Submitter’s note: The story we are sharing with you today, is part of a story that can be found in “Brown County Remembers.”
Wilson Helms was one of the early settlers of Helmsburg in 1854. He had a son, John Helms, who married Jane Adamson of Brown County. They took off for better lands and went to Iowa in 1882. They returned in the year 1890 with a family of four (Lorene, James Arthur, Nettie and John) to the home place of Wilson Helms. James Arthur had a son, Wilson, a son, Hurshel, and a daughter, Helen Jane. Helen Jane Strode gave me some of the information for this story.
A farming community until 1906, the coming of the railroad across Jackson Township caused a small village to spring up called Helmsburg.
The railroad had not been built long, and naturally it was a little rough. One engineer, by the name of Haney, was driving his train through Helmsburg at a fast speed. At the crossing, the old coal burner No 94 jumped the track. Now Haney was a strong and sturdy man, “but the ride over the ties was a mighty rough ride,” he said. One accident happened about 1923. Frank Swisher, a blacksmith from Trevlac, was struck by a train and received a broken leg.
The railroad was a valuable asset to Brown County. It provided transportation other than horse and wagon. There were pens for cattle, hogs and sheep at the station that were brought to be loaded in the railroad cars.
There was passenger service for people and express service for chickens and calves. At a later date, the passenger service was discontinued. On the last day of passenger service, I took my girls, Alice, Marjorie, Wilma and Carol, to Helmsburg where they boarded the train for Bloomington. The ride to Bloomington was over level land, through hills, over a high trestle and through a tunnel.
At an earlier date, the passenger trains were met at the station by horse-drawn hacks owned by Arthur Helms and Joshua Bond. As the horses grew old, and the roads got better, cars took their places. Cars were owned by Arthur West in Helmsburg and other cars went from Nashville to Helmsburg to get the mail.
At an early date, we had a handle factory, but it did not last long. We also had in Helmsburg a small canning factory. There was always a sawmill to be heard. At one time, a band sawmill cut all the logs into timber that horses could haul to the mill.
Arthur West, with his sons Orval, Roy and Ronald, owned and operated a sawmill for many years. Charles Richards bought Arthur West’s mill.
Joshua Bond was the undertaker. He went out in the county far and wide and brought the bodies in and dressed them up to make ready for the funeral.
North across Highway 45, just west from a little stream, stood the building that housed the horses that Joshua Bond cared for with pride. Some were large and some were small. He had a large black team which he hitched to the black carriage when one got his last ride. Near 1930, the horses were gone, and Joshua Bond’s stable was remodeled for youth recreation. The front was made beautiful. The floor was made smooth for dancing and roller skating. Popcorn, pop and ice cream were sold. This building served for many years. Eventually, it was bought by Demaree Barnes and made into a blacksmith shop.
The bellows in Demaree Barnes’ blacksmith shop could be heard a long way off. He also made the anvil ring when he made anything. There were horses to shoe, wagons to fix, and chains to weld, plus many articles to mend or make.
William Hughes had an early grocery store in Helmsburg. Charles Pitser came to town to open a grocery store, and so did Setser and Ray Baughman, whose store stood on the corner where the post office now stands. It burned to the ground in 1925. A Standard Oil station took its place. It died a slow death and was replaced by the present-day post office.
Guy Fleener Sr. had a grocery store across the road from the post office. It was later sold to Ivy Opal and Paul Robertson. Harold Campbell had a small grocery store on the point where the Cullums are today, and they, at one time, had the post office. Mary Long and family owned the large grocery store on Main Street, across from the hardware store.
Submitted by Pauline Hoover, Brown County Historical Society
