A mile north and two miles west of the village of Buncombe is a large spring of cold water. To this spring came a band of pioneers in the year 1806. The band was made up of families named Worley, Thornton, Bradshaw and Wiggs. Other families accompanied them or came to settle here soon after, for in 1809 John Bradshaw was appointed Justice of the Peace there.
Illinois became a territory in 1809. Johnson County was formed by the Illinois Territorial Legislature that year. It included what is now Alexander, Pulaski, Massac, Johnson, and parts of Pope, Saline, Hardin, Jackson and Williamson Counties. The articles that created the county named "Elvira Township" as "all the land within the bounds of protection of Captain William Thornton's Company of militia." This poorly defined area varied from 49 to 100 square miles.

The county was named for a Colonel of the Kentucky Militia, whose name was Richard Menton Johnsosn. This Colonel became the Vice President of the United States to be elected by the Senate. He served one term under President Martin Van Buren, but this term of office began 27 years after the new county was named for him.
The community about the spring was named the County Seat. A log courthouse was built there in 1809. This building served for five years. William Simpson, a carpenter, built the second courthouse in Elvira. This was a frame building made of unplaned native lumber.
Whether Mr. Simpson furnished the lumber is not known. His brother had a sawmill and a stave mill at Simpson. William Simpson was to receive $260.00 for the building, in three annual payments. He was paid only $175.75. This is slightly over two installments. The reason for not paying the amount in full is not known. The county Jail was built at a cost of five hundred dollars.
Elvira got a post office February 23, 1815. The post office was called The Johnson Court House. The name was changed to Elvira in December of 1818. This post office was discontinued but no record of it's closing exists. It was re-established March 2, 1869 and continued until July 14, 1907.
The reason for the naming the community Elvira is not known. It is a female Christian name and was supposedly named for some woman dear to the heart of some official in the Illinois Territory that early day. Some legend states that Elvira was the name of Governor Shadric Bond's wife, and the seat of Johnson County was named after her.
On December 3rd, 1818, the Illinois Territory became the twenty - first state of the United States. The county seat was moved to a new town; named Vienna, from a town in Austria. The old village of Elvira gradually declined. Today a careful examination of the newly ploughed ground there will reveal a few pieces of building stone, brick, and pottery and dishes, signifying that it was once a dwelling place.
This spring is in the middle of a field, walled with sandstone and still flowing with cold water. A new community sprang up a mile west of the old village and was called Elvira. It consisted of a half dozen houses and a country store.
From Ghost Towns Of Southern Illinois by Glenn J. Sneed.
Reprinted in The Vienna Times, April 12, 1973.