Keytsville in Madison Township
Keytsville was a collection of homes and a few businesses on the Putnam/Parke County Line about eight miles west of Greencastle, and just west of Brunerstown. About a mile north of Keytsville was the village of Vivalia. Keytsville, sometimes referred to as Keyt’s Corner, does not show up on very many maps and was never platted, never had its own post office and is not included in the earlier histories of the county. Several local residents have stated that if one lived in this rural area a hundred years ago you would not need to come to the big city very often, as there were three general stores within a mile or so of each other, one each in Keytsville, Brunerstown and Vivalia.
Many newspaper articles relating to Ketysville include information on the store and huckster wagon, as summarized here.
June 14, 1928. Charles Keyt is the new huckster in Madison Township.
September 17, 1931. Ernest Smith, age 32, proprietor of a store at Keytsville at the Putnam-Parke County line is recovering in the county hospital with more than 40 stitches resulting from trying to evict an unruly patron from the dance floor the previous night.
August 6, 1934. Charles Keyt is a well-known resident of Madison Township, operating a huckster wagon outfit. He formerly resided at Keytsville, just west of Brunerstown where he operated a store for several years.
August 17, 1934. Luther Thompson is selling gas at his store in Keytsville for the High Point of Ohio petroleum company.
February 9, 1950. Luther Thompson, grocer from Keytsville, died in route to the hospital from a fatal heart attack.
Articles of the J. L. Ellis store and huckster business located at nearby Brunerstown include the following information:
June 28, 1928. Huckster Everett Ellis, son of Jesse Ellis, married miss Opal Summers near Carbon, Indiana.
Oct 11, 1928. Huckster Everett Ellis is suffering from a severe case of neuralgia in his jaw.
January 9, 1929. Everett Ellis gives up huckster business, will move to Greencastle with his family and drive a truck for the shell oil company. The partnership he had with his father Jesse Ellis, previously known as Ellis & Son, will dissolve and will now operate under the name of J. L. Ellis.
September 8, 1931. Huckster truck of Ernie Smith of Keyt’s Corner collided with a cement truck in Greencastle, killing a coop full of chickens which was located on the front bumper of the huckster truck.
January 18, 1940. A huckster truck of J. L. Ellis was lost to fire.
January 19, 1940. J. L. Ellis of Brunerstown advertised to buy or rent a huckster body.
March 8, 1940. J. L. Ellis of Brunerstown advertised that his huckster truck that burned recently has been repaired and will soon resume operation.
June 5, 1940. Jesse L. Ellis of Brunerstown huckster business is summarized, including photos of horse drawn huckster wagon and trucks equipped with huckster bodies.
