One of the most noted villages in the County is Middleburg eleven miles east of Lexington on the old Lexington-Decaturville Road. It was so named because it is midway between Lexington and Decaturville. Its first settler was a man by the name of Thomas. Following him came the Powers, Deeres, Moodys, Johnsons, Longs, and others. John Dees opened the first store about 1865. Some ten years later W. B. Long bought him out and opened a grocery and saloon. Mr. Long ran a good business for some forty years during which time he owned and operated cotton gins, saw mills, and grist mills. He made Middleburg the center of much interest and business and at the same time accumulated much wealth. In 1880 a post office was established. There being another post office in the State named Middleburg, the name of our town was changed to "Long" in honor of its leading citizen and first postmaster, W. B. Long. However, when the post office went down, the name was changed back to Middleburg. Since Mr. Long went out of business, the following have run general merchandise stores: J. W. Riles and T. H. Johnson, Jim Jones, L. L. Powers, Cecil Todd, and T. H. Johnson again. Mr. Johnson is the present merchant and is doing a fair business.

To leave one thing out of this sketch would be to leave the one thing out that the people of Middleburg feel proudest of. The propel in and around Middleburg still have that good old feeling toward their fellow neighbors that existed in pioneer days. When a person happens to misfortune or accident, his neighbors go to his assistance. If a person is taken sick and his crop needs work, the people work it for him. This was illustrated in the summer of 1930 when the good old people of Middleburg worked Edd Weatherfords crop out for him when he was unable to do so himself. There is a very sad tragedy connected with the history of Middleburg. On the presidential election day, November 4, 1924, D. G. Powers went to the Middleburg precinct to attend the election. He and George Johnson, a Democrat, had been at "outs" with each other. Powers felt that Johnson had treated him unfair in previous cases and that he had been conducting the elections dishonestly. It appears that Powers went to the precinct to "see that things went right." So, on his arrival at the precinct he saw how things looked and proceeded to take charge of the ballot box. When he did this, "Took" Bartholomew, a Democrat and friend of Johnsons, took it upon himself to get the box. Powers warned him not to bother him, but that did no good. Mr. Bartholomew kept advancing. Again Powers warned him to stop, this time threatening to shoot him full of holes if he did not stop. But again he kept advancing and demanding the box. He had been smoking and had his large pipe in his hand. Powers, on seeing the pipe, thought it was a knife, he claimed, and shot him. As this occurred, "Tooks" son, "Bud", rushed in. Powers again seeing danger -- this time from a new foe -- shot "Bud". Coming from behind him was his old friend, "Bill" Rodgers. Rodgers, it seems, had his hands outspread beseeching Powers to stop. But again Powers saw nothing but danger believing Rodgers an enemy attacking from the rear. So, he whirled and shot Rodgers through the head. After shooting three men in rapid succession and neither of them being his arch enemy, he looked about for some one, Johnson, no doubt. But Johnson, it is said, departed through the back door of the house used for the election and escaped through a corn patch. It was reported that Johnson tore down quite a bit of corn in his flight for safety. Who blames him?

When Powers looked upon the scene, he turned and left. No one followed him. He was believed to be gone within a few hours, but the fact is that he remained in the community for weeks visiting his friends and spending nights with them. After finally leaving home in the night and secretly boarding a train, he roamed over the country at will, usually under the name of "W. B. Coady". He crossed the border into Mexico, then doubled back across the Southern States and into Cuba. But not being satisfied, he returned home and was taken without resistance. He must have come home to give up. His trial was had at Lexington and he was given a life sentence. He did not serve long, however, before he committed suicide by cutting his throat with a razor. He was buried in the Methodist Cemetery at Scotts Hill. There were more people at his funeral than had been in that cemetery for many years. The use of bad judgment at that fateful moment on November 4th at Middleburg cost the happiness and union of four homes, his own and those of whom he killed. It ended the lives of four useful men.

Long (Middleburg) items in Lexington Republican April 13, 1906.
Little Alton, son of Joe Rogers, is on the sick list.
Willie Ferguson has entered school at Sardis.
Rube and Lonnie McPeake were in Beacon Friday.
There will be preaching at Judson next Sunday.
Hubert Johnson visited J. M. McPeake Saturday night.
The crowd at Browns School house last Sunday was very small.
Miss Lillie White visited Miss Dona Lockhart last Saturday night.
J. W. McPeake and wife were guests of T. H. Johnson last Sunday.
W. A. McPeake and Arthur Grimsley were in Scotts Hill Saturday.
Misses Lizzie and Ada Robins were guests of Miss Sallie White last Sunday.
Sill Deere and Misses Lizzie and Ada Robins were in Scotte Hill Saturday.
Monia, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. S. McPeake, has been on the sick list, but is better at this writing.
There is a talk of consolidating Judson, Brown, Bartholomew, and No. 4 school houses and building a college at this place.