Old Wilcox community was once known as Peachbloom and Gregville

Railroad crossing in Wilcox community.

Last Thursday morning I was out riding around in the northeastern part of the county and eventually found myself on County Road 26, east of Owassa. As I eased along, I came upon Wilcox Road and decided to turn left. A short distance later, I pulled over at the railroad tracks and was reminded that I was in “downtown” Wilcox.

Wilcox is one of the county’s old communities, and this particular community has gone by a couple of different names over the years. At one time this community was known as Peachbloom, and at other times it was known as Gregville. This community also had a post office from 1888 to 1957.

As I stood there last Thursday morning trying to imagine what this community would have looked like a century ago, the modern, automated railroad crossing sprang into life. Even before I could see or hear an oncoming train, the crossing’s bells began to clang, and its red lights began to flash. A few seconds later, the crossing’s drop-arms lowered to prevent traffic from moving across the tracks.

Not much later, a powerful locomotive appeared from around the bend, approaching from the direction of Butler County. It blew its horn as it approached the intersection, and I stood there for several minutes, watching it go by as it made its way towards Owassa, Evergreen and points beyond. No doubt this scene has played itself out thousands of times over the years as trains have moved through the otherwise quiet community of Wilcox.

It was not lost on me that many ancestors in my family tree once called this area home. In addition to the Peacocks, I’m also related to many of the Diamonds, Kings and Varners who have lived in this part of the county. In fact, one oft-told piece of family lore took place not far from where I stood at the railroad crossing.

In March 1915, James Edmund Peacock and his wife, Lydia Belle, lived with their seven children at Wilcox. Lydia, who went by the nickname “Liddie,” had been on her back porch and was returning to the kitchen when a bolt of lightning struck the house. The lightning bolt killed her instantly, shattered a porch column and a pillar beneath the porch, and also killed a dog that had been in the yard nearby.

My old fourth-great-grandfather, Lewis Lavon Peacock, also lived in this area for a time. After the Civil War, he sharecropped pretty much all his adult life, and in his older days he sold produce off an old mule-drawn wagon. Liddie was his daughter-in-law, and they’re both buried over at Flat Rock.

In the end, I’d like to hear from anyone in the reading audience with more information about the old Wilcox community. I’m especially interested in hearing any old ghost stories, tall tales or local legends from this part of the county. Also, if anyone knows of any old Indian mounds or village sites in this area, please let me know.