The name of Wildwood comes from the many species of native trees collected and planted by the Goddard family. Black locust, walnut, ash, tulip poplar, elm, and oak trees were in abundance. From Wildwood, an avenue of sugar maple trees led to the road. In addition to the large trees native to central Kentucky, Uncle Will planted hemlocks, lindens, willows, honey lindens, gingkos, catalpas, mountain ash, and many others. Many of these trees, including the tree lined avenue, still exist, but a tornado during the 1990’s destroyed several of them.
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Probably nowhere in the United States were feelings so divided over the Civil War and slavery as they were in Kentucky. All during the Civil War Uncle Will was the most rampaging Rebel you could imagine. One morning, as he was walking up the main street of Harrodsburg, a squad of Union soldiers stopped him and told him he was under arrest for aiding and abetting the enemy. He was taken to Camp Chase and incarcerated for almost a year. A few weeks after his imprisonment, a son was born to Sarah Eliza. When she asked what the boy should be named, Uncle Will responded "Rebel Goddard." About this same time, a neighbor who was a Union sympathizer named his son “Union.” Union became a great friend of Rebel Goddard in later years and the families intermarried.
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