“Maple Drive”

“Maple Drive”. . Passing along East Main Street, under the line of maple trees adorning the highway, one comes to a street known as Fairground Drive. In the early twentieth century it was a part of the northern loop of a race track extending to the hills on the south. It was the site of horse and automobile racing. The County Fair was held inside the oval loop until it was moved to the Court House and adjacent area., When the high school was erected in 1923, where the Waverly Jr. High School now stands, there was no road. The County Highway Department constructed one from Fairground Drive to the school. The high school boys hauled the gravel from the creek to surface the road. In time it became Highway #70., In those days Main Street was only a dirt road, the city limits was what is now Simpson Street, where there was no street, only a swinging bridge for pedestrians., In 1912 Waddell Lucas Sr. planted the line of maples on each side of Main Street. He probably did not realize what a wondrous thing of natural beauty he was creating. The trees grew into an archway shading the street and becoming not only a site of beauty to the citizens but a marvelous attraction to the traveler. Waverly was known far and wide for the rows of maple trees., With the passing of time and cars crashing into them, the trees were destroyed or badly damaged. Now the City is replacing them and in time it will become once again a scene of exquisite grandeur. The replanting will be completed early in 2004. History recounted by John H. Whitfield.