Hampton Weed settled Beech Bluff.  He had a dam there across the Little Wabash and a mill; it was an easy thing for others to settle near. Since settlers came to Leech in the 1820’s and before, it is likely that the settlement was made on the river at about that time. There was an old buffalo and Indian trail that crossed the river there. Flatboat making was a thriving industry there for some time. It was on those flatboats that pork and corn were sent down the river to New Orleans. That was a round-about way, the meandering Little Wabash, the Big Wabash, the Ohio, and the Mississippi. It was a trade route, and so the river served its purpose. Bob Hardy was the last to operate a store there. Trader DuBois was drowned in the river there, likely the first such tragic death in the county.

Wabash, later called Scottsville, on the old buffalo trail and later the stage coach trail just east of the old iron bridge is in section 23. It was the central stopping place between Fairfield and Albion in the stage coach days. It was there the horses were changed. The stop was a short one; the man who was in charge of the teams always had them ready to make the change in a few minutes when the coach arrived. It is related that  when the coach came from the west that there was a wall of rock just east of the river and that the driver blew his horn against that rock so that the sound would carry to Wabash so that the teamster would have the horses ready.  ** Bill Woods told the story of blowing the horn against the rock.

If the coach came from the east, it could be seen as it came down the long hill, and the fresh horses could be ready in a minute. The store and postoffice was on the corner of Estate and Main Streets, the southwest corner. Robert Monroe was responsible for laying out the village but it was never surveyed. **  Wayne County History

The Scott family had lived there moved away and then returned to settle permanently in 1857.  William Scott, born in Wales,  August 25. 1826,  was the father of the several Scott families that later made that their home and after whom the village later became known.

Nick McCowan was one ot the first, if not the first, store keepers in Wabash. The stagecoach brought the mail twice each week. On those days the settlers came for their mail, if they had any, and see the stagecoach go by.  Before the stagecoach line came through, the people of this region went to albion for their mail.  Mail time for them came only once every few months.  The stagecoach line came through sometime in the early 1840's possibly a little earlier.   **  Sam Crews gave this information

The store was not overstocked, for the pioneers did all their own cooking and sewing.  There was one thing the store always had, whisky.  There was never a saloon in Wabash, however.

Later the Scotts had several homes in the village and gradually the place became known as Scottsville through the post office was always WABASH.  There was a hooper and a tanner in the town.  The cobbler made as well as mended shoes.  The pioneers often did much of their own cobbling.  **  My mother gave the rest of Scottsville history.

There were four Scott brothers.  After the father had died, the mother lived many years on the northeast corner of the cross streets between where the school now stands and the street.  Later she lived in a house on the southeast corner of that square.  Of the four brothers, two were farmers, two blacksmiths.  Scottsville spread over more territory then than it does now.  On the hill to the east edge of town were three large oaks and so that part of town was called "The Three Oaks".  On the south side of the road on that hill where Bertice Pettigrew now lives, Bill Scott, a blacksmith , had his home.  The blacksmith shop was across the road; a well is the only reminder of that shop. On the same side of the road but west of the shop was the home of John Scott,  farmer.  Pomp Scott built a beautiful home on the northwest corner of the street intersection, with a portico in front. Some trees, a well, and an oil well are the only things left there today, Pomp was a black smith.  To the south of Scottsville near the Hill 0 'Daniel home, Jeff Scott, farmer, had his home. Ed Glover was the merchant at the store at about this same time or a little later. He kept the usual commodities, also whisky and shoes. Tile hoop factory was an important phase of early life there.  Hoop cop factories were in each town.

The village had various merchants. Robert Rook kept store there for several years after the Civil War.  After some misunderstanding with some of the Scott brothers, he left there to go to York. The store was finally moved across the street on the southeast corner of the square where Delbert West now lives.

Dr. N. P. Merrit, was born in Breckinridge County, Kentucky, December 26, 1926.  After medical service in the Civil War he attended medical school in Cincinnati and then came to Scottsville in 1871. He practiced medicine in this territory ten years,  moving to Ellery in 1881 as soon as the railroad reached that place and a town was laid our. When there, he was on the Edwards County side cf the line, but his practice continued in Leech as well as Edwards. It was while he was at Scottsville and the store was in his home that coffee made its  first appearance in this region. It was in two large bags, large as grain bags.  The grains were green. People had been told it made a delicious drink, but water poured over those whole green berries still tasted like water. The bags of coffee were thrown in the barn loft and left there two years. Finally someone else came and told about that delicious drink coffee.  **  Facts of Dr. Merrit's recorded from Wayne History.

That person told that the berries of coffee should be browned in the oven and then ground and then placed in boiling water to make the drink.  That was tried, and the bags of coffee were rescued from the loft to be sold.
**  Bill Woods told the coffee story.

There was no school the Scottsville for a long time.  The first children of the town went to Brushy Church, where  school was held a short time. Then they went to the Allison School to the southeast of the village and. to the north of the Samuel Allison  home.   Later a school was built in Scottsville near the corner  in the section where it now stands. Later the present building was  built back farther from the road.

Scottsville never had a church.  There was a camp ground a short distance to the west, and the Brushy Church was a short distance to the northeast.  A cemetery is a half quarter west of Scottsville on the south side of the road.  In it twelve Civil War veterans were buried.

The store was again moved back to its first site.
Jim Brown kept the last store there the first decade of this century.  Scott Wylie had the last sere in Scottsville at his home where Mollie Wylie now lives.  He quit the store business in the early thirties.

The school no longer functions there.  An oil pump near the school vigorously  pumps oil twenty-four  hours each  day.  There are no business houses there now, just a few dwelling houses; those of Earl Kendall, Jake Kendall, Mollie Wylie, Delbert West, and John Spruell.  Bertice Pettigrew lives on the  hill to the east that used to be busy center of the village.

A tragedy happened in or near Scottsville in the Civil War days, days of suspicion for we were near the border. A stranger came to town.  it was not only a time of suspicion, it was a period to take the law into ones own hand at times.  The man was killed likely hanged, and was said to be a southern spy. There was another story whispered about.   There had been a poker game the night before, and the stranger had been too lucky, too lucky to keep the money and his life.  He was buried to the west of Scottsville near Chandler, on the hill, on the north side of the road, just across the road from a woods which still is there. For a long time the grave was marked by having four fence posts and barbed wire around it. Now that is gone; for several years the grave has been farmed over. An oil well pumps almost on the spot of the grave.

Scottsville lost the post office when the railroad came to Ellery, rather when Ellery was created. The doctor left the village; the other businesses, except the store, gradually moved away. It had served its purpose in the old stagecoach days.

The post office Wabash was moved for a time to Scottstation, a village that sprang up as the railroad reached that section about 1882 There had been some resentment about the post office going to Ellery, in fact that there was an Ellery.  Scottstation was only a mile west of Ellery, but it soon had a general store, where the post office was kept, and a few dwelling houses. It did have a saloon. But it soon died away. Now two houses remain.

Ellery, the town on the border of Wayne and Edwards was created in 1880 and was named after the man who surveyed the railroad right of way and the town blocks.  As William Lines had donated many lots for the village and had been instrumental in securing the stock pens built there on the railroad, it was suggested that the town should be called Linesville, but when that name was submitted for the post office, it was rejected; there was a Linsville in the state.

The post office has always been on the east side of the street in Edwards County, and so the town is listed as in Edwards County. The business section is now and has ever been much in Wayne. Parth Scott was the first postmaster. She had the post office in her own home. The first mail by train came in one small bag, just a piece or two.

George Pettigrew had the first or one of the first stores in Ellerv. it was in Wayne just across the street from the present post office. Others later had a store in that same building. Morrie McKibben for a few years.  L. G. Lines had a store in Ellerv on the Edwards county side, and he began business from the times the lots were  ]aid out,  Al Kimbrell had a store near the same spot for several years; he was also postmaster the first decade of this century. A Mr. Land then kept store in the same building, and then two ladies operated a store there.  Nell McCollum Jones (the postmaster) and May Inskeep Woods.  Later May became the postmaster and moved the office to her home. Then Nell Rooke Murphy (whose father had an early store in Scottsville became postmaster and still is. In fact women have had the post office at Ellery since World War I.

Two blacksmiths shops were operated in Ellery from its beginning, one by W. W. Willis under the spreading sycamore tree where the garage now is. and one across the street operated by Edgar Scott.

The coming of the first train to Ellery was an
event.   Everyone turned out to watch it come in from the east. Most of those people had never ridden on a train. Some had seen the train before in Albion. They planned a picnic at Scottstation a mile west, everyone to go there on the train. There in a large grove the picnicers were to have a big basket dinner. Everyone was at the station in plenty of time to gee his ticket,  all but one "hired girl."  A young man had invited her to go with him. The matron for whom the girl worked watched and asked if he had bought a ticket for the girl; he had not. She muttered something about stingy people and bought the girl's ticket suggesting that the girl should not go with him again.  **  Margaret Allison went on the picnic, heard the conversation about. the girls ticket, and related the event as reported.

Though Ellery never had a school within its limits. it early built a church on the Edwards County side, a Christian church which still functions.

The past few years the depot has been closed; the stock pens have long since been removed. The old woolen mill that stood at the north end of Ellery opera e a few years. For several years a creamery operated at the  south end of Ellery, now the home of Rudy Beadles. There is still a good general store there, on the Wayne sIde, operated by Eddie Conover and his wife, the former Freda Judge.

A story of a town is the history of its people. One who always contributes to a community is the doctor.  Ellery has hd its share for a small town.  Dr. Merrit moved there from Scottsville in the town's beginning, in 1881. Dr. Samuel F. Haywood, born October 8, 1862, in New York City, practiced there several years. First he practiced in Paris, France  in 1892 until 1894. After .returning to America he served in the Spanish-American War.  Then he came to Ellery and practiced there until the death of his wife, which was a tragic one, she being burned when his home burned. **  Wayne County History

Dr. WIll lnskeep practiced there in the early days also, His office was in the corner of his yard, now the home of Clayton Piercy,  He was a greatly respected .physician during his practice there, and his early death was a blow to the town.

Dr. D. M. Miller came some years later, the first doctor of this century, and used the same office .  When he moved away, Ellery was left without  a physician.  None of these named lived on the Leech side of the line, just across the street, but they served the Leech territory.

As the railroad moved westward, the town of Golden Gate was laid out.  There had been settlements in that region, both on that ridge and to the west near the river and to the north but that was only a house or two.  On that ridge where Golden Gate now is, the terrapins used to crawl and sun themselves.

 In high water time, that was the only dry ground in a long distance. On that high snot pioneers herded their stock when the backwater began rising rapidly.

A story is told of a flock of sheep that had been herded on that ridge. The water was all around it.  When one sheep starts in any direction, the whole flock will follow, and there is no stopping them. Something, perhaps a dog, frightened a few of those sheep. One started in mad flight toward the water; all the other sheep followed at a mad pace. There was no stopping them. They ran into the water, the ones behind unable to stop, and the mad rush pushing the ones in front into the water. All drowned. **  Chet Woods told me the story of the sheep

In 1881 or 1882 Golden Gate came into existence. There had been some difficulty in securing the right of way for the railroad from some land owners. The railroad had expected the people to donate the land in order to get the railroad. One in the Golden Gate area refused to permit the railroad to advance across his land. As stock ran outside at that time, the stock often came around the houses, unless they were fenced out. There was a house with a porch near where the railroad now is in the town. Gates were made and put around the porch to keep the stock off the porch at night, but in the day time the people could keep the animals away. That was the man who refused to donate land for a right of way suddenly the gates came down, and the railroad advanced westward. There were whispers of payment having been made, and so the name GOLDEN GATE was given in derision. There are other legends that vary slightly about the origin of the name. One is that as men worked near the river area one remarked as they started to return that they would go to the golden gate, the gate being painted yellow.  Philip King told me the naming of the town

R. P. Murphy was the first post master. He also had a store there for several years. At first there was an inconvenience concerning the mail. The signal for stopping had been placed too far to the east and so each day the mail had to be carried down the track to load the mail on the train.

In the early days Golden Gate had its saloons.
Its thriving business was a stave mill on the Little Wabash to the west and south of the town.  At the close of the last century and the first of this one, that mill was a very busy center.

Many merchants have done business there.  Tom Baird had a store for a while.  Then Rollie Hawkins did a thriving business there.  For a while after the town was laid out, some saw it as a possible boom town.  Melvin Johnson and William Weaver went were early merchants, but they soon sold out.  Oscar Hoffee operated a store there several years, also Chet Knodell, and Roy Johnson.  The Elliot store is now the business center there.  Clarence Rigg was the first to bring a restaurant to Golden Gate;  he did that about the time of World War I.  The garage followed the blacksmith shop.  Now Dwight Gardner operates a lime, potash, and rock phosphate business there.  The French elevator has long been in business there.  George Nichels for several years operated a lumber yard there.  Herschel French operated the elevator there.

Golden Gate had its doctors too.  Men who gave day and night services to the town and countryside, slow trips by horse and buggy, even by boat during high water.  Dr. E. L. Apple came there from Indiana the first part of this century and practiced there several years, then moved to Albion.  Later he returned to Golden Gate and continued practice until a short time before his death in the autumn of 1948.

Dr. Taylor came there from Canada, but he stayed only a short time and moved away.

Dr. G. A. McDonald then came from one of the eastern states and practiced there several years.

Dr. Joe Simpson, son of John W Simpson, who was son of William Simpson Jr., practiced in Golden Gate several years.  He married Rosa Smith and had three children.

Speaking of doctors we need to mention one who came to this region very early, not to Golden Gate  nor to Ellery; neither existed when he came.  Dr. Hatfield came to eastern Leech.  Someone sent him to the Samuel Allison home to board and practice, as that seemed to be a home for any who needed it.  But Aunt Suse decided she did not want a boarder; she sent him to a neighbor, where he stayed just few days and then came back to the Allison home asking to stay.  That was in the late 1850's.  He practiced in this region using the Allison home as his headquarters.  There were many settlers in the bottom region; malaria was common, also chills.  It is likely he contracted malaria while serving his patients.  He became quite ill.  Before he died, he asked to be buried on a very high hill on the northeast side of the Little Wabash on what is now the Glenn Saxe farm.  He made the statement that the back water would never reach the top of that hill.  So it was he who was the first one to be buried in that old cemetery.

There was another doctor who practiced in Leech from 1909 until 1913.  Dr. Hugh Q Allison, who returned to his home after graduation from the Barnes Medical School of St. Louis.  He did not intend to build a practice there;  patients began to come.  He built a large practice over the countryside , but he decided he needed a town office and moved to Grayville, where he has practiced ever since, except for the period he served in the medical Corps in World War I.

To all these men the township pays respect for rendering service to the good health of this territory. Without health, the township would not thrive.

When Samuel Leech made a dam across the Little Wabash north of the present site of the old iron bridge at rock bottom west of Scottsville, and established a mill there, that spot became a busy center. A few houses were near. The first school house of the district was there, near the old Anderson place south of the bridge. To the west of the river at that point is bottom lands and so the busy center was on the east side. Leech was a very energetic man and left his mill business at the river to go to Fairfield to be the first officer of about all offices there, and all at the same time.

Later John Pulleyblank  and A. C. Scott built a second darn, just south of the bridge. When the water is low, the old piles of the darn can still be seen.

The bridge, the first of its kind across the Little Wabash, the so-called old Iron Bridge, or the Scottsville Bridge, is in section 21, T2S, R9E. It was built, or finished, in 1865 at a cost of $4,000 and 12,000 acres of swamp laud. When it was dedicated a little later, that was a great day for the community and the county. It was a connecting link between Albion and Fairfield on the old buffalo trail, later the old stagecoach trail. A platform was built for the speakers at the dedication and celebration. Whole families went for the day, took their baskets of picnic dinners and had a holiday. Ice cream was sold there that day. Many from this community saw and tasted their first ice cream at that dedication. Jim Ewing, to make the event more spectacular, climbed to the top of the bannisters and walked across the river. That likely attracted more attention of some people than the speaking.  **  Wayne County History gives the date of dedication and cost.   **. Margaret Allison told of the picnic, the ice cream, and Ewing's high walk.

This was always a popular place at the time the circus passed through the country. In those early days the circus went by road from town to town, the few animal cage wagons drawn by horses. The larger animals walked, the camels and elephants. As the river was mid-spot between the long trek between Fairfield and Albion, the stop was made there to water the animals. That gave a free show to the on-lookers who had sat there long hours waiting for the circus to arrive. Once while a bear was being watered, the people crowded too close to watch, especially some small boys. While the keeper was a short distance away, the bear turned to attack. The people scrambled as fast as they could.

Jake Stroup, a small boy was unable to move so fast as the elders.  He was nearest the bear, and it turned on the boy.  The father, George Stroup, seeing the child in danger, grabbed the bear by the tail and served as a brake on the bear as it chased the boy.  He was able to slow down the bear's speed until the keeper could reach the animal and control it.  The boy was not hurt, just badly frighten.  The Stroup family lived south of the bridge at that time.   **  Bill Woods told the bear story

The old bridge is not often used now and is condemned.

There was another post office for the township for several years, Gum Corner in the bottoms in the south part of the township.  It was so called because it was on the corner of crossroad and tall gum trees stood about.  There was a store there also.  In the horse and buggy days it was a long trip for those people down there to go to town, and so the store and the post office were conveniences in that region.  The mail was brought from Mill Shoals to Liberty by back and then taken from that post office to Gum Corner.  The store was west of the J. J. Williams home.  Leaf Merritt was perhaps the first postmaster.  Ben Cravins served later and then Winnie Merritt.  The last postmaster was Fred Gregus.   **  Emery Messerole and Loren Campbell named the Gum Corner [postmasters/

Those have been the towns and post offices.   There have been other centers besides the churches and schools.  A township nine by six is a large one for people to go to one center to vote.  There are still two voting places, Golden Gate and Moffit.  In the early days Chandler School was a voting place for those in that community.