Melstone Heritage Sign Reflects over 100 years of Local History

As you are driving East on Highway 12, you could almost miss the small town of Melstone. But if you happen to look to the left as you are slowing through the speed zone, you will see the Heritage Historical sign that marks the small-town significance. Not always a small town, Melstone once had a Doctor, Dentist, Bank, Railroad Station, a couple hotels, bars, hardware and general store, hospital, and school. Like many dots on the map along Highway 12, the rise and fall came and went with the Milwaukee Railroad. The town was established in 1908 but incorporated in 1913. There was a big fire in 1912 that changed Main Street. They decided that they would no longer built wooden buildings anymore, but would only build with stone going further. Melstone's main industries were the Railroad, Oil, Agriculture, and Coal. Railroads advertised coming to the west as a mecca, however, most know that Melstone would have been a challenging area for homesteaders to survive. However, Melstone is oil rich, and the early folks also mined in small coal mines south of town. As many as 477 people in lived in Melstone in 1920, though some have stated that at one time there were as many as 1500 people living in the Melstone community.

The Historical sign was a project of love and labor by five local Melstone ladies, Adele Fields, Judi Knapp, Kim Walker, and Kathy Eike. Seven years ago, they began gathering information about Melstone's history. Kim and Adele drove around town with John Balock and Danny Whitmore and asked people the history of each building. They made a binder that was in the drug store with pictures of each building and created a walking tour map in 2007-2008. They made homemade signs to put at each house. Those pictures became some of the basis for that sign. Judi and several others went through the old Melstone Messenger (old newspapers) compiled the highlights. They attained grants to digitize the old papers, Melstone Mirror in 1909 was the first Melstone paper followed by the Melstone Messenger. The accumulation of history was paired down to best highlights for the sign. The original design was going to be eight panels, but funding was difficult, so the group had to cut down the information to just the most vital statistics of Melstone History.

The main highlights of the sign include historical facts, recognizable family names who still live in the area, population changes, pictures of the historical town, unforgettable people, and much more. If you have the time to stop on your trip through Highway 12, or just need a good Sunday Drive, be sure to stop in Melstone and take a look at the remarkable sign.