Prompted by the question “Was there really a guy hung in the school house years ago?” The FHS 7th Graders delved into history of their hometown for English research, they were required to interview someone who could share stories from the “old days” and give dates if at all possible.
Here are some of the favorite facts given by the helpful interviewees!
Jerry Whittington told Keifer Nemyer, and he had a tough time believing, that in the early days of Fairfax, the streets were not paved.
Steven Gibbons thought is was neat that it was up until the late 60’s early 70’s that if a person left Omaha and was going to St. Joseph, he had to go thru Fairfax as it was reported by John Pearce.!
Gary Wennihan told Spencer Gibson that the town veterinarian, Doc. Cundall, made it in the Ripley’s Believe it or Not book when a pig vaccinated HIM! Doc was in the hospital for a few days afterwards, but continued his practice until 1975 when he passed away at age 96!
Haley Shepherd got information from her Grandma Jan Ashbaugh, about the tornadoes that came thru our town and her dad, Kevin Shepherd, told her about the blizzards in the different years. John Smith told me about a really bad blizzard that hit Fairfax in the early 80’s and snow was piled head high along the main roadways.
McKayla Rounkles talked to John Zeliff about a man that was hung from Hangman’s Bridge.
Brooklynn Morris interviewed Ellen Simpson, who told her about Pearce Produce being a hatchery and selling chickens there, Melvin Miles shared information about the Flood of 1981 and Main Street being under water all the way down to Kerr’s IGA on Broadway. She also talked to Ferd Ray about Saturday nights being so busy you could hardly walk down Main Street and. Nancy Harrington was glad to talk about the 1980 FHS Basketball girls taking the State Title against Minden Northwestern.
Boo Cooper was able to visit with her Grandma Pete Cooper and Great Aunt Dixie Stoner about them having to take baths in the kitchen in a metal tub and use a bucket on the back porch, when it was too cold to go out to the outhouse! She thought it was pretty cool that Betty Wennihan told us the Park used to be a cornfield!
Annie Miller talked to her Grandma Lynn Helfers who told her the last class to graduate from the “chicken coop” was in 1925 and it was torn down shortly afterwards.
River Bradbury had a phone interview with Jean Schooler and was impressed that we used to have a theater on the South Side of town with loads of other stores that everyone shopped in on Saturdays
Alyssa Lewis was excited to hear from her Grandma Cathryn Lewis, about the family business, Lewis Welding shop opening in 1985 and used to be a jail/fire station.
Baylee Lewis interviewed her grandma Norma Bradfield and was surprised to hear that the Methodist church was at the BEEHIVE in the early 1880’s.
Bridgette Stoner got a chance to talk with Wayne Bradfield and was interested in the fact there was a motel, bar, restaurant named Mode’s in the 1940’s and it was here up to the 1960’s – she also talked with Stephanie Sinkhorn and found out that the 2002 FHS Volleyball team took 3rd at the State Tourney.
Grant Hopkins was pretty excited to see his Grandparents Harry and Mary Combs’ house in a 1906 photo and he was very interested in a story from the 1820’s about the Roger Roop family having an encounter with Indians over a baby blanket and the Indian getting shot!
Katie Beck was unable to do an interview, but she was disappointed that we didn’t still have the skating rink above the corner Texaco or the bowling alley on S. Broadway that was here during the 1940’s .
The 7th Grade English class worked hard, pulled together all the information into a timeline order
and created a wonderful room display on their window shades.
A HUGE Thank you to Mrs. Betty (Graves)Wennihan,(62’ FHS alumni) who shared her wealth of information with us, Mrs. Connie (Sly) Minter ( 70’ FHS alumni) for helping promote our research, Mr. Randall Sly (81’ FHS alumni) for transporting the class to the Wennihan farm to see “Fred Harmes’ ol’ camp wagon. And to all those incredible Fairfax townspeople who were interviewed and shared without question all their wonderful tid-bits of information we send our love and gratitude!
YOU ARE ALL SO VERY SPECIAL TO OUR TOWNS HISTORY!!
Mrs. Deb ( Kotsores) Johnson (73’ FHS alumni)
Oh and thanks to Tammy Sly, Fairfax Forum employee, who found the news clipping regarding the hanging, after Betty Wennihan pursued our question with her.
So…… to set the story straight – YES, there was a hanging in the school house in December, 1925. The man’s name was Louis Bintner and he was on the Asst. Supt on the construction crew that built the present schoolhouse. HE was found on the morning of December 16th hanging from the balcony over the “old” gymnasium. The coroner’s inquest resulted in the decision that” he had come to his death at his own hands”. The story was printed in the Friday edition of the Forum that week. But now the question has been brought up – “So is the school haunted?” – to which the answer has been definitely disputed!