Marion Featured in April 27, 1930 Evansville Courier and Journal

 

 Three Great Men Given to U. S. By Marion, Kentucky.  Two United States Senators, One Governor of Oklahoma Born in City.

What peculiar properties of greatness does the city of Marion hold?

A strange question, and an unanswerable one.  But his little city of 2,100 inhabitants has brought forth three men who have written their names on the pages of United States history.

Ollie M. James one of the most brilliant orators and certainly one of the greatest figures in Kentucky history, became United States senator.

W. J. Deboe, also a United States senator from Kentucky, claims Marion as his home.

Lee Cruce, Oklahoma's second governor, was Marion born and reared.

The homes of both Senators James and Deboe still stand in this city, directly opposite each other at the same street intersection.

The bodies of both lay in the Marion cemetery, a towering shaft marking the resting lace of Senator James.

                               Center of Mining

Marion, the county seat of Crittenden County, lies in a section of the most scenic beauty in Western Kentucky.  All about are sweeping hills that break the monotony of the broad plain common to this section of the state.

The city was named for Gen. Francis Marion, Revolutionary war hero.

Marion is the center of a rich mining industry, lying in the midst of one of the only two fluorspar districts in the United States of any consequence.  Consequently Marion is the headquarters for several companies engaged in this industry.

In four counties in the country is most of the fluorspar produced, Crittenden and Livingston counties in Kentucky and Pope and Hardin counties in Illinois. 

Among the companies operating in the Crittenden County field are the Franklin, a subsidiary of the Aluminum Corporation of America; the Lafayette, a subsidiary of the United States Steel corporation, the Holly, controlled by Cincinnati capitalists; the Eagle, under control of Wheeling, W. Va., capitalists; the independent Gugenheim, and Kentucky Fluorspar companies, privately owned and developed.  The mines normally employ about 1,000 men.

The first mining in this county was done under General Andrew Jackson, later president of the United States, who operated lead mines where the fluorspar now is being mined.  Lead now is a by-product.

Early Days of Barn Burning Season 1906

 

 Interesting barn burning stories found in the archives of The Crittenden Press in September 1906.  A familiar sight from years ago, not so many to be seen today, especially in our area of Crittenden County.

The Barn Burning Season Is At Hand.  Care Should Be Taken.

At this season when fires are started in tobacco barns it will pay the raisers and owners the biggest kind to be a little careful and not burn the barn.

The loss is always double in that the crop is gone and the barn is gone and nothing but a pile of ashes remains.

During the last week we notice that the tobacco and tobacco barn of M. O. Eskew located about six miles from Marion, burned Monday night about seven o'clock.  There were about 900 sticks of tobacco in the barn.

Also the tobacco barn of Henry Thomason burned a few days ago, containing about $200 worth of tobacco.  This barn was on the Bradley Crider farm three miles south of Marion.  The barn was owned by Miss Sallie Crider.

Lee Hughes tobacco barn, near Chapel Hill, burned Tuesday afternoon.  The barn was full of tobacco and Tuesday was the first day they put fire in it.  In trying to extinguish the fire, Mr. Hughes sustained a very painful burn.  His hand was severely burned.

History Of The Presbyterian Church In Ky.

 

This article appeared in The Crittenden Press Sept. 4, 1953.  It didn't say who it was written by.

The history of the Presbyterian Church in Kentucky dates back to the year 1773.  Twenty-four years later in 1797, the Rev. Terah Templin helped to organize the first Presbyterian Church in Western Kentucky in a community known then as Old Centerville, located on Livingston Creek where today is the boundary line between Crittenden and Caldwell counties.  Old Centerville did not exist for too many years and the records do not tell us what happened to the church.

Six years later in 1803 the Rev. William Dickey organized the Bethany Church, commonly called the "Old Log Church" on Crooked Creek, about one and one-half miles north of Marion.  (Located where Crooked Creek Baptist Church is today).  This was the first Presbyterian Church to be located in what is now Crittenden County.  It is back to the founding of this church that the First Presbyterian Church of Marion traces its history.  At this time this section of Kentucky was known as Livingston County.

The location of the church has moved several times since the founding.  It first moved from Crooked reek to the part of  Marion where the Old Marion Cemetery is located.

In 1881 the church moved to its present location at the corner of College and Bellville Street. (which today is the home of the Crittenden County Historical Museum).

(The picture to the left is an artist drawing of the church done in 1894, and appeared in The Crittenden Press.) 

 

In 1906 the church adopted the name First Presbyterian Church in order to distinguish it from other Presbyterian Churches in the community.

The following are some of the early Presbyterians in this area, among whom some where charter members of Bethany Church; Samuel Henry, David Hill, William G. Pickens, George Elder, David Dickey, James Rice, William Sewart, Robert and John Phillips, and John Traivs.  Mr. Dickey was the first known clerk of the session and Mr. Henry was the first delegate to attend a meeting of Presbytery. 

In the year 1854 the first Sunday School was organized within the church.

Steamboats, a part of our past history

 Told by Geneva Cooksey Dycus in 1977.

Between 1914 and 1916 we had two small boats at Dycusburg river landing. Mr. Charlie Cassidy operated the "Rambler. " He made runs to Dover, Tenn. 

 

The "Clyde" was a daily boat from Dycusburg to Paducah, operated by Mr. Lucien Vosier and Dalton Vosier. They could carry small freight and passengers. 

 

The large steamboats picked up the farmers' hogs, cattle and hogsheads of tobacco.

 

Our daily boat would depart at 6 a.m. and return at 6 p.m., if all went well. At some time later the Rambler sank below Dycusburg. Mr. Cassidy passed away and the boat was sold.

 

Then Mr. F. O. Devers and Mr. Guy Lambert moved here and put into operation a larger oil packet, the "Dispatch".  It was a very fast boat, and could carry more freight and passengers than the earlier boats. After the war improved roads and railroads were crippling the boat traffic; however, a larger boat was still needed here.

 

Late in 1918, Mr. Lambert returned to Shawneetown, Illinois and put in a ferry there, but Mr. Devers remained here. He sold the Dispatch and in 1919 he brought in our first daily steamboat, the Steamer" C. C. Bouyer."

Now the farmers as far away as Shady Grove and other communities brought their cattle to be shipped by boat and their tobacco here to our tobacco factory for sale. And then it was shipped in hogsheads to the market. It was a very nice boat, but an old boat.

 

In 1922 Mr. Devers bought a boat hull and had it brought here and my father, Robert "Bob" Cooksey and Mr. Bud Vosier built the cabin, an engineer installed the steam engine and did the electrical work. The C. C. Bouyer took care of the people's needs while the new boat was being built.

 

One morning the C. C. Bouyer sank just below town here just after it had left here at 6 a.m. One person I knew very well, Mr. Henry Tignor from Frances, was a passenger on the boat that morning. No one was hurt and everyone escaped safely.

Another small steamboat was brought in to take care of the run until the new boat was finished, that was the Cora May.

 

Soon the new boat was finished and christened the Streamer Grace Devers in honor of his wife, Grace. It was a lovely boat; it had a new player piano on it and a graphophone with all of the Roaring 20 records.

 

We felt like we had a floating palace to ride on and when my mother would announce that we would go to Paducah tomorrow, we were up before dawn to eat a big breakfast and dress our selves up for the trip. We walked to town to board the boat. In the wintertime it was dark at 6 a.m. and we walked by the light of a lantern.

 

If they didn't have too much stock to load and other freight, we would arrive at the big wharf boat dock in Paducah by ten o'clock. By 12:45 p.m. we could hear the whistle blowing to let us know to be there, ready to leave Paducah, at 1 p.m.

 

Sometimes during the summer, the Grace Devers would run excursions from Smithland up to Dover, Tenn. on Sundays. 

 

In 1925 brought many changes: Mr. Devers sold the Grave Devers and his home and return to Evansville.

 

Mr. Fred Joyce and family moved to Dycusburg and brought in a boat, the "Bedford" with a diesel engine owned and operated by Mr. Joyce and his father. He soon realized he needed a large boat, so he bought a steamboat. He changed the name to the Queen of Dycusburg. It operated from 1928 to 1934.

 

During that time, Mr. Joyce was having a boat built here on the bank of the river across the field from my home. Mr. Bud Vosier was the carpenter with other helpers.

 

They launched the boat here, and he named it the "Wolverine" as that was the name of the diesel engine he installed on the boat. It was a very pretty and a fast boat.

 

The truck lines and highways were slowly ruining the riverboat traffic. Mr. Joyce operated the boat a year and sold it to the Smiley Sand and Gravel Co.

 

In late 1935 Mr. J. H. Ferguson and Mr. Bills brought in a boat, the "Cordelia." Freight continued to dwindle and by 1936 they sold the Cordelia, and that year ended our daily boat trade between Dycusburg and Paducah.

 

Many people along the river were left stranded until the farmers roads were improved, and they could own trucks and take their produce to market themselves.

 

We had from two to three showboats here each year. The early 1940's saw our last show boat it was the "Golden Rod."

Marion's Last Used Car Lot

 The last new car dealership in Marion was for Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth. It closed it's doors in 1991.

***

Today (Sept. 2021) Marion has only one used car dealership. It being Bobby Stinnett Used Cars located at 331 Sturgis Road. This business is run today by Shawn Stinnett, son of the original owner, Bobby Stinnett, who started this business in Dycusburg in 1961.  

After his father passed in 1991, Shawn continued the family business and moved it to it's present location today on Sturgis road just outside of Marion. 

 Now after 60 years of supplying good used vehicles to not only Crittenden County but other counties around and southern Illinois, it is one of the longest continued successful businesses in the area.

Shawn said he has been blessed through the years with a successful business, and always tries to make it right with his customers, has service with a smile, has a warranty on his vehicles and gets along good with everyone.

The week I talked with Shawn he had just recently gotten 10 good used vehicles and had already sold eight of them and was in need of replenishing his stock. He says good used vehicles has really been difficult since the program Cash for Clunkers some years back really hurt the supply. But he works hard trying to keep his lot filled with nice dependable vehicles that people can afford and something for everyone.

***

There are two other used car dealerships in Crittenden County those being Joshua Motors, LLC located on Hwy. 60 West, where the old drive-in theater used to be, and Jones Used Car Sales on Mott City Road going toward Crayne.

Ira Walker Cook Receives The Carnegie Medal in 1913

 The Carnegie Medal is a bronze medallion three inches in diameter and is awarded to civilians who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree saving or attempting to save the lives of others.

Ira Walker Cook, 15, school boy, saved J. Glenn Springs, 16, school boy, from drowning, Fords Ferry, KY, May 31, 1913.

Glenn, who was learning to swim, became distressed in deep water in Walker's Pond, 30 feet from the bank, and went beneath the surface.

Ira, who was on the bank, called to a young man near Glenn to go to Glenn's assistance; then, when the young man made no move toward aiding Glenn, Ira swam to Glenn and grasped his arm.

Glenn caught Ira's arm with both hands, and both went beneath the surface.  Ira jerked himself free and reached the waters surface before Glenn.  He grasped Glenn and holding him at arm's length swam 10 feet to water in which he could stand, and then helped Glenn to wade to the bank.

Ira Walker Cook

Born: June 14, 1898

Died: Oct. 7, 1978

Buried: Mapleview Cemetery, Marion, KY

This wonderful piece of history has a home in the Crittenden County Historical Museum, 124 East Bellville St., so all that visit can see and read the history of the Medal and Ira Walker's Cook brave deed.

The Medal and history was donated to the Museum by Ira's son, Percy Cook.

Communities of Long Ago

 Today it is hard to imagine all the little communities and post offices that once dotted the country side of Crittenden County.  Some of the names we are familiar with and know the origin but others, where the names came from we will never know.   During the many years that local people from the old communities sent their neighborhood news to the Crittenden Press we learn of these many now gone communities. Below are some community names of yesteryear that sent their news to the paper.

These were in the Dycusburg-Frances-Mexico area

• Kid Ridge - some family names in the area were: Teer, Boister, Tabor, Jones
• Stringtown - Brown, Polk, Peek, Travis
• Caldwell Springs -
• Seven Springs - 
  
• Red wing - Perkins, Davenport, Greenlea, Peek, Patton
• Emmaus - Howard, Brown, Hodge, Butler
• White Rose - Campbell, Ward, Tabor, Holloman, Brown, Travis 
• Pigmy - Fletcher, McCree, Wicker, Asbridge, McMaster 

Located in the area of Crayne to Marion

• Lilly Dale - remember today by the road being named Lilly Dale Road, but no history how it gots its name.
• Crayne - one of the last old Post Offices is located here and still a small community
  
• Midway - was located on the Coleman Road.  Some family names were Paris, Bradley, Rushing, Duffy
• Ridge Road - names included Elkins, Woodall, Brookshire (must have been located near Midway above.
• Walnut View - Elder, Adams, Elkins, Loyd

Not too far from the above area was Piney Fork and some small communities of

• Piney Creek -
• Star - Crider, Woodall, James, Crayne, Corley
• Stonewall - was located near Piney
• Belmont - Alexander, Rushing, Crider

Chapel Hill area

• Chapel Hill -
  
• View and White Hall - Cardin, Wheeler, Clement
  
• Elm Grove - Cardin, Chambliss, Norman
• Sisco Chapel - name preserved as the county road is named Sisco Chapel Rd.
• Timothy Oaks - - Ford, Waddell, Stovall

These are all located in southern to the center part of the county.  We'll name some more in the upper part of the county in another posting.