Musings: July 1929

~by Mark Blackwell

In July of 1929, the first issue of The Hoosier Magazine was published by the Hoosier Publishing Company, 661 E. 21st St., Indianapolis. It was intended to be a monthly magazine with a single issue price of twenty-five cents, or a yearly subscription of two dollars and fifty cents. The managing editor was M. Z. Allen with Mabel Sturtevant assisting.

The introduction states that the magazine “is the fruit of an idea conceived by “Demarchus C. Brown, that fine, scholarly man who served Indiana so ably as State Librarian from 1906 to 1926. The magazine’s purpose is to increase the mutual understanding and intimate knowledge of the various counties of the state. The history, the trend of thought, and the industrial growth of each county will be made the theme of one issue. Thus, by picture and word, it is sought to stimulate in the minds of loyal Hoosiers to see and know their own state.”

This certainly sounds like a noble undertaking, however, beyond the first issue, I can find no mention of the publication, or even the publisher, anywhere outside of the Indiana State Library. I would imagine that both the magazine and the publisher, like many others, were casualties of the Great Depression. Luckily, for us, that first issue survived because it is entirely devoted to Brown County and gives us a glimpse of our Brown County when it was just 93 years old.

The Hoosier Magazine’s format was 8 1/2” X 12” and 64 pages in length. It contained 41 articles, numerous photographs, fillers, and advertisements. The articles included information about the art colony and artists, as well as nature features and attractions. They covered agricultural endeavors, logging, and folklore. And there are a few poems thrown in for good measure, I particularly liked this one:

Brown County Blues

I’m feeling blue

And lonely, too;

I’m longing for an old log cabin

Where I can be Happy and free All the day.

Don’t ask me why I say goodbye; I know a place in Indiana Far from the crowds

Up in the clouds, Listen to what I say.

I’ve got those Brown County blues

They’re sure hard to lose, When things go wrong

And days seem long

Something tells me that I belong ’Neath blue Hoosier skies.

Can't you realize

What it means to let the world go by, Out where the hilltops kiss the sky— That’s the only place in all the world where I Know I’ll get my dues

Those old hills are calling me

And I just can’t refuse;

I’ll soon be Brown County bound, No more fooling ’round, And then I’ll lose those Brown County blues.

—by “Happy” Hughes

It is good to see that the county was producing aspiring wordsmiths early on. However, poets, writers, and artists aren’t the be-all and end-all of our little piece of paradise.

The magazine goes on to tell us about the $10,000 a year sassafras industry, and “Tobacco, a profitable Brown County product.” There are articles on the home canning industry, herb culture, and one article entitled, “Peppermint Possibilities.” We also learn that maple syrup and fruit were considered likely income producers for the county’s hardscrabble farmers.

There are also articles concerning the culture of Brown County and activities for tourists. I found reports about various camps and nature clubs. For years I have admired an old farmhouse and barn on Owl Creek Road and I found out that in 1929 it was the headquarters of the Nature Study Club of Indiana.

There was a camp for girls called Hilltop Camp. The article gave high praise to the director, Miss Kate Andrews. She was a Wellesley college alumnus and did graduate studies at Chicago and Columbia Universities. She was a high school teacher at several schools, principal of Seymour High and, as of 1929, was an assistant professor of English and Dean of Women at Hanover College. The camp offered girls “horseback riding, hiking, swimming, and all kinds of outdoor sports ably chaperoned.”

The magazine also had an article about buying and building summer homes for flatland vacationers. Advocating for “log homes with their picturesque… windless wells, cave cellars, and foot logs across creeks,” the article stated that, “No beauty lover who would choose the hills as a summer abode would want to mar the beauty by building a home out of harmony with its surroundings.” I can’t argue with that.

It seems that back in 1929 folks were already protective of the essence of the county and its landmarks, festivals, and points of interest.

Stone Head, the Spring Blossom Festival, and the old log jail are mentioned. What stands out by its absence is the State Park, although it opened in 1929. Perhaps it was still a game preserve at the time of publication.

It is fun to go back in time and get a look at the place we love. Like the magazine says, “SEE BROWN COUNTY FIRST, LAST, AND OFTEN.”