Snapshots of History

By Editor | January 8, 2025 |

Bank and Pythian Hall as seen in Diagonal before 1918.

By Mike Avitt
The building in this week’s article sat where the Diagonal bank building and post office sit today.
A fire on December 11, 1917 destroyed this building and most of its contents.
The building was erected in 1896, in part by the Knights of Pythias. The Pythian Hall (upstairs) was dedicated December 29, 1896 and was used as an assembly hall and community center, not just for K. of P. activities.
The Knights of Pythias are a fraternal order and secret society established February 1864 in Washington, D. C. The order was named after the Greek legend of Damon and Pythias and places the utmost importance on Friendship, Charity, and Benevolence (their motto).
Fraternal orders were numerous and common 130 years ago in Ringgold County.
The business on the ground floor, south side, was the general store of H. M. Polen. A small number of items were carried out of this business before the building was engulfed. The First National Bank was situated on the ground floor, north side.
The first bank in Diagonal opened the first week of April 1893. Henry Todd was the first customer and Mr. Payne was the cashier.
The bank moved into the brick building seen here in January 1897. At the time of the fire, the bank’s name was First National Bank.
There was one more occupant of the brick building at Third Street and Broadway, that being the newspaper plant of the Diagonal Progress.
The paper was situated in a rear room behind the bank.
The newspaper was established by W. A. Beard about May 1st, 1892. Mr. Beard was involved in organizing a Baptist congregation in 1894-95, but as far as I know, a church building was never constructed.
In the winter of 1896, Ora B. Overholser joined the Diagonal Progress, bringing with him the printing press used to produce the Knowlton newspaper. A court battle ensued and Overholser was awarded ownership of the press.
In April 1896, Beard sold his interest in the paper to Overholser Bros. I believe the other brother was Joel Overholser.
The newspaper went through a few more hands until March 1915 when Carson Williams bought the Diagonal Progress. In May 1917, Williams traded the paper to W. R. Rees for a general store.
Rees was the owner in 1917 when the business office burned taking past editions, photographs, and records with it.
Rees moved away and Carson Williams secured the Jessup building to start the Diagonal Reporter newspaper.
Williams explained in the debut issue (January 11, 1918) of his new paper that because the history and records of the Diagonal Progress had been destroyed, it was necessary to start the Diagonal Reporter, a new newspaper.
The history lost in the December 11, 1917 fire was enormous.
In June 1911, editor C. F. Quinn produced an issue with photos, biographies, and much Diagonal history. I hope this issue still exists somewhere. I have never seen it.
I got the information about the June 1911 Diagonal Progress from the Tingley Vindicator. And that’s the good news. Diagonal’s early history can still be gleaned from digitized newspapers like the Ringgold Record, Tingley Vindicator, Shannon City Messenger, Kellerton Globe, Clearfield Enterprise, Mount Ayr Journal, Twice-A-Week News, The Weekly News, the Lenox Timetable, Mount Ayr Record-News, et al.
I’m hoping the Blockton News will be digitized someday, along with the Grant City Star/Tribune and other local newspapers.
There is a surprising amount of Ringgold County news in out-of-county newspapers.