Doomsday, March 15, 1965 (Huntingburg, Indiana)

[Saucerian]

On the Doomsday/Apocalypse thread, I mentioned hearing from the kids at school and a teacher about a woman who was predicting the End of the World, or Doomsday, for March 16, 1965, which was reported on
the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite.

All thru the years since then, I have never been able to find out anything about this woman.

Well, finally, I found a newspaper article about this woman and her followers.

It is from the Indianapolis News of March 16, 1965. There obviously is a lot more to find out of the story behind this forgotten incident, and I will pursue it further time permitting.

And, meanwhile, anyone else who has the access to old newspapers and wants to find out more, please do so, and post your findings so that I, and other interested board members can learn more.

From the Indianapolis News, March 16, 1965

CHURCH WAITS

'Doomsday' Is Delayed

HUNTINGBURG, Ind. (AP)

The world has survived yesterday's ides of March, and
the Huntingburg Pentacostal Church congregation still
awaits word from its members on when to seal itself in
an abandoned coal mine

The old mine near St. Anthony has been furnished for
weeks with food, water, sleeping accommodations, a
hand-powered ventilator and a big concrete block for
closing the 4-foot entrance.

Eight families of the congregation are planning to
retire to the man-made cave for two weeks whenever
they are convinced that "great disasters" are at hand.

"We don't know the nature of the disasters," said Mrs.
Chester Tedrow, "and we never have known exactly when
they would come. He will tell us."

Mrs. Tedrow's daughter, Juanita Coomer, 29, made the
first prohecy last year.

Similar visions were reported later by the Rev. Ted
Kendall, pastor of the church, and Hazel Grooms, a
member of the congregation.

The early published accounts of the congregation's
preparations gave today as the probable day disaster
would strike the world.

"That was wrong," Mrs. Tedrow said today.

"We never have been told the time, and we understand
there will be a series of great destructions.

"We have been bothered so much the last few days by
people wanting to know when we were going into the
mine that I haven't had any sleep."

 

[EnolaGaia]

I found a newspaper article from January 29 (1965) describing more of the background to the project.

I've reconstructed the text from a jumbled OCR mass of text. I believe the reconstructed text below is in the correct sequence and represents no less than 95% of the article's text.

NOTE: I cannot verify that the (my own) paragraph decomposition matches the original article as printed.

THE KOKOMO DISPATCH
VOL 115-NO. 149
CITY EDITION
KOKOMO, IND., FRIDAY,. JAN. 29, 1965

ASSOCIATED PRESS NEWS ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS. . NEWSSTAND PRICE TEN CENTS

=====================

40 Seek Refuge in Mine
Hoosier Woman Predicts 'Coming Of Lord To Destroy All Wicked'

HUNTINGBURG, Ind. A woman's vision of the coming of the Lord which will "destroy all who are wicked on the earth," has prompted eight Huntingburg families to seek refuge in an abandoned coal mine.

The 40 persons, all members of Huntingburg Pentecostal Church, have equipped the mine 6 miles east of here with bunks, sanitary facilities, battery-powered lights and a ventilation system. The congregation, including Its pastor, the Rev. Ted Kendall, acted on a warning from Mrs. Juanita Coomer, 29, mother of two.

"It will not be the end of the world but rather a beginning of God's world," Mrs. Coomer said.

'She said she first received word of terrible destruction when she and her husband, Lonnie, were living in Petersburg,where he was employed as a coal miner. "After the Lord told me to go to Huntingburg, Lonnie quit his job, we sold our home and rented a house in' Huntingburg," she said.

She told the Rev. Mr. Kendall of her revelation and said that after praying he also received a message which confirmed her report. Mrs. Coomer said a member of the congregation, Mrs. Hazel Grooms of Shoals reported she also had received confirmation.

The congregation, reporting there is room in the mine for 60 more persons, has sent warnings to friends, relatives and acquaintances in 48 states.

The message reads:

"There isn't much time to get ready, there will be a coming of the Lord on the 16th of March. It will shake the earth that you are on and will destroy all who are wicked on the earth. Before this date, we are to gather food and 'water in abundance."

Mrs. Coomer said her vision contained a reference to the earth being "shaken from one end to the other" and a barren land that will be left. She received instructions to find "a place to lodge deep within the earth."

The mine purchased by her husband and her father, Chester Tedrow, a former mine operator, is the closest to the type 'described in her prophecy, she said. She said although she was instructed to stock the cavern with a three-month supply of food, they are preparing to live in the mine only two weeks.

A low tunnel, leading 150 feet Into the main caverns where the congregation will stay, will be sealed with a large stone slab. A nylon carpet covers a layer of straw on the hard stone floor.

"It's hard to explain how the word comes from Juanita," her mother said. "It's like the Lord speaking mouth - to - mouth through Moses in the Bible. She doesn't remember what came 'from her mouth afterward."

Mrs. Tedrow added, "Last June the voice from her said the great destruction would come March 16th next year, but His years are not like our years, so we are waiting for word on when to go into the shelter."

Mrs. Coomer said many of the replies received were critical of the venture. "Some don't believe, but a few were happy to learn of the coming of the Lord," she said.

SOURCE: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/44698765/
( ... incorporating text from pages 1 and 2 of this edition)

 

[Saucerian]

Many thanks for the transcript, EnolaGala. I wonder if many people in that group are still living today?

I suppose a few could still be around, and it would be interesting to find out what eventually happened to
the ones who aren't living now.

 

[EnolaGaia]

... I suppose a few could still be around, and it would be interesting to find out what eventually happened to the ones who aren't living now.

If Juanita Coomer was 29 in 1965 she'd be circa 82 today.

During my searching that led me to the article (above) I saw references to address hits on a Juanita Coomer in Indiana. There's an outside chance she's still alive.

 

[Saucerian]

Thanks for checking, and reporting!

 

[mugsy67]

Don't people predict doomsday all the time? Some people keep at it for years, slinking off when it doesn't happen, then reappearing later with new predictions.

 

[Saucerian]

Now that I have renewed my membership on newspapers.com, I plan to do more searches on how far back reports on the Doomsday March 15, 1965 Prophecies go, the 1965 report saying they started in 1964.

And, also a follow up on what eventually happened to Ms Coomer and her followers.

 

[AnonyJ]

Now that I have renewed my membership on newspapers.com, I plan to do more searches on how far back reports on the Doomsday March 15, 1965 Prophecies go, the 1965 report saying they started in 1964.

And, also a follow up on what eventually happened to Ms Coomer and her followers.

Scarily, a quick Google of her name + the town of Huntingburg, Indiana gave me her address, phone number and status as of 2016. Are people really that easy to track down in the U.S?

 

[Saucerian]

AnonyJoolz, I have done some searches on some "social" web pages that claim to have access to all kinds of records, on myself, and my friends and family, and I have found a great many inaccuracies in all kinds of details, so such searches must be done with caution.