elihu Miller, rural circulation manager for The Shelbyville News is a resident of this village.
Contributed by Barb Huff


The  Shelbyville  Republican
Wednesday Afternoon, December 18, 1935
Page 4
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NORRISTOWN
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          A group of friends, old and young, met at the home of  Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Hendrickson Saturday night near Norristown where they served a cooperative farewell supper.  The Hendrickson's will move to their new home on a farm near St. Omer in the near future.
          Mr. and Mrs. Albert Ziegler  and children spent Sunday with Mrs. Ziegler's parents,  Mr. and Mrs. Tucker,  near Bengal.  Mr. Tucker who recently underwent an eye operation, is improving.
          Tom Sturgeon,  from near Boggstown, spent the week-end with his parents,  Mr. and Mrs. Lora Sturgeon.
          Morgan Hendrickson  has returned to his house at Franklin after a few days visit with relatives here.
          Walter VanGorden  was a visitor in Shelbyville Saturday morning.
          Miss Alive Petitt  was the overnight guest Thrusday of  Miss Lucille Isley.
          Mrs. Lena Wasson  visited her mother,  Mrs. Lena Harker, in Columbus Sunday.  Mrs. Harker is quite ill.
          Roy  and  Paul Cochran, of near Lewis Creek, spent Sunday afternoon with  Claude Smith.
          Miss Rebadene Schoentrup  of Shelbyville,  and  Ardell Deiwert,  of near Fairland, called on  Miss Dena Deiwert  Sunday afternoon.
          Mrs. Orlando Miers  and daughter,  Joan,  of Morristown,  R. W. Strickler  and  Mrs. Kenneth King, of Shelbyville, and  Mr. and Mrs. Guy Strickler, of Boggstown, were entertained at dinner Sunday by  Mr. and Mrs. Robert Smith.
          Mrs. Helen Douglas  was a guest Saturday night of  Miss Clara Thornburg  of Shelbyville.
          Mrs. Grace Henry,  sister of  Mrs. Frank Young,  has returned to her home in California after a visit of several weeks among friends and relatives here.
          Mr. and Mrs. Varaldo J. Deiwert  and son,  Jerry,  of Columbus, were entertained at dinner Sunday by  Mr. and Mrs. Robert Smith.
   
       Mr. and Mrs. Otto Morgason  entertained the  Rev. A. R. Carlston,  of Cincinnati [the article continues].
          . . .    
          Mr. and Mrs. George Torrence  of Shelbyville, spent the week-end at their summer cottage near the Cave.
          Mr. and Mrs. Francis Weber  of Moral township, spent Monday with  James  and  Anthony Surpas.
          Mr. and Mrs. Jay Talbert  were Sunday dinner guests of  Mr. and Mrs. Noah Hill  and family of Milroy.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming


The  Shelbyville  Republican
Friday, October 21, 1898
Page 1
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CORRESPONDENCE.
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NORRISTOWN.
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          Hard Wasson  is having a tubular well drilled.
          At this writing  Mrs. George Starks  is seriously ill.
          Noah Buckler  has returned from a brief visit in Howard county.
          Miss Anna Colby  has returned to Pendleton for the winter.
          C. A. Hawkins and family have become residents of Flatrock.
          Mrs. M. J. Newton  is visiting her daughter, Mrs. Ira McCartney, at Bloomington, Ind., this week.
          Corporal Temp Ray  writes from Jacksonville that his health is good as is also that of  Marshal Chesser  and  Robert Titus.
         
Norristown will have a polling place this year.  And, by the way, don't forget to vote for  John Colby  for justice of the peace and  Charles Douglas  for constable.  The Republican ticket is full of worthy names from top to bottom.
          James E. Watson  and  A. M. Reed  are billed to speak at the Cave on October 29 at 2 p.m.  Let all voters come out and bear them discuss the issues of the day.  The bills for Democratic speakings invite only Democrats to come out but we invite Republicans, Democrats, Populists and Prohibitionists.
TOUGH CREEK.                 
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming


          Norristown was laid out by David Winterrowed,  William P. Winterrowed, Joseph Winterrowed, and  Henry Deiwert, November 22, 1851.  Fifty-four lots, Main Street running east and west on the section line sixty feet wide, including the county road and Main Cross Street running north and south forty-eight feet.  The post office is called Winterrowd.
          It is said that Henry Deiwert was the first merchant here as early as 1845, and that he remained about ten years.  About the year 1850, William P. Winterrowd began merchandising, which was continued several years.  The leading merchants have been:  Sylvestor Tillson,  David Tuel,  Dr. W. A. Bodine and  John Newton.  James Eason, the present merchant, has been there for some time doing a ood trade.  The first physician was James M. Norris, for whom the village was named.  Dr. S. A. Kennedy is the only one there now.  Farmer's Lodge, F. & A.M., No. 147, was organized May 27, 1853, David Conger was W.M., David Flynn,  S.W.,  and  Jesse Moorman, J.W.  This lodge is said to have a present membership of sixty-one.  It is one of the most prosperous country lodges in this locality, and owns the building in which the meetings are held.  The Grangers and Red Men formerly had organization here, but both have gone down.
History of Shelby County, Indiana, Chicago: Brant & Fuller, 1887, pg 451.
Copied by Phyllis Miller Fleming


The  Shelbyville  Daily  Democrat
Tuesday, January 26, 1886
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NORRISTOWN.
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Special Correspondence of the Democrat.
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NORRISTOWN,  IND., Jan. 25, 1886.
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          Miss Josie Lantz  is sick, and was not able to teach last Friday.
          Born to  Mr. and Mrs. Charles Yancer, a boy, January 12th, 1886.
          Quite a number of young people of Flatrock attended church here last Sunday night.
          Booker Alexander  and wife, from Harper's Ferry, visited the former's parents here last Monday.
          Brother Jones  began a series of meetings here last Sunday night, and they will continue through all next week.
          Last Friday  Mr. Gore  held a monthly examination in room No.2 of the school building, which was claimed by some of the pupils to be rather "tough" for them, but we would drop a word to them here and say that we must be prepared to meet such questions all through life and if we will overcome them now while we are in school, we would be more able to fight down other barriers which present themselves.
          Our Sabbath school met last Sunday at the usual hour and elected officers for the year.  Sister Mat Newton  resigned her position as superintendent and  Sister Knight  was elected to fill the same position for the year.  I can say for Mrs. Newton that she has tried very hard to please all and discharge her duties and she leaves her place in the Sabbath school with the sincere thanks of all for her past services.  I trust that all will try to aid the new superintendent and make her burden as light as possible.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

An 1882 "History" of Norristown

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