The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1921-05-20
VOLUME xXXV1l
WILDERSVILLE BUSINESS
SECTION GOES TO ASHES.

Friday afternoon of last week, tn,
18th inst, the prosperous and hust
ling town of Wildersville, this county
with population estimated by some a
as high as 800, was the victim Of
conflagration, which, in short space
of one hour and three quarters sweep
seventeen houses of wood and bricE
into nothing but smoke and piles o.
incombustbile debris which smolderet
all the next day.
The fire originated in the part o.
a double wooden house occupied BY
DR.. w. |. Howell and family as a res
idence in addition to drugstore anC
there being considerable wind the
flames spread so rapidly North
South and East that the short tins
named there was but little left Of the
business section Of the town that hac
done a large business for one of it:
size. The Howell houses were stu
ated rather in the rear Of the bricH
structures of the row which faced the
railroad
On visit to the town last Satur'
day morning a representative of The
Progress ascertained the following
losses and estimated insurance, the
losses approximating something like
100000;
DR.. Howell lost $4,000 with no in
surance.
j. j. Williams, general merchant
was said to have suffered loss OF
perhaps $4,000, with about half that
amount Of insurance.
r. L. Walkers wooden store, gro
ceries and feeds, loss 81 500 with ST.
900 insurance.
Joe White, general merchant, gal
vanized structure, loss $4,000, with
$1,000 insurance.
The City Drug Store of w. R. Will
son and DR.. C. E. Bolen, with the Of
flee of the latter, loss $4,000, with
$4,000 insurance.
The warehouse Of the Wildersville
Hardware Company, was but par
TALLY destroyed, but the whole loss
of the company, Of which Mack 9,
Rosser is the head, will total $4,000
or more, with $4,000 of insurance,
This includes the store proper of, the
company and its brick building.
C. w. Scott, who had general
store, lost $4,000 and has no insur-
ance on the wooden structure.
Wildersville Bank, building and
fixtures, loss $4,000, insurance un-
known.
Wildersville Supply Company,
owned by Charlie Ross, of Jackson,
Jim Lamping, of Parsons, Eph Lus-
ky, of Nashville and j. c. Britt, the
local manager, general merchandise,
lost $4,000 on stock with $4,000 in
surance. The building belonged to J.
p. Parker, worth $4,000 and insured
for $4,000. This was spacious
brick house.
Johnson Brothers, double brick
store, carrying general stock, lost
$4,000 with $1,000 insurance.
f. M. Orr, brick general store, loss
$4,000, insurance $4,000.
A. p. Rosser, blind man, who ran
a cold drink stand, lost his brick
house and had but $500 insurance,
while a wooden structure in the rear,
occupied by the Wildersville Produce
Company, managed by H. B. Bryant,
escaped. Rosser's net loss is several
hundred dollars.
Algie Webb saved the fixtures OF
his barber shop, but the building be-
longing to Joe Tilson, worth $500 car
ried no insurance.
Charlie Flake, general merchant,
lost $4,000, with no insurance.
Two blacksmith shops and garages,
two small groceries, one produce
house. W. S. Gordon's lumber shed
and two good cotton gins, which stood
in the rear of the stores, escaped the
fire miraculously, for goods that were
carried out were burned and several
residences and the Baptist church,
some distance away caught fire but
were extinguished. William Rush's
family grocery, but few feet from
the Hardware company, escaped.
The N. c. & st. l.. depot with con-
tents was consumed.
The town of Wildersville was NAM
ed for Ed Wilder, a Louisville whole
sale druggist, and has long been one
of the best business points in Hender-
son county, outstripping even the
county site in the cotton business, IN
the matter of production and ginning.
The people who have done the
business of Wildersville are a plucky
bunch and Phoenix-hke the town is
expected to soon arise from its own
ashes better Wildersville than it
has ever been before.