Buildings on West Bellville Street

These two buildings on West Bellville Street across from the Court House were built in 1921-1922.  The building on the left was built by A. S. Cannan.  It was bought by  W. O. Tucker and was a furniture store and undertaking business for many years.  The furniture store was located on the ground floor and the 2nd level was the undertaking business.

The store next to it  was the Marion Hardware and Grocery Store.  In 1924 it was owned and operated by C. A. Daughtrey, E. F. Sullenger and W. D. Sullenger.  Gabe Wathen was the salesman.  One side of their building was  their hardware and the other side was for the grocery department.

This is what was originally on the upper level of the Cannan building.  In the year 2000 the Gilbert Funeral Home recovered their funeral home building. The Cannan building was now apart of the funeral home so  it was also covered in the stucco finish, so today this historic old building just blends in with the funeral home building next to it. 

The building in the top picture with the blue awnings on it, are the  Law offices of Attorney Alan Stout.  This building still looks as the original building did, all but the awnings that are on it today.  It was the Marion Hardware and Grocery Store.

Dempsey School

Dempsey School was located in the Northern part of the county.  It was located off of S. R. 365 on the Long Branch Road.  The school property is a part of the homeplace of the Elmer Gahagen family.  Conditions were rather harsh during the early school days; pupil often walked three miles one way to school.  There was no water supply much of the time and water was carried from a spring a mile away.  The building sat off the ground some two feet with no underpinning, which created a severe heat problem in the winter.  The last teacher at Dempsey was Irene Truitt.  The school closed in 1941 and was consolidated with the Baker school.

Dempsey School about 1890.

Front row: 1. Dock Truitt, 2. Unknown, 3. Chess Truitt, 4. 5. 6. Unknown

7. Iva Hicklan, 8. Unknownn 9. Addie Nunn, 10. Harriet Nesbitt, 11. Clara Nunn, 12. 13. Unknown

14. Corda Wheeler, Teacher 15. Deddie Sullivan 16. Cora Sullivan 17. Unknown 18. Julia Truitt 19. Ella Sullivan 20. Elva Truitt 21. Jettie Nunn 22. Duff Sullivan 23. Elmer Gahagen 24. Lacy Nunn 25. Trip Dempsey 26. Unknown 27. Lucian Truitt 28.& 29. Unknown 30. Mr. Eli Nunn, Trustee and father of students, Addie, Clara, Jettie and Lacy Nunn.

This wonderful old school picture is really a treasurer because most of the people are identified in it.  With so many of these old school pictures no one is identified, and now it's too late to ever find the identify of the students.

Community of Sheridan

One of Crittenden County's small communities is Sheridan.  The post office at Sheridan was first established on April 13, 1880, and called Amplias.  It was named for a traveling man named F. Amplias Owen, who traveled through that territory.  The first Postmaster was William E. Weldon.  The office passed out of existence but was later re-established on March 13, 1888, as Sheridan, named for General Sheridan, with Abraham J. Bebout as Postmaster.  Sheridan is located about 12 miles from Marion on S. R. 297. 

In 1912, the Press reporter was traveling through the area and he had this to report about the community of Sheridan.  This little town is situated on the highway between Marion and Tolu.  The mail carrier is Mr. Lawrence Tackwell.  B. B. Terry is in the grocery business.  He keeps a general line of fresh groceries, sells goods to citizens of that section.  A. J. Bebout carries a full line of general merchandise and is one of the first citizens of Sheridan.  E. F. Sullenger is handling a fine line of dry goods.  He will also buy your live stock.

J. R. Bagwell is the village blacksmith, and the children coming home from school look in at the open door.  They love to see the flaming forge and hear the bellows roar.  Miss Rheba Bebout is the polite post mistress.

Today the only sign of a once busy little community, with several business stores, is one empty store building.  Back in 1993 it was open and running under the name of the Rockwell General Store, and it was a favorite place for all the local people to stop by, and visit and perhaps buy a sandwich or cold drink.

Since then it has served as a business location, but it's days of being  a grocery store are probably no more.  The picture at the right was made in 1993 when he was reopened as the Rockwell General Store.

Previously the store was run by Clarence Moore and was known as Moore's Grocery.  Mr. Moore ran it until his death in 1948, then his son, Charles Moore, ran in until 1985.  It was a thriving grocery store during this time, when communities bought groceries from their local store.  Soon they were unable to compete with the larger stores at Marion. 

Tosh Cemetery

Crittenden County has several hundred small cemeteries scattered around over the county.  Sometimes one area can have as many as 5 or 6 cemeteries within a few miles of each other.  Many are named for the families that are buried there or as the Tosh Cemetery, named for Sherman and Ada Tosh, who donated the land for the cemetery.  The odd thing about the Tosh Cemetery, is that there are more Crowell and Orr family members buried here than any other name. 

This cemetery is located in the Cave Springs area of the county.  A beautiful scenic landscape meets the eye is all directions as you drive through the county side.  Cave Springs Church is located not too far from this cemetery, and the old Crowell Graveyard lies only a mile or so North of the Tosh Cemetery.

The first burial recorded in this cemetery is for Mary J. Crowell, a child of Samuel and Elizabeth Crowell.  Her stone has the date Nov. 15, 1849.  Many burials were here before the land was actually donated as a burial place.  The deed is dated Aug. 28, 1922.  The deed says" This deed of conveyance, made and entered   on the 28th day of August 1922, between Sherman O. Tosh, and Ada Tosh, his wife, of Repton, Crittenden County, Ky parties of the first part, and John F. Crowell, Delmer Babb and Will Edwards, Trustees of the Tosh Graveyard, of same place, parties of the second part.  It also says that the land lies on the waters of Pigeon Roost Creek, and shall be used and maintained as a graveyard only.

 

 The last burial at Tosh Cemetery was for Loretta Hall Martin, April 8, 2008.

These pictures were made in June of 1997.  At the time, as you can see, the cemetery was well cared for and very pretty.  There used to be an annual Tosh Graveyard cleaning, where the family members would come and make a day of cleaning the cemetery.

I was there in the late fall of 2009, and the cemetery was almost un-walkable.  The tree and limb damaged from the ice storm of Jan. and Feb.of that year had left it's mark on the little cemetery.  Hopefully in the future it can be cleaned up where it will be able to be mowed again.  (Update:  March 5, 2010.  I was at the Tosh Cemetery today and it has been cleaned up.  It was in great condition, as clean and neat as could be. Who ever cleaned the cemetery up, they did a great job!)

Marion's Present Post Office

In January 1912 an article was published in The Crittenden Press stating that Marion's post office  that was rebuilt after the 1905 fire on Carlisle Street, was becoming too small and cramped for the immense volume of business that passed through it each day.

The paper stated that the cancellations here each day entitle Marion to a free day delivery under the law and the rural routes and the number of Star routes supplied from Marion's post office crowd beyond capacity the room now used to house and sort the mail.

A petition has been presented to Congressman Ollie M. James asking to present a bill in Congress asking the government to build a federal building here.

Since Ollie M. James was a Marion native and loved his home town, he told his petitioners that he would leave no stone unturned to accomplish the wishes of his home city.

In Feb. 1917, bids were being taken for the construction of the new building.  A site was picked, which  was not too far from the old post office building, and by July 1917 the foundation was being laid.   The picture above is the new Post Office facility soon after it was built in 1917.

The building that was built at this time is still in use to day.  A well cared for and maintained facility for everyone to use.  Safety hand rails and a modern-day handicapped ramped has been added during the past few years.  Otherwise it still looks as it did when it was first built.

Cures From Yesteryears

Being sick and down and out for several days with a sinus infection which eventually led into bronchitis, one starts to wonder if there is a magic cure-all out there somewhere that would just fix all this for us.  

According to some of the old advertisements in our local paper, back in the early 1900's they had some items that might have taken care of all our ailments.  The ad at the right appeared in January 1901.  J. H. Orme's Extensive Line can not be excelled for medicinal purposes.  Having received 100 pounds of pure, crushed Rock Candy he can fix a most palatable preparation of Brandy, Glycerine and Rock Candy that will cure any cold. (How I would have love to had some of this the past few nights as I've tried to sleep through a nagging cough. I probably would know if I was hurting or not.)

                                                           

 Another well-know Marion medicine was Stone's Specific Healing Oil.  from D. W. Stone Medicine Co. Marion, Ky.  This was a blood purifier and system builder.  Perhaps if I was able to take this I would never get sick in the first place.

Also popular during the early 1900's from the Marion Medicine Company was Skelton's remedies.  They made Skelton's Tonic, Liniment, Skelton's Ready Relief and Eye Water, and they also made Corn Salve.  You could get a sample of all of the above for $1.00. 

First Meeting of New Court, January 1926

The old newspapers of yesteryear are interesting to read.  The front pages are full of all kinds of information that tells us what was happening in our town at that time.  In the January 29, 1926 edition of The Crittenden Press the news of the first meeting of the new court was shared with the readers.

Last Friday County Judge L. E. Waddell, called the magistrates of the county to a meeting of the Fiscal Court and presided over the deliberations of that body.  Though the day was bitter cold, following one of the heaviest snow storms of the winter, every member was present except J. L. Rankin, of Fords Ferry.  Long disagreeable rides on horseback, or in a buggy, held no terrors for these staunch men who had promised to look after the financial interests of the county for the next four years.

From way out near Rosebud came Squire W. A. Newcom; T.  H. Chandler from near Sugar Grove; from Dycusburg neighborhood came C. B. Daughtrey; C. H. Bealmear from near Levias; U. S. Graves came in from his home in the Oak Hall community; P. P. Paris from near Hill Springs and W. H. Hardesty from the Tolu section.

The new members of the court, after the first few minutes to get adjusted, conducted themselves like veterans in the discussion of the county affairs.

County Clerk D. A. Lowry looked after the clerical duties connected with the meeting, and County Attorney Edward D. Stone was present in his official capacity.  

Though this was the first meeting of the court that County Judge Waddell has been called on to preside over he held the reins governing the deliberations as quietly and calmly as if he had spent a lifetime presiding over such bodies. 

Adjournment was then taken for the day, as the members had a long way to travel to get to their homes and evening chores.

Marion's Postcard Business

It's hard to believe that years ago Marion had it's own postcard company, and a very successful operation at the time.  It was the Wilbur V. Haynes Postal Card Business.  Many of the post cards that were printed were sold at the Orme's Drug Store, located just down the street, and the name Orme's would be on the card.  You may have seen some of these at one time.  I have even seen some of them posted on the internet.

In 1908 Mr. Haynes, the owner and manager of the business, employed from 35 to 60 people.  Fifteen to twenty girls were employed in the addressing and advertising department, and ten to fifteen in the packing and shipping department.  Their shipment of cards went to every state in the Union, as well as to all the providences of Canada, Hawaii, Porto Rico, Cuba, and Mexico.  

The postcard picture at the right is an example of some of the now historic cards that were produced at the Hayes Postal Card Co.  It is a view of the charred remains of part of Marion after the distarious fire of 1905. 

Other cards that were printed were of prominent homes and notable buildings in Marion.  These post cards are really a treasure to have today.  With these we have been able to see a part of our town that is gone now.

I am unsure when or why the post card company closed down.  But we were lucky that at one time there was such a place in Marion and it captured several of our historic places and homes.