This is how the Allenville, MO site got it's start.  My family members have been a part of Allenville pretty much since it was founded.  I have always heard stories about how Allenville used to have a Bank, lots of stores, a Whiskey Distillery, and many other businesses, but the time that I spent living there as a young boy with my Mom, and step Dad it kind of reminded me of a ghost town.

As I spent more time there, and made new friends I began to really like Living there.  One of my first friends from Allenville was Eddie Williams.  Eddie and I used to hang out all the time. He was a little older than me so I kind of looked up to Eddie. He was probably 14 or 15 and I was 11, or 12.  I was finding out that living in Allenville wasn't too bad with a few friends.  We used to hunt arrowheads all the time, hang out, and swim at the big Railroad trussel.

Sometimes Eddie could get his mom's car and we would ride around the outskirts of town, it was a lot of fun for a couple of kids.  I liked hanging out with Larry and Betty Hicks son's Frankie, Eric, and Mark the youngest. Frankie was the oldest so we didn't hang out much, but I do remember one time walking home down the tracks from Delta when we came to the Railroad bridge, and Frankie said let's walk across the channel, but I didn't want to because I couldn't swim at the time. Frankie said I'll put you on my shoulders and I agreed. Frankie walked across the Channel with me on his shoulders and water up to his chin. I don't know who was craziest Frankie for walking across, or me for riding on his shoulders. 

I remember Eric Hicks having a Honda motorcycle for a little while and Me, Eric, and Eddie Williams all riding it at the same time crashing it into a trash dump in the ally behind Eddie Williams house, now that was the good ol' days. 

Over the years and through High School the youngest Hicks son, Mark, and I became pretty good friends.  There's no way that I could type out all the fun that Mark and I had over the years.  Mark and I could always find something to laugh about.

In the early 80's Jack and Barb Simpson moved to town and brought their son's Bryan and Eric.  I always got along with Bryan and we had some good times, but Eric and I hit it off right away.  Eric was no doubt one of the best friends I ever had. We stayed very close for 20 years and even though I don't see him much anymore I still think of old times and laugh.  I hope He and his family are doing well.

So, with these memories and my families past in Allenville as I got older I began to take an interest in Allenville and it's past history.  I first became interested in Withers Distillery as I heard my mom tell of someone buying a Whiskey Jug at an auction and It peaked my interest.  I tried to find info on Withers Distillery on the internet but there was none to be found.  Then one day I was in an antique shop in Cape Girardeau, MO and was shown a J. A. Withers glass and from that moment I was hooked. Not long after that my mom and stepdad gave me a J.A. Withers Whiskey jug, which I love! 

Later on mom and Richard met a nice couple at an auction and was talking with them about Withers distillery and the couple said they had some old items from that distillery and that if they ever got ready to sell them they would let them know. About a year or so later they met again at an auction and said they were ready to sell the items.  When we met at Delta to see the items I was pleased to see that they had a Whiskey jug from before Withers had his distillery in Allenville. They had a J.D. Dameron jug from the 1890's, and Dameron is who J.A. Withers bought his distillery from in 1906.  They also had two Withers Glasses, and a branded Withers Barrel top.  Needless to say they are now in my collection and that's when I knew I had to try to tell the story of Allenville's past.

I hope everyone that has old Allenville stories, and pictures will share them with the site.

Thanks, CRH.