Published: June 30, 2008 04:22 pm         

WHITE SPOTS

The story of Carthage

Carthage, the so-called "second city" of Rushville, is located in the northwest corner, a situation that has split its allegience between Rush, Hancock Shelby and Henry Counties.

For as long as history has been recorded in that area, there has been a paper mill in Carthage. Other industries included the De Schipper Packing Co., the George Moore Sawmill, and Carson Trucking Co. A once-thriving sales district clustered along Main Street between First and Mill Streets. Two fairly large department stores, a couple of hardware stores, bowling alley, dentists, attorneys, doctors, a nickelodeon, two drug stores and three grocery stores once fluorished there. Carthage even had its own newspaper, the Carthage Citizen, which boasted a reporter that once worked for the New York Times.

A federally-funded community water system was installed in 1935, and the sewer system was completed in 1955. The Ripley Farmers' Telephone Company provided phone service to the area. Everyone owned their own line, but if you wanted to know what was going on in the neighborhood, all you'd have to do is pick up the phone and listen in.

When television was first introduced to the area, it had the effect of promoting neighborliness. The owners of the few sets in town would invite friends to visit and watch shows, have popcorn and drink cokes.

Carthage was a Quaker town, and therefore, very mild, even strict. It was a dry town for many years. Social events were always held in homes, and there were only three cars in town in the 1920s, so getting out of town was hardly an option. During the 1920s and 30s, Big Four Passenger Train Service was also available. Residents would go to Rushville to shop and see shows or go to Ball Games. Travelers could also go to Greensburg, Knightstown, Shirley or Anderson.

But in contrast to all of the new technologies that were advancing, there was still the old. Horse and buggies would come to town on Saturday, horses groomed slick, buggies shined up. The young men and women would be dressed to thrill. Instead of drag racing with sports cars, they'd drag race with their buggies. Gambling even took place on the races, although because it was a Quaker town, it wasn't called gambling.

In the 1940s, street shows and an occassional circus would roll through town. The Arlington Band used to come to Carthage to play concerts and of course, there were high school athletics to get caught up in. Carthage was known for its independent baseball and football teams, as well as a winning independent black basketball team known as the Carthage Strollers.

Carthage has always been considered different from other Rush County towns. There was a relatively large African American population in the 1920s and 30s. Many came to Carthage prior to the Civil War through the influence of the Friends Church. Ex-slaves coming north through the Underground Railroad found that they were among friends and stayed. Although many of the families moved away during the 30s, some took out farm land grants west of the Blue River and stayed on. The mix of populations was regarded as unique among Indiana villages.

The Carthage Hotel, Big Four Railroad and Carthage High School, all major social venues for the community, are now gone. The Saturday nights of people getting dressed to the nines and coming downtown are over.

"It used to be that there were so many people, you couldn't walk down the sidewalk," Carthage resident Jack Overman said in the 1980 Rush County Retrospect. "Now you could fire a cannon down the middle of Main Street and you'd hit no one."

However, one resident remained optimistic.

"Carthage could boom again," Jack Tweedy said. "I haven't lost faith. I think that prospects are good for improvement in the community, especially if we work toward that end."

The Smurfit Paper Mill closed last year, the primary employer in Carthage for close to a century. Fifty-five jobs were lost.

However, the community and its citizens remain committed to preserving the area's rich heritage and celebrating its history, especially in the architecture of the history left behind.