The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition
Thursday, July 1, 1976
Section C, Page 5

MANY WINFIELD PEOPLE SERVED IN THE CONFEDERATE ARMIES COMMANDED BY CAPTAIN
JOHN BANKHEAD OF SULLIGENT, ALABAMA

The area around Winfield furnished quite a number of troops to the
Confederate Army. Captain John BANKHEAD, who lived then near Sulligent,
commanded the troops from this section. They performed heroic service as
soldiers in the Confederate Army, not only in those two great battles of
Shiloh and Chattanooga, but other engagements of the War Between The
States. Several families from this section of the state sent
representatives to the great Shiloh battlefield north of Corinth,
Missippi(sic), and one hundred and fifty miles to our northwest, seeking
their dead and wounded in the second bloodiest battle fought on American
soil.

A roving band of Tories near the end of the War thought Dr. James Moody
WHITLEY, who lived on the place today owned by Jim CLARK in East Winfield,
had a good deal of money about the place. Several times they strung him up
to the limb of a large tree in the yard, trying to get information from him
as to the whereabouts of his money, but to no avail as the doctor refused
to reveal the hiding place, and they finally left, allowing him to live
after this violent threat of death.

Water holes, springs and wells have played a great part in the early
history of surrounding settlements and Winfield. Such was the case of the
spring in Winfield. Such was the case of the spring in Winfield. In Civil
War days, there was a road along approximately what is today Tenth Street
in downtown Winfield. On a slope near this road, there was a spring (This
spring was and is under the former building housing the Citizens Bank and
can be verified by Bank officials who can tell quite a story of the trouble
they have had piping the water from the basement, running the water into
the city sewage system).

Mustering the Confederate Soldiers out from service at the end of the Civil
War was a sad yet important occasion for the Confederacy. Each section or
community had its own ceremony. The boys from this vicinity were mustered
out by their Commanding Officer, Capt. John BANKHEAD, on the spot by this
spring which now runs under the bank. For these soldiers and heroes, this
famous spring held memories to their dying days, memories of leaving their
troop and returning to civilian life in land made desolate by war and the
leaving of dead comrades on distant battlefields.

After the store building was built over the old spring late in the last
century, the pride of the town, from a watering standpoint, was a well with
a pump, located in the center of the street. If you walk across the street
today, you will notice the mark of a manhole. This manhole is directly over
the location of the old well which furnished many people with water during
the 1890-1920 era, quite a contrast to the modern filter plant which
supplies the water needs of the city today.

This old well figured in a great celebration upon one momentous occasion.
On Armistice night, November 11, 1918, a huge throng gathered in town after
sundown to celebrate the end of World War I. The people out on the farms
came into town in wagons, buggies, horseback, and very few in Ford
"flivvers" to join with the townspeople to sing patriotic songs and hear
speeches. By the old well, Kaiser Bill was hung in effigy as Winfield
people jubilantly celebrated the War to end all wars. However, we who
attended this celebration have since, several times, witnessed many broken
hearts watch their sons get on trains at the Winfield Depot, to go off and
fight against Hitler and later to fight the Chinese and North Koreans, yet
we still hope that this same peace that we celebrated for in 1918 can still
reign supreme and that we will not have to witness our boys going away to
fight in an atomic war.

In 1900, Glen Allen was as large a town as Winfield and probably did more
business.

In 1823, when Pikeville (then the county seat of Marion County) was
incorporated, it was a larger town than Chicago, Illinois. At one time,
about three hundred people lived at Pikesville, making it the largest town
in Marion County at that time.

Two hotels were built and later burned on the site of Erwin Brothers store.

A disastrous fire in 1922, wiped out practically the entire business
section of Winfield on the west side of Tenth Street.

Tenth Street was once a dead end street about the location of Dr. Aubrey
SEWELL's.

Many an exciting baseball game was played when home plate was near the
building that recently housed PATE Chevrolet and left field was along about
City Lumber Company. Later the field was moved to the location of the Holly
ROBERTS residence, then to the school area.

Pitching dollars out underneath the shade trees used to be big sport of the
Winfield Merchants, between customers.

The first automobiles of the town used to mire down in the mud of Main Street.

A run-away team of horses furnished many an exciting moment for the
Saturday crowds that came to town.

Before being channeled in the twenties, the overflow of the Luxapallila
from the big rains, would cross the street at the residence of Mrs. Mary
SMITH.

Within an eighteen mile radius of this section, there is a Boston,
Philadelphia, Detroit, Moscow, Kansas, Bethlehem, Mt. Vernon, White House,
and a Texas.