Snapshots of History by Mike Avitt

By Editor | December 23, 2025 |

Tuskeego is in Decatur County between Lamoni and Kellerton. I took several photos of the last two original buildings at Tuskeego around 2016. Both are gone now. Tuskeego is an unusual name and as such, it is easy to research in the digitized newspapers.
The digitized newspapers have a search feature that works well with certain words and phrases. Obscure and unusual words appear less frequently and this narrows down my search. The Ringgold Record newspapers go back to 1872. I like to type a word in the “search box” and see when that word first appears in the newspaper. Here we go.
The word “Lamoni” first appears in the Ringgold Record in the September 13, 1879 issue. The paper quotes the Leon Journal saying, “The new railroad town in Fayette Township will be called Lamoni.” 1879 is the year Lamoni was incorporated and got the railroad. A settlement of some kind existed in the area many years before 1879. The name Lamoni comes from King Lamoni as described in the Book of Mormon.
Tuskeego first appears in 1883 but I’m convinced this village was established in 1879 as Tuskeego was on the Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy Railroad. The last time I find the church being used was November 1963.
The first mention of Blockton in the Ringgold Record is in the January 19, 1888 edition. This is the same month and year freight shipments began on the new railroad, the Chicago, St. Paul, & Kansas City. The town was started in 1887 as surveyors would have marked the right-of-way at least a half a year in advance of the rails.
Hatfield first appears in the June 14, 1883 Ringgold Record. Wikipedia says Hatfield got a post office in 1878. This town really held up well for not being close to a railroad or major highway. This location is about as remote as you can get.
Arispe isn’t mentioned until October 1891, four years after Arispe was established!
If I type “Tingley” in the search box I get Tingley Township and Tingley Cornwall. But, there was only one Lenox and it first comes up in 1873. Lenox probably got its start in 1871 with the construction of the Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy Railroad through there. I am choosing to dismiss what Wikipedia has to say.
Kew makes its first appearance in the August 4, 1881 Ringgold Record. The line states the new town has been laid out in Jefferson Township, Ringgold County. The surveyors for the Humeston & Shenandoah Railroad went through in 1881 and the trains came in the fall of 1882. Kew was a small community between Diagonal and Tingley. In January 1882, Messers Dolan and Cassady petitioned the county for a “consent highway” at Kew and were granted such. Kew had a post office from 1882 to about 1889.
Marena gets first mentioned in the August 26, 1875 newspaper. George Wyant had been appointed postmaster there. Mr. Wyant established a gristmill at Marena. These were slow, crude operations, but completely necessary for grinding corn and wheat. Marena was located in the center of Lincoln Township in northwest Ringgold County.
Well, I picked out some obscure names that I knew appeared after 1871 and maybe I’ll do the same thing with surnames in the future.

Posted in Snapshot of History by Mike Avitt