I took this photo in March 2010 at Ringgold Cemetery. The gate faces east, so a morning shoot is best. This is the oldest man-made site in Ringgold County. The cemetery was established by Charles Schooler about 1847 when he buried his wife and child there. Of course, these graves are unmarked and it is…

I was asked about the life and career of Mount Ayr attorney Frank Wilson. I don’t have much on Frank, but his father was once one of the most well-known men in Ringgold County. Plus, there is a legacy to discuss, so let’s look at the Henry Havelock Wilson family. Page 71 of the “Early…

By Mike Avitt Many years ago, the Mount Ayr Depot Museum was gifted a scrapbook from the Ringgold County Cattlemen’s Association. I can no longer locate that scrapbook, but I had some success searching different words and phrases on the digitized newspapers. Let’s take a look at the beginning of that association. The August 22,…

I took this picture on May 11, 2022 at Shannon City. During the summer, this building is completely engulfed in weeds and brush and is therefore invisible. I believe this building is the remains of the Shannon City Christian Church located two blocks north of the Community Church. The window configuration, the height and the…

This photo is one of many photos that were developed from glass negatives found in the old Record-News office. The newspaper office moved from 119 N. Taylor in 1988 and many glass negatives were discovered in the process. I put all the photos in the 1913 to 1915 range. This picture shows a dog called…

By Mike Avitt Mount Ayr’s first brick school was built in 1875 and added onto in 1881. This was the only high school in Ringgold County at this time and it attracted many students. A new building was needed. Buried on page 8 of the May 2, 1895 Mt. Ayr Journal were the results of…

By Mike Avitt Ringgold County’s first courthouse was a log structure northeast of the Mount Ayr square. The second courthouse was a two-story, frame building on the east side of the square. By the 1880s, the railroad was in place, the population was rapidly rising, and a new, beautiful courthouse was needed. Excavating for the…

By Mike Avitt Last week we looked at the Ringgold County Home, also known as the Poor Farm, in the first 10 or 12 years of its existence. Remember, we are looking at the wood-frame structures that preceded the brick building built in 1922. This week we’ll look at the years 1894 to 1906. Again,…

I don’t have any images of Ringgold County’s first “Poor Farm.” I took several photos of our second county home, one of which is seen with this week’s article. Our county home, called the Poor Farm in the early days, was established in 1883 to provide care for paupers, orphans, cripples, feeble-minded and blind individuals.…