Chapel Hill School

Chapel Hill School

This school was located on the Chapel Hill Road about 4 miles from Marion. This school house was build in 1880 and was taken down in the early 1960's. The land for the school was given by Thomas Hill. When the school was disbanded in 1950 the land went back to the heirs of Mr. Hill. The land next went to Charles Conditt, and now it belongs to the children of Mr. Conditt.

Some of the teachers were Alvis Stevens, Ada Hill LaRue in 1905, Elvah Hill Walker in 1906 and 1907, Ed Clark in 1911, Fred Stone in 1912, Ruth Melton in 1913, Dorothy Dean Cook in 1920, Ilena Walker in 1927, Georgia Helen Cochran and Kathryn Terry in 1928, Rudell Nunn in 1921, James Walker in 1933, Edna Franklin in 1934, George Conditt in 1941, Christine Conger in 1942.

No school was held in 1943 due to shortage of teachers. Students either attended Crayne or Marion Schools.

Mildred Paris was the last teacher to teach there in 1950, then the school was disbanded in 1950 and students attended Crayne.

Some Chapel Hill community news items for the archives of The Crittenden Press. Times were different in these earlier days. Communities were a close net group due to their visiting with each other and keeping in touch daily. Times surely moved at a slower pace than today, when one hardly has time to make a speedy phone call, much less a leisurely visit.

May 4, 1934.

• Mr. and Mrs. Haynes Bebout and children were the Sunday guests of Mr. and Mrs. Pruitt Adams.
• Mr. and Mrs. Earl Patmore and children visited Mr. and Mrs. Orban Taylor.
• Mrs. John Pierce and son, Jack and Jimmie, of Winston-Salem N. C. are the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Tilford Bigham.
• Misses Iva and Hilda Long spent Tuesday in Princeton.
• Mary Jewell Patmor spent Wed. with Dorothy Helen Beard.

July 2, 1937

• Rev. McKee Thomson filled his regular appointment here last Sunday.
• Mrs. Iva Long returned Sunday morning from Detroit, Mich., after a three weeks visit with her sister, Mrs. Bob Dunn.
• Mrs. Ada Ross of Denver, Colorado is visiting with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lee Hughes.
• Mr. and Mrs. Howard Minner and son, Bobby and Miss Ruby Bigham of Akron, Ohio, will arrive Friday for a few days visit with Mrs. Susan Bigham.
• Mr. and Mrs. Lester Bigham and children, Clayton and Leon, were the last Sunday guests of Mrs. Susan Bigham.
• Mr. and Mrs. Gene Dorroh and daughters, Dorothy and Norma Gene and Mary Dee and Joanna Adams were the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Pruitt Adams and Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Adams.

May 6, 1938

• Mr. and Mrs. Will Ward and daughter, Hazel, Mr. and Mrs. Burrel Walker of Marion, Mr. and Mrs. Gene Dorroh and daughter, Dorothy, Glenna and Norma Gene, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dorroh and son, James Robert, Mr. and Mrs. Allie Myers of Crayne attended church here last Sunday.
• Mrs. H. O. Hill died at her home Monday evening, May 23rd, 1938. She is survived by her husband, 3 daughters, Mrs. Odis LaRue of Marion, Mrs. Raymond Fox of Manilla, Ark., a son Earl Hill, of Canton, Ohio, 3 brothers, L. E. and Jake Crider of Marion, Albert Crider of Shreveport, La., one sister, Mrs. Sallie Crider.

Piney Fork School

Our one room community school houses of long ago, are so much of our past history. They were the center of the community and a special place for us all. Here is some history about the Piney Fork School.

Piney Fork Schoolhouse was a one room, weather board structure located about six miles southeast of Marion of Piney Road, now State Road 506.

It was a very historic area of the county because tribes of Indians often battled in the area for the rights to the wild animals that were abundant in the the early days of our county. The trail the Indians made coming to this area from Tennessee was known as the Chickasaw Trail. In later years it was renamed Flynn's Ferry Road, for George Flynn that operated the ferry at Weston. Today in 2008 it is the Copperas Spring Road, named for a copperas spring that is located near by. The road was heavily traveled in the early days, as it was the main route north for pioneers looking for new land and the only trail that lead to the Ohio River at Weston to transport and received goods.

The descendants of Hice Phillips tell the story about the founding of Piney Fork's first school house. Mr. Phillips was a farmer, a school teacher and a fair carpenter. He felt the children had too great a distance to walk to any of the surrounding schools. Others agreed to this and with the support of parents he built the first school house just below the campground of the Church. This was about 1893. Mr. Phillips was the teacher at this first school.

All eight grades were taught by one teacher. Reading, writing and arithmetic were the basic taught. In wintertime the building was heated by a potbellied wood or coal burning stove in the rear of the room. Drinking water was carried by the boys and girls from a well about 200 yards away. This was considered a desirable task as it took them away for the classroom for a brief period. At recess in mid morning and during the noon hour when the pupils ate their lunches brought in a lunch box, games such as tag, three-legged relay races, broad and high jump, fifty yard dash, hide and seek and town ball were played.

Some of the teachers were Annabell Alexander, Herman Boucher, Ben Crider, Grace Crider, Braxton McDonald, Lela McMican, James McNeely, Rowena McNeely, Rudell Nunn, Vera Stembridge, Raymond Thurman and Randall Woodall.

Names of some of the families in the area were Alexander, Bebout, Bond, Boucher, Crider, Cruce, Etheridge, Hill, Hughes, Hunt, James, Lamb, McConnell, McNeely, Riley, Stone, Thurman, Wiggington and Woodall.

The school was closed in 1958 and the land went back to the Virgil Alexander family. The school house today has been covered with a barn and is used for stock and farm storage.

From The Crittenden Press, Sept. 22, 1933 an article tells of the Piney Fork School News.

• Thirty-six pupils are enrolled in the Piney Fork school this year. Practically all of them are attending every day and are showing great interest in their school work.
• Monthly improvement records of playground activities, such as the hundred yard dash, chinning the bar, jumping, running and other games are kept and are creating much interest.
• The schoolroom has been painted and redecorated. New window shades and curtains have been added. Some of the furniture has been varnished and appropriate pictures placed on the walls.
• Chapel has been brightened the first two months by a study of over two hundred beautiful copies of world famous pictures.
• If you want to see pupil work and enjoy school just come out to Piney Fork.
• Braxton McDonald is the teacher at the Piney Fork school this year.

Local News Items from Feb. 1900

There are many items of interest in the column titled "Local Paragraphs" from the Feb. 15th, 1900 edition of The Crittenden Press. People, places and things are shared with the readers.

• Mr. A. M. Henry has been sick several days.
• Alexander has extended his telephone line to Crayneville and Mexico.
• There was a big crowd in town Monday, and practically no drunkenness.
• Mrs. J. W. Crawford is visiting her daughter, Mrs. C. E. Weldon at Fulton.
• Amplias Weldon has purchased the Magnet Laundry from Otho Pickens.
• Messrs. Ollie Tucker, Levi Cook, and Gus Taylor were in Evansville yesterday.
• Mrs. Franklin is very ill with pneumonia at the residence of her son-in-law, Mr. T. J. Yandell.
• Pure Whiskies and Brandies for medical purpose a speciality at C. E. Doss & Co.
• Monday Dr. J. R. Clark removed a tumor five inches long from the nose of the little son of Mr. G. L. Rankin.
• Will Dorr, formerly of this place, is in the U.S. Army in the Philippines, and according to reports received here, he is a prisoner in the hands of the Filipinos.
• The wife of Mr. Thos. J. Hamilton died at her home at Sheridan Sunday night, of measles and pneumonia. She was an esteemable Christian lady and her death is a sad blow to the family.
• Mr. Hamilton's friends are very apprehensive about his condition. After his wife died the shock completed unnerved him. He took an overdose of morphine and is in a very precarious condition.
• The wife of Mr. George Sutton died at her home near Iron Hill Monday, and was buried at Sugar Grove Tuesday. The family moved from Union County to this county last fall.
• The wife of Mr. Hugh Givens died at her home seven miles east of Marion Sunday night, of consumption. A large concourse of relatives and friends attended her funeral at Repton Tuesday morning. She was a daughter of Mr. Filden Brantley, one of the leading citizens of that section.
• Mr. Dick Paris died at his home near Pleasant Hill Church Saturday night. He was injured in an accident two years ago and never fully recovered.
• Mrs. James Wiggins died at her home near Sheridan yesterday morning.
• Dr. T. L. Phillips and Miss Willie Cooksey, bot of Dycusburg, were united in marriage at the residence of Rev. A. J. Thompson at Kuttawa, Wednesday of last week. The bride is the daughter of Mr. P. K. Cooksey, one of the best known citizens of the county. Dr. Phillips is one of the most promising young physicians of Southern Kentucky. He is popular both as a man and a physician.

Aunt Jane Underdown Tabernacle

The Aunt Jane Underdown Tabernacle located on Aunt Jane Tabernacle Road about 12 miles from Marion on Highway 91 North.

This shed is the only other one in the county beside the Hurricane Camp meeting shed at Hurricane Church.

Jane Underdown, or Aunt Jane as everyone called her left the denominational church in 1905 after hearing a message of holiness from a Church of God minister. She started inviting circuit riding Church of God ministers to hold services in her home.

Every summer the traveling evangelists would come to her house and she would conduct services there. The Shed grew out of a need for the group to have a place to worship. The shed was built in 1927, with hand-cut and hand-hewn posts, hand-sawed boards for pews, pulpit and platform with a tin roof. Two outhouses served as toilet facilities, lanterns hung on posts, and shaded coal oil lamps sat on post stands and the pulpit.

This shed represented hard work and sacrifice on the part of poor but dedicated people. People came from miles around on foot, horseback, buggies and wagons. There was lots of singing, shouting and long services. The meetings were always held the last two week of July. On the last Sunday of the revival there would be tables set up under the trees and a covered dish dinner would close the services for that year.

Services aren't held here every year now, but periodically they will be held for several nights.

Historic Hurricane Camp Meeting

Beautiful and historic Hurricane Camp Meeting Shed, located off S.R. 135 on the Hurricane Church Road.

This June 9-15, marks the 120th Annual Hurricane Camp Meeting. The camp was organized under the leadership of Reverend J. J. Smith in 1889. Rev. Smith was the evangelist for the first fifty years of the camp. For many years the camp was always held for two weeks during the month of August. The camp itself is beautiful area of Kentucky country side. Hickory trees as old as the camp itself are a haven for the many squirrels which scamper around the camp grounds. Let's go back with the help of the old Crittenden Presses and find out some interesting history about these annual camp meetings.

• August 17, 1899 - Mr. J. H. Lane, who ran a restaurant outside of the grounds last year at Hurricane camp meeting, and who ran it so well that he broke the hotel keeper, will run the hotel this year. He is making arrangements to dine and take care of visitors in the most satisfactory way. If you want to spend a day or a week at the meeting have no fears as to meals or board.

• August 31, 1899 - The camp meeting at Hurricane is progressing satisfactorily, large crowds are attending, all the camps are full, and some tents have been spread. The order is excellent and the interest in the services is good.

• August 9, 1904 - No Peanut Stands at Hurricane This Year. A notable feature of the meeting this year will be the absence of food stands on the ground. There will be no lemonade or cold drinks of any kind sold on the premises unless the proprietor of the hotel be permitted to sell lemonade. The chances appear to be such that those desiring this sort of a cold drink had better take their lemons and sugar along with them and be prepared to make the drink themselves. At the hotel regular meals will be served and there will also be a lunch counter where you can buy anything you want.

• September 2, 1904 - Blind Tigers attempt to run at Hurricane Camp meeting. It appears that "blind tiger" resorts were wont to spring up on camp grounds but by some means the eyes of many of the Tigers have been opened and their masters have found enlivening pursuits elsewhere and most all who were under suspicion have been apprehended. (Blind Tigers was the name giving to people selling illegal liquor. Seems they were hidden everywhere trying to sell their goods.)

Ohio River Connects To Our History

A scenic look at the Illinois side of the Ohio River from the Ferry landing on the Kentucky side.

A peaceful fifteen minute drive from Marion on Highway 91 North, will take you to the Ohio River and the historic ferry, that is still in operation today. The Ohio River has always been a part of our history. The importance of this great river for navigation and trade was recognized as early as the 17th century.

In the early 1800's, the river was busy with flatboats traveling south, bringing immigrants from ports North, looking for new lands south to make their homes. It was the main form of transportation for transporting goods from river town to river town. Crittenden County had several river port towns along the Ohio River.

One of these was the town of Ford's Ferry, named after Mr. James Ford. The town was located a few miles north of the present day ferry landing. Ford was a well thought of neighbor and a respected business man. He owned and operated the ferry that would take the pioneers traveling north across the river to the Illinois side. As history tells us, Ford was not the man that people thought and he operated a gang of outlaws that would meet and lead the pioneers and their wagons of goods to his ferry landing.

Sometimes the pioneers would reach the landing, other times they were murdered along the road and their goods stolen by the gang of outlaws. The river is also told to be the grave of many of these early travelers.

Other riverport towns along the Ohio were Westonburg, which was later called Weston, Clementsburg, and Kirksville, which later became Tolu.