By Mike Avitt This week’s picture is a scan of an old 1932 Standard Oil road map and focuses on Ringgold County. The map indicates the locations of Standard Oil service stations with a blue, circled “S” and I count eight in Ringgold County. I got asked about one of these stations so this week…

By Mike Avitt I did not plan an article this week so we’ll continue with Mount Ayr houses and I’ll give you some information I left out of last week’s article. Although I’m not a member, I sometimes attend meetings of the Ringgold County Historic Preservation Commission. I like to call myself a “consultant” but…

By Mike Avitt Brothers Randolph and Walter Beall issued a special edition of their newspaper, Twice-A-Week News, on June 12, 1896. That special edition highlighted the growth and people of Rinngold County and the issue was loaded with pictures. This week’s picture is one of those photos. A house belonging to Mrs. W. C. Manson…

By Mike Avitt Thanks again to Grover Hahn for another historic photo. This time we see his grandfather and other relatives in a rare, old football picture. I’ll give you the names I have and then I’ll share my problem with this photo. Second from left, back row, is identified as Basil Willey. Clyde Rusk…

By Mike Avitt This photo comes courtesy of Dr. Grover Hahn and shows a lumber yard for which I previously had no photo. I knew it was there and I knew where and when. Allow me to explain. I have many resources at my disposal including the Sanborn plat maps of Mount Ayr which are…

By Mike Avitt I knew where this house was as soon as I got the photo in my hands. I used to work on houses and I have driven all over Mount Ayr looking at the style, construction makeup, and age of houses for many, many years. The house in this week’s article is that…

By Mike Avitt I’ll ask my readers to take note of an upcoming event in Benton on March 15, 2025. The Benton Museum will be hosting an Open House from 2 to 4 p.m. to show off the new, remodeled museum section in the Benton Community Center. I got a sneak-peek recently while attending supper…

By Mike Avitt In my research, I often come across historical information and artifacts from areas outside Ringgold County. I have made contact with several historians in neighboring counties and I share items of interest with those neighboring museums or societies. Sometimes, I am the recipient. That is the case with this week’s photo. It…

By Mike Avitt This is the best picture I have of the well on the southeast corner of the Mount Ayr square. The photo was taken from the roof of a building that sat where city hall is today and is looking north to the Timby building. I know this photo was taken between 1891…

By Mike Avitt This week’s picture appears to have been taken from an upstairs window on the west side of the Mount Ayr square. Professional photographer M. G. Maxwell was located upstairs at 107 S. Fillmore from 1899 until 1902. We will continue with our December 1893 tour of the square courtesy of J. S.…