Flag Raising Ceremony - 1941

 It's always nice when you find an article in the Crittenden Press that tells the history of a picture you have that you knew nothing about.  Such happened to me with the one below.

The Crittenden Press, January 17, 1941

The large American flag that the Americanism committee of the American Legion Auxiliary of the Ellis B. Ordway post is giving to the Marion city schools was raised on Tuesday morning, January 21, following appropriate exercises which took place in the new high school gymnasium.

Music for the occasion was furnished by the Marion High school band.

The public was cordially invited to attend these services.

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Little did they know that in 11 months that Pearl Harbor would be attacked and the beginning of World War II would begin.

Steward Chapel CME, Black Congregation Church

 

This beautiful church once stood on North Maple Street in Marion.  The plot of ground on which the church and parsonage stood was given by Mr. Herrod Travis.  

The church was rebuilt in 1916 under the pastorate of Rev. P. W. Garrett.  

Some of the ministers that pastored here were Revs. P. W. Garrett who served two years, Rev's. Morris, Moore, Robertson, J. S. Crumb who served five years, J. M. F. Jenkins who served two years, S. L. McGee who served one year, C. E. Burns who served five years, and A. B. Mason who served from 1941-1973, thirty-two years,.  He also pastored Phillips Chapel C.M.E. Church at Sturgis.  He pastored the church at Marion until December 16, 1973 when he was called from labor to reward.  (This information was taken from the little booklet "The Churches In Our County" A Bicentennial Celebration Publication, 1974.  

Rev. Albert Buford Mason died Dec. 16, 1973, is buried in the Lewis Cemetery.  He was a World War I Veteran.  Kentucky CPL US  Army.

This church was torn down a few years after this booklet was printed.  All that is left of this beautiful building is the concrete block foundation.  No more history is known about what happened to its congregation, or why and when the destruction of the building took place.

It must have been a beautiful sight in its day.

All that remains today.

Official Naming of Cochran Hill

 

 I think it is always interesting to learn how our local places received their names.  

A lot of the time our roads were named for a family that lived near-by or they owned the property where the road was.

Many of our county roads today have family names to identify them by, also by cemeteries and schools that were nearby would be a good way to name a road. 

Many places that were known for having bad wrecks on them would be nick-named by local citizens and called that through the years.  Crayne Hill and Dead Man's Curve, just outside of Marion on 60 West, were two of the worse, also Rosebud Hill another one known for it's deadly curve.

 

Cochran hill about 2 miles south of Marion of Hwy 91S was  just called Cochran hill and curve for many years, that is what it was known by as the Cochran family lived at the top of the hill.

 It was always a deadly curve with a steep hill to climb, and terrible in the winter with ice and snow.  Many a vehicle ended up going off the bridge and into the field below as it tried to navigate and get speed to climb the hill. 

It was improved for safely reasons in later years and isn't as dangerous today as it once was, as you can see in the picture, it's more of a straight road now.

 

Most roads/hwy. are never officially named, but Cochran hill and curve has it's own history about its name.

Crittenden Press. Dec. 29, 1983 -

Geological Survey officially dubs Cochran Hill and Curve

The hill and curve on Ky. 91 two miles south of Marion, which Crittenden Countians have for years referred to as Cochran Hill, has been registered under that name by the federal government.

 

The U. S. Board on Geographic Names conferred the name to the hill earlier this year in honor of Herbert Lyle Cochran, a Crittenden County farmer and carpenter, who lived there from 1911 until his death in 1976. 

John Parr Cochran of Charlotte, N. C., executor of his father's estate, said this week he began attempts to get the area officially named as Cochran Hill shortly after his father died. “I just wanted to get Dad some recognition,” he said.

 

The process involved documenting that the locale had no other official name and getting its certification from the national agency with headquarters at Reston Va.

 

Some states, Cochran said, have agencies which name geographic locations, but Kentucky does not so the jurisdiction fell to the national board, a division of the U. S. Geological Survey.

 

Cochran said he obtained letters of recommendation from then County Judge R. C. Hamilton, his mother Margaret Cochran, and other residents in the area.

 

The Cochran family has owned land in the area since the late 1700's. A log house was built there in 1879, he said and that was remodeled in 1802. That one stood just off Ky. 91 until it was replaced by the house presently there in the 1950's.

The Short Life of The Marion Reporter

 

The Marion Reporter newspaper only lasted from June 24, 1954 until March 31, 1955.

It was founded by Emmett Rodgers.  Part of his message "From the Publisher" appeared in the first edition of June 24, 1954.

You have now in your hands the first edition of the Marion Reporter, dedicated to the high concepts of honest and fearless journalism and to the everlasting betterment of Marion and Crittenden County.

Our desire to publish a newspaper stems from one great ambition - community development.  It cannot be that we anticipate the Marion Reporter being a source of great income, nor a personal device upon which we may exploit any selfish ambition.  We also recognize the simple arithmetic of years in our calculation and cannot anticipate the wheels of journalistic fortune being discovered at this late date.

We must fully recognize the fact that Crittenden county, has been feeling the business pinch.  It must be our business to bring new industries to our community, find an even greener pasture in our farmlands, organize into unselfish organizations for united strength.

In other columns of this edition you will be able to obtain the personal information about those with whom we have associated in this venture.  We have absolute faith in their integrity and their abilities.

To others in the newspaper business in our community and in the state, we extend the hand of fraternal fellowship and goodwill.  

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From the March31, 1955 edition:  Reporter Consolidates With Press With This Final Issue.

To Our Patrons: The Editor wishes to announce that the Marion Reporter has been merged with the Crittenden Press, which was purchased several weeks ago by  Mr. Charles E. Pepper of Henderson, Ky.

Mr. Pepper is now in the Army and expects to get his release by June 28.  He and his wife are both graduates from schools of journalism and will make their home in Marion immediately upon termination of Mr. Pepper's military service.  

The editor and staff of the Marion Report wish to thank those who have so generously advertised, its correspondents, and the 2,450 subscribers for splendid support.

As this is the final issue of the Marion Reporter, Mr. Pepper will spend his new newspaper to all subscribers of the Marion Reporter for the unexpired time to which they are entitled. 

The Marion Reporter was initiated with the single purpose and sole idea of giving Crittenden and Livingston counties the type of weekly  newspaper that they were entitled to and not as a money making venture.  

Our motto of "If you don't want it printed, don't let it happen" has been strictly adhered to insofar as was humanly possible.

Thank you,  Emmett Rodgers

My thoughts:  The Marion Reporter was indeed an informative and community minded paper.  I've read, on mirco-film, many interesting  articles from the old paper.  Two that I remember well was on the history of the Alexander Rock Quarry that was located on Hwy. 60 North and the Mi-Marker Company that was located in Marion.  It did as Mr. Rodgers said, to try and promote our local businesses and make Marion look promising for the future.  The papers was also full of local happenings and people that were in the community.