(BROOKVILLE, Ind.) – Are you curious what was happening in Franklin County 80 years ago this week? 

It was the return of the Franklin County Corn Husking Contest, of course! 

The annual competition had taken place for many years but was postponed from 1941 to 1945 due to World War II. 

It returned on November 7, 1946 and was the only competition of its kind in Indiana that year. 

The contest took place on the farm of Charles Klemme and it was sponsored by the Brookville Chamber of Commerce. 

Farmers competed to see who could shuck the most bushels of corn in an 80-minute timeframe. 

Springfield Township farmer Harold Bruns was no stranger to the competition as he had won the 1938 and 1939 contests. 

Bruns shucked 39.54 bushels of corn in 80 minutes to win first place in 1946. He received $50 in prize money and a trophy. 

The second place finisher was Roy Brack who shucked 35.37 bushels of corn.

“Brack and Bruns were virtually neck and neck throughout the contest and reached the end of the forty rows and made the turn at the same time, forty three minutes after the start of the contest,” according to The Brookville Democrat. 

This was certainly not a small event as it involved 10 referees, 3 weighers, 20 gleaners, 3 tabulators, 3 sample committees and 2 timers. 

The 1946 Franklin County Corn Husking Contest was featured as the top story in The Brookville Democrat on November 14, 1946.

All information and the photo in this story was featured in that newspaper article.