Forest High School - Log Yearbook (Forest, IN)

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The Forest Methodist church was created by the transfer of a Methodist congregation from Olive Branch, a rural church, which stood one mile north and about two miles west of Forest. A church was located on the present site of the gym, but there seems to be no certainty regarding its denomination. It may have been a U- nited Brethren church. At any rate, its first congregation had disbanded and the building was acquired by the Baptists. It burn- ed down one Sunday morning in 1906. In 1910 the interurban line was put throu h. The work-crew consisted of Negroes and ltalians, hired by time Northern Indiana Power Company. The interurban line extended from Marion to Frankfort. Cars ran each way every hour and twenty minutes, beginning at the crack of dawn and continuing until midnight. Its career was short lived, for the last car made its trip in 1930. Forest received a commissioned high school in the early 1900's. The grade school moved into the same building. The grade school building stood on the corner where the Baptist church now stands. After bein abandoned for educational urposes it was used by the Baptisgs for church services, until Y917, when the Baptist church was erected, after the old school house had been torn down. Forest probably had its booming period between 1910 and 1920. The town was graced with a bank, a furniture store, three hard- wares, a jewelry store, two barbershops, a department store with every imaginable kind of merchandise, a bakery, a res- taurant, a theater where the skating rink is now, a watering sta- tionfor trains, a drug store with a registered pharmacist, a huge livery barn where horses could be rented, two doctors, two black- smith shops, a garage, three rocery stores, a post office, a cement-tile factory, an undertaier, a hotel, an elaborate band- stand, a newspaper, and a meat-market. During this time Forest had a concert band. The men were clad in expensive uniforms of purple broadcloth adorned with heavy gold and black braid. On Saturday afternoons, weather permit- ting, they would march through the town, and on Saturday nights they would present a concert. Traveling theatrical troupes were hired to give plays in Mowery's Theater on several occasions. Movies were shown two nights weekly. A recession began to manifest itself about 1923, and Forest presented a very dismal appearance during the general panic be- tween 1929 and 1933. Several houses were empty and some store- buildings were also unoccupied. The four frame buildings on the north side were eventually torn down, creating a barren sight. About 1935 the town took a new lease on life and gradually develop- ed to its present status. Filling stations were erected onthe north side. The town is looking up, as we might say, but in all pro- bability it will never again experience the measure of prosperity which it knew in the days between 1910 and 1920. By Donna Robertson, Kay McQuinn, and Dick Davis

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I HISTORICAL SKETCH OF FOREST This information was collected from several books, pictures, and persons, but George McAdams and Helen Huffer were our chief source of information. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them. The idea originated in Latin Class when we were studying the originof Rome and its earlyhistory. The seniors inthe class ac- cepted the responsibility for developing the early history of Forest. The dates and data stated in this treatise are only approximate. It is, also, impossible to arrive at an absolute certainty in regard to the details surrounding some of the events related. About a century ago a landscape' of woods and swamps, popu- lated by the Miami Indians, occupied the region which is now called Forest Township. A man named Alter from a large German set- tlement in Pennsylvania had come into this region. Seein the possibilities of this region, he made a deal with the Miami clgiief, who consented to sell a large tract of the land. Alter then return- ed to Pennsylvania and came back to this territory with an ex- plorers' party. These Germans soon had a number of farms es- tablished, but they were not responsible for the town of Forest. This was officially done by a Mr. Morrison, who came from Frankfort. The year was 1874, according to the only printed re- cord known to exist. A town had been started earlier at the cross- roads a mile south and a short mile east of Forest. Some say that the name of this town was Martinsville , and others say it was Mortonsville . It seems that the town had a post office, a church, a school, two or three stores and a few dwellings. Soon Martinsville or Mortonsville was extinct, and the town of Forest came into existence. Forest lay in two townships, Warren and Johnson, when it first existed. Soon Forest was larger than Scircleville, Hillis- burg, Middlefork, and Beard, so the residents of Forest began a petition for a township. This new division was created by taking a part from each of the other townships. The new township was named Forest Township, after the town itself. Forest township, as apolitical unit, has existed since about 1880. It had two towns, Forest and Russiaville. In 1890, when the court house was built in Frankfort, Russiaville wished to withdraw from Clinton County. because of the increased taxation. They created another political unit under the name of Honey Creek Township, and it was incor- porated into Howard County. One ni ht in the late 1890's the whole business section of For- est was glestroyed by a fire of undetermined origin. The two blocks forming the south side of the present business sectionwere erected. Four frame buildings, which have disappeared in the meantime, were built on the north side. At one time there were ten grade schools inForest Township, Union, Center, Beechwood, Vencil, Possum Trot, Iles Corner, St. Paul, West Point, Bolsby, and one in the town. All had been abolished by the fall of 1925, except Union, at an angle across from the Union Church, West Point, two miles east of Forest, Iles Corner, three miles east and about two miles south of Forest, and Beechwood, one mile north and about one-fourth mile east.

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