152                 HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

Kennedy farm; Harry Sherburne, on the W. C. Hall place. Dunnegan
& Ambrose and Isaac Atkinson, also, operated on the M. H. Kennedy
farm, Frank Zimmerman on the former Hinshaw place, and Robert
Givens & Sons on the Samuel Butt farm. Of all these enumerated
mines, only No. 6 Crawford, on the W. R. Kennedy place, the Zimmer-
man, and the Robert Givens & Sons mines are now being operated.
There are in operation two good horse-power, or gin shafts—one by the
Tilley Brothers, on their farm, at Ashboro, the other, by George Wie-
deroder & Son, on the former Pierce place, between Ashboro and Center
Point. Zimmerman and Givens & Sons ship large quantities of fire clay.
    In the early history of mining operations here, John Steadman is
remembered as having run a horse-power shaft a number of years on the
northeast border of the town, near the U. B. church. and the Pollom
Brothers at a later date.
    Center Point has an estimated population of 700.

                            STAUNTON.

    Staunton, a town and postoffice in Posey township. on the Vandalia
Railroad, twelve miles east of Terre Haute and four miles southwest
of Brazil, founded in 1851, at the time the railroad was in process ot
building, by Michael Combs and Lewis Bailey. This town was originally
named Highland, for the reason that an old-time resident of the site,
familiar with the country, claimed that the plat occupied the highest
ground along the line of the railroad survey between Terre Haute and
Indianapolis, When the application for a postoffice was granted it was
necessary to propose a different name, as there was then a “Highland”
in Lake county. As Staunton, Virginia, was the place of proprietor
Bailey’s nativity, this name was chosen for the postoffice and that of the
tow-n and railroad station made to conform. As to who was the first
postmaster, there is diversity in recollection on the part of survivors of
the early population. John M. Bailey thinks that it was A. H. West,
while Nelson Gregory thinks that it was George Whidden. Along the
line of succession in this position may be named Hezekiah Wheeler,
William Koile, James M. Lucas, Albert Webster, George E. Hubbard,
Emery White, Isaac S. Donham, C. 0. McClintock, Samuel Cooper,
Eugene Wardlaw, L. S. Byers, C. E. Biller.
    Of the merchants of the place in the various lines of trade may be
enumerated A. H. West, George Whidden, Wheeler & Carter, J. & J.
Wardlaw, Carter & Huffman, Hubbard Brothers, Webster & Vancleve,
Milton Carter, John 0. Scherb, T. E. Eppert, Edward Summers, Samuel
Cooper, C. J. MeClintock, E. McCullough, Charles Gillaspie.
    Among the practicing physicians have been: John H. Hawkins,
James N. Wardlaw, Dr. Kester, J. S. Kiser, F. B. McCullough, Dr.
McCorkle, Ben Davis, J. C. Maxey, Myron L. Boor, P. H. Veach.
    One of the early and substantial industries here was a steam flouring
mill, built by Lewis Bailey, in 1856, which was remodeled in 1859,
wrecked by a wind storm in 1861, rebuilt by Joseph Graham within the
year following, and twenty years later (in 1881) destroyed by fire.
William Gilbert operated a grist mill of minimum capacity, for several
years, on the eastern border of the town. Collin W. Carter conducted a
stave factory, which burned out in the early seventies, was rebuilt and
again operated. Here, too, for a time, was a broom manufacturing plant.
established and operated by a blind man. And a tannery is said to have