The Rockport Democrat, May 1, 1936

Citizens of Rockport and Spencer county should be most interested in the plans now being made for another great celebration here in the City Park, on July 4^th.

Committees are being appointed and house cleaning in the Lincoln Pioneer Village is under way, so that all may be attractive for the tourists who are now coming daily to see our great memorial to Abraham Lincoln.

When one realizes that Toyohiko Kagawa, the outstanding native christian of Asia, came a great distance to see this interesting pioneer town, then we who live here must know of the widespread interest in what now belongs to Rockport, through the work of George H. Honig and citizens of our community who have helped in many ways, as well as the PWA workers who have been doing good work.

Some of these workers have been very proficient in their different lines and the new log houses erected the past winter are worth going miles to see.

The new buildings are replicas of the Old Pigeon Baptist church, where Thomas Lincoln and wife were members; the Lincoln cabin home where Abraham Lincoln grew to manhood, and the Daniel Grass home, the man who founded Rockport and was a member of the Constitutional Convention.

The Rockport Garden Club has also been doing outstanding work in the Azel Dorsey home, the house they sponsor. They have had a puncheon floor, stone hearth and other work done, paying for it from their own treasury. They have also had beautiful colored post-cards made of the pioneer garden they maintain.

Mrs. Ada Rhodes and Miss Elizabeth Bullock have added some interesting relics to the Gentry Mansion, and house-cleaned it ready for visitors.

Other cabins have been cleaned by the village committee, and others are to be put in readiness by the clubs that sponsor them.

The Southwestern Indiana Civic association voted to assist in the July 4^th celebration and appointed a committee with F. R. Glenn of Richland as chairman. Committees in Rockport are as follows: Mrs. Bess V. Ehrman, general chairman of the celebration; Ben W. Curtis, program chairman; Hilbert Bennett and Claude Snyder, parade committee; Loney Parsley, marshal of parade; concession committee—Frank Stewart, Thom Fortune, Clarence Underhill, Hilbert Bennett, Henry Hoch.

Lincoln Play and Pioneer Dance, Mrs. Bess V. Ehrman, Miss Lucille Richards; church service, Mrs. Mina Cook, Mrs. K. C. Atchisnson, Mrs.O. P. M. Thurman and Mrs. Georgia Brown.

The Lincoln County Summer Festival will open on Saturday, June 28^th, with a church service in the replica of the Old Pigeon Baptist church and the public is invited to help make this a great religious service—a fitting opening to the completed Lincoln Pioneer Village and its educational value to Southern Indiana.

A Lincoln play written by Miss Alice Hebert of Evansville, granddaughter of John Chewning, former editor of the Rockport Journal, is to be staged and given in the evening of July 3^rd in the Rockport school auditorium. Also groups of pioneer dances are to be given. On the morning of July 4^th there will be a great parade, "The March of Progress" with floats from twelve counties.

The afternoon program will be of great interest with numbers from many counties with a dedication service of the lake and new buildings as a closing feature.

Plan to attend the various programs throughout the week of our Lincoln Country Summer Festival.