Marion Band

Here is another great old vintage photo of one of Marion's Bands.  None of the members are identified.  Looks like the early 1900's. 

Music of Yesteryear

Marion must have been a musical town many years ago, for there are several unidentified photos of the old bands that used to perform around the area. 

Many of them had impressive uniforms on with all kinds of horns as their instruments.  Not much history has been recorded about these bands.  I wish we had more to read about these musical days and of the men that played the instruments.

In the picture at right, I believe must have been one of Marion's Brass Bands, for all the instruments but the big drum seem to be brass horns.  

Here is an article that appeared in The Crittenden Press, Dec. 17, 1896.  Perhaps it is about the picture above.

Marion has a brass band, the organization was completed several days ago, with some of our best young men in the band.  Shortly after the matter was first talked of, an order was made for a handsome set of instruments and they arrived last week.

The boys have begun work under the tutorship of their leader, Mr. T. C. Jameson, who is an old band man, and adept with all kinds of mustical instruments.

The members of the band are T. C. Jameson, H. V. Stone, R. F. Haynes, W. D. Browning, H. S. Perkins, D. B. Kevin, E. D. Gray, W. D. Cannon, S. R. Ad ams, W. F. Clement and J. C. Bourland.   (Don't you just love how they always just use their initials and not their full name)

Happy Thanksgiving

A Thanksgiving Proclamation, by J. W. Blue Mayor, Marion, Ky.  Nov. 23, 1920.

Believing in the spirit of thanksgiving as fostered and practised by our forefathers and realizing that much good has come from this annual observance of a day of rejoicing for the many blessings which the Almighty has bestowed upon our land and upon the individual homes of the land, and believing too that a continuance of this custom would be pleasing in the sight of God, who has made our manifold blessings possible, I, the Mayor of the city of Marion, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November, twenty-fifth, as a day of Thanksgiving in the city of Marion.

I earnestly request that the citizens of our town observe in a fitting and appropriate way this day of Thanksgiving by assembling themselves together for a short service of prayer and praise to God who has so abundantly blessed us during the year which is closing.  I also implore the business men of the city of Marion to close their respective places of business from ten o'clock on the morning of the above mentioned day until two o'clock in the afternoon of the same day as a mark of sincere gratitude for the blessings which we have enjoyed.

Dear Lord, we give Thee thanks this day,

Humbly, in our faltering way

Not with the graceful wordy arts,

But simply, deeply, with our hearts

As little children mindful of

A Father's broad and boundless love.

We give thee thanks.

Green's Chapel - Lost in Time

Green's Chapel, a mysterious sounding name, was it named for it's location in the lush countryside of the Bells Mines area?  As far as I know there was no family in the area by the name of Green, so it must have been for it's location nestled at the foot on a bluff with trees and wooded area all around it.

The location is about 3-4 miles from the Bells Mines Cemetery.  At one time, as much as I can find out, it consisted on a small one room wooden building, used as the area school and also for church gatherings.  There are old school census records dating back to the the year ending June 30, 1897.  Some of the family names are: Lizenbee, Tudor, Travis, Snell, Wilson, Hamilton, Cain, Loften, Walker, Hicklin, Lamb, Newcomb, Hina and Lamb.  

From the Crittenden Press, dated Nov. 22, 1894 there are community news items for the area.  It says, we have nothing to rejoice over, more than the refreshing showers, which have brightened the prospect of the wearied farmers.  The hard times have not altogether stopped the farmers from improving, L. B. Cain is having a large stock barn built; B. H. Crowell and son are the boss carpenters.  R N. Grady is also having some repairing done.  Our school is progress nicely under the guidance of Miss Maggie Cain.  J. T. Lamb is having a new house built.  Charlie Wilson has returned home from a visit to Monroe County where he has been attending to some business.

In June 23, 1898, another items tells of a good many of the people here attended "Children's Day" at Green's Chapel the second Sunday.  A large crowd was in attendance.  There were good speeches and among them a lecture by Charles E. Grady.

In November of 1900 an items tells us that the M. E. Church at Green's Chapel will be repaired or a new house built shortly.

Thanks to these items in the old Crittenden Presses we can gather some history of this forgotten passage in our time and know of the people that lived there and attended church and sent their children to school there.

The old building was torn down many years ago, and there is nothing to let the world know today that at one time there was a school/church sat here.  

All that is left today is the Green's Chapel Cemetery, which is still is use and is well maintained by family members that have love ones buried there. 

Circuit Court 1902

The County Court meetings of years ago are interesting to read and find out what was happening in our fair city and county.  I'm amazed at all the items that were brought before the Judge and Jury.  This court meeting was held June 12, 1902. 

The criminal calendar is about the usual size.  There are 8 cases of forfeited recognizance, 25 charged with carrying concealed weapons and firing same, 12 cases of breach of the excise laws, 2 hog stealing, several of illegal voting, perjury, gaming, forgery, one of disturbing religious worship, two of seduction, one of rape, and one or two of detaining a woman.

Twenty-two physicians of Crittenden County were fined at the last term of court, five dollars and costs, amounting to $15.65 in each case for neglecting to file their record of births and deaths.  We believe Dr. Frazer, of Marion was the only one that complied with the law. 

The grand jury were empanneled and were instructed as to their duties by Judge Marable.  The folloing are the grand jurors:  W. C. Hamilton, foreman; J. N. Little, F. I. Travis, Jno N. Swansey, W. K. Powell, J. N. Dean, G. W. Gahagan, W. B. Martin, H. L. Threlkeld, W. L. Travis, R. L. Phillips, C. B. Hina.

• Tom and Dink Todd, malicious shooting, continued by defendant.
• T. J. Yeats, disturabing religious worship, continued by defendant
• Burrell Sisco, seduction, continued by defendant
• Tom Brown carrying concealed weapons.  Fined $25.00 and given ten days in jail
• J. Hugh Davenport, flourishing deadly weapons.  Plea of guilty fined $50.00
• Edgie Oliver, carrying concealed deadly weapons.  Jury trial, majority verdict of not guilty

Kemp Cemetery

Always on the watch for any news about our old abandoned cemeteries, I was fortunate last week and got invited to visit a very old cemetery in the eastern part of the county.  It's laid abandoned and forgotten about for many years.  

Roger Simpson, now owner of the land where the cemetery is located, asked me if I would like to go see it and make some pictures.  He has recently cleaned it off and had work done on the stones.  He plans on keeping it cleaned off as he has respect for the old cemetery and the history it holds.

More on this cemetery and area where it is located will be featured in my article in The Crittenden Press this week.

 This is a scene from one of the bluffs.  In the middle of the photo is the Piney Creek.  It looked like a small mountain stream viewed from this point on one of the bluffs.

God's county, I call it.

 GOD BLESS AMERICA
MY HOME SWEET HOME

HONOR OUR VETERANS, not just on Veteran's Day but everyday of the year.

What a beautiful day today to go to Mapleview Cemetery and gather around the War Memorial that was built in 1948 to hear the Veteran's Day Program and to pay tribute to those past soldiers that served our great country and to honor and thank those that are alive today.
                   

The Crayne Presbyterian Church, that is located at Crayne Kentucky, and where I'm proud to say that I am a member and attend church, honored our church members that are Veteran's.

Left to right:  Emmett Jennings,Retired Veteran of the U. S. Air Force
Preston Perryman -Veteran of the U.S. Navy
Jim Estes -Veteran of the U. S. Army
Seated: - Maurie Houston Kirk, Veteran of World War II, and recipient of the Purple Heart.
Marvin Ordway - Retired Veteran  from the U.S. Air Force
Rudy Fowler - Retired Veteran from the U. S. Army
Not in picture were:
J. T. Travis -Veteran of U. S. Marines and Retired from the National Guard
Bobby Roher - Veteran of the U. S. Army

THANK YOU.

More Old Pictures

Here are some more old unidentified photos.  Thought to have been taken in the Piney Fork area, since the pictures at one time belong to an Alexander family that lived in the area and the family attended Piney Fork Church.

The old mule drawn wagon is loaded down with a group of people, I think, that may be going on a church picnic.

What an fun time the jolly group must have had.  I would guess the picture were made in the early 1900's by the ladies long dresses.

Here the group with their picnic all spread upon the ground.  Notice the ladies hats with the cone shaped top.  These hats were visible from inside the wagon in the picture above.

I wonder if the ants enjoyed the picnic with them.  I don't believe that the little deer ticks, that we have now, were as much a nuisance then.

Old Pictures - Marion's Opry House

Old pictures, don't you wonder sometimes just what all is out there, hidden away in someone's attic, old storage building, and in boxes stuffed in forgotten places around someone home.  Every once in a while a new one will surface.  These old pictures are very exciting to me, as I read about all the old places that onced graced Marion's busy streets, and then to see an actual picture of one of these places is wonderful.  The frustrating thing about most of these old pictures is that the faces belong to unknown people.  People that once were citizens of our fair town.  Did you ever notice that faces in old pictures are usually expressionless, no happy smile, no sad frown, just a  solemn  face staring at the camera.

One of these lost in time photos turned up recently, it was taken inside of the Opry House, and I would guess in the early 1900's.  Perhaps the only one known of at this time.  As normal for the old pictures, the musicians on the stage are unidentified.  If we only knew the names we might even recognize some the family names of the county.  Marion was blessed with many talented musicians during this time.

Marion's Opry House, that once occupied a location on West Bellville Street across from the Court House, provided all kinds of entertainment for the citizens of Marion and surrounding areas.  Local plays and musical entertainment, all kinds of traveling shows, which included magic, hypnotism shows and recitations by actors.   The Marion city school also held plays and graduations here.

The Opry part of the building was heavily damaged in the fire of Jan. 10, 1921 and never was rebuilt.  The Strand theater that was also located in another section of the building continued until 1926 when it was closed for renovation and never reopened.