Those who have memories about a southern Cole County town that has not existed for several years are asked to attend the next event in the Cole County History Series, sponsored by the Cole County Historical Society.
“Decatur — A ‘Ghost Town’ of Cole County” will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Enon Baptist Church, 55754 Route A in Enon.
Decatur was located near Enon and Russellville, event organizer Marvin Proctor said.
“The town was established around 1875 and unincorporated around 1905,” Proctor said. “My dad and I used to come into Russellville and would go through what used to be the town, and there were several people still living there years after it was unincorporated.”
Decatur had two or three general stores, a doctor, a blacksmith, a lawyer and a mill, Proctor said.
He is encouraging people to bring old photographs, memorabilia, family histories and stories about Decatur to share at the event.
“From what I understand, my grandfather’s cousin was the last resident of the town,” Proctor said. “As a kid, I didn’t pay much attention to some of the stories about Decatur, and I wish I had now.”
Proctor has scheduled Don Weiss and his uncle, Melvin, to speak at this event, as both know a great deal of the Decatur story.
“It’s one thing to read the printed word about history, but to get someone that can tell you about it because they experienced it brings a unique perspective,” Proctor said.
For more information about this event, call the Cole County Historical Society at 573-635-1850 or go to colecountyhistoricalmuseum.org.