Hello Everyone, I am posting below an article from the Fulton County Illinois Heritage book that I have: MEMORIES OF BUCKEYE On top of the big Aten Hill south of and looking down on old Spoon River where Putt Creek enters into it, I was born. A tornado had passed through and moved our house off its foundation, leaving its mark on me, because I am still afraid of winds. When the floods came, one could see for miles from the bottom of the hill north to the Budkeye bridge and even farther. It was a beautiful but vicious sight. The farmers would lose their crops that they had worked by the sweat of their brows to put in with horse drawn walking plows, harrows, rollers and planters. These floods crept up to the house just south of Whites Ferry where my parents lived when they were first married. My dad slept on the floor so he would know if the water came into the house. My father was a farmer, and we moved several times. When I was about five years old, we lived across ole Spoon River to the west on top of another big hill. We had to cross the river on a ferry boat. I can remember it as a large raft built of lumber with guard rails on either side. It was approximately 12 feet wide and 30 feet long, constructed to carry a team of horses and a wagon or buggy. By going south, we could go to Smithfield for groceries, etc. There, I remember special things that still stay with me --- pickles in a large wooden kegs, also sugar, flour, beans salt, etc. were weighed and sold by the pound. Meats were cut to order as you bought them. Back to White's Ferry, as it is still known by many people. Many gathered there for fishing, playing cards, swimming, picnicing or just visiting. A small store was there, also. Some still go there to fish, even though the horseweeds are head gigh and mosquitoes sting and bite. Traveling east about a mile is the four corners and the vicinity of Buckeye. We moved there when I was twelve years old. The Buckeye School was a short distance east of the four corners. The Buckeye Church sat on the hill just a short distance west of the now main Spoon River Scenic Drive route from Blyton to Smithfield. It is a beautiful old church needing interested people to repair it for a landmark. A few years ago, some people came and repainted it, put in windows and repaired the steeple. So, it stands and memories still linger for those who loved it. The Buckeye School was of wooden construction just across the hollow west of the church. I only had to cross the road to go to school in that old school there for seventh and eighth grades. Ray Goodell and John Beam were my teachers. They played baseball with us at noon and recesses. A group held Sunday School in that old school house. Later it was moved to the farm west of it, repaired and used for a dance hall. A new brick school house was built. It somehow burned down and a second brick school house was built. Later, it was sold and torn down. Our next move was to my grandfather's farm a fourth of a mile south of those four corners, known as Jennings Four Corners. South of us was a large hill called the Helle Hill. I drove a wagon load of hogs up that hill once for my dad. What did we do in a small vicinity like Buckeye? I helped my dad build fences. We cut our firewiood with me on one end of the cross cut saw. We did farm work, swam and fished in Putt Creek and Spoon River, played cards, helped cook dinners for threshing crews that came in with large steam engines and the threshing machine. Neighbors helped each other. Then, we played in the straw stacks they left. We rode down hills on homemade sleds. I made some of them myslef. Also, we rode grain scoop shovels, rode horses and even cows. I once built a cart and hitched up a calf to drive. He got tired and laid down on the shafts which broke. We did gardening, raised our potatoes which were enough to last the winter. They were kept in caves. We picked and canned blackberries we found in the woods, went to dances and church. My dad drove a team of horses with a democrat, a two-seated, topless, style buggy, to a circus. It took us two hours to drive home that night. Dad sat in the fron seat and whistled all the way home. One time we rode from Smithfield to Canton on the train to visit our aunt and uncle. We butchered our own meat, ground and stuffed sausage, fried out the fat in large black kettles in the yard. I once shot a calf were were to butcher. I have driven all two and four team horse drawn farm implements except the riding corn cultiviator that I tried out and plowed out several hills of corn. I have also helped put up hay with those hay forks used on the hayracks. The hay was pulled into the barn by a rope and pulley with one horse on the other side of the barn. We raised and cut up pumpkins with corn knoves for cows to eat. We had hives of bees that swarmed in summer. We pounded cans and buckets to get the bees to light on a bush or a tree limb. Father put them in a new hove so we had honey to eat. Horse drawn vehicles came by once a week to bour our eggs. A few years later, motor trucks came by for our milk and sold us some groceries. When I was 17 and 18 years old, we went to dances in the old school house, Buckeye School. There I met my husband and was married a year later. In 1922, I moved to Cuba where I have lived since. by Flossie Ford Johnson ---------- > From: Michael Kirchmeier <ccswa@rconnect.com> > To: ILFULTON-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Buckeye Community > Date: Friday, April 21, 2000 6:44 PM > > Does anyone know the significance or the location in Fulton County of the > "Buckeye Community"? I found it referenced on on a death record stating > place of death as the "Buckeye Community". As far as I know the person died > in Smithfield of Cass Township and is buried in Wiley Cemetery. >