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.

March 14, 1977 – Kosciusko County will be the host county of 60,000 persons fleeing the effects of nuclear radiation from densely populated northern Indiana cities if the Soviet Union ever drops nuclear bombs on industrial areas of the United States, according to Phil Cleary, nuclear civil defense planner for Indiana.

But the question remains – where will Kosciusko County residents go to escape nuclear radiation and what will they eat? Yes, that’s right. All the food in county fallout shelters was destroyed nearly two years ago. That fact was revealed by William Chapel, acting director of Kosciusko County Civil Defense, during the second in a series of five regional conferences held at the local Shrine Building Saturday before a full house of public officials involved with Civil Defense work and natural disaster rescue teams.

March 25, 1961 – Fire of unknown origin swept through the P.N. Hirsch department store in downtown Warsaw at 8 o’clock this morning, threatened adjoining stores and was raging on with the probability that damage will run between $250,000 and $500,000.

The Hirsch store, formerly Carter’s, at the southeast corner of Market and Buffalo streets, was sure to be totally destroyed.

1858 –It appears that about the time of the Civil War, or possibly a little later, a county library was established in Warsaw. Just where this was located is not known; however, after 1858, Warsaw had a good three-story brick schoolhouse at the southwest corner of Market and Detroit streets, and it is quite likely that the first library open to all the public was started here by 1885.

After the Civil War, Capt. John N. Runyan started a reading room in the second story of the Phoenix Block in January 1867.

A school flourished from 1851-1876, known as Mrs. Cowan’s Seminary, and it included one of the best small libraries in town on South Detroit Street near South Street.

Jane Cowan was one of the leading educators of the community for 25 years and was held in the highest esteem. She died in 1876.

March 25, 1854 – Warsaw was incorporated as a town. There were approximately 750 residents.

– Compiled by InkFreeNews reporter Lasca Randels