Nancy is the current President of the Griffith Historical Society.
Tell us a bit about yourself! Iโve been married to Mike Stout for 47 years. Iโve got 3 children: Mike Jr, Angela, and Adam, and 9 grandchildren! I worked at the License Bureau, Griffith Senior High Schoolโs Attendance Secretary, Strack & Van Til, and at American Trans Air (ATA) airports in FL and Midway. I have served on the Police Commission, as a UFCU Board Member, on the Griffith Educational Foundation, and as a Precinct Committeeperson.
What is your favorite memory about living in Griffith? My favorite memory of Griffith is ice skating at Central Park, summer recreation St Maryโs for grade school, and going to Griffith High School (I had a blast!)
What drew you to the GHS? I have always loved Griffith, so when I saw they had a Historical Society, I knew it was for me.
What do you like most about being a GHS member and officer? Finding out the history of Griffith. Barrel train at the Market with all the children. Elmer J Project with the 3rd graders. They get so excited when theyโre learning about the history of Griffith. Santa in the Caboose โ the children are so excited to see Santa. I love working with the people of the Historical Society. Everyone supports each other.
Where DOES one put a depot?Written by Karen Kulinski
When last we were together, it was the late 1970โs. A small band of Griffith townsfolk had decided to save the Grand Trunk Depot from demolition, the last of three train stations that once stood near the Broad Street railroad crossing.
One of the first things they did was ask other town organizations to join them. Two major ones, Griffith Community Spirit and the Griffith Junior Womanโs Club, heeded the call.
They also approached the Town Board for help, and Trustee Merle Colby became the man on point.
Of major concern to the group was raising the funds to move the Depot, and the group approached local business for contributions or for in-kind items or services.
But equally concerning was, if the group was able to save the Depot, where would they put it?
Martha Gatlin recalled, โWe felt it was important to keep the Depot visible to drivers who were stopped for one of the many trains that came through Griffith on the then-eleven tracks. And to keep the building close to the townโs operational rail lines.โ
Many years later, this decision ended up being a major factor in the Societyโs favor when we applied for the Depot to be put on the National Register Of Historic Places and the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures.
But finding such a site back then wasnโt easy for the group. Finally, Howard Anderson discovered a small patch of vacant land on the corner of Avenue A and Broad Street.
Further investigation at the courthouse revealed no one had a claim on the land, nor did anyone have a deed to it.
โWe immediately claimed it!โ Martha stated, โAnd the stage was set to move the Depot onto it.โ
Some years later, it was discovered that the property was once part of a street named Travis Avenue. For some unknown reason, the street ended up going in a different direction, leaving the open space behind. The street also ended up with a different name โ Avenue A.
Whatever the reason for this happening, it sure was a bit of serendipity working for us early on.
In January, 1980, the last remaining Griffith depot was safely moved to that empty spot of land right next to the railroad tracks.
The original use for the Depot was as a storage place for Community Spiritโs Christmas decorations. Before long, a more noble use for the Depot would be decided on.
And so would begin a new history for that heretofore unwanted Depot and the abandoned patch of land.
Also part of the group dedicated to saving the Depot but not mentioned in this article were Kathy Anderson, Donna Gonzalez and Ray Anderson (no relation to Kathy.)
The man who said those words almost every night on the radio was a man named Paul Harvey. When he took notice of Joe Miller, he was the most-listened-to radio broadcaster in America, heard by 25 million people every day.
From his studios in Chicago, Illinois, Harvey would every day diligently sift through news reports available to newspapers and radio broadcasters. He was looking for compelling stories that might have been overlooked by other media outlets.
In early January, 1947, he found such a story, and it happened just 25 miles away in Griffith, Indiana.
Harveyโs programs were carried by 1,200 radio stations, plus an additional 400 stations of American Forces Radio. Famous well into the 1980โs, he had a popular syndicated newspaper column and a TV program.
Hereโs the rest of Joeโs story, Paul Harveyโs tribute to Griffithโs own, Joe Miller, was broadcast on January 8, 1947.
You know youโre reeeeeally in need of cash when you take money from school kids. But thatโs what we did 25 years ago, and we did it twice.
To be honest, we were honored to do it. Because, in both of the cases, the students wanted to give us money for the tower and they worked to do it.
Seventh-graders, in the then Griffith Junior/Senior High School, held a walkathon from the school to our Historical Park and back, earning us more than $500. And the Beiriger Elementary School students held a Penny War for us.
Come to find out every year back then, the Beiriger Student Council voted on one project to support. In the year 2000, they chose our Griffith Tower.
โWe felt saving the tower was important to the town,โ said Student Council president Ashley Korak, when interviewed for a newspaper article. โWith so few towers left, we want to preserve ours.โ
Note: When Ashley said those words, there were 177 towers still in operation in North America. Twenty-five years later, there are fewer than 50.
The Penny War worked like this: Each grade was given a big jar into which students deposited pennies into their particular jars every day for a week. All the jars were kept in the school foyer, and at the end of the week, a total $518.72 from all the jars was given to the tower.
The 5th graders donated the most pennies, with the 6th grade coming in 2nd place, and the 3rd graders taking 3rd.
Griffith Historical Society President Delores Smessaert, in the photo here, thanks all the students. โSo much work needs to be done in this 76-year-old building,โ she went on, โand your donation will go a long way in helping us install a new heating system.โ
Griffith History Museums 