Pond Creek History

Pond Creek rises on the northwest slope of the watershed near the village of Corinth where Bank Lick creek flows east. The former flows west and occasionally north, its many tributaries draining the north side of the county. At Odum ford in Blairsville Township, Pond creek joins the Big Muddy river, and its waters flow to the Mississippi. The scatters of Pond creek, where the waters slipped along through tall grass, made an ideal hunting ground.

Many stories and traditions cluster around the stream. Indians camped on its banks, George Rogers Clark is said to have crossed the Big Muddy at the mouth of Pond creek on his way to Kaskaskia in 1778. Frank Jordan’s fort stood fifty yards from Pond Creek on an old Indian encampment. Lake Creek, or the Like fork of Pond Creek as the old records say, was of sufficient importance in the minds of early settlers to have township, post office, and church given its name.

Pond creek had its bridge when the first state roads were built, by direction of the legislature. The Jonesboro and Brownsville roads, to the county seats of Union and Jackson counties, crossed this bridge about one-quarter mile southwest of old Frankfort. Benjamin Chitty, who lived near Chittyville School, was paid $3 to supervise repairs on this bridge during the early spring of 1839.

Pond Creek road district was defined by the Franklin County commissioners’ court June 11, 1839: “Beginning where the Frankfort road district line crosses said road Leading from Frankfort to Jones Boro about one ¼ of a mile south West of Frankfort following Said road to the Middle of Lake fork of Pond creek including the aforesaid creek East to where the Golconda road crosses said creek to the center there of, Thence To Robert Worthen’s old place and Leaving said Worthen’s and lands in Roberts (prairie) road district. Thence North of Jourdan’s old station Leaving the hands of said old Station in Roberts road district . . . Thence Down Pond Creek to the road Leading from Frankfort to Golconda, Thence with Said road to the End of Solomans Clark’s Lane. . . . Thence to the Beginning.” Joseph Stricklin was appointed road supervisor that day in 1839 to succeed Simpson Pike.

Early road building must have been a trying task in that district. When James D. Pulley was drainage commissioner he sold 2,480 acres in Herrin Township and 560 acres in Lake Creek Township. These swamp lands stretched along Pond creek.

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(Extracted from Pioneer Folks and Places, Barbara Barr Hubbs, 1939 which is on sale at the Williamson County Museum)