Mr. Adkins has been influential in the school and social life of the community, and Mrs. Willie Sewell has run the post office most of the time since 1914.
LaFayette has rural electricity and telephone service. It has two stores, a black smith shop, a barber shop, the post office, a milk route and several local curing plants. The livestock industry is increasing. In the early days, there were saloons here, and for a while a fish house was operated here. All the residences in the town, except two, have been remodeled in the past few years. LaFayette has had no case in court in the past two years. The citizens say this is proof that it is a good place to live.
A few miles west of Gilmer is the little creek known as Kelsey Creek. It was named for Dr. W. H. Kelsey, one of the first settlers of Upshur County. In the 1890’s there was a few scattered settlements near this creek, who claimed either Double Springs or Enon as their home communities. About this time, two brothers, John and Jim Edgar, who were members of the Church of the Latter Day Saints, or Mormons, settled here. This church is peculiar, in that its members settle in groups, or colonies, under the direction and oversight of the headquarters, located at Salt Lake City, Utah. The faithful members of this organization, endeavoring to carry out the admonition of St. Paul to “forsake not the assembling of yourselves together,” will sacrifice their homes, if need be, and come together in these colonies.
John and Jim Edgar decided that this location on Kelsey Creek would be an ideal place for the location of a colony. Through their efforts, other members of their faith were induced to come in and a church and a colony were established. The colony has a systematic government, with a president and other officers to manage its local affairs. The colony at Kelsey was organized about the year 1900, and W. C. Harlis was the first president. Other presidents who have served the colony at different times, were Presidents Cox, Morris, John A. Futrell, Green, Maroni Hamberlin, J. C. Wade and others. J. C. Wade is president at the present time.
After the Kelsey colony was established, it was settled almost overnight. People from different parts of Texas and other states, flocked here until soon the Kelsey community was a thickly populated area. The land was fertile and truck farming became an important industry. A large church building was erected with many class rooms, where various classes met for study exercise almost every night in the week.