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Snapshots of History

November 12, 2025

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…

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Snapshots of History

November 5, 2025

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…

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Snapshots of History

October 29, 2025

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…

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Snapshots of History

October 22, 2025

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…

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Snapshots of History

October 15, 2025

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…

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Snapshots of History

October 8, 2025

The second railroad line to enter Ringgold County was certainly an “odd duck.” It began in Keokuk, Iowa in the early 1870s by the Missouri, Iowa, & Nebraska Railroad. It went from Keokuk to Alexandria, Mo. and then traveled west for many miles. The line re-entered Iowa at Appanoose County and finally reached Humeston and…

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Snapshots of History

October 1, 2025

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…

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Snapshots of History

September 24, 2025

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…

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Snapshots of History

September 17, 2025

By Mike Avitt A couple of things happened this week that I must mention. Tony Mercer announced that he has succeeded in getting the Ringgold County centennial books online for viewers at no cost. Tony has previously gotten most of Ringgold County’s newspapers and high school annuals online, as well. So, I was poking around…

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Snapshots of History

September 10, 2025

By Mike Avitt This week’s photo appears on page 183 of the book, “Early History of Ringgold County,” by Mrs. B. M. (Maryann) Lesan. I’m usually pretty good at narrowing down the date of undated pictures, but this one has me buffaloed. I know the date to be between 1917 and 1936, that’s all. I…

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