The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-22
A DESERTED VILLAGE.
Once P9puIous Town of Purdy Is
Now Uninhabited.


Now Uninhabited
In the. process of developing the country
cur railroads have made many great
}cities and tunmade not a few. Down in
tennessee there is a. town that might
stand for the Deserted Village" of Gold
smiths poem. Sixty years ago it was
fourishing city, Today it is dead and
deserted It's glory has reparted-and the
railroad took it away, the same railroad
that was carrying wealth and prosperity
to other parts of the state
In 1899 old Purdy was established in Nc
Marry county, Tennessee upon the main
stage line leading from the eastern plains
of the state to the Mississippi river anG
crossing into the then limtless West
The county was settled sparsely, but by
a sturdy class of people from Virginia
and the Old North State. who had cross
ed the mountains to hew their fortunes
from the wilderness, and WOO from the
virgin bosom of these broad acres the
treasures that the ages had deposited
there
These people were largely of Scotch
Irish descent. and by their characteristic
persistence soon transformed the wild
region Into prosperous agricultural dis
tricts,z and Purdy, the county seat, grew
to be one Of the most important CONNER
cial. points in the western division of the
state, outstripping Memphis and Jackson,
now the most populouS and prosperous
points In Western Tennessee. Besides the
unriV led commercial standing of Purdy,
a social influence had been Sest ablished
that made of 1.-THE center. of all the
wealth and luxury athat fourished in
sp1endor for many OF those primitive
years. sis,s
The high school and the college came in
the wake of the churches of almost every
denomination and palatial residences
SIR hot
cheekered- the crest of the eminence
upon which was builded the city. a
county fair fourished, as did other evil
dences of the enterprise and thrift of the
people, and for that time, like the ancient
city, all roads led to Purdy. But a
blight came, and then was portrayed the
truth, that
Ill fares the land, to fastening ills a prey.
Where wealth accumulates and men de-
cay.
In passing, the railroad missed the
hourishing pioneer city by only lew
miles; and then began war away back
midway of the last century that finally
resulted in the deserted village. The
I flight was for the removal of the court
house to point on the Mobile & Ohio
railroad. and during all the intervening
period up to about a dozen years ago
the conflict never ceased. 1t was bat
tie of ballots in the halls of legislation,
upon the streets of the town, and the
roadsides leading thereto; but the result
was predestined. and one by one the in
habitants of the doomed village began to
lose confidence and seek other localities
until when victory came to the re-
moval party there were but few indeed
to remove, and the new town of Selmer,
which became the county seat, was but
by comparative strangers, and not by
WI Ia maintained NJ
Purdy.
Among those of prominence, and who
have made, many of them, national rep
| utations, who claim Purdy as the home
of their childhood, are Marcus J. and
John; V. Wright, Col. d. M Wisdom,
of the Indian service, the Skulls, the
Dukes and the Johnsons, not one of
whom, nor descendant of one of whom,
now resides in the solitudes of the oe-