By “BUZZ” KING, guest columnist
I have several thousands of pieces of information, pictures and stories collected and saved and then passed to me. I, too, keep everything that interests me, and I hope it interests you, too.
This column is from my file on Frank Hohenberger. These tidbits were found recently and I am here to pass them along as written. Do with the info as you see fit.
I was born in Defiance, Ohio, Jan. 4, 1876, parents John and Louise Hohenberger. Affiliated with the Lutheran Church. Bond Funeral Home in Nashville has particulars about a minister to conduct services. Frank Hohenberger, Feb. 16, 1961.
At 13, he graduated from a German parochial school and “then I was handed over to a teacher in the fifth grade McGuffey outfit.”
His photography work was mostly in black and white; however, a book of records, “First and Fascinating Facts” by Fred Cavender and printed by IU Press, states (page 137), that the first color photograph in Indiana was by Frank and Lester Nagley, who used film imported from France to take a picture of an arbutus east of Bloomington in April 1915. Nagley writes that he knew Hohenberger from about 1912 and he made his first acquaintance by taking a film to Lieber Photo (Hoh worked there) in Indianapolis. They took several trips by train, auto and buggy.
At first, local artists had little to do with Hoh, as that felt that photography was not an art form. Later, they accepted Hoh and his work as true art.
Sometimes, it takes a stranger in our community to point out the treasures we possess and have had for our enjoyment.
Ernie Pyle spent several days in August 1940 roaming the village and the county, gathering material for his daily column in the Indianapolis Times. He had a unique style in that his column was easy to read and understand (much the same as one we know locally).
Here is what he wrote about one day: “On Saturday nights, and, some week nights, too, a bunch of Brown County boys sit in front of Paul Percifield’s auto repair shop and sing. I have heard them and I can say that there is nothing better in New York than the soft, low, professionally perfect harmony of the voices of Paul Percifield, Bob Bowden, Bill McGrayel and Sandy McDonald. Even their names are lyrical.”
Wow!
‘Til next time. — Buzz
”Buzz” King is a nearly lifelong resident of Brown County and past president of the Nashville Town Council. His father, Fred King, was the unofficial county historian.
