THE TRAMMEL & POPE STORY
The following letter was received from a lady at Longview, Texas, who is seeking information concerning Trammel Creek and the community of Trammel in Allen County, Kentucky.
"Dear Mr. Harmon: I am trying to find out something about the history of a small town, Trammel, Allen County, Kentucky—also Big Trammel and Trammel Fork Creeks in the same county. I am told that you are a long-time resident of this area and perhaps you could tell me something of the history of Trammel. When was it organized? Was it named for a man or a family named Trammel? Any thing about the history of this town and its name and/or reference for additional help would be appreciated very much. Are there books, booklet, brochures, etc., that I could find at the library that could tell me something about this town? Thank you for your help and cooperation. Yours truly, Mrs. J. B. Nelson Those are very good questions but the answers were over my head. However the letter raised my curiosity and since then I have done some nosing around via telephone and asking questions on the subject of folks who have seen more frosty mornings than I have. Through the following people I have talked with, namely, Uncle Charlie R. Simmons of Trammel, Mrs. Rhea Lambert of Pope and Mr. Charles R. Simmons of Westmoreland, Tennessee, I have come up with the following story concerning Trammel, Trammel Creek and Pope. I am including Pope as it was my stomping grounds for one year of my life back in the year of 1910. That was the year that I was one of the three "candy kids" of Pope, the other two being Lois and Falconer Bandy, cousins of mine. We took liberal samples of all the new candies as soon as they were brought in and also visited the brown sugar barrel often. Our parents ran the store and we felt like the keys to the candy showcase belonged to us. In the early days of settlement of this part of the country, I am told that a group of Virginians came to what is now Allen County and settled at or near a big spring in the southern part of the county and a family by name of Trammel built a house near the spring as the custom then was to take the house near the spring, not the spring near the house. The spring became known as the Trammel Spring and consequently the creek of which this spring was the head became known as Trammel Fork Creek. Apparently, before this event took place, all the creeks through these parts of the county, including Trammel Fork, Middle fork and Sulphur Fork Creeks were known as waters of Drakes Creek. I have been told that Drakes Creek got its name from a pioneer doctor by name of Drake who once lived on and owned considerable land along that creek. The story continues that in the years to follow and as the county became more populated that a dam and water mill was built several miles down stream at a place now known as Butlersville by a man by name of Massey. Mr. Massey operated the mill for a number of years until flood waters washed a portion of the dam out and the mill was forced to close for lack of power. Until then, it was known simply as Massey's mill. Later, the mill was sold to a man by name of Butler and was called Butler's Mill and eventually, it became known as Butlersville and has retained that name ever since. Later, Butler sold the mill to Mr. Alf Wilson and his son-in-law, Rev. Willie Thomas became the miller and final owner. Rev. Thomas operated the mill until its final closing several years later. A man by name of Shell Guy built and operated a general store at Butlersville for a number of years. A postoffice was operated in connection with the store but the post office was designated as Trammel Post Office. Later Mr. Guy moved his store to the Pope Community where Junior Willoughby now lives and the post office was moved to a store at Trammel, and according to the story which I have been told, this is the way that Trammel got its name. I find that Trammel store has had many merchants during its life time. Some of these names may ring a bell with the older people and there are several that I remember the names Russell and Oliver, B, M. Wilson, Verna Dowell, Will Bryant, Will Ayers, S. F. Landers, Ira and Less Rush, E. E. Cook, Henry Claypool, Harry Mitchell and Paul Keen. Trammel once boasted of a telephone exchange of the Cumberland Telephone System and a high school. The high school was called Mt. Victory and was built in the early teens. Time has brought many changes in about everything around Trammel except the general store which is still going strong under the capable management of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Keen. The telephone exchange, the high school and the post office have all seen their day and gone as well as the old dirt and gravel road. A new blacktop road to Scottsville and Bowling Green has put Trammel, along with a lot of other places, on the map. Best of all, some mighty nice people live in the Trammel community. While I never did live at trammel, I feel at home and welcome whenever I am over that way as good friends in the quiet little Trammel community. Now for a glimpse of Pope and of the memories of the year of 1910 when I had all the candy I could eat. As a matter of fact, I think I must have made a hog of myself on the candy eating as I have never cared much for candy since. Mr. Shell Guy operated the general store at Pope for an unknown number of years and sold the business to Mr. Will T. Roark and in the rounds the store was moved from the Willoughby place out to its present .location at the forks of the road. Roark sold out to Bandy & Harmon and the new merchants took over at the beginning of 1910 and that is when I got my first experience in store keeping business. One year of it was enough for me. There are lots of funny incidents that happened while I lived at Pope that I remember as though it was only yesterday. Only flour was delivered and all other supplies had to be hauled by wagon and team from Franklin and Bowling Green. Though I was only five, I usually went with Dad on trips to Franklin and Bowling Green for supplies. It always took all day and sometimes until midnight to get a load and get back but anywhere was home sweet home with me if I could be with Dad. We usually had a covered wagon to keep the groceries and dry goods dry in case a shower caught us out on the road. I well remember one trip we made when there was a big rain that put Middle Fork Creek past fording. When we got to Mr. Jim Wilson's place, the last house west of the creek, Mr. Wilson came out to tell us not to try to cross the creek and to pull the wagon in his barn and spend the night with them. That was an invitation, which we gladly accepted as our team was exhausted and we were wet, tired and hungry. The Wilsons fixed supper for us and gave us dry clothes to put on and a comfortable bed to sleep on. The next morning we took breakfast with our good Samaritans and some time that morning we crossed the creek. The water came up almost to the top of the wagon bed and ruined a lot of the supplies we had on the wagon. Uncle Sid Bandy met us on this side of the creek with two more mules and we made it through the mud on to Pope with a four-mule team. Merchants these days have it soft and easy with the most of their supplies being delivered by truck to the door. They have no idea what it's like to haul supplies 15 to 20 miles through mud axle deep, rain, snow and zero weather. On another trip when Uncle Sid went for a load of supplies, he stalled on the Harmony hill just above the crossroads in mud axle deep at midnight and had to leave the wagon. The next morning when he took four mules out to bring the wagon in, they found it not so heavy. Four cases of Ideal soap, two jars of chewing gum, two boxes of apple Sweet tobacco and some other items were missing. That one account the new merchants never collected and didn’t even know who to charge it to. Somebody must have had a lot of dirty clothes to wash or else it was so dark they could not tell what they were getting. Dad and Uncle Sid dissolved partnership at the end of the year and we moved to the Mainer place near Red Hill. Uncle Sid remained in the store until about 1919 when he sold out to Mr. and Mrs. W. M. Lambert. Mr. Lambert passed away several years ago but Mrs. Rhea still carries on at the store with over 50 years in the store business. There were five in Uncle Sid's family. Dad and me and of the seven who lived at Pope in 1910 I am the only one left to tell the story. If there are any supposition in the Trammel story as I have told it, I didn't make them, I have told it as it has been told to me and as best I could link it together link by link and a lot of link were missing. Adios to all. Arlis 0. Harron"
|