Forest Grove School, Only Memories Remain

A building was built for Forest Grove School in 1893.  It was located near the Cave-In-Rock Road, or today State Rd. 91.  The new building was built on an acre lot and was funded by the state with the help of the patrons.

After the building was completed, Tom Akers furnished the maple saplings and a very beautiful yard was built around the school house.  The Aker family lived in the Forest Grove community.

The schoolhouse was also used for Sunday School through the summer months, and there would be preaching occasionally.  

There was also a Literary Society that met in the school building every other Friday night.

The patrons of this Forest Grove School were the families of Bracey, Williams, Heaths, Shuberts, Akers, Paris, Milligans, Terry's Robinson's, Fritts and many other.

The first teachers of the new school were, Edgar Bozeman, Sid Moore, Karl Flanary, Emma Terry, George Conditt and Maude Gill.  The last one to teach was George Wofford.

Textbooks were McGuffy's reader and speller, Rays arithmetic, geography and physiology.

After the school districts were consolidated and school wasn't held here anymore, the Forest Grove School house was used for family reunions, and church gatherings.

The last year for the Forest Grove School was 1958.  The building was torn down in 1985 by Duke Hodge who then owned the property.  

In those days before it was closed and torn down, it was a nice place to stop and rest if you were coming from Illinois and going to Marion.  Many people used it for a picnic area as it was a nice cool place to stop with all the shape trees and nice yard. 

That's all gone now, it just an over-grown lot that usually has hay stored on it or is grown up with weeds and grass.  A part of our forgotten passages of time.

A Vist to Marion's past through Post Cards

Picture postcards from long ago, in their own special way,  have helped preserve our past history. 

Here are a just a few that tell of some of Marion's past history.

One of the older ones shows a picture of South Main Street.  The house on the left is the Wm. Barnett home built in 1911.   It is still there today, but the color is now gray. Today on the left of it would be Belt's auction realty and then Tabor's service repair station.

County Court Day in Marion was always a big day in the early 1900's.   Not just the monthly court meeting day, but a day of shopping and making a visit to Jockey lot, where mules and other farm animals were on hand for trading or buying, also many other farm and food items.  It was a big day for the merchants of Marion also, as with the large number of people in town, their stores would be busy all day. 

 

 This old post card gives us a glimpse of all the people that would be in town on County Court Day.  This picture would have been made on West Bellville St.  The building the men are on the porch and in the windows was the old Western Auto Store.   

Always heard of the big loads of lead and zinc that was located in the mines around Marion?  Especially in the Crittenden Springs area, as the Columbia Mines.  This picture made in 1902 shows a large number of loaded wagons being brought into Marion to be taken to the depot for unloading.  Such a wonderful post card as you can see the Farmers Bank on the left, and the Court House and Clerk's building a little farther down.  

 

Marion was as it's finest during these times.  Soon in a few years, 1905, the store on the right would all be burnt down in the great fire. 

 

This post card says "A Fourth of July Scene in Marion, KY."  It appears that the "blimp" may be what is popularly called an "exaggeration postcard" at the turn of the century.  The scene originally was a Fourth of July celebration that was turned into a more exciting event by an enterprising postcard publisher who superimposed "exaggerated" details for added interest and sales.

Some of the building on the right look somewhat familiar from other old pictures, but I haven't placed it for sure if this was is Marion, just exactly where it was made. 

Early Churches

This interesting article about some of Marion's early churches was published in a special edition of The Crittenden Press on April 24, 1958.  

Churches came into Crittenden County as fast as the settlers came, many times a church was organized in a home of a devout Christian  and continued to meet there until the membership was able to have their own building.

In 1797 Rev. Terah Templin helped to organize the First Presbyterian Church in Old Centerville.  This church lived only so long as the town existed.

In the year 1803 the Rev. Wm. Dickey organized the Bethany Presbyterian Church, which was more commonly called "The Old Log Cabin Church" on Crooked Creek at Cross Keys, and it is back to this church that the First Presbyterian Church of Marion traces its history.

When the County Seat was moved to Marion, this church with all of its membership also moved.  

Their first building was erected in what is now known as the Old Cemetery on the South side of town.  In 1854 this church organized the first Sunday School in the county. 

 The location of the church has changed several times since, but in 1881 it was moved to its present location on the corner of Bellville and College Street in Marion.

Possible the oldest Baptist Church in the county with a continuous record in the Union Baptist, which is a branch of the "Old Salem" Church and met in the Fulkerson home until they could build in 1810, and in 1812 Union Church joined the Little River Association of  United Baptist.

Another Baptist church was established at Deer Creek in 1823.  Since that date the Baptists have grown rapidly in membership.

The earliest Methodist records take us back to the 1830's when a Circuit was formed with Caldwell and Livingston Counties, included: Princeton, Hurricane, Salem and Tolu forming the circuit.

In 1853 there were 47 names listed as being members of the Marion Methodist Church.  In 1873 their first building was erected in Marion on Salem St., which is now West Bellville.  This was a frame building and was destroyed by a storm in 1890 but was soon replaced with a brick structure which is still standing and at present is being used by the Christian Church.

In 1910 the Methodists purchased a lot on the corner of College and Carlisle Streets and built a new church, which is still in use and in 1954 an Education Building was added.

July 1953 - New Drive-In Theatre To Open In Marion.

Yes, Marion and Crittenden County was to have their own drive-in theatre.  It would be a great convenience to everyone that before had to drive to Princeton, Morganfield or Paducah to see a drive-in movie.  It was to be located on U. S. 60 West about 1/4 from the city limits of Marion.  It would be built to accommodate 300 cars.

The owners and managers of the new drive-in theatre were Dr. J. J. Rosentihal, B. G. Moore and Tom Simmons.  

The Drive-In would also operate a Snack Bar for the pleasure and convenience of its patrons.  Popcorn, hot dogs, soft drinks, ice cream, candy, cigarettes and various other items and confections would be featured and sold there.

The picture billed as the opening attraction would be "Bronco Buster."  This technicolor picture would be shown on Thursday and Friday nights.

I don't know the date that Mr. Harry Gass and his wife Frankie purchased the Drive-in.  But they, with their son, Trent, operated the Drive-In-Theater for several years.    During this time, the Kentucky theater would close for the summer months and they would open the Drive-in for the summer.  

I'm not exactly sure of the date when the Gass family closed the Marion Drive-in, but the last advertisement for the drive-in was in the October 9, 1986 Crittenden Press.  The movie Back To School, starring Rodney Dangerfiled was to play Oct. 10, 11, and 12.  

In April of 1988, a young man, Scott Zimmerman, 21, from Denver Colorado, moved to Marion just so he could purchased the abandoned Drive-In and re-open it.  Owning and running a drive-in was a life-long dream of his.

But by August of that same year,Scott reported that his dream of owning a drive-in was turning into a nightmare.  People just wouldn't come to the movies, night after night only a few cars would be there.  He tried everything he knew to get people interested in coming back for the nightly movies.  Single feature, double feature, nothing he tried worked to bring in the people.

Like so many things that were once popular, people had just lost interest in going to a drive-in movie.  By 1992 it was closed and some years later the once popular huge outdoor screen,  was becoming dilapidated and would soon be torn down.

Another part of our past history was now to be in the forgotten passages of time.