One mile north of Battle Ground, Highway 503 starts a steep descent to the valley of the east Fork of the Lewis River.
The modern roadway crosses the stream on a wide concrete bridge, then winds back up the hill on its way to Amboy and Yacolt.
This is Lewisville. Most people relate the name to the huge county park that lies along the north edge of the river. Few realize that Lewisville was one of Clark County's pioneer towns before it vanished without a trace.
Only one structure remains. This is the Albert green home, nearly 100 years old, that graces the north bank of the East Fork adjacent to the bridge.
"This house probably dates back to 1884," said Laurine Goheen, 79, eldest of five daughters of Albert and Letha Green. She and Marguerite Wooldridge, Evelyn Watson and Norma Nissen still live in the immediate area. A fifth daughter, Alethe Clodfelter, lives in Seattle.
Two brothers are deceased. They were Bruce Green, one of the first Clark County men killed in World War II, and Vernon Greene, noted cartoonist who drew the syndicated strip "Bringing Up Father" before his death in 1956. (His sisters explained Vernon added a final "e" to his last name because he thought it looked more distinctive.)
The first resident of Lewisville probably was Robert Hall, who settled there in 1873. He built a bridge, Hall'' Bridge, which was washed away by a flood in 1882. This was replaced by the county's first covered bridge, which served until 1926 when it was replaced by a steel structure.
Green, called professor by his contemporaries, was a singing instructor whose vocal groups earned a regional reputation. He and his wife also owned and operated the Williams Avenue Photo Studio in Portland, along with other business enterprises.
"Mother and father used to ride bicycles from Portland to Lewisville, carrying me in a basket on the handlebars," Mrs. Goheen said. "The route went through Orchards and Brush Prairie."
Mrs. Green had been a Van Atta, daughter of the family that had settled the Brush Prairie community.
Beginning in the early 1880s and continuing for half a century, Lewisville had a number of business buildings and other structures. Among them was a two-story machine shop, owned by Albert Green, who also owned and ran a 700-acre farm along the south bank of the river and extending north into the Charter Oak area.
On the north side of the river were the post office, two general stores, a water-powered sawmill and grist mill, Grange hall and community buildings.
There is nothing left of historic Lewisville, except for the green home that is distinguished by a sleeping porch on the roof.
Mrs. Goheen said people often stop on the hill overlooking the historic home to take photographs or to paint. "People are always asking about the open-air sleeping porch," she said. "Father added it about 1911 because he believed it was healthy to have lots of fresh air when one sleeps."
The home is owned by Richard and Lynette Wooldridge. He is a grandson of the Albert Greens. "The house always will be in the Green family," he said. "It is written into the contract."
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Clark County, Washington
