This miniature city is situated about ten miles east of Vienna, on the Illinois Central Railroad. It was built on the farm of J. M. Simpson in 1888, and took its name from the Simpson family which was without a doubt one of the first to come to this county. Some of the founders of this thriving little place, were Thomas Veach, Dr. J. T. Looney, Thomas W. and Frank M. Jones, Benjamin Williams, J. W. Browning, John Whiteside, John L. Mount, W. E. Jenkins, Dr. T. B. Kerley, L. H. and Arthur Compton.
A bank was organized in Simpson in 1910, with J. E. Carr as president and Charles W. Lancaster as cashier. This bank was sold and in 1919 the State Bank of Simpson was organized with T. B. Kerley, D. R. Kerley and J. W. Reynolds as promoters. There was a fine, small flour mill which was built in 1890and operated by J. B. Kuykendall and J. F. Wright. It was called the Daisy Roller Mill. It burned 1917. Simpson was incorporated as a village in 1893, and had a population in 1900 of 187. In 1910 it had reached 200, and now has 171 inhabitants. They have one church, Baptist in denomination, one hotel, five stores, a Ford Sales store and garage, and J. W. Reynolds has operated a monument factory there since 1890.
_Copied from A History of Johnson County, by Mrs. P. T. Chapman, January 1925, page 291

In this same book on page 82 Mrs. Chapman wrote:

"One great social with our people, perhaps not with the very first settlers, but a custom begun early and followed religiously until a few years ago, was the free barbecue. The cattle, sheep and hogs were furnished by the neighbors. These animals were dressed the day before. On the morning of the day of the feast, men versed in the art, began their work long before the dawn of day. The animals were roasted whole or in halves over a hot fire which was built in a vat or hole dug in the ground. The animals were turned and basted with a dressing until by noon they were a delicious viand fit for a king. One very famous barbecue was held at Simpson, 1892. There were said to have been 10,000 people present. Long tables had been spread, under the heavy leafed branches in the grove, with bread, salad, pickles, cakes, pies, coffee and all the necessities for a good dinner, including an abundance of barbecued meat.
The most wonderful part of the story is that, this was all free. After these dinners and sometimes before the crowd was entertained by a good speaker, a minister, a candidate or some friend of the candidate. Everybody visited with everybody else, meeting those who lived at a distance and making new friends. On the whole these were pleasant days."