Wednesday, April 26, 2017

City By-Laws - March 22, 1882


In 1882 the town trustees had been busy preparing some by-laws for our fair city.  The laws were to be abided by in order to make our town a better place to live.  Here are a few.  They still sound like good rules to live by even today.
  •  Any person or persons violating the law by not paying for a license to sell liquor, and continue to sell ardent spirits in the own of Marion, shall forfeit and pay a fine.
  •  Any person or persons, who shall be drunk within the town of Marion, shall be fined in any sum not less than $1 nor more than $10 or may be imprisoned in the county jail not more than 24 hours or may e both fined and imprisoned at the discretion of the court.
  • Any person or persons who shall be guilty of profane cursing or swearing, not in a clamorous or boisterous manner, in the town of Marion, shall be fined $1 for each offense and any person or persons, who shall be guilty of profane cursing or swearing, in the town of Marion, in a boisterous or clamorous manner, shall be fined not less than $2 or more than $10 for each offense.
  • Any person, who shall be guilty of an indecent exposure of his person in any public place or any grossly improper conduct in the town of Marion, shall be fined in any sum  not less than $5 nor more than $20 in each offense and in default to payment may be sentenced to hard labor upon the streets or other public works of the town.
  • Any person or persons who shall be guilt of running immoderately or recklessly riding or driving any horse or horses, or mules through or on the streets or alleys of the town of Marion, shall be fine in any sum not less than $1 or more than $10, in default of payment of any fine imposed under this section, the party so offending shall be committed to the county jail at the rate of $2 per day to pay said fine.
  • Any person, who shall be guilty of selling directly or indirectly an goods, ware or merchandise of any kind or quality in the town of Marion on the Sabbath day, except it be for shrouding, medicine or other articles of extreme necessity shall pay a fine of $2.50 for each and every offense.
  • Any person or persons who shall shoot off any gun or pistol loaded with powder in the town of Marion, shall be fined in the sun of $5 for each offense, except the same may be done in the protection of life or property.
  • Any person who shall engage in any game of chance playing of dice, cards, or either device whereat anything of value is be, won or lost, shall be fined for every such offense not less than $10, nor more than $50.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Traveling Our Old Roadways


Seems are fair county has always had a problem keeping are roadways in good traveling condition. In the 1920's the conditions of the roads were a main topic that was always talked about and discussed.  

Local citizens that had moved to other states in search of good jobs would could back home and complain the whole time about how awful our roads were.  

The people in Crittenden County had grown tired of listening through the years to the multiplicity of disparaging remarks, which had been made about our creek bed roads.  They set about to try and do something about this so Crittenden County got aboard the good roads band wagon.

Here are some interesting items found in The Crittenden Press about the improvement of our roads.

                                                  The pike team headed for Crayne.

Nov. 25, 1921 - Crittenden's First Pike, Marion Road.
A section of the pike teams passed through Marion headed for Crayne where the gang will be located and work will proceed each way from that point.  The men, teams and tools are located at Crayne and actual work on Crittenden's first pike begun Monday.  Mr. W. R. Cruce, who worked persistently and valiantly for this road, and to him the whole citizenship is debtor, placed the first shovel of dirt on the road.

April 1924 - Sheridan Road Improved
Progressive communities and good roads go hand in hand.  Crittenden is fast taking her place and counties with superior roads.  Get in a car and drive out one of her highways toward Princeton or Salem and Paducah.  During the past week we have witnessed some splendid work on the Sheridan-Tolu road, one of the most desperate roads of history.  The work has only started, yet the improvement will measure 100 percent.  A moderate amount of continual work will make it possible for the teamster to pull 4000 pounds with greater ease than he has for months.  Then if one drives out this way in a car he can do so with comfort and cease criticism of the county roads. 

July 1927 - Work Starts on Federal Road 60
Work was started this week on the surfacing of the Marion-Salem portion of United States highway Number 60.  Ben E. Clement, of the Holly Fluorspar Company, holds the contract for the graveling of the slightly more than eight mile section of road.  The first loads of crushed rock were laid this week.

December 1927 - Funds for Road To Dycusburg
The dream of a hard surfaced road to Dycusburg will soon be a reality, according to County Judge L. E. Waddell, who has made public a list of the donors to the fund to be used in the construction of this road.  A partial list of those contributing:  J. A. Graves, M. E. Stephenson, T. W. Brown, W. W. Bennett, Claude Fletcher, J. C. Brasher, J. E. Shadowen, L. C. Brasher, James Riley, Elmer Parish, M. F. Pogue, W. I. Tabor, J. H. Beavers, A. H. Shadowen, J. M. Polk, C. L. Lindsey, Harlan Peek, J. L. Patton, G. C. Oliver, and J. H. Beavers, to name a few interested citizens that contributed.

December 1927 - Plans Laid for New State Road To Shady Grove
A proposed bill, which was drawn up by Edward D. Stone, Crittenden attorney, establishing a primary road project, a road leading from Marion to Shady Grove. The road would extend from Marion to Shady Grove, starting at the Masonic corner in Marion, goes east to the end of Bellville Street and follow in the general direction of the old Shady Grove Road by way of Tribune and Deanwood into Shady  Grove where it connects with other state highways to Princeton, Providence and Madisonville.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Dycusburg, A Glance at Her Past


             This history was written about Dycusburg in 1894. 

The second largest town in Crittenden County is Dycusburg, and it is a town of no small importance, although the advent of the railroad has interfered materially in the shipping business, which was at one time a leading feature.

In its best days Dycusburg probably did more business than Marion, its location on the bank of the Cumberland river making it close to the marts of the world drew some of the best merchants the county ever had.

The native forest of that vicinity was first broken by a Mr. Seyester, on the farm now owned by the widow Brannum.  

In 1833 J. W. Simpson built a rude warehouse below where the town now stands.  In 1838 a brick warehouse and residence was built and other houses followed in rapid succession.

In 1848 the town was incorporated and business began to grow rapidly.
  • Jackson & Cobb were selling good, buying and shipping tobacco
  • Cobb & Cobb succeeded this firm
  • Smith & Head carried on a big mercantile business in 1851
  • David Moore & Bro.
  • M. L. Smith
  • J. N. Flanagan
  • Wm. Bennett & Company
  • T. T. Martin
  • Yancey's
  • L. L. Level
  • Cobb & Gellantley
  • Pritchett & Cardin
  • Wm Dycus and Dr. Graves are some of the names associated with the early history of the town.
Two neat church buildings, Methodist and Baptist, a commodious school house, some pretty residences, large tobacco and grain houses, large store rooms, filled with $8,000 and $10,000 stocks, all indicate continued prosperity.

A fine farming country on both sides of the Cumberland contribute to the material welfare of the town, and the town in turn affords the country the conveniences necessary for the well being of all well regulated households and hence a spirit of friendliness exists among the people.

A daily mail from Kuttawa supplies the town and it's quota of letters and papers.
Among the men who add to the substantial worth of Dycusburg today are:
  • Sam Cassidy
  • J. H. Clifton
  • the Yancey boys
  • Eugene Brown
  • Wm Mays
  • F. B. Dycus, the Burks
  • George Graves
  • Dr. Graves
  • William Hill
  • Ed Ramage
  • P. K. Cooksey
  • Tom Yates
  • Ab  Henrty
Dycusburg is up with the times, there is not a more progressive community in the county and morally it is the equal of any.     (August 1894)

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

James Wheeler Cemetery




A new sign was placed yesterday, April 3, 2017 to mark the little historic family cemetery of the James Wheeler family, an early pioneer family of Crittenden County.  After all these years, over 168,  this cemetery has it's first sign.

Mr. Noble Travis, a descendant of Lindley M. Travis, who is buried here, is responsible for the recent cleaning and placement of this beautiful sign.


The beginning of the James Wheeler Cemetery, located on Just-A-Mere Road.
James Wheeler came with his parents to Kentucky at the age of twelve years. He entered 400 acres of land on the North Fork of Piney Creek on February 1, 1802 at old Centerville on Livingston Creek in Livingston (now Crittenden County), . This land was surveyed on August 19, 1803. He built his house on this tract of land where he lived. He built first on the point of the hill just North of the Creek. Later, about 1842 he built on the same ridge a few hundred yards North where he lived the remainder of his life. This would have at one time been the B. C. and Elizabeth McNeely farm. The cemetery is just down the road from their homeplace.  (The farm was sold several years ago after Mr. and Mrs. McNeely passed away.)

John Elder Wheeler was the second son, and third child of James and Mary (Elder) Wheeler. He was the first one to be buried in the James Wheeler grave yard. 

John Elder Wheeler came into this world a victim of unfortunate circumstances. The latter part of the year of 1811 and early part of 1812 was a time of severe earthquake shocks along the Mississippi river near New Madrid and other points, when the earth sank and Reel-Foot lake was formed. These earthquakes were continuous and very severe for a time.

Mary the mother of John Elder Wheeler being in a delicate condition would become very nervous when these earth tremors began. Under these stressful times and her nervous condition, John Elder Wheeler was born. He was a very nervous child, and this condition lasted him through life.

He was devoutly religious. A neighbor, Mrs. Mary Ann Lamb, said he could pray the best prayer she ever heard. His mother said he was the most thoughtful of her wishes and comfort than any of the other children. He was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Piney Fork and at one time was secretary of the Sunday School. He had what would be a very good education for the people of his locality at that time. His handwriting was legible considering his nervous condition. He never married.

John Elder Wheeler was the first to be buried in James Wheeler family cemetery. He died Nov. 20, 1849, 37 years, 10 months and one day. 

The family history tell that John's sister, Susannah C. Wheeler Travis, grieved over him being buried by himself, and in less than a month on Dec. 15, 1849, she was dead, and was buried near him.