Jean Davis, who has lived in Johnson County almost her entire life, stands next to the gown she wore in 1973 for the Sesquicentennial Queen pageant, which she won. Davis has been named the co-grand marshal of this year’s bicentennial celebration parade on Saturday, along with current Johnson County Fair Queen Jenna Kelsay.
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History seems to be repeating itself.
Jean Davis found herself at the center of a once-in-a-lifetime party in 1973. As an 18-year-old living in Clark Township, she had been named the county’s Sesquicentennial Queen, where she was grand marshal in the celebratory parade.
Fifty years later, Davis is again at the center of a milestone moment for the county. The longtime Johnson County resident has been chosen to be co-grand marshal for the bicentennial parade being held during the Franklin Fall Festival on Saturday. She’ll be joined by Jenna Kelsay, this year’s Johnson County Fair Queen.
To be again featured in such a joyous celebration of community history has been magical for Davis.
“Never did I think that when I entered the contest, that I would be involved 50 years later in another centennial celebration,” she said. “It’s been an unforgettable experience, both then and now.”
In the early months of 1973, all of Johnson County was gearing up for the 150th birthday celebration. A sign had been installed at the start of the year at the refurbished log cabin museum on West Madison Street proclaiming it to be the “Sesquicentennial Headquarters.”
An opening ceremony would be held on March 8, the sesquicentennial ball was scheduled for May 19 at Franklin College, and a special parade was planned on July 21.
Early in the year, a call went out for young women throughout the community to vie for the title of Sesquicentennial Queen.
“I identified like that immediately. I had lived in Johnson County at that time my whole life,” she said. “I had an interest in history and antiques, and my parents always had an interest with the museum. So there were multiple things that lined up for me.”
Davis, who at the time was known as Jean Becker, was an 18-year-old graduate of Whiteland High School attending Shelbyville Beauty School. Her family lived on a farm in Clark Township, and she had been a 10-year member of 4-H.
Growing up, she had the opportunity to represent Johnson County many times at the state fair level through her participation in 4-H.
“I was always so proud to say I was from Johnson County when I entered my projects,” she said.
On April 7, 1973, 12 area women gathered inside the auditorium of Greenwood Community High School for the competition. They gave personal interviews to the judges, and dazzled with their personal style in the evening gown competition.
Davis set herself apart with her unique gown — a halter-style dress with a Peter Pan collar.
“It was a special dress for me. My mother worked downtown in Franklin, and during her lunch hour, she had gone to Newkirk’s Dress Shop on Jefferson Street. She had found this particular dress she liked, and brought it home for me as a surprise,” she said. “That dress was a new-style dress at the time. It fit perfect and that’s what I used for the contest.”
At the end of the night, the judges gave their decisions. Davis was deemed the winner.
“I truly was surprised. Obviously, I was very happy, and ready to do that role and take part in all of the events going forward,” she said.
The next five months were filled with celebratory events. As queen, she and her court were present at nearly all of them, including presiding over the Sesquicentennial Ball in May, a memorial service in June and handing out trophies for the 150th anniversary golf tournament at Hillview Country Club in July.
Davis still remembers the excitement among the community for the various events.
“There was a huge turnout for the parade. I remember the streets were lined with people,” she said.
Davis ended up spending almost all of her life in Johnson County, working locally for many years in accounting at both Franklin College and at the Indiana Masonic Home, the latter for 34 years. She still loves antiquing, and spends much of her time in her outdoor flower beds. She’s also a huge Pacers fan.
Her three children grew up in the county, and it holds a special place in her heart.
So when David Pfeiffer, director of the Johnson County Museum of History, reached out to Davis to see if she had any items from the sesquicentennial to include in the bicentennial celebration, she was excited.
She had held on to some important mementos, including her gown, crown, sash and other memorabilia. She was excited to display them for the community to see.
“I wanted to share some of the things I had kept all of these years. I was glad other people were going to get to see them and hopefully enjoy them,” she said.
Having such an important connection to the past has made the bicentennial that much more special, Pfeiffer said.
“For us, it’s a wonderful sense of continuity to history, to have her involved 50 years after being the Sesquicentennial Queen,” he said. “It’s also shown me what an impact events in our past have on individuals.”
Organizers also thought it was fitting to invite Davis to be co-grand marshal of the bicentennial parade.
“I also think the juxtaposition of having her as co-grand marshal with the current county fair queen is a wonderful moment,” Pfeiffer said.
Davis has been relishing the energy in the community as the bicentennial celebration gets closer.
“I’m really excited for the parade, and excited that they asked me to be a part of that. I’m hoping to see a lot of people in Franklin who I maybe don’t always get to see every day,” she said.
