With the railroads exerting this pressure, Gabetown was virtually squeezed out of existence. The Hammers-Crosley store was moved bodily into Panola. Others also moved and some buildings fell into decay and ruin. If you visit the site of Gabetown today you will find little to offer any clues except the weed-crowded markers in the silent cemetery with names and dates of many pioneers. You'll encounter the Armstrong name often and you'll see the resting place of Edward Fitz Patrick, our areas only Revolutionary War veteran grave. Some vandal took the beautiful D.A.R. marker from it between 1941 and 1946. Ed was the great-great-grandfather of Gladys Bilbrey Punke and George Forrest Bilbrey. Pioneer John Armstrong was a soldier in the War of 1812 and William Betz served in the Civil War, an unusual combination of veteran service for that day. Other names on markers in the Gabetown Cemetery include Hammers, Arnold, McCord, Magarity, Bolin, Mixter, Dye, Harvey, Patton, Baringer, Ray, Stine and Van Alstine.
Near the southeast corner of this little cemetery towers an ancient oak, an old man among trees that must be over a hundred years old. You don't have to be a Joyce Kilmer to appreciate this venerable giant, to stand and wonder what all it has seen or to speculate on what it could tell. But trees don't talk except to one another, and the secrets they hold will never be told to folks who write history books. So the story of Gabetown, fragmentary and incomplete must forever remain that way. It is one more timber town that died.
POKETOWN
Located in Olio Township a mile west of the well-known Centennial Church and some five miles south of Secor is the site of the little village that bore the nickname of the man who started it, Poke Burger. It once boasted a school, one merchandise-packed general store, and two blacksmith shops. Lewis Williamson of Secor, who worked in the El Paso Illinois Central freight house for many years, once taught school there. As walking was the cheapest and most healthful form of locomotion, he relied upon his feet in traveling back and forth. While there were husky boys in the school, this friendly and mild-mannered teacher won their respect perhaps because he was also a clever boxer and wrestler.
Thomas Trunnell, John Sadler's grandfather, Billy Patterson and Ephriam Yerion lived near Poketown and did their trading at its store. In fact, Mr. Yerion ran it for a time as did Poke Burger. It was customary for the merchant to gather the eggs, butter, poultry and other farm produce brought in, load it into the light canvas covered vehicle colloquially known as a hustable wagon, and take the load to Bloomington once or twice a week where it was exchanged for fast-selling items needed for the retail trade.
Poketown's two blacksmiths were John Yank Lahr and Andy Liddy. The latter couldn't resist the siren call of the great west, so he moved to Kansas where he amassed a fortune.
Page 42