DeVore's scrapbook tells Angus' history

There may not be much left of the former Nuckolls County community of Angus but friends of the community refuse to let its memory fade away.

Among the first to go was the Angus automobile factory. A disagreement among the company's stockholders caused the building to be dismantled, hauled to Nelson and reassembled across the street from what is now the office of the Nuckolls County Locomotive-Gazette. However, it is unlikely any automobiles were assembled in Nelson.

After the automobile company left, Angus began a gradual decline. Not necessarily in this order but the church and school closed, railroad tracks were removed when the train from Edgar quit running to Nelson, the Angus post office closed, the bus that ran between Superior and Hastings quit stopping at Angus, and the few folks who still lived within the community voted to dissolve the community government. Most years the springs which supplied water for the large swimming pool continued to flow but the pool which once drew people to the community from throughout the area also closed.

While Angus may no longer be an organized community within Nuckolls County, many people are still proud of their connection to Angus.

Over the years a former Angus resident, Larry DeVore, now living in Edgar, kept adding to his Angus scrapbook. The DeVore family has long had ties to Angus. It was members of the DeVore family who built and operated the Angus Swimming Pool and family members still own the farm the pool was located on. The spring fed pool was quite an attraction with a concrete floor and electric lights.

Earlier this year, Marilyn Corman borrowed DeVore's scrap book, brought it to Superior and showed it to the Superior Publishing Company crew. The decision was made to reproduce the scrapbook. That was accomplished and in mid-August copies of the scrapbook went on sale.

Like most scrapbooks, it contains duplicate entries and some of those entries leave unanswered questions. However the book helps to preserve the memory of a once thriving community.

Copies of the book are now available for purchase from DeVore family members in Edgar and Angus and at the Superior Publishing Company office in Superior.

The Nuckolls County Historical Society Museum has on display a Fuller automobile manufactured in Angus and a copy of Angus book. The Fuller car on display may be the last intact Fuller and it is the center piece of the museum's automobile collection which includes a Model T Ford and a rare Chevrolet Corvair pickup.

Monday was a typical day at the Superior office when two copies of the book were sold to a walk-in customer and one mail order was received.