PIONEER (PUCKERBRUSH) BY RON WOODWARD Originally called Puckerbrush it was required to change its name by the Post Office as there was already a Puckerbrush. The name was changed to Pioneer. It is located at the crossroads of Indiana 124 and Mill Creek Pike (550W). It has been said that Puckerbrush got its name from a shrub or bush growing around there, that when chewed or eaten would cause one to "pucker" such as when eating a green persimmon. All that is left of Puckerbrush is three houses, one formerly a blacksmith house, a residence and a former residence turned into a bait shop. The Wabash newspapers of 1880 recorded many of the happenings in the Puckerbrush neighborhood in a special section called Puckerbrush Items that appeared nearly every month. In December of 1880 the following events were happening as recorded by the Reporter known as "Pucker." "O. Weesner is ready with a smiling face to do anything in his line. You can hear his anvil ringing from early dawn till late at night. Sam and Jake are the boss hunters. They were out Tuesday, last week, and took in a rabbit, ground squirrel and two red heads. Jake discovered when he got home that he was sixty-nine years old. The friends of Rebecca Jenkins, to the number of sixty, met at her home, on the 7th inst., to enjoy a social time together. Mrs. Jenkins happened to be away from home, and when every thing was ready she was sent for. The reader can better imagine how she felt than I can tell. At any rate she soon remembered that it was her forty-third birthday. We were all introduced to the table, and Mr. Editor, if you have been there you would agree with me in pronouncing it one of the happiest, best natured crowds you ever see. Everyone seemed bent on doing justice to the occasion. After dinner some nice presents were presented to Mrs. Jenkins, in the shape of a handsome arm chair, glassware &c., after which the crowd disperse, all agreeing that we had had a good time." Thomas Grover Semans remembered the little community as a boy growing up there. He lived about one half mile east and ½ mile north of there. His father, Thomas Jefferson Semans, farmed until he became the Wabash postmaster in 1884 and moved his family to Wabash. Semans was born on the farm but he was only 21 months old when his father died. His mother brought him and his two brothers, Colfax and Ross, back to the farm. Colfax would later marry and move away while Ross also married but stayed nearby. Thomas married Estie Null and they stayed on the farm. Puckerbrush was on the northeast corner. When but six or seven years old he would walk across the fields to Puckerbrush. He liked to hang around the store and blacksmith shop. There was also a post office in the store, a log house and sever other buildings. Mr. and Mrs. Oren Weesner were the owners. Weesner ran the blacksmith shop and his daughter helped in the store. Later, his son Peck, ran a barber shop in the store. Semans recalls he and others "chipped in" to buy a barber chair. A star mail route from Red Bridge to Wabash stopped at Puckerbrush. They also hauled freight. The Weesners ran the store and blacksmith shop for about 20 years. Then they sold out to Walter Votaw and moved across on the northwest corner. The Votaws lived there a few years bust didn't run the store. They moved to a farm north of the corner when Votaw's parents moved away. Mrs. Votaw's mother, Ann Eltroth, lived in the log house for two or three years. In 1909 George and Maude (Null) Murphy bought the .64 of an acre from the Votaws. The Murphy's moved the blacksmith building to the eastern corner of the lot almost at once. About two years later they tore down the log house, store and most other buildings and built a four-room house on the same location. Later two rooms were added to the house and a large garage and workshop was built. In 1936 Indiana 124 came through and the house and blacksmith building were on the right of way and had to be moved. The barn was moved to the northeast corner of the lot and the house moved northeast. After the Murphy's died, their daughter and family, Mr. and Mrs. Clinton M. Gilley, lived there. Mrs. Gilley had an 1886 almanac called the "Village Blacksmith". On the back was stamped "Arthur Eking, Pucker Brush, Ind." It advertised Globe pills as a cure all. Semans recalled Sam Milligan built the big house on the northwest corner. It was considered to be one of the biggest and finest around at that time. Milligan ran a saw mill and a threshing machine. Through the years it has had several owners. In 1976 it was owned by John L. Evans of Indianapolis. Semans further recalled Art Evans owned this corner and when Mr. and Mrs. I.N. Conrad and family moved in the four-room house, they opened up a store and post office and named it Pioneer. This was about 1895. They operated the store for six to eight years and then moved to Jalapa. The store had several operators after that. Elliott Tait bought the corner from Evans about 1905. Tait also ran a blacksmith shop on the old Puckerbrush corner for a while, then built a blacksmith shop on his own place. This building still stands. About 1922 Mr. and Mrs. Sam Null bought out Tait. They were the parents of Mrs. Thomas Semans and Mrs. George Murphy, who lived on the northeast corner at that time. A few years later they sold the store and it was moved away. Two rooms were added to the house. When the state road was widened they moved the house back. There have been several owners since the Null estate was sold in 1949. Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Keighbaum and family lived there in 1976. This corner was originally taken from a farm owned by Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Southwick. Semans attended District No 4 school, just north of their farm. In 1892 he went to District #26 school about one-half mile north of Puckerbrush walking across the fields and finished his school there. This school building was remodeled into a house and still stands. In 1976 Mrs. Graham Best lived there. The Murphy and Gilley families kept the name "Pioneer" painted on the garage and workshop on the northeast corner. It has been useful in giving directions and it is said Pioneer is still on some maps.