Doe Run

Just outside of Unionville. there is a warm, and welcoming town called Doe Run. For the families living there, everything was in walking distance. The barber shop, the gas station, the general store, and more, were all in close to most of the houses. Everyone seemed to know and be friendly with all of the people in the village.

The town had a general store called The Doe Run Country Store. At this store, you could buy almost anything that you needed because of their large variety of items. It was owned by a man named Mr. Buffington. He lived directly behind the store and his son lived in the house next to it. Both of these houses were unique because they had what was called a dungeon, which is a floor beneath the basement. Food was stored there and it was carried up and down by a dumbwaiter. A dumbwaiter is a hand operated elevator that is used to carry the food from the kitchen to the dungeon. They were very helpful and were used as an alternative to climbing up the two flights of stairs.

There was also a Highland Dairy where milk was brought to be pasteurized. Then it was delivered to each of the houses by a milk man. There is also an old mill still standing on a corner with the words "BLOW HORN" spray painted on its side. It was sprayed there to remind the drivers to blow their horn before they merged from the corner because you can't see around the building and it's difficult to see over the hill. There was also a service station that sold gasoline, church and carriage house, and a tack shop. A tiny barber shop was in between two existing buildings. Ruins of the old post office can still be seen.

Across the street from Buffington's General Store there used to be a hotel with a bar inside. This hotel was three stories tall. For years it housed the local elections. Patrons of the hotel did not get seperate rooms, but spread out on the ground of the third floor. In the hotel there was a wonderful, understanding lady. At least that's what the kids thought of her! Her name was Aunt Nell or Nell Elvin. Aunt Nell was the old maid that owned the hotel. She always seemed to have all the time in the world for children, however she didn't enjoy adults. She was full of exciting stories about everything and always mesmorized the kids with them. After a little while, the large hotel was moved up to a hill and turned into a house. Aunt Nell was the last original survivor of the Doe Run hotel.

By looking at the town, Doe Run didn't seem like it would have enough to do for children growing up there many years ago. However, by talking with some people who did grow up there we found this judgment to be wrong. The kids in Doe Run used to do a great deal of things. They went to baseball games at the stadium that was next to the service station, to watch the Doe Run Cowboys play. They were old but very tough and beat a lot of really good and younger teams. Or they could organize their own baseball game with their friends. They could go to the Grange Hall which was like a recreational area where parties were held. Here they could play baseball, basketball, and many other sports. The children of Doe Run also loved to explore the woods and build forts throughout them.

Some big and exciting events were the state fairs, in which many families were proud of their accomplishments. Since Doe Run was a highly agricultural area they won awards for things like best cattle or corn. Another thing that the families of Doe Run looked forward to was the cattle train. Cattle was brought from Texas to be sold in Doe Run and nearby towns. This train held higher priority then that of passengers trains because the cattle could be damaged or catch diseases if they were kept on the train for too long. For this reason, they also had to be unloaded and cleaned and fed many times along the way. Other big events that many of the Doe Run residents remember are the arsonist barn fires in the 1960's and the tornado in 1910 which ripped some roofs off of many houses.

Over the years, the town of Doe Run has had many physical changes but it still has its name. Although most of the old town buildings have been renovated and many have become houses, the memories have been carried on by its present generations. One aspect that still remains today is the area's great pride that takes in its agriculture and farming life. Every October the Unionville Community Fair celebrates the area's way of life, that too will always be remembered.

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Historic home in Doe Run .................................................One room school house