LIBRARY TALK – MARCH 18, 2023
From the desk of Alison Gibson, Director
Browsing through our postcard collection, we thought we’d offer a business card of sorts. When we first saw this postcard, we thought that maybe Pringle & Buerkle was a Ripley business in one of the buildings shown, but upon further investigation…P&B was a road construction firm out of Batavia and had several contracts in Brown County in the 1920s. If you look closely at the road surface in the picture, it does look freshly laid. No date on the card, but the AZO publishing mark was used between 1918-1930.
In one article from the News Democrat in 1925, P&B was one of the several road contractors that used limestone from Straight Creek for their 3 mile section along Cornick Run. The Straight Creek supply was used for many projects, including the ill-fated Ohio River and Columbus Railroad years before. For the A&P Highway from Higginsport to Ripley the state set up a gravel plant at the mouth of Straight Creek for the supply of limestone needed. Considered the best of the best stone for road construction.
On the back of the postcard is just one sentence “The company dad Lillick worked for” and there were several Lillicks in Brown and Clermont counties in the 1920s.
During this cold spell in March, the library is having a ‘Take & Make’ for all ages. Stop by and pick up a mini canvas ( 4″ x 4″) and bring it back to the library by March 31st and we will include it in our very informal art show! You can paint it, glue items to it, whatever artistic whim hits you—all for fun.
