How we chose the band name Mackville
There is only a cemetery name left to hint that a tiny town named Mackville, Illinois ever existed. It was 1872 and as the railroad expanded west, the town of Mackville was located about 2 miles to the north of the railroad. By 1873, some of the Mackville buildings were moved to the south to Atwood, Illinois to be closer to the railroad for business survival. It is said that the town was so named by the railroad conductors by stating “let's stop at the woods” referring to the heavily wooded area of what is now Atwood. Another name that was considered instead of Atwood was Lick Skillet. It was told that an older woman used to let her dogs lick her cooking skillet at a house in the area. Only a cemetery and remnants of a concrete step of the Mackville church are left as a mark that Mackville was once a thriving community. Folks often ask us how we chose our band name and we share the historical journey of Mackville to Atwood, where most of us reside. In our own way, we continue the legacy of a town that is gone and could easily be long forgotten. |