My Town Monday - Spring Water

You could say that my town came to exist because of water. Imagine putting everything you own on a flatboat or a keelboat. Everything. The settlers then floated down the Ohio River to locations where there were very few people and no StuffMarts. Most were headed to small settlements.

About five miles north of my town, a few would get off the boats on the banks of the Ohio to rest, and hear about a spring where they could water their horses or livestock if they were lucky enough to have any. They would have come to this spot, where the spring still exists near the center of town. Perhaps some liked the rolling hills and beautiful location, and decided to settle here, for my town existed and had real streets and property lines as early as 1824.

This spring is located on private property now, so I couldn't get a closer view. It is located in the section of town that in years past was known for being where black people live. Descendants of those black people still live there, but the black Methodist church has now merged with the white Methodists, and the building now houses a dance studio and the thrift shop where I volunteer.

It seems like such a peaceful spot just off the main road, where cars whiz by with people on their way to buy their groceries and supplies at superstores, unaware that they are passing a location where once, people quietly watered their animals and looked over the land for its possibilities.

For more My Town Monday posts, go visit Travis.