Crittenden County At The St. Louis World's Fair in 1904

 

 The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, or “St. Louis World's Fair” in 1904 was attended by 19.7 million people. Many of our own Crittenden County families made this trip from April 30, 1904 to December 1, 1904, to visit all the marvelous sights and sounds of this World's Fair.

 

The Crittenden Press during this time was full of the names of families that were leaving to visit the fair, or returning home from a wonderful trip to the fair. I'm sure while they were there they made a special point to visit the beautiful Kentucky building, for there would be several exhibits that were unique from our own Crittenden County.

 

According to history from some of the people that attended, the Kentucky building was one of the most commanding of all the state structures on the ground. The building was surrounded by porches and verandas, it covered an area of 138 feet by 108 feet. The building had three floors, the first to be as a general reception hall, with a hard wood floor; the second as a ladies' reception hall, and the third, with its roof garden over looking the grounds.

 

In the center of the reception hall, on the first floor, was where the exhibits of minerals, forestry, and other agriculture exhibits were displayed. Crittenden County was well represented with several of these excellent products. 

 

In their exhibit from the Blue & Nunn “Old Jim” mine will be two huge lumps of sulphide of zinc, each weighing over 3000 lbs., the two aggregating 3 tons; also, one immense piece of mixed galena weighing over 1,000 lbs. The exhibit carload will also contain a most representative lot of choice fluorspar, as well as typical grades of fluorspar, some of them weighing more than a ton each and are beautiful to look upon in their pearly luster.

 

Another exhibition from the county will be of coke from the Bell coal vein. Coal from this mine was sent to the Ashland Iron and Mining company some time since and coked for the Kentucky Exhibit Association.

 

The Agricultural committee for Crittenden county, consisting of Charles W. Fox, Frances, and J. W. Towery, is gathering samples to go in Kentucky's agricultural space at the exposition.  Samples of our great tobacco crop in the various stages of growth and preparation for market and its stemming factory.  Also food products in grain and grasses, in apples, pears and peaches.

 

In the Forestry division exhibit will be the beautiful woods of white oak, black oak, quartered, plain and sawed, popular, maple and walnut timber; it's maple sugar and maple syrup, sorghum and honey.

 

The famous Crittenden Springs resort has been asked by the Exhibit Association to make a display of it's waters. There will be display case devoted to Kentucky waters, where will be found bottled specimens of well-known water from the famous springs located in the state.

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Awards at the end of the fair were made to Blue & Nunn of Marion for their exhibits of lead, zinc, fluorspar and silver metal and Kentucky Fluorspar Company, Marion, for fluorspar, and silver metal.

                                                                            ***

At the end of the fair, it is recorded that the Kentucky building was sold for $325., and the Kentucky exhibits were turned over to the Kentucky Geological Survey at Lexington.

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This is a souvenir pin from the 1904 World's Fair.  Lost through the passages of time, I would say there were several of these pins in Marion and Crittenden County brought back by the many local families that visited the fair.  How wonderful to have one of these souvenir pins in your family treasures.

Kirksville, Hurricane Landing, Tolu

 

 At Hurricane Island, the Ohio struck the Kentucky bank a little above what is now called Hurricane Creek. The creek added more swift water to the river's flow. It was just below the mouth of Hurricane Creek that a Revolutionary War pensioner of Virginia, Robert Kirk, set up a flatboat dock on his land grant.

 

 The site was very near today's equipment transfer point from the Tolu landing to Hurricane Island. It became known as Kirksville and it was the only dock marked in what is now Crittenden County on the early Ohio River navigational charts.

 

 Equipment transfer point not for from the town of Tolu.  Hurricane Island is seen in the background.  This would be near where Kirksville was first established about 1816. Picture made 2010.

After the Native American tribes deserted the area, the earliest settlement at this location on the Ohio River was named Kirksville. The village was started about 1800 with a population of approximately 25 people. 

 

 

 In the year 1830 the small village was completely destroyed by a hurricane. 

 Afterward, when the village was rebuilt, it was moved farther back from the bank of the river and it became known as" Hurricane Landing."

In 1884 Mother Nature once again took its toll on the village when floods washed away homes and the post office. At this time the post office was located on a boat. Residents once again moved and rebuilt the town farther from the river.

In February 1890 when their new post office was rebuilt, and they needed a name for it, they named the town Tolu. The name came from a tonic that was sold at one of the local stores. It was described as an amazing medicine, good for man or beast. It consisted of pure whiskey to which an extract of Tolu (made from the wood of the South American Tolu tree) had been added. The name Tolu was suggested by 'Doc” Daniel Stone.

Crooked Creek Baptist Church Ministors from 1835 to 1893

 Crittenden Press, June 7, 1894

Crooked Creek Baptist church was organized in 1835, with J. W. Mansfield as pastor and H. Belt church clerk.  

Joel E. Grace was called to the care of the church in 1836, and served as pastor until the year 1840 and received 7 members.  Born Feb. 16, 1801 in South Carolina.

• Claiborn Wilson was pastor in 1840.  
• Abel Teague was called to the care of the church in 1841 and received six members.  Born about 1780 in South Carolina.  Came to Kentucky as a young man. 
  
• Willis Champion was called to the care of the church in 1842 and was also pastor in 1843, receiving one member.  Born 1801 in Edgecomb Co. NC.  Came to Livingston County at age 4.  His father was instrumental in the formation of the Old Salem Church.
  
• Claiborn Wilson was again called in 1844 and served as pastor until 1849, when he died.
• Joel Grace was again called in 1849 and served until 1853, receiving five members.
• T. B. Rushing was called in 1853, serving four years and received 17 members.
• Pastor in 18576 unknown.
• W. A. McChesney served as pastor 5 years, beginning in 1858, and received 12 members.
• Willis Champion was again called in 1863. 
•  In 1864 no pastor reported.
• Isaac McMurray was called in 1865 and also served in 1866, and received 24 members.
• Collin Hodge was called in 1867, and served until 1870, and received 41 members.  Born 1816 in Livingston County. 
  
• Isaac McMurray was again called in 1870 and served 3 more years, receiving 51 members in all.
• M. H. Utley was called in 1873 and served until 1876, received 58 members.
• Elisha B. Blackburn ws called in 1876 and served until 1886, receiving 185 members.
• M. H. Utley was again called in 1886 and received 4 members.
• Elisha B. Blackburn was pastor in 1887-88, and received 47 members.
• J. N. Robinson was called in 1889 and received 6 members.
• Elisha B. Blackburn was again pastor in 1890-91 receiving 5 members.
• Frank L. Atwood was pastor in 1892, and received 6 members.
• Elisha Blackburn was again called in 1893, and is pastor at the present time.  He has served as pastor for 16 years and received 241 members.
  

Some Crittenden County Early History

 Some interesting history written by the Rev. James F. Price in the 1920's that he remembered about Crittenden County.  He was a well-known Preacher and Historian of the time.

Early Mineral Development

• Andrew Jackson became interested in the development of the old Columbia Lead Mines in the early 1830's. It was reported that he was searching for silver. He and his son, Andrew Jackson, Jr. did considerable development in that section. The Page and Krause mining and Manufacturing Company of St. Louis, erected a lead smelter and considerable pig lead was produced about 1870.

• Blood and Walker, Nashville, Tenn, built the Hurricane furnace in the early 1840's and made quite a lot of high grade pig iron. This furnace was operated until near the time of the Civil War. Western Kentucky pig iron was sought by blacksmiths in that day above any other pig iron. It was very malleable and tough.(can be hammered, pressed and shaped without breaking).

• John Bell, of Tennessee, opened what is known as the old Bell Coal Mines in the northeastern part of the county about 1840. The Bells coal took the premium over all other coals in the United States as an all-round coal at the  Chicago Exposition in 1893.

• Fluorspar and zinc are so recent in their mining and so well known that they are only mentioned.

• Bell afterwards became a candidate for President on the Bell and Everett ticket, known as the Union Party. On account of conditions brought about by the Civil War Bell failed and his property was sold under attachments sued by Madison Lamb and Solomon Blue.

The First Grand Jury

The first grand jury in Crittenden County were as follows: Alexander Dean, foreman, Edward Ashley, Wm. Ashley, Matthew Parmley, Martin Hammonds, Wm.Hogard, John W. Wilson, Isaac Loyd, David Gill, George Uselton, John E. Wilson, Uri G. Witherspoon, Andrew J. Hill, Thomas Akers and Angus McAlester.

The First Lawyers in Crittenden County

The first lawyers were Col. George W. Barbour, Francis H. Dallam, Robert H. Marr, Patterson C. Lander, Sumner Marble, David W. McGoodwin, Willis G. Hughes, Robert A. Patterson, Livingston Lindsey, W. H. Calvert, Hiram McElroy and John W. Headley.

The first court case in court in Crittenden County was Isaac Shelby against James A. Ramey.

The first three indictments by the grand jury were: 

1. The Commonwealth against John Elder, for standing a bull without license;

 2. The Commonwealth against John Gregory and Rachael Lacy, for fornication; 

3. The Commonwealth against James Long and Lucinda Ferrell, for adultery.

There has been only one legal execution in Crittenden County. W. T. Wallingford was tried and convicted for murder and hanged September 17^th, 1852, near Marion. The jury which tried him were W. P. Stallions, W. H. Minner, J. S. Adams, James B. Fogg, William Fritts, Thomas S. Alvis, Richard Williams, A. B. Perkins, Anderson Woodall, James H. Travis, Wm. Banks and J. A. Johnson.

 The first County Judge was Hon. David W. Carter, who presided over court, May 2, 1851. The first magistrates, or justices of the peace as they were then called, were Joseph Hughes, James Cruce, Peter Clinton, Sam L. Phillips, Robert H. Haynes, Abner Larrowe (later LaRue), Henry D. Coleman, John D. Gregory, Robert Hill and Martin Williams.

The commissioners to locate the county-seat were F. D. Work, T. Leeper and Thomas Flanary. The county attorney, Sumner Marble for $40.00 a year for his services and the sheriff got $40.00 a year. The only tax levied was a poll tax of $1.50.