[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1661-E1662]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 150TH CELEBRATION OF MITCHELL, INDIANA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE BUYER

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 25, 2003

  Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mitchell, Indiana, on 
the occasion of the 150th anniversary of its founding. On September 29, 
2003, the City of Mitchell will celebrate the establishment and naming 
of the town of Mitchel after Ormsby McKnight Mitchel.
  The origins of Mitchell, Indiana dates back to the beginnings of the 
Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. George Cochran, a merchant from 
Cincinnati, wanted a more direct route to ship his merchandise, having 
previously shipped goods via the Mississippi River. On September 29, 
1853, Cochran purchased the land that would become Mitchell from local 
landowner, John Sheeks. Shortly thereafter, Cochran contracted Ormsby 
McKnight Mitchel to survey a new route for a railroad to run through 
the land. As a part of the deal, Mitchel requested the new town be 
named after him. The second ``l'' in Mitchell would be added later due 
to a typographical error.
  Mitchell developed as a ``railroad town.'' Mitchell remained mostly 
agricultural until the early 1900s. There were several small 
manufacturing enterprises in town, but in 1902 Lehigh Portland Cement 
Company opened its first plant, changing the town from agricultural to 
industrial. Lehigh Portland Cement Company remains one of the area's 
largest employers. Mitchell is also home to Dana Corporation as well as 
Regal Beloit who are major employers in the community today.
  Mitchell is a place where a sense of small town charm can be felt 
through its historic buildings and shops in the downtown area. The town 
of Mitchell is known for its production of cement, which has been used 
to build the historic downtown buildings and sidewalks where residents 
gather to share persimmon pie and cobbler with family and friends at 
the annual Persimmon Festival. In the early 1990s, the downtown area of 
Mitchell was designated a Historic District.

[[Page E1662]]

  Most notably, Mitchell was the hometown of U.S. Astronaut Virgil 
``Gus'' Grissom. NASA selected Grissom as one of the original seven 
Mercury astronauts in 1959. Grissom was one of three astronauts who 
perished in a fire in the early days of the Apollo program. The 
citizens of Mitchell have dedicated a memorial to his memory.
  I am pleased to join with the citizens of Mitchell in celebrating its 
150th Anniversary. I am pleased to give special recognition to Jeff 
Routh and the members of the Mitchell Chamber of Commerce, as well as 
those others who made it possible for present and future generations to 
enjoy the history of Mitchell through their research.

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