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The
following is an article written by Ralph Wilson, when he was the editor
of the Tyler County Journal, about 1937. TRAVELIN'
AGAIN As I said last week, I like new roads and country roads best of all for exploration, and happily Mrs. Wilson likes the same, so we toured for a while Sunday afternoon over the hills of Tyler. As we were taking a friend to Joseph Mills, the domain of Uncle Dudley, where you can elect to either travel towards Pennsboro or West Union, we decided to take the left hand road which we traveled for a few miles and then turned sharply to our left, leaving the gravel road which follows Middle Island Creek, and climbed the hill, passing the old Ireland farm and on up around a winding grade which brought us on top of a ridge headed toward Wilbur. The scene viewed from along the ridge road was very beautiful and there are many trees ranged along that road which are now dressed in the most gorgeous robes – colors of all descriptions blending one into the other. A few maples could be seen down in the fields as we drove along which were magnificent, beautiful to see in their golden-yellow garb. “Welcome” Directly we came to a wood on the left side of the winding, shaded road and then to an abandoned school building near a nice picnic grove, cleared out of the wood just back of the building. We stopped and looked into the building and saw the word “WELCOME” written on the old wooden-blackboard. The seats still remain in the building but the stove which must have been a Burnside, has been removed. We wondered what memories the old building holds for teachers and pupils who attended school there. As we looked at the old black-board we visualized the arithmetic class standing there with broken pieces of chalk in hand “working” problems, probably along about 11:30 and we could see some young rogue slyly winking at “his girl” when the teacher’s back was turned. We later learned that it was the Duckworth School, or used to be. And that the grove close-by, a beauty spot, was owned by Mr. Noah Duckworth and was open for picnickers, and that Mr. Duckworth would sometimes come out and talk with a group and help eat the lunch, which would be fair trade, I believe. As we continued on out the ridge we soon came to a clean, attractive little village. We were not sure about the name of it so we asked and found that it was Wilbur. The gentleman we asked was a Mr. Stewart who lives in a house Mr. Wilbur Grimm of Stealey Street used to own and live in when he “run” a store, now torn down, close-by. We accepted a drink of water from the well on the lawn between the house and the old store location. We have since found out that Mr. Grimm caused the well to be dug when he lived there. The depth is only 24 feet, Mr. Stewart told us, but the water tasted mighty good. "Wilbur” In mentioning WILBUR, this would be an appropriate moment to tell, or remind many, that the hamlet over in McElroy district, near the Centerville district line, was named after one of our Middlebourne citizens. Mr. Wilbur Grimm, former resident and merchant of that community, as we have already pointed out. Mr. Grimm, it seems was one of a group of citizens who was working to get a post office established in that community, about 46 or 47 years ago. The place was then known as Fairview ridge. The post office could not be called Fairview because of another one across the country already called by that name. Several names were submitted by the committee and in signing as a committeeman, Mr. Grimm signed his name, Wilbur Grimm. When the notice came back of the selection of the name it was WILBUR. The village naturally accepted the name of the post office as its own name. As we drove through Wilbur we noticed the home of Mr. W.E. Doak, who is known as Captain Doak, with its summer house set in an attractive lawn. We noticed the concrete stile in front, a necessary utility for every home a few years ago, used supposedly only by women to mount the side-saddle, but we all know that the men built them so that they could load their grists from the old style block when they took a couple of bushels horse-back to mill. Other citizens living up there who have been pointed out to us are Alton Connoway, prominent citizen of the community, and Eli Ash, a former member of the County Court. “Camp Mistake” From Wilbur we drove around and up to the Fairview Baptist Church. And the name “Fairview” is rightly applied because the view from that point is grand. Wilbur which is located on a ridge looks to be in a valley from the church. We have been informed that we were looking out over Camp Mistake run, the name we were told, came from the story that some hunters, long ago, were camped on the run. One morning they broke camp and traveled all day. Along about dusk they sighted a camp, which I can imagine was a welcome thing to the tired, traveling hunters. The camp was the same one they had left that morning – they had traveled in a circle all day. The late Bishop William M. Weekley of the United Church was born over in the Camp Mistake territory, according to old-timers. As the road forks at the Fairview Church, both being inviting, Mrs. Wilson and I could not decide which one to travel so we turned and came back to Wilbur, out by the cemetery and down Jefferson run, past the J. Marshall Smith home, to the junction near Centerville. A most interesting trip to both of us, and I might add that Tyler County has plenty of scenes to boast about. We intend to see more of them.
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