(By John Terhune/Journal & Courier) Harold Long holds a copy of his book Attica in the town's public library Wednesday. Long is a retired Attica teacher, principal and mayor.

Chronicle of a community in 602 pages

By RICK BRUNER
For the Journal & Courier

ATTICA -- When Harold Long set out to put together his take on the history of the city of Attica, he already had a pretty good idea where the material for the book would come from -- the newspapers of Fountain County.

Long, a principal and teacher at Attica Elementary School from 1971 to 1992 and Attica mayor from 1988 to 2000, used newspaper articles to highlight the events and people important to the community in his recently published book, titled simply Attica.

The account begins with a narration of the early history of Fountain County and moves on to the town of Attica in 1858. That segment opens with a short notice announcing the town's intention to build a board sidewalk on Main Street.

The compilation runs through the end of World War II.

"Other than a list of mayors and information on Senator Joseph William Harrison III, the history is non-contemporary," said Long.

The book chronicles, in 602 pages, the growth of the city and vignettes of the residents and visitors who provided its energy, leadership and diversions.

The book draws on a wealth of material that reflects the more than a dozen newspapers published in Fountain County, beginning with the Western Constellation founded in Covington in 1836. It reminds us of a time when towns like Veedersburg, Stone Bluff, Newtown, Hillsboro, Covington and Kingman all boasted their own newspapers.

Attica is Long's fourth book.

It highlights the visits of three presidents to the small community: William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant, as well as the baseball hall of famer Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown and world heavyweight champion John L. Sullivan.

Attica also enjoyed a number of home-grown luminaries; George D. Hay, who founded the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn., and Dr. John Evans, founder of the Indiana State Hospital, Northwestern University and governor of the Colorado Territory.

Long also managed to report on original works by poet and lyricist May Baker Philips that had only appeared in local newspapers. Phillips, writing under the pseudonym Rose Myra Phillips, was an English teacher at Attica High School and published more than 800 poems, including two volumes of verse and the lyrics to the song "House on Honeymoon Hill."

However, the book is much more than an account of great events and important people. It is a record of what ordinary citizens did to survive and to help the area grow from a small, frontier community into a thriving industrial center.

The book continues by telling how Attica and its citizens coped with the changes brought about in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In his prologue, Long discusses the early settlers and those who followed them.

"In the beginning almost all would have emigrated from different states if not different countries, and most contributed the best of themselves to the development of this place they called home," he wrote.

Long donated the manuscript to the Attica Community Foundation, with the proceeds from the sales of the book to benefit the Attica Public Library.

"We are hoping this (book) will mean quite a bit to the Foundation," said Robert Shepherd, president of the Attica Community Foundation. "There are 102 copies in the first printing and we feel there will be a lot of interest among those who appreciate history."

Long's other books