The Ripley County Courthouse square in Versailles.

(Versailles, Ind.) – James H. Tyson was a founding partner in the Walgreens Drug Store chain.

Tyson’s good fortune has been shared with the Town of Versailles over the past eight decades.

In 1930, Tyson created the Tyson Fund to generate grants to the town, the Tyson Library, and the Versailles Fire Department.

The 2010 round of grants totaling $506,435 were announced during a September 14 meeting recognizing Tyson’s birthday.

The Town of Versailles received a bulk of the grants with $358,435: $156,190 will be used for a water plant bond, $108,000 for an old water bond, $72,290 for a sewer bond, $10,000 to help codify ordinances, $8,000 to help promote the Versailles Pumpkin Show, $3,500 to maintain the Ripley County Courthouse clock tower, and $1,455 for blacktopping projects.

Another $110,000 will go to the Tyson Library for operating costs with the remaining $38,000 given to the local fire department to help pay for a fire truck.