OLDn’NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTY
George Merideth left Monday for Cedar Rapids, IA.
There is considerable sickness in the community at this writing.
W S Campbell and H C Yeakey now have phones in their residences.
Several from here delivered hogs Monday to J W Swetnam at 4 cents a pound.
Mrs. Homer Cavanaugh of Moberly has been visiting her father-in-law, H B Cavanaugh and family.
Sam Broaddus, who had his hand so severely mashed in the sawmill several days ago, has been suffering greatly with it for the past several days, but is resting better at present.
Rev Campbell will preach at Eldad next Sunday at 11o’clock. All invited.
These are just a few items in the Huntsville Herald, January 22, 1908. And they were in the Darksville section. Darksville is on the east side of Dark’s Prairie in the northwest part of Randolph County. The old town site is across the road from what used to be Floyd Riley’s Brangus Ranch just off State Road C north of Huntsville. People first settled in the area of Darksville and the Eldad community about 1829. Darksville became a town in 1856, about 10 years before Moberly.
As is so often the story in these old towns, Darksville had a lot of businesses. In 1884 there was a grocery, drug store, blacksmith shop, cabinet shop, sawmill and corn mill, a wagon shop and a shoe shop. The local Grange operated a tobacco factory. Dr. Willard Terrill and his son Dr Robert Terrill were the early doctors in Darksville. Later Dr F.L. McCormick began the practice of medicine there. After serving in World War I, he and his wife Mae Broaddus McCormick moved to Moberly with sons FL and Harold. Dr McCormick started McCormick Hospital and was Mayor of Moberly for several terms. His son Harold became a Dr and practiced medicine in Randolph County for many more years.
I watch Antique Road Show. People show up with chairs made by some famous maker, but I have never seen one made by Rev J E Ancell. Rev Ancell’s cabinet shop was famous for chairs in Randolph County and according to an article on Darksville by Mildred Terrill, many people in the Darksville area had ‘Ancell chairs’. Now wouldn’t that be a great addition to our Randolph County Historical Museum? Mildred also mentioned that Mrs Martha Gaines, the telephone operator, and her husband made molasses every fall and kids would stop by their house on the way home from school for a sample.
Two ‘Darksvillians’ will have their own column space at a later time. John Hall, the inventor of the breech loading rifle, is one of the more famous people to have lived in Randolph County. His son, William A Hall, was a well known public servant in the state and nation throughout his life.
QUICK NOTES
I have spent some very rewarding times in the past two weeks. Both of them were Rotary International projects. First, I got to read a book to the third grade classes of Mrs. Lowry and Mrs Danielson at Gratz Brown School. It was a part of National Children’s Book Week and the Rotary literacy project. Next, I got to ring the bell at Wal~Mart in the Salvation Army hut. I was quite thankful for the hut, since it was windy and colder than the dickens that day. Anyway, the reason that I brought this up is that I got to looking through my old school books and found my third grade reader. I took it to Gratz Brown for show and tell. I’m sure it must be historical. It was printed in 1934.
HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWS
We’re gearing up for Christmas gift sales at the History Center. T-shirts, polo shirts, sweatshirts, caps, mugs and plates with Wabash or Norfolk Southern logos are the hottest sellers. Four Wabash rail fans from St Louis, Foristel, ———– and Oskaloosa, KS met here Saturday and got a tour of the Railroad Museum and Historical Center. They were impressed with the quality of our collection and went home with several souvenirs and gift items. Two other gifts are going well: the reprint of the book Old Families of Randolph County and the three volume set of Ralph Gerhard’s History of Moberly. Stay and take a quick stroll through the museum while you’re there.