Rochester began in 1835 so 2010 is the 175th anniversary.
 The book has ten chapters and covers the history of Rochester and its residents from A to Z, from
Arlington Hotel to Zac DuBois, who was 2003, 2004 and 2007 dirt bike champion.
  Chapter One is “Horse and Buggy Days” with photos from 1888-1920s in downtown Rochester,
including livery stables, fire wagon, rural delivery mail, school hack, Zimmerman horse-drawn
ambulance, to name a few.  
Chapter Two “Cars, Trains and Airplanes” shows vehicles in Rochester, steam trains, last passenger
train through town, and first and present airports.
 Chapter Three “Public Buildings and Businesses” includes photos of old and new courthouses, jail,
stores, garages, factories, post office now Sheriff office.
 Chapter Four “Lake Manitou and Tippecanoe River” includes the hotels, boats, fish hatchery, river
bridge and flood.
 Chapter Five “Military and Police” shows people in uniform from Civil War to Iraq War, and some
sheriffs and city police.
 Chapter Six “Schools and Sports” illustrating all the schools in Rochester Township, athletic teams
who won state championships, bus drivers in 1958, Amish School, and more.
  Chapter Seven “Historic Architecture – Churches and Houses” has 15 photos of old churches and
historic homes.
 Chapter Eight “Famous People” includes Purdue band director, a movie star, doctor, horse racer,
singers, sculptor, an Indiana governor, author, and others.
  Chapter Nine “Circus, Fairs, and Festivals” works its way through history from the antique fair in 1900
to the Red Hot Car Show in 2009, including Ellen the cow, 4-H state winners, Trail of Courage and other
events.
  Chapter Ten “Recreation and Clubs” show bicycling in 1900, bands, fishing, rabbit hunting in 1915,
bowling, baseball, Moose, IOOF, Fulton County Players, museum, Manitou Mountain, golf, gun club,
soccer, and concludes the book with a picture of Zachary DuBois, age 11, covered with mud in the ten-
state dirt bike race in 2008.
 We tried to include a variety of buildings and people, a little bit of nearly everything that makes up the
Rochester experience. It took two years, and we bugged practically everyone asking for photos. Some
things we never did get a picture of, the Rochester canning factory, for instance, but we did find many
wonderful old pictures never published before. Most of the photos came from the Fulton County
Museum, donated by hundreds of people since the historical society was founded in 1963. The
Rochester Sentinel provided a number of photos. Rochester Telephone and REMC allowed me to go
through their boxes of old photographs. Collectors such as Tom Black, Steve Coleman, Dave Burkett,
Jim Heyde and others loaned photos. We thank everyone who contributed.
 We did a lot of research to verify dates. We wanted this to be a definitive book that people could refer
to when trying to find out when something took place. Thanks to Wendell Tombaugh’s books, we were
able to find birth and death dates, when buildings were built, etc. Thanks to the files of newspaper
clippings in the museum we found dates of fires, when schools were built and torn down, and so
forth.            
 Thanks to Melinda Clinger and Bill Willard for scanning the photos. This was a labor of love for our
community. All profits will go to the Fulton County Historical Society to help preserve all the artifacts in
the museum and village.
Military and Police featured in Pictorial History of Rochester
  Chapter Five, titled  Military and Police, shows people in uniform from Civil War to Iraq War, and some
Fulton County sheriffs and Rochester city police.
  Civil War: John McClung and George Moore.
   Spanish American War: group photo of the A. H. Skinner Spanish-American War veterans in 1958:
Austin McIntire, Ben Noftsger, Jack Irwin, Fred Logan, Oliver Krom and Ben Freeman.
  World War I: group picture in 1917 are George Brower, Percy Smith, Lee Wile, Charles Rees, Lyman
Brackett, and Hugh Barnhart. Also Leroy Shelton funeral.
  World War II: Fred Brown in Army, Raymond Craig in Navy, Harrison Crabill in Army Air Corps, Clarence
Thomas killed on D Day, Kenneth Zartman who was at Pearl Harbor.
  Korean War: Ted Davis and Bill Willard in Korea, Ernest Hiatt in Navy, and Robert Helt in Air Corps
(killed in plane crash).
 Viet Nam: Brothers Gary and Tim Roe; Tim was killed in battle.
  Desert Storm: Tom Butler, and wife Samantha Kidd Butler, married while in service.
   Iraq: Jeff McLochlin (killed), Jason Snyder, Samantha Carmickle.
   Also photos of American Legion, and VFW posts.
   Sheriffs Russell Voorhees, Laurence Norris, and Bob Newgent with police dog.
    Police Chiefs Rusty Graham and Estel Bemenderfer who was also a State Trooper.
Schools & Sports chapter
  School buildings pictured are Rochester College, Central or Lincoln School, Columbia or South,
Sprinkleburg one-room school, McKinley, Woodrow, Burton and Reiter, Rochester Joint High School,
Whitmer Gym, Rochester Middle School, and Mt Zion Amish School, also bus drivers in 1958, and
student play in the Opera House in 1920.
   Championship winners pictured are 1918 track team, 1980 golf team, 1987 football, Sheila McMillen,
2004 girls basketball team, Bruce Grimm Jr., and RMS History Day winners who sent to Washington DC
in 1975.
Famous People Chapter
  Paul Spotts Emrick – Purdue band director who invented forming letters by marching band, Elmo
Lincoln – first Tarzan,  Dr. George Hoffman, Freeda Sullivan Hill – vaudeville, Oliver Powell – raised and
raced pacing horses, The King’s Jesters – singers, Charles Kindig – round barn builder, Floyd “Jack”
Mattice – Tokyo trial lawyer at end of WWII,  Helen “Pam” Parmalee and Louise Davidson – USO dancers
and instructors, Carol Mitchell – Miss Indiana, John Chamberlain – sculptor, Dr. Otis Bowen – Indiana
Governor and later in President Reagan’s cabinet, Bob Kern – naturalist and Christmas tree grower,
and Jack K. Overmyer – author and editor.  There are other famous people from Rochester but good
clear photos were not available.
Circus, Fairs and Festivals Chapter
 This chapter starts with the antique Fair in 1900, goes on to the Blossom Parade 1908, Cole Bros.
Circus winter-quarters 1934-41, Clyde Beatty, Great Gretonas high wire performers, Jorgen Christenson
and Liberty horse act, Johnny Zoppe with dog act, and Barts Fertilizer with elephant killed in the fire.
  Rochester Centennial 1953 is represented by Mayor Robert Shafer burying the razor, and the parade
in July.
   4-H Fair in 1941 in old fairgrounds, 1965 in new fairgrounds. Patricia Kern – first place in forestry in
1955, Stan Beecher with Ellen the World Champion cow in 1975, Jeremy Flook with Indian drum in 2009.
    Also pictured are National Appaloosa Pony show, Round Barn Festival, Trail of Courage, Indiana
Blacksmithing Assn., Redbud Trail Rendezvous, Historical Power Show, Chili Cook Off, and Red Hot Car
Show.
  The pictures show a wide variety of many people, events and buildings in Rochester. The book is
published by Arcadia Publishing, Chicago.





       Images of America  Rochester, Indiana


  Rochester, Indiana began in 1835 so 2010 is the 175th anniversary.
 The book has ten chapters and covers the history of Rochester and its residents from A to Z, from
Arlington Hotel to Zac DuBois, who was 2003, 2004 and 2007 dirt bike champion.
  Chapter One is “Horse and Buggy Days” with photos from 1888-1920s in downtown Rochester,
including livery stables, fire wagon, rural delivery mail, school hack, Zimmerman horse-drawn
ambulance, to name a few.  
Chapter Two “Cars, Trains and Airplanes” shows vehicles in Rochester, steam trains, last passenger
train through town, and first and present airports.
 Chapter Three “Public Buildings and Businesses” includes photos of old and new courthouses, jail,
stores, garages, factories, post office now Sheriff office.
 Chapter Four “Lake Manitou and Tippecanoe River” includes the hotels, boats, fish hatchery, river
bridge and flood.
 Chapter Five “Military and Police” shows people in uniform from Civil War to Iraq War, and some
sheriffs and city police.
 Chapter Six “Schools and Sports” illustrating all the schools in Rochester Township, athletic teams
who won state championships, bus drivers in 1958, Amish School, and more.
  Chapter Seven “Historic Architecture – Churches and Houses” has 15 photos of old churches and
historic homes.
 Chapter Eight “Famous People” includes Purdue band director, a movie star, doctor, horse racer,
singers, sculptor, an Indiana governor, author, and others.
  Chapter Nine “Circus, Fairs, and Festivals” works its way through history from the antique fair in 1900
to the Red Hot Car Show in 2009, including Ellen the cow, 4-H state winners, Trail of Courage and other
events.
  Chapter Ten “Recreation and Clubs” show bicycling in 1900, bands, fishing, rabbit hunting in 1915,
bowling, baseball, Moose, IOOF, Fulton County Players, museum, Manitou Mountain, golf, gun club,
soccer, and concludes the book with a picture of Zachary DuBois, age 11, covered with mud in the ten-
state dirt bike race in 2008.
 
 Rochester, a pictorial history, is a new book, which will be introduced July 10 at an autograph party 2-5
p.m. at the Fulton County Museum. Everyone who is in the book or contributed photos is invited to
come and autograph the book. Written by Shirley Willard, Fulton County Historian and Fulton County
Historical Society president 1971-2001, the book has 128 pages, 230 black and white photos, soft cover.
It sells for $22.00. To order through the mail, send a check to FCHS, and add $6 shipping and handling.
Fulton County Historical Society Publications
Fulton County Historical Society
Located in North Central Indiana
Written by Shirley Willard, Fulton County Historian and Fulton
County Historical Society president 1971-2001, the book has 128
pages, 230 black and white photos, soft cover. It sells for $22.00. To
order through the mail, send a check to FCHS, and add $6 shipping
and handling.
PUBLICATIONS
FOR SALE

To order items, simply
download and print the
order form, make your
selections, then mail it in
along with check/money
order.
Indiana Residents must
Add 7% Indiana Sales Tax
for all gift shop items
(excluding books).

Please call for shipping &
handling prices prior to
mailing order.

Thank You