Groundhog Day: once a legal holiday?

Groundhog Day is quickly approaching on Wednesday, Feb. 2. We all know the routine — weather forecasters wait to see if Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow and whether we will have an early spring or a continuation of winter snow and ice. According to an old newspaper clipping from the Sullivan County Public Library, Groundhog Day was once a legal holiday in the Hoosier state!

Why does the library have this clipping? Well, it seems that the late Dr. James B. Maple, a local doctor and historian, enjoyed researching Sullivan and Vincennes, Indiana, newspapers for material about Sullivan County. His passion was so great he filled 42 volumes of scrapbooks!

To view the Groundhog Day article more closely, click here. The short story appears in the second column, last full paragraph.