Vanished Villas & Bygone Burgs

Montgomery County is rich in history and since the 1820s over 300 towns have existed; sadly, nearly all but a few dozen of these have disappeared or been forgotten.  There are still churches and cemeteries bearing the name of the old boroughs like Potato Creek (Church in Sugar Creek Township), Fruits Corner (Fruits Cemetery, Ripley Township), and also Shiloh (Cemetery in Union Township near 136).  Scouring the old Crawfordsville and county newspapers, plat maps, census records, and family histories often uncover more hamlets.  The discoveries usually lead to more exciting revelations.  A recent detection was the town of Roll's Run which was settled in 1828 in Coal Creek Township.  The matriarch of Roll's Run presumably would be "Aunt Polly" or Mary Roll.  She is one of the first eight charter members of the Pleasant Hill Church.  

Another fascinating area of Coal Creek Township was Bedbug Corner which received the name from, yes, TOO many bedbugs at the local Inn.  Bristle Ridge, also in Coal Creek Township, obtained its name because squatters would steal hogs, and to escape detection would hide the bristles under floorboards of cabins.  These bristles were later discovered when the squatters moved to other locations, and the name stuck.  There were also several name changes; Boston Store became Elmdale, Middletown became Waynetown, Valley City became New Ross, Clinesville became Bowers, and Binford became Garfield.  Numerous other places like Orth, Duck Pond Corner, Frog Island School, Gravelly Run, Hog Heaven, Iola, Little Egypt, Wringneck, Mount Olivet, Muddy Run, Pine Breeze, Soap Factory, Pumpkin Ridge, Sodom, Tadmore, Tiger's Valley, The Cut, Swamp College, and Wildcat Swamp bear some of the most intriguing names in the county.  

Gravelly Run Church (Franklin Twp.)

So, whether you reside in Alamo or Bowers, remember there is a reason this site has a name...and the explanation just might surprise you!

Obviously there is more information on the "Vanished Villas & Bygone Burgs" in our community that we would love to uncover, but for now the Images database, Vital Statistics database, and old Montgomery County Magazine articles allow a researcher to discover some of the uniqueness of our beloved "Neck of the Woods"...check it all out here!

Images

Montgomery County Magazine

Vital Statistics

An ongoing list of the Montgomery County hamlets can be found at:

Montgomery County Genweb