Sunday, January 18, 2009

Welcome to Nunn Switch, Gladstone and Hood's Creek



Brantley and Arflack General Store

Picture made in the early 1900's. Left to right.
Robert Henry and wife Martha Brantley, Walter Winders, Martha's nephew, Deedie and Minnie Brantley, daughters of Robert Henry and Martha, and Mary and Greenberry Brantley. Robert was the son of Greenberry.

The Brantley's ran the general store in Nunn Switch.


This little rural community was know by three names, Gladstone, Hood's Creek, as this creek ran through the community, and Nunn Switch. Here is the history of the Nunn Switch name. When Marshall Nunn was one year old, in 1886, the Illinois Central Railway bought his home, from which emanated the village of Nunn Switch. There used to be a railroad depot here and a track switch. The school located on the hill behind the general store was knows as Hood's Creek School.


The was written about the community in April 1913. The little hamlet was situated in northeast part of Crittenden in a fertile valley on Hood's Creek and was also situated on the I. C. railroad. The train has four passengers stops a day and picks up and delivers goods to the town. The community also has one general store, post office, one grocery store, blacksmith shop, saw and grist mill. It has about 20 or 25 inhabitants, and among whom are John Gilbert and his wife, Pernecia about the oldest couple in the county. Uncle John as he is called, being in his 88th year and Aunt Necia in her 86th year. Although growing old they are enjoying good health and are quite jovial. They were married April 8th, 1852, and had seven children.

Today the railroad track is gone, there are no signs that a store of any kind was ever here. There are several families that still live in the area, and Hood's Creek still runs it's same course as in did a hundred years ago.

2 comments:

Dawnene Young said...

Do you know how "Hood's Creek" got its name?

Forgotten Passages said...

I'm sorry, I don't know how the creek got that name. If I happen to be lucky and find out, I'll post the answer.
Thank you for your question.