It’s time for spring cleaning!

Every time I look at this 1964 photograph from the Martin’s Photo Shop Collection, I have to chuckle. I just love that three women are working hard dusting, mopping or sweeping, while one woman stands with her one hand on her hip and her other hand resting on a table! These young ladies are members of Zeta Tau Alpha and they are busy cleaning their sorority suite at Indiana State University.

The photo above shows some industrious young women of the Chi Omega sorority polishing their many trophies. This 1963 photo is also part of the Martin’s Photo Shop Collection.

The Martin Collection is housed in the Indiana State University Archives at Cunningham Memorial Library.

Now that you’ve read this, go clean out a closet!

Silent films show Sullivan in late 1930s

An old photograph of the Sullivan County Public Library

If  you enjoyed the movie, “The Artist,” then you’ll love these two silent films taken in 1938 and 1939 in Sullivan, Indiana. The scenes in one film include cars, horses and buggies, people, children, school children, a Coca-Cola delivery truck, horse and laundry buggy, gas stations, service stations, dogs, medical care, coal miners, a baseball game, milkmen, tractors, cows, and a sign for the Davis Hotel. And just like today, the children push and shove one another to get in front of the camera and a few even stick out their tongues!

The scenes in the second film include a football game, W.V. Jennings Lumber Co., cars, the Sullivan Flying Club, a Gulf service station, people leaving a dry goods store, people leaving a church service, and aerial views of a baseball field and game, the town of Sullivan, and the Sullivan Courthouse. Take a gander at the football game. Those were tough dudes playing without helmets or much padding!

The films are part of the Sullivan County Public Library collection. The library is located at 100 S. Crowder Street in Sullivan. Enjoy these awesome moving images!

Now that’s a lot of mussel shells!

The photo above is incredible. While there is no date to accompany this image, there was the following description: “View of 29 tons of mussel shells lying next to the railroad tracks.” Twenty-nine TONS! This photograph is part of the collection of the Sullivan County Public Library in Sullivan, Indiana.

The above undated photograph shows two men taking a break from their work with mussel shells. This photo is part of the collection of the Sullivan County Historical Society. These old photographs show an amazing amount of mussel shells.

Just so you don’t get into trouble with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, please don’t collect mussel shells from public waters. Here’s what the DNR’s website says about this: “It is illegal to collect or take live or dead mussel shells from public waters. A ban on harvesting shells has been in effect since 1991 to protect against a rapid decrease in the abundance and distribution of mussels. Please do not disturb living mussels or take dead shells. It is illegal to possess live the following aquatic invasive mussels: Asiatic clam, quagga mussel and zebra mussel.”