Snapshot of History by Mike Avitt

Last week I wrote about Ringgold County’s first church building in section 12 of Jefferson Township. It probably faded away slowly as I can’t find an official abandonment. It was a log structure and likely without a heat source such as a fireplace or wood-burning stove. The building would have been open to damage by…

The Bever-Grimes Cemetery, seen here, is located in section 12 of Jefferson Township. One half block west of this gate is a sign that reads: Pleasant Ridge United Brethren 1857-1874 Site of First Church Building in Ringgold County. My interest in this topic was renewed recently as I came into possession of the secretary minutes…

I took this week’s photo on May 18, 2016 on Decatur Street in Kellerton. There were many two-story, brick bank buildings in Ringgold County at one time. This is the last one still standing. And I found the two men most responsible for its existence. Willis Wilbur Peasley was born in Essex County, New York…

I took this week’s photo on April 19, 2005. I just liked the way the barn looked with half its boards missing. Not too many years later, the barn was dismantled. But, with this picture, future generations will be able to see what we saw in 2005. I just got back from Mexico and have…

I took this week’s photo in 2002. It shows the former Warin Oil Service Station in Maloy which closed in March 1986. Coincidently, Johnny Warin, the founder of Warin Oil Company, died the same month. This is one of the earliest photos I took in Ringgold County strictly for historic reasons. Let’s look at Maloy…

Hardware stores are a very broad topic. There are an abundance of categories that fit under the “hardware” umbrella. And hardware stores used to be so common, we forget how many there were. I will solve that issue right now. For a brief amount of time, there were four hardware stores on the north side…

Mack and Jeanine Greene donated some photos to the Mount Ayr Depot Museum recently and I want to tell you about them. These photos are somewhat difficult to view because most are “panoramas” taken from a distance. I have scanned these photos at a high resolution and then I zoom in to try and pick…

By Mike Avitt Carrie Main and I put together a picture slide show that was shown in the Princess Theatre during the Mount Ayr Sesquicentennial Celebration on September 19, 20, and 21. It was well received and I appreciate that, but…….I would do some things different if I were to do this again. I recall…

By Mike Avitt The Mount Ayr Sesquicentennial Celebration committee asked people to bring their historic Mount Ayr artifacts to be displayed in the courthouse during the event and many did. This week’s picture came from the Rideta Electric Cooperative table and shows their two buildings at 111 and 113 South Fillmore Street. I know that…