October 15,1880

Eighteen days until the Presidential election. More mudslinging in the newspapers. The decrease in local news articles may be attributable to the illness of editor Miss Mary Buntin and her mother.  C J Borden, attorney, had his office in the Court House. Ed H Frazer left for Chicago to study law. Dr. Jessup of Vincennes, assisted by Dr. Maxwell of Bridgeport performed an operation by removing a portion of diseased bone from the right leg of Frank Lanterman.   

Miss Hetta Ray started teaching at Cross Road School.  Jud Black and Bart Travis got into an altercation at Stiver’s Hotel over politics.

Died:  September 26 Ida Smith of scarlatina, Petty twp., aged 9 years. September 18 Lucy Saums, Lukin twp. of typhoid dysentery, aged 40 years. September 10 Amilia/Orietta Griggs, Bridgeport, of pneumonia, aged 16.

October 22,1880

Wheat sowing was over. It was now time to gather corn and stock the winter’s woodpile.  Miss Ida Allender was boarding with Mrs. T W Roberts and going to school in Lawrenceville.  A light snow fell on the 19th. Justus Struble was the livery man in town. George Barton, son of S P Barton, fell from a hay mow and injured himself badly. Dr. C M Carter built a new office directly east of his dwelling. The New Store was located at Barton’s old stand on the west side of the courthouse.

The watermelon crop was quite an item of income for Sand Ridge farmers as the following train car loads show: Musgrave and Barton 6, Cal Carr 7, George Carr 4, W H Howell 5, Garing Bros 7, McBride and Sons 7, George Hayman 2, Seward and Webb 1, David Hepshire 1, and N D Rawlings 1, for a total of 41 train car loads, averaging 1400 melons to the car and a net return of five cents each making a total of $2,870.

Union School in the Mt Zion neighborhood opened with Miss Maggie Buchanan as the teacher. Billy Maguire started for Eureka College. The ruthless hand of death had been at work in the Mt Zion neighborhood and carried away Mrs. G Gould, an old lady who body was interred in the Shiloh cemetery and Mr. Fred Brausa a young man in the vigor and freshness of youth.  He was interred in the Pisgah cemetery. WW Parks of Russell twp. died October 17 of congestion and heart disease. He was 51 years of age. 

If a lady desired to be nicely dressed in 1880 she should buy a cloak or shawl, a fine alpaca or cashmere dress, a pair of Poster kid gloves and a pair of custom-made lace or button shoes from Warner Brothers Bridgeport according to their newspaper advertisement. If you want to see what our Ladies of Lawrence were wearing in the late 1800's you should visit the newest Exhibit at the History Center on the Square this Saturday 1-4.