The Tradition Of Sarah

 This interesting article was written many years ago by Mr. Albert L. Wheeler, son of Isaac and Elvira Wheeler. The John Wheeler family was some of the early pioneer settlers of Crittenden County. They settled in the area of the B. C. McNeely home place on Just-A-Mere Road and on the land where Rodney Paris now owns on Hwy. 506. In fact their two family cemeteries are located on these farms. The James Wheeler Cemetery on Just-A-Mere Road and the John Wheeler Cemetery on the Paris farm land.

We are fortunate to be able to have some of these stories that were handed down from generation to generation and now tells us about another time in the early days of our county, and in the lives of people that lived back then.

The Tradition of Sarah Mayes

When ten or eleven years old, in the year, 1880 or ’81, I was often required to ride an old mule and carry a turn of corn to the mill. Most often it was to the Marion Mill, owned by Dan Bigham and his partner and situated on the Princeton road at the then outskirts of town. (the mill sat where Conrad’s Grocery and parking lot are located today).

A strong running spring was near and within the enclosure, which supplied water for the boiler. Between the mill and spring the ground was covered with what appeared to be sawdust (later I understood it to be refuse tanbark. Previously a tan yard had been there). It was a good place for a boy to play while waiting for his corn to be ground, which might take a half day or all day, according to the amount of grist ahead of yours.

Negroes lived across the road to the east, who got water from the mill spring. When they came, I stood well back. Perhaps I was over timid, but no Negroes lived within the confines of the Copperas Spring School District, all but the confines of my then world.

Once a very old Negro woman came to get water. Her form was bent from disease or age until her body was horizontal, her neck bent acutely up to see ahead, her face deeply set with wrinkles. Several times she came, always caring a small tin bucket, perhaps too old and feeble to carry a big one. One day as she crossed the road with water, she started singing; her voice was strong, sweet and melodious. Such melody from an old women seemed incongruous.

When I returned home, I told Ma, (Elvira Crider Wheeler), about the old Negro and the spring. She said, “Why that is old Aunt Sarah Mayes, if she had known who you were, she would have taken on over you!”

Later my elder sister, Theresa Wheeler Woodside told the history, or rather tradition of Sarah. Sarah was born a slave of William Elder near Spartanburg, South Carolina, and given by him to his daughter Mary. In 1796 William Elder together with his brothers, James, John and one or two others joined a party of emigrants bound for Kentucky. Sarah’s father did not belong to the Elders, but to a neighbor staying in South Carolina. He followed the party for a half day, trotting by Sarah’s horse continually repeating in a doleful tone, “Goodbye Sarah, Goodbye Sarah.” At noon he stopped his journey and he returned home. In giving me the story above, Theresa imitated the Negro’s doleful tone as he bade his daughter Sarah his final farewell.

Theresa had been told this story from our Grandmother Mary Elder Wheeler, daughter of John Elder, above mentioned, and who was 10 or 11 years old when they left South Carolina.

The party headed for Kentucky traveled east to Cowpens, South Carolina, where 15 years before an army of eleven hundred British under the intrepid Tarleton had been vanquished and all but annihilated by a thousand Americans under General Morgan. They (the party of emigrants) there awaited a contingent of emigrants coming up from the South. Together they crossed the mountains, how many in the party I don not know, but there must have been a considerable cavalcade.

At Campbell’s Station, 15 miles west of Knoxville, they heard of Indian depredations to the west and stopped there. While the main caravan stayed there, seven of the men in the group, including David Hill, George Mayes and five of the Elder brothers immediately resumed the journey to Kentucky.

When they reached their destination, they cleared 10 acres of what was afterward known as the Mayes Pond, which was about 2 ½ miles south-east from where Marion now is. They grew a crop, harvested and stored it and then returned to Campbell’s Station to get the rest of their party.

In 1798, the party headed for Kentucky, built a boat and launched it on Holston River, loaded the household goods, women and children, with enough men to navigate the boat, and floated it down the river. The balance traveled by land to bring the stock and rest of the supplies. The boat being small and crowded; they would land at night and camp on shore. The tradition is that they ran the 30 miles down Mussel Shoals in 30 minutes. In rounding the Horse-Shoe-Bend the men turned the bow of the boat toward midstream and rowed with all their might to keep off the rocks on the outer curve. They floated to the mouth of the Tennessee, poled the boat up the Ohio and Cumberland to where Dycusburg now is and camped there until the men with the stock brought teams to carry them to their new homes.

Sarah and her owner’s cousin, John Elder’s daughter, Mary Elder, were closely associated in their early childhood during the pos-Revolutionary years in western South Carolina. They traveled together with the emigrants across the mountains to Campbell’s Station, and sojourned there for two years. And from there, together, Sarah and Mary, traversed the entire length of the Tennessee River as it meandered through primeval forest, infested with savage Indians and wild beasts. When they reached their new home in Kentucky they were neighbors that endured the rigors of pioneer life, and they contributed their quota to the development of the civilization and culture of Crittenden County.

Though one fair and free, the other in bondage and black, the friendship formed endured ‘til death.

******

Mr. Albert L. Wheeler, who wrote this article, was a grandson of Mary Elder Wheeler, who was the good friend of Sarah, the Negro slave.

Mary Elder married James Wheeler and they are buried in the James Wheeler Cemetery on Just-A-Mere Road.

Sarah Mayes was listed as one hundred years old in the 1880 Crittenden County Census and she was living with her daughter and husband, Lewis and George Ann Wilson, in the area of what today in the old Piney Road.

Perhaps Sarah is buried in the colored area of the Old Marion Cemetery, either the one near Hwy. 60 or the Old Marion Black Cemetery located at the end of W. Central Ave. But if her grave is marked, it is only with a sandstone rock, for no written monument marks her grave, and no history about her early days here in Crittenden County are known.

Mr. Wheeler was the eighth in a family of ten children, seven of whom were school teachers. He taught school for a number of years in Crittenden County before going west. He attended the Marion Academy, and was a classmate of Ollie M. James. Mr. Wheeler died in Lufkin, Texas and is buried there.

The Flanary Home as it once was.

 

This beautiful old home was once one of Marion's valued treasurers, but not appreciated as it should have been in later years.  It's earlier history is featured in an earlier Blog.  But in this post I've centered on the inside on the home as best we can with only black and white old Press photos. 

Did you every wish you could have seen the inside of this home?  I wished it many times.  In March of 1976 the Crittenden County's Homemaker clubs were featuring a Heritage Home tour for a state project.  Houses were selected for their age and structural design.  The John Flanary home on West Bellville Street was featured on this tour.  The Crittenden Press made pictures of some of the rooms.  It must have been a fairy tale home.

The writing says:
The walnut etagere at left, a family heirloom, dominates the upstairs living room of the house.  The piece, which survived the floods of 1914 and 1937 in Union County, hold a collection of objects d'art.  It was originally owned by  George W. Orme of Uniontown, great grandfather of John Ormer Flanary.

This is one of the upstairs bedrooms furnished in cherry. 

The brick fireplace and china cabinets, in this downstairs dining room, were built by Charles Evans during the latter 1800's.  Evans was at that time headmaster of the Marion School.  The buffet, inset, was originally used around the turn of the century in the large dining room of the old Crittenden Springs Hotel. 

The upstairs dining room, has a collection of cherry and walnut furniture.  Antique Silver plateau graces the cherry banquet ends.   (Look at that beautiful chandelier, no mention of it.)

I would have loved to seen the staircase also, but it wasn't shown in any of the few pictures made for the article.  The home and all it's wonderful contents went on Auction in June of 1986.  Wonder where these beautiful pieces of furniture ended up and if it is still beautiful and used today??

Marion United Methodist Church Stained glass windows

 

This interesting history of some of the stained glass windows that are in the Methodist Church was shared by the late Helen Moore,  life long member and historian of this church.  

The church sanctuary gives the appearance of a small cathedral because of the arched ceiling and beautiful stained glass windows.  Three of the windows in the sanctuary have a Bible verse on them and a family name that donated them.  

Miss Moore didn't give any history of the one in the domed cathedral ceiling.

The large window on the South side of the church is Jesus with the children and was given in memory of John H. Hawkins.  His name is engraved in small letters at the bottom of the window.  It says "Suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven."

The congregation gave this window in his memory as he had been one of the pioneers of the Methodists in Marion and had been very liberal to the building fund.  Mr. Hawkins had been a stage coach driver from Hopkinsville to Smithland and was well known and well liked.  He lived from 1813 to 1897.

The other large window was given in memory of William F. and Maria E. Wilson by their daughters, Mrs. Mary Blue, Mrs. Nellie Woods and Mrs. Anna Orme.

The window represents Jesus as our shepherd who cares for us.  The verse says I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Another of the windows has the emblem of the Holy Bible.  The verse on the window say "Our Mothers life was an open book."  This window was given by the Kevil family.

Joseph Bell "J.B." Kevil was one of the trustees at the time the present church was built, and was the manager of the Marion Roller Mill.  This flour mill was located on E. Bellville Street across the railroad tracts on the left.  He later sold this and it became the Marion Feed Mill.  There is also a street across from the feed mill named in his honor "Kevil Street."  

There are also several more beautiful windows inside the church.

Kiwanis Bridge between Bells Mines and Sturgis

 Long Journey for the Bridge Across Tradewater River from Bells Mines to Sturgis

People that lived in the northern section of Crittenden County was cut off from nearby Sturgis in Union County by the Tradewater River. The community of Bells Mines was much closer to the town of Sturgis than the 20+ miles to Marion, but no bridge across the Tradewater River sometimes made it difficult to get to Union County. A small ferry boat was available most of the time or you found your own means to cross the span of water. From the articles in the old Crittenden Presses as early as 1897 the fiscal court knew a bridge was needed in this area.

As with many new projects that cause change this one had its problems and setbacks too. Here is the story of the Kiwanis Bridge with the idea starting as early as 1897 and finally was finished 29 years later in 1926.

***

April 8, 1897, At the regular term of the Fiscal court on Tuesday April 4, J. N. Culley (Culley was magistrate for the district of Bells Mines) and E. L. Nunn were appointed commissioners to report on the most practicable place to build a bridge across Tradewater; also as to the kind and probable cost of such a bridge. It was also ordered that the county judge of Union county be requested to appoint similar commissioners to act in conjunction with the Crittenden County commissioners.

Several years past without any further news or updates of this much needed bridge. Perhaps Union County wasn't interested just yet.

***

April 6, 1916 – Want a Bridge Across Tradewater

H. L. Culley, Horace Smith, John Wascomb, Hon. Phil Winston, all of Sturgis, Ky., F. L. Black, Wm. Brown, Hon. E. L. Nunn of this county, and others came before the Crittenden County Fiscal Court in the interest of a bridge across Tradewater at the mouth of Cypress Creek

This is one of the main county roads and a bridge should be built there at once to give the people of that section an outlet. Union County will build a turnpike to the county line at the crossing, so that people will have a solid rock road to market all the year.

***

August 19, 1920 – The Federal Highway To Be Built

On last Friday August 13, a few citizens of Sullivan, Union County were in our city agitating the question as to the location of the Federal Highway, and the crossing on the Tradewater River.

It has been our information that former Commissioner Rodman Wiley settled this question more than a year ago, and why some few of our citizens will listen and continue to assist a few disgruntle citizens of another county to rob the citizens and taxpayers of our own county of the prospect of a road that rightly belongs to them is somewhat a mystery.

On the 18 day of June 1918, every man who voted for the $150,000 road bond did it with the specific understanding that the road should cross Tradewater at or near the mouth of Cypress. Every man who signed pledges to donate money to augment this sum for road purposes signed a paper that was explicit in stating that the road should cross Tradewater at this point. A resolution unanimous adopted by the Fiscal court, published and put before all the people of the county designated Cypress for crossing.

We believe this road should come into this county by crossing Tradewater at or near the mouth of Cypress, because it was promised the voters by those in charge of the campaign; because it will benefit directly all the northern part of the county while the other will not; because it will connect, directly, almost all of the county with the coal fields of both this and Union county; because the assessors books show that the farm lands touched by the Cypress are valued at $30,000 or more. Why a suggestion of another route has been talked about is a little bit mysterious and one wonders about the motive of the talk.

They Cypress route serves ten to one more Crittenden County people and furnishes ingress and egress to a far more extensive and productive part of the county than the other.

***

June 23, 1922 – Bridge Meeting

Some forty or more citizens of Morganfield and Sturgis, representing the Kiwanis Clubs of these cities drove over from Union County Tuesday to attend the bridge meeting held at the court house here Tuesday. Owing to the lack of proper advertising only a small number of Crittenden County people were present at the meeting.

County Judge E. Jeffrey Travis gave the opening address explaining the object of the meeting. He told them he wanted the bridge. He said the people of the two counties were not as closely allied as they should be. Mayor Kern of Sturgis gave the next address. He advised co-operation between the two counties and said the building of the bridge would be the means of more closely uniting the people as neighbors and friends.

Supt. Herbert of Bell Coal & Navigation Co. said the citizens of the northern part of Crittenden deserved and ought to have the bridge. He said that in the days of Daniel Boone and the Indians when they wanted to cross Tradewater they crossed in a boat. He told them that in that respect that part of the county had not improved – they still had to cross in boats. He said it was not right to force those people to endanger their future lives by cussing like a blue streak every time they tried to cross Tradewater and got stuck in the mud.

The meeting closed with an address by J. F. Dogge in which he said he was interested in both counties and wanted the bridge so that he could better make the trips back and forth.

***

June 9, 1922 – Bridge To Be Built Across Tradewater

The Union County Fiscal Court met in a call session on last Saturday and voted to build a bridge across Tradewater at the mouth of Cypress, at the same time voted $12,000 or more if necessary for construction of same. A date was set for a joint meeting of the Crittenden and Union County courts to meet at Sturgis to discuss the final plans for the much needed bridge.

This bridge has been needed for the convenience of all the northern part of the county and Judge Travis says he is doing all he can to have it completed before the year is out. (But not to happen yet for it seemed several of the fiscal court members were “agin” the whole thing and a lot of the town people wasn't convinced it was a worthwhile project to spend money on.)

***

August 10, 1923 – Fiscal Court News

The Fiscal Court met with Judge E. J Travis and County Attorney E. D. Stone and all the magistrates being present. The court adjourned to meet with the Fiscal Court of Union county to confer as to whether the bridge at the mouth of Cypress built by order of the two counties would be accepted or rejected.

The party of officials motored over and consisted of County Judge E. J. Travis, E. D. Stone, P. R. Taylor, Miss Leaffa Wilborn, L. A. LaRue; F. M. Davdison, P. F. Paris, S. F. Peek, Charles LaRue, Will Hardesty, J. L. Rankin, R. L. Holt and Henry Simpson.

***

August 27, 1926 – Tradewater Bridge Now Open To Traffic

The bridge across Tradewater river, on the Highway between Sturgis and Marion, was opened to traffic for the first time Saturday of last week. The structure, one of the largest all concrete foundation bridges in Kentucky, was finished about July 15^th. Messrs. W. M. and J. S. Quirey, who had the contract to make the fill at each end of the bridge, completed the work in about thirty days. Between five and six thousand yards of dirt was moved in order to do this. Since the Kiwanis Clubs of Union County worked so hard to see this bridge built it has since been known as the Kiwanis Bridge.

***

                                        The Kiwanis Bridge built in 1926.

***

The old one-lane Kiwanis Bridge which was so hard fought for, for so many years, had served it's purpose, and needed replacing many years later. In 1982 it was replaced with a new two- lane modern concrete bridge. The new bridge was constructed just downstream from the location of the old one.

Working on the new bridge that is there today - 1982

The old Trail of Tears

 Following the trail once traveled by the Indians on Trail of Tears.  Starts at the Crittenden/Caldwell County line at the bridge. 

The old roadbed runs north west across country that casts the impression of land that had been long ago cleared for farming, to what is now known as the Campbell Cemetery. 

As the road then curved and took a more directly westward course past the old T. H. Stephenson (Nancy Tabor's home) and across present Highway 70 and the ICRR tracks 

past the old Cookseyville meeting house, now called Sulphur Springs Church. 

The road then reassumed its northwesterly course running over Clements Hill and through the beautiful View Valley and across Claylick Creek at the fork-off of the Wallace Ferry Road, now known as the Sisco Chapel Road. 

 It then followed the route of the road now call Salem-View Road over Childress Bluff to what is now the New Salem Church on Highway 60. It then followed the old Salem road which runs about a quarter of a mile north of Highway 60 to a SR 133 junction at the present main street of Salem .  It followed SR 133 through Lola, Joy, passed Mandy Falls and Mantle Rock (where the Indiana stayed) before traveling on to Berry's Ferry to cross over into Golconda. 

Livestock Field Day Set At Quarry

 This interesting article appeared in The Crittenden Press, June 8, 1972

Livestock Field Day Set At Quarry, By John Lucas

Acting area extension agent Rankin E. Powell urges all county farmer’s and interested persons to attend the Crittenden County Livestock Field Day which is slated for Wednesday June 14.

 

The field day is sponsored by the area extension office, Production Credit Association and the West Kentucky Land and Cattle Company.

 

A full day of activities are planned which will include viewing the underground feed lots located at the Alexander Stone Company, touring farms owned by Gaines P. Wilson of Louisville, seeing modern hay handling equipment, a free bar-b-que lunch, and afternoon speeches by the field day sponsors.

 

Activities are scheduled to begin at the Alexander Stone Company located approximately seven and one-half miles north of Marion on Highway 60. Powell said that those coming should arrive around 9 a.m. and that the tour of the underground pens would begin at 9:30 a.m. 

 

Using the approximately 40 acres of tunnels that the Alexander Stone Company has quarried for limestone was first envisioned by Edward O’Nan, Wesley Nick and Gaines P. Wilson as a way of treating calves which had pink-eye.

 

It was later expanded to a full scale operation. Presently there are only about 200 cattle and 450 hogs being housed in the quarried tunnels, but plan are being made so that they hope to eventually house up to 4,000 or 5,000 cattle and an undetermined number of hogs. In charge of the operation presently is Froman "Hoppy" Lovell.

 

Water is being piped into the caverns from reservoirs about ground. Not only does the operation use ground which can’t be used for anything else, the underground system maintains a constant temperature of near 60 degrees and produces no weather or fly problems. Lovell said that the animals seem to stay calm and quiet in the subdued atmosphere.

 

 

After touring these facilities, plans are made to tour the farm of R. R. "Shorty" Holland and the Gaines P. Wilson farm which joins it. 

 These are located approximately four miles north of Marion on highway 60.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the main drawing cards on these farms will be the exhibitions of modern hay handling equipment.

 

This equipment will be shown with an emphasis on field stored hay. This will include equipment capable of making t he regular and large round bales and equipment which will make the stack. All of this equipment is designed to produce a bale which will shed water to protect the hay from the weather.

 

If the weather permits, actual demonstrations are planned. Otherwise, examples of the stacks and round bales will be on display.

 

Powell said that many area farmers are turning to this type of hay storage because of the difficulty of getting labor to put the hay in a barn and because the cost of doing so was prohibitive. He added that when the hay is left in the field there is also no added cost of taking it from the barn to the field.

 

             ************

FYI: Another interesting fact about the quarry tunnels - From February 24, 1972.

Shelter Approved.  The tunnels at Alexander Stone Company, which has recently been surveyed and approved by the Army Corps of Engineer's as a fallout shelter for Crittenden County.  The tunnel complex would serve 15,6954 according to Murray Fox, Chief of the Civil Defence branch.  The survey was conducted at the request of Charlie Hodge, Crittenden County Civil Defense director. 

(In 1972, the general danger of a nuclear bomb was high as the world was in the midst of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union) 

 

The Old Folks Meet - 1897

 

Crittenden Press, July 22, 1897

The Old Folks Meet

The old folks meeting at Sugar Grove Saturday was one of the most unique and joyous events ever had in the county.

The young folks frequently have their gatherings, but it is not often that the line is drawn at sixty years, and all beyond that mark "especially invited." Such was the gathering in the beautiful grove at Sugar Grove church Saturday.

While others were there, and welcome, too, it was the old folks’ occasion, and never did the light heart of youth beat with as sincere pleasure as thrilled the souls of these our honored friends whose silvery locks tell us that they, have been with us "lo, these many years," as they shook hands with each other Saturday.

It was a favorable day for the occasion and everything possible was done to make it a day pleasant and profitable to the venerable sires and matrons who should gather to enjoy the day. A very large congregation assembled, many more than could be seated in the beautiful and commodious church house of Sugar Grove.

At 10:30 a prayer service was conducted by W. T. Oakley, and the prayers had the old time ring of the days past and gone – prayers full of fervency and of pleading for the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

At 11:00 the congregation enjoyed a very able and comforting sermon preached to the old people by Rev. J. T. Barbee, pastor of the church.

At noon an excellent dinner was spread of sufficient variety and excellence to satisfy the appetite of all the most fastidious. The old people all ate together and were amply supplied with that greatest of luxuries, excellent hot coffee. The noontide hours were delightfully spent in social chat in which the old folks recounted many striking reminiscences of the past.

The afternoon hours were spent in an old fashioned prayer meeting, conducted by Uncle William Hill.

It was a very interesting meeting. Several of the gray haired veterans of the cross led in prayer, the old songs were sung, several earnest talks were made, and the services closed with an old fashioned hand shake and general rejoicing.

Doubtless there were more old people present than been together for a long time. Quite a number testified that they had been Christians forty eight or fifty years, and they were not tired of the way. The day will be crowned with sweet memories by those who were present.

The following is a list of the names, and the ages of the old people who attended the Sugar Grove Old Folks Day" Saturday, July 17, 1897.

E. H. Porter, 66 

Rev. W. B. Crowell, 77 

H. H. King, 70

W. D. Givens, 70 

W. M. Brown, 67 

W. H. Asher, 70

J. D. Boaz, 67 

J. A. Jacobs, 63 

A. D. Crider, 62

W. J. Brantley, 74 

Field Brantley, 72 

R. C. Lucas, 73

W. P. Lamb, 76 

W. B. Crider, 64 

Joe Newcom, 73

F. M. Stevenson, 65

 L. B. Hunt, 64 

H. C. Gilbert, 76

J. C. Brown, 70 

Elijan Hughes, 65 

R. L. Wilson, 61

I. N. Cain, 62 

Jas. Btler, 72 

W. J. Bruce, 73

H. B. Stembridge, 62 

P. H. Woodsides, 64

 B. A. Enoch, -

M. A. Lamb, - 

Sue Pickens, 68

 Huldah Lamb, 81

M. A. Newcom, 73 

M. A. Steward, 70 

Mrs. E. Hughes, 61

L. E. Redd, 71 

S. C. Nunn, 64

 M. V. Beard, 61

P. E. Williams, 67 

M. M. Campbell, 78 

N. E. Wheeler, 65

Mary Long, 71 

M. L. Jacobs, 61 

J. Bugg, 68

(P.S. I wish they had used their full names instead of just initials)