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-rrt@ Wednesdry, July 29, lutl?

A town by
By GEOltGli COLll
You won't find this village on
current maps of Ilaul<ling
County. It's praetically a ghost
town although 35-10 people still
live there. Worstville was the
place, but was it really as bad as
its name indicates'! 0r dirl the
village get its nanre for another
reitson?
W-ville is on countv road 7t,
several miles stlutltuest
Paulding..iurit srxrlh ol state
route til3 along the Nickle Plate
Itailroad. It's tuekerl in a niche
tlrret lniles t'irst ol I)a.v-nrt attd
two miles rvest o[ lJricetrrrt.
'tlre small village rvits ct'eatttd
at about the sarttc titne
adjacent Nrckle Plute ltailroud
l.
was built in 1881. lrt later years
thr: rlilroa<l was known as the
ol'
Nrlrfr-rlk and Western. The
towrr's rnuirr industry at the start
was the nraking of barrel staves.
While it thrived during the latter
part of the tUth eentury and the
lirst purt of the 20th cerrtury, the
hurnlet boasted a church
tlre
t Methodist ), school, hotel,
grocery store, post offiee, depot
and some saloons according to
the Center f or Ghost '[own
Itesearch in Ohio, based in
Galen:t. Ho'"vever, interviewed
resitlents arnd former residents
stated no knowledge of any
saloons.
For the most part, it was quiet
tirnes. 0ne incident was dif-
fcrent. Chat'lie Cline arr a :J,,ung
boy livcd with his brother and
parenls on a farm, on,: half mile

4''{.:,' south of the hamlet Propr.

In the early morning hours
Cline noticed f lames shooting
frorn the t<rp of one of the tall
grain r:levators. Cline loaded his
trvo boys into a buggy and went
to the fire where they had a
frrrnt-rorv seat. At the time of the
blaze thr:rc rvus no lire depart-
nrertt cltrse by. Tlte grain
clevirtrlr brtrtred drlrvtt but was
lul(r'rebuilt.
(lhtrrlie, rrow Ul, still farnrs at
tlrc south cdgr: of Woi'stville. lle

An abandonr:d grain erevator stands as a

sirent reminder of the
onee-flourishing town of Worstville

,f ii
Paulding Pathways
PAULDTNG OCUI\IY CIIAPTER OGS l' .) J
AUG. 1995 VOL. 9 # 3 PAGE 74 Charlie Cline tested his
memory f or everits in
Worstville's Past.
 -

T_-..-F.,
elcrltr
,;;o.
hrr-ry do*n justi*."," number o[ properlles in town daughter could recatl the reason
fe.w
and became lnndlords. lor the naming o[ their town.
EE{I*; $,.*,lJi,,,ll
.lle .-rail r lruse nexl
lo the
l,uln Fulnrer letls of a severe
u'enlher jolt hnck ln l$i8 that
Aeross the railroad traeks (to
lhe northl the Bradys had a big
9t:rtg. ras destroy* iii slruck lhe "lerrlblv-nrrmed" barn ln u'hieh they kept strawl
told abar! r man selling'in-
"1.r. lou'n. Much of lndiana along Sam Wren llved in a hcruse next
rho just mav have had u'ith weslern Ohio felt the brunl
111a159
sfiiething lo do rrith lhe blaze. of a tornado hlnnel. ilalf of
door
- a house
c.omple.iely
that is now
boarded up.
._F.gtir*= mrntd r,.ii l"i"irv Brady's barn in Worslville was Originally hro grain elevators
1lD-. the- snrth edge of tou,n
to blown tlown. Small buildings reoehed [or the skies, one on
rbqrt r hall_mile iu.ttre, snuiii !'gre loppled. Fortunately no either slde of eurnty roed ?1.
inJuries were reporled.
fF.F.tie was seven years The lwisler hit on l\larch ll.
One was deslrol.ed by lire. rr,hile
lhe seeond one is still llrcre on
Fh 1'"H ?,'l"ln";l
where Charlie taimi " H'il
The daughler of Mrs. Fulmer, the west slde o( the rrurl.
to-'this llean tnow Banksl remembers l{owever, lt has been out of
present. day. it well. lt was on her birthday. business a long time.
- "t like
family
[ormln.'. said he. ,l.tre
larm has heen on eourrlv
llean was born in lndiana and
she eame to Worslvllle in 1932.
The Worstville Sehool was
loeated on the east side of the
road zl_on the snuth Went to lhe lrral sehool. then eounty road. north of the Nickle
reilroad. ..1 believe "iJ";;;-"
the lasi switehed to lhe nearby llardesty PlaLC Reilrmd. Today a big
grain I hauled rtas in tg79. q,hen Sehool lhat rvRs one mile nortli, open fleld marks the sp-ot with i
rny mother died... lris 'rariiei nnd flnally finilhed up at the "for sale" sign ln thl middle.
Pt::S awey. rs yearsego. Pn-r'ne Sehools. This eoineided Approximately 32-33 students
_.
ne proprietor of the
r
lown rvilh her getting married at tg. were ln sehool in 1906.
grocery store lived t, IVlrs. Fulmer who llved some
eurrent house.
clia.iii:s The Worstville Sehool went
4!l vears ln Worslvllle. necording out of existenee eborl 1937. The
_,Jll itr he.vrtay Worslviilt lo her courrl. rattled of t tlrl
nflm(:s of several othe.r residcnls
strueture was torn down and lhe
boards were transported lo
sii ffi:{, tr'itl,Ji I ffi:.J l,t
why t},o ro"in r,aj
-lhe Alicr Gephart. I\trs. piper.
Proxmires. and.Ioe
Edgerton. lndiana.
Cariisle The lumber. reportedly. wes
lliolr"l,jrow u,ho operalpd the generat store used to
build e house.
.A small girl eame lo Worcl. in.lou'n. -- .Where dld the working men
Neither the mot|, nor the ply their trades baek then"?
.iiit jl, lF ,;::,t,,tl ;I iwo
II: no* tives retired J:, :l:
in rrrrai
u'orked at the beet factory ln
Paulding
rrnlwerp. She latcr married fa
- Mrs. fulmir;j
ther worked et a
blaeksmith's shop.
,TilX3lilfi :: ?,X.it f;,,llliil Xi
* Another former resident at lV-
ville was Edith Dreilte wtro now
lives in Forl Wayne. Oft hantl.
she eouldn't remembe. mu"h
;:til out oI the ordlnary happen;ng ln
ne.r home town. Llke mmt -we i

talked wlth. she didn't knorp I

either u'here Worstville go[ iu

narne.

PAUI,DING PATTII^IAYS

PAT'LDING OCXJI{IY CHAPIM. GS

vol,. 9 # 3 AUG. 1995 PG. 75

.-.Lulu Farnrer r lelt, and daughter-llelrr lJurrks

worstville home. orrr:r-, cuiltd