Organizations
The Women’s Christian Temperance
Union was active in Perry Township. It was formed in the late 1920’s
and its purpose was to encourage abstinence from alcohol and tobacco.
This was during Prohibition and the County Sheriff was being kept busy
with folks using wood-burning stills to make “home brew”. The WCTU tried
to help discourage folks from doing so. They held “white ribbon”
ceremonies in churches for infants who were accompanied by their parents
promising to raise the child in a Temperance home environment. A youth
club, called Little Temperance League (LTL) was organized in grade
schools with weekly meetings held at the end of the school day. They
would recite poems, songs and cheers, which were encouraged by the
teacher.
This group was part of a countywide WCTU, which met twice a
month. They would sometimes have a covered dish supper and the guest
speaker was typically Rev. Boyd Yorke of the Presbyterian Church in
Carrollton. Sometimes the entertainment would be a little girl playing a
button box accordion.
The Perry Township Grange was formed on an evening early in the summer of 1914 by a joint meeting of Petersburg and Leesville Granges. The meeting was held at the home of Mr. & Mrs. T. W. Shotwell near Perrysville. It was an open meeting with all of Perry Township invited, and its objective was to see what could be done toward organizing a Grange in Perry Township. A program was given, refreshments were served, a general good time was had socially, and along with it all there was a good deal of Grange talk. A paper was circulated among Perry Township citizens to ascertain how many were willing to become Grange members. More than the number of names required for organizing were received and arrangements were made for another meeting.
A short time later a meeting was held in the Stonebrook schoolhouse and
there the 1st and 2nd degrees were conferred by
County Deputy, E. M Capper. More names were being added to the list of
applicants, and at a meeting at Perrysville schoolhouse, July 28, 1914,
the obligation of the 1st and 2nd degrees were
again given. The same evening the 3rd and 4th
degrees were conferred on the entire class.
Officers were elected and the organization of what is now known as Perry
Twp. Grange No. 1945 was completed, with a charter list of fifty-eight
members. W. D. Kail of Conotton was the 1st Master and Harry B Logan was
the 1st Secretary. After many years of service to the
township the Perry Twp Grange was closed
December 1, 1999.
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The Perrysville
Volunteer Fire Department was organized in 1962.
More to come
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| FIVE ADMIT GUILT IN BURNING OF SCHOOLS IN PERRY TOWNSHIP | |