EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part four of an interview with Jackson Woods by Dick Reed in 1974. This interview first appeared in the Brown County Democrat on Wednesday, July 10, 1974. This is the final installment of this series.

A surprising thing brought out by Jack Woods during our interviews was the fact that, in the years just before he was born, there were dozens of physicians in Brown County. The county medical society was organized in Nashville in 1879 by no less than 13 doctors.

They are listed in a “History of Brown, Morgan and Monroe Counties,” published the year Jack was born, 1884. The incorporators were doctors J. M. Cook, A. J. Ralphy, J. H. Leonard, R. E. Holder, W. H. Beaty, N. Browning and James P. Moser. Also C. E. Smith, E. S. Arwine, James B. Campbell, Marion H. Duncan, John P. Genolin and A. A. York.

Listed by the book as practicing in Brown County from 1881 to 1883 were a total of 24 physicians including seven in Nashville and four in Bean Blossom. There were also five midwives in the county at that time and at least one Bloomington doctor had patients in this county.

Physicians listed in Nashville from 1881 to 1883 were H. C. Conner, Marion Duncan, Arnold S. Griffith (Griffith is another entry), John Genolin, A. J. Ralphy, T. E. Warring and Capt. T. Taggart.

At Bean Blossom (Georgetown) were Enoch Arwin, A. C. Spencer, James G. Ward and A. F. Wright.

Elkinsville had doctors Nathan Browning and J. H. Leonard. At Needmore were doctors William Beaty and J. N. Fleener. Practicing at Pikes Peak were Samuel C. Wilson and George P. Story.

Others included William H. Banks, Waymansville; R. E. Holder, New Bellsville; James P. Moser, Spearsville; Stephen Mossip, Schooner; W. H. Roddy, Mt Moriah; John M. Warring, Smithville; and a Dr. Ross at Belmont, said to have moved his office later to Nashville.

Jack remembers a Dr. Ross in Nashville practicing here at the same time as doctors Genolin, Griffith, Cook and Ralphy. More came later, including the Tilton brothers.

He also remembers the first artists to discover Brown County and numbered them among his good friends. They include Adolph Shulz, Will Vawter, Curry Bohm, L. O. Griffith, Jack LaChance and photo artist Frank Hohenberger. Jack likes horses, birds, gardening, woodworking, his neighbors and talking to anyone, like Alva West, who remembers about as far back as he does.

He dislikes traveling, air conditioning, boats, airplanes, and the way Brown Countians don’t give what he considers enough support to the volunteer fire companies.

Autos are OK. He drove a car himself until he was almost 88 years old. He believes travelers should see America first; especially Hoosiers should learn about Indiana and visit its attractions before taking off for foreign countries.

Jack reads about, observes and studies bird life, he has three feeders and six houses for blue birds and wrens.

He also has a reserve supply of bird houses and feeders he made in his garage workshop and has built and given away countless others through the years.

His 20-foot by 20-foot garden is planted in pole beans, cabbage, tomatoes and green peppers.

His one serious illness occurred back in 1918, during the worldwide influenza epidemic. Right now he feels “good” and frequently takes walks in Nashville, swinging a cane he doesn’t need or use around home.

Although he has scores of younger people as friends, Jack is saddened by the fact no one is left to talk to among his old schoolmates.

“Here in this one block, there must have been 14 deaths since I have lived here.”

Has there been any goal set for himself that he hasn’t been able to reach during his 90 years? “Wherever there was a horse,” Jack says, “I wanted to be there. I always wanted a spotted pony of my own. My dad and I used to talk about that, and he always told me someday he’d try to get me one. But he didn’t, and I didn’t. Up to now, I never did satisfy my hankering for a spotted pony.”

The way he says it — Well, just don’t be surprised!

This concludes Mr. Jackson “Jack” Woods’s story. We hope you enjoyed Jack’s looking back in history tour of Nashville, the way it was, “Back in his time” as much as we enjoyed sharing it with you.

A genealogical tidbit from the Brown County Historical Society: Jack, a civic minded, lifelong resident of Brown County Indiana was born June 18, 1884 in Nashville to William J. and Sarah Followell Woods. He married Lena Calvin Nov. 26, 1805 in Nashville. She died Jan. 11, 1956. Jack died June 16, 1978.

Submitted by Pauline Hoover, Brown County Historical Society