Crayne Post Office History

 

The postal service has been a great asset for the community of Crayne for many, many years. The Crayne Post office plays an import part in the life of each resident of Crayne and those of neighbors in the surrounding area.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Crayne was a busy little community with general stores, a hotel and a blacksmith shop. The salary for the Postmaster at this time was small, and most of the Post offices were locate within one of the general stores. At that time postmasters were selected by political leaders. The postmaster position was usually given to a member of the political party of the leader in office at the time. Postmasters are now selected on postal experience and qualifications and they now receive compensation in compliance with today's economics.

Today the Crayne Post Office is the only public building and business located in Crayne.  It is located in the former Seth and Velma Ferguson's Grocery Store.  The original store building was  remodeled into an office and is home to the Crayne post office. 

 Although not in use anymore the original wooden post office front is still in the store as a reminder of its former use as the Post office.  It belongs to Seth and Velma's daughter, Sandra, today.

In 1886, James Lee Cruce became the first postmaster of Crayne. The post office was located at his farm about half a mile south of Crayne.

 In 1890, Richard Dorroh was named postmaster, followed by Hugh Glenn in 1900-02, James F. Canada in 1904, and Newton Bishop in 1907. 

 James Franklin Dorroh, William Robert Dorroh, and Eugene Dorroh each served as Postmasters of Crayne. At the time the Dorroh's served as postmasters, the office was located in the Hugh Glenn Store. This store later became the Dorroh General Store and the post office remained in this building until 1953. (This store building was located where the block building is in the center of Crayne today.)

In 1953, Seth Ferguson became Postmaster. Mr. Ferguson moved the post office to his general store. He retired as Postmaster of Crayne in 1982. His wife, Mrs. Velma Ferguson and Mrs. Jackie Dorroh served as Assistant Postmaster during this time.

In 1982, George Tucker of Mayfield became Postmaster in charge until his retirement. In February 1983, Rose Ann Bebout was appointed Postmaster.  She was Postmaster until October 2014 when she retired.

The community of Crayne is thankful today to have the post office still very much a part of our small community. It had grown over the years and in 1995 because a full-time office, being open for eight hours per day.   Until this time it has only been open for six hours per day.

In 1992 the post office was remodeled and a twenty-four-day lobby with post office boxes for rent became available to customers. The original post office window and box service area is now a lobby display for everyone to remember where we came from. The display will remain a part of the Crayne Post Office history.

In 1997, the postmaster received national honors by being named The Benjamin Franklin recipient. This award is given by the United States Postal Service Corporate Relations each year to fifty–two postal employees who demonstrate outstanding results in community outreach activities, then postmaster Rose Ann Bebout gave the credit to the Crayne community for this award.

 On October 18th, 2014 the mailing center saw a stark reduction in its window hours, it went down to 23 hours from its 41.75 hours, once again a part time post office.  Kim Asbridge, who previously was postmaster relief assumed the responsibility of managing the post office and is still on the job today. 

This picture of the front of the building was made in June of 2010.  Gone today is the historical and much remembered bench that used to sit there.  It was there when I was growing up in Crayne some 70+ years ago.
 

Many happy memories of sitting on that bench with friends having a coke and peanuts or an ice cream popcicle.  It was accidentally smashed by a vehicle that went forward instead of backwards.  I was sad to not see the much remembered bench on the front porch anymore.

Clinton Easley and James Watson In Boxing Tournment 1937

 Not much has been documented about Marion boys being involved in the art of boxing.  Here is an interesting article from The Crittenden Press, May 7, 1937.

Easley and Watson Annex Tournament Titles in Paducah Meet

 Clinton Easley and James Watson fought their way to Tri-State titles in the tournament sponsored by the Sun-Democrat, being held in Paducah.

Clinton Easley gained his title with one of the most powerful knock-out punches ever displayed in Paducah and had no trouble in winning over Willard Camp, Camden, Tenn., in the light-heavy weight division.

The bout lasted only one round.  Camp was floored twice before being counted out.  Swinging a punch loaded with dynamite Easley was master of Camp at all times and clearly demonstrated that his near victory over last year's champion was n ot a flash-in-the-pan type.

James Watson, in the opening session, in the 113 pound class, scored a technical knockout over Henry Jordan, Paduch, in the thrid round, and Wednesday n ight dowed Bill Walton, Benton, in a decisive fashion, leaving no room for doubt as to his superiority in the division.  Walton was floored three times in the first round and would have scored a knockout if the fight had not been called at the end of the second.

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Douglas Travis, lost to Jack Gatlin, Benton, in the feather-weight division in one of the biercest battles of the meet.  

A terrific jab to the heart gave the victory to Gatlin after Travis had fought one of the most surprising battles of the evening.

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Dick Moore drove power punches into the body of Clyde Swift, Camden, Tenn., in the 135 pound class but lost to one of the fastest and cleverest of entries.

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Mose Johnson refused to claim victory in the middleweight scrap with Tynes Benton, on a foul.

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Harold Winn lost his bout after putting up one of the best bouts on the opening card.

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The local fighters have had no ring experience and very little training, conditioning themselves as best they could within the past few days. 

Paducah sports writers highly praised the squad as the gamest and hardest punching of all entries. 

Place Names recalled through history and local lore.

 Actual published place-name stories of our county's features such as hills, rocks, caves, creeks and even some of our old roadways are very few. Oral tradition seems to offer a greater potential harvest of these historic old name places we are familiar with.

The making and telling of place-name stories to explain names given by our older generations is such a vital part of our county history, that we want to know the history or reason for the name. Are they actually a historic fact, are they told as an actually happening, or are they really only a local widely known story. Perhaps they are pure invention, imaginative attempts to explain names on the basis of their sounds. 

 

All stories presented in this article are local and traditional explanations of how places were named. Like all legends, most of them are told as the truth, or believed, to be true. Some may even be historical fact, such as the naming of some of our old, now gone, post offices, and others may be local lore.

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The story of Sheridan.

For many years a line of houses has stood at the place where Sheridan, Kentucky, is now located. It was always a convenient resting place, half way between the ferry at Elizabethtown, Illinois, and Marion, the county seat of Crittenden County, Kentucky. 

 

In the early days it was referred to as "Dog Trot", because the log houses were almost all built in the old familiar pattern of two large rooms connected by a ·roofed passage or a "dog trot." The town was then described by a contemporary as being "three miles long and thirty feet wide."

As time passed, the Post Office Department wished to establish a post office there and give it an official name. At that time the leading citizen was one Richard Bebout, known to everyone far and wide as Cousin Dick. He owned the largest house in town and the only general store, and had established the local Masonic Lodge. He took most pride, however, in his record as a Civil War veteran. 

 

As the post office was to be located in his general store, they left the selection of a name up to him. He mulled over the question for days, asking everyone who came in the store for suggestions. No one came up with anything he liked, so he finally gave it up and fell to reminiscing about his army experiences. “And so one day General Sheridan said to me ---" he began. Then, "I've got it! We'll call the town Sheridan in honor of my favorite general, Philip H. Sheridan." So it was done. 

 

(Told by Mrs. Dorothy Clark Spence, Fall, 1953. She heard the story from Mr. Ather McMaster of Sheridan, Kentucky, and the description of Sheridan from Mr. Gene Guess, both in November 1953, this appeared in the book Place Name Stories About West Kentucky Towns, 1961, by Violetta Maloney Halpert.)

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Irma

Located halfway between Tolu and Sheridan. It was a farming community, with 2 general stores, a church and a school. Samuel S. Sullenger ran one of the grocery stores and it held the post office. He was asked to name the post office as he was in charge of it. He named it Irma, it was thought for one of his daughters. (He actually did have a daughter named Ermine). There was also a church there locally called Whites Chapel, it was named for a local family rather than for the color of the building. The church was located several hundred yards west of the original post office site. (Information from Niles Minner, interview in 1978. From Robert M. Rennick's Kentucky Place-Names, 1984)

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Maple Sink
Between Marion and Dycusburg, Kentucky there is a small lake, people fish and hunt around it. It gets its name from this story.

 

Once there were three sisters: Mary, Mag, and Maple. They were daughters of a local preacher. He was very strict on them; but one time he was away from home, and they wanted to have a little fun. It was winter time and the local pond was frozen. They called up some boys and girls and told them to meet them at the big pond below the barn and they would go skating. They skated for a while and then some of them had to go home, but the sisters and their partners stayed on, for the girls knew their father wouldn't let them go back when he was at home. They were having fun when the ice broke and Maple fell in. Mary ran for help, and the boys tried to get her out, but they couldn't.
They tried to find the body but could not, for in the middle was a sink hole and it had pulled her under. The body was never recovered. After that the place was called Maple Sink.

 

(Edna Hodge, age 67, Dycusburg, Kentucky, July 19, 1955 told this story to Dorothy Booker. The story was told in that community when Edna moved there thirty-eight years ago." From the book, Place-name stories of Kentucky Waterways and Ponds, by Herbert Halpert)