Beautiful Scenry Makes Our County Special

Here are some interesting facts about our county, it has many beautiful scenic spots.  This article was written many years ago, but most of it holds true today.

Wilson Hill near Marion (this spot was opened up over 30 years ago as a subdivision of Marion known as Briarwood Lane) is the highest point in Crittenden County, with an elevation of 842 feet.  This information was taken from a series of topographical maps that used to be available from the Kentucky Department of Economic Development.  It takes 14 maps to cover the county completely.

This old picture was taken many years ago from the top of Wilson Hill.  The town of Marion can be seen in the background.  The photograph was titled "A Birds Eye View."

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In all there are 10 hills in Crittenden County that top 700 feet in elevation above sea level.  Next to the Wilson Hill, the highest is Hardin Knob, roughly west of Marion and North of Salem.

This picture of Hardin's Knob was taken from the Zion  Cemetery Road, north of Levias, in January 2013. 

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A series of knobs south of Marion are prominent.  The highest is Jackson Knob, which is higher than 820

feet.

The Crayne Knobs are more than 810- feet high.

 Here history has been changed, for the Crayne Knobs are no more.  They were destroyed in the year 2012 for a new 2-lane highway.  They were blasted away and the rocks were used as filler for the road on both sides of these landmarks knobs.

This picture was made some years before it was known they were going to be destroyed.

The highest peak in the northern section of the county is called The Pinnacle and is located on the Baker Church Road and can be seen from the church location, it is 792 feet.  To the east of Marion the only peak above 700 feet is Pickens Hill, near Tribune, upon which the Tribune Fire Tower was located.  It s altitude in 701 feet.

The county has a splendid water supply, the Ohio River bordering a distance of 30 miles, the Cumberland River 15 miles, and the Tradewater River 20 miles.  There are many small streams in the county, such as Hurricane and Crooked Creek which empty into the Ohio on the north; Livingston and Clay Lick which flow southward and empty into the Cumberland River and Piney, Long Branch and Caney Creek which empty into the Tradewater River on the northeast.

Happy Birthday America. God Bless America

Our great homeland of America is having another birthday.  We have several Revolutionary soldiers that served in that fight for freedom, who later traveled to what was then Livingston County, perhaps through a land grant for their services or maybe just to a new frontier to get a new start.  The sad part of this is that some are buried in unmarked graves and will soon be forgotten for their role they played in America's history.

Arthur Travis, born 1764,  from North Carolina.  He entered served in the year 1780.  He served under Colonel Lacy, and for most of the time under that tour he acted in the capacity of a spy.  He was also in the Battle of Rocky Mount.  In 1799 he moved to Livingston County (which in 1842 would be divided into Crittenden County).  Arthur Travis settled in the area of the Travis Cemetery road not far from the Piney Fork area.  He died March 23, 1853.  He has no tombstone to mark his burial location, but it would be logical that he would be buried in the family cemetery that was located very close to his home place, the Wilson-Travis Cemetery, located deep in the woods off of his road.

Daniel Travis served in the Revolutionary War under Col. Edward Lacy Sr.  He came to Livingston Co around 1795.  He died about 1810 and is buried in what was once called the Dickey Cemetery, but has long since vanished from sight.  It was located about six miles from Marion, off of Hwy. 120.  It was on land now owned by Roger and Debbie Roberts. 

William Clark, born in Ireland out 1758 came to South Carolina in 1773.  At the age of 16 in Camden South Carolina, he entered as a volunteer private in the militia of that state under Capt. Andrew Love.  He was in the Snow Campaign , the Battle of Briar Creek, Battle of Cane Brake and Battle of Rocky Mount, to name a few.  William remained in York County for 22 years after the war.  He received a land grant of 200 acres on January 11, 1799 on Pigeon Roost Creek.  William Clark died in 1834 and is thought o be buried in the Kilpatrick Graveyard, with no stone.

John Wheeler, born in Virginia, at the age of 16 enlisted in June 1776 as a private in Captain Bohannon's

company.  He served as a volunteer in campaigns under Colonels William Christian, Joseph Martin and Evan Shelby of Virginia.

John Wheeler died Nov. 24, 1838 and is buried in the family cemetery that was started at his death, as he was the first to be buried there.  He has only a hand engraved stone that says "John Wheeler".  This cemetery is located off of S. R. 506 in a wooded area a short distance behind Ralph Paris Surveying office.

Captain James Clinton, born 1761 in Pennsylvania, died in Crittenden County Mar. 2, 1847. He is buried at the Piney Fork Cemetery.  The only Revolutionary Solider that has a monument, and the only one that has been duly honored by being decorated with a NSDAR marker.  The marker was dedicated in June of 2002.  (Marker through hard work of ancestor Ann Walker Hezer)

He served in battles of Mobley's Meeting House; Stallions on Fishing Creek; Fish Dam Ford; Black Stocks on the Tiger River; Bratten's Plantation and Biggen's Church.

Others who served in the Revolutionary War include James Walker, George McDowell, Patrick Cain, William Pickins, David Robertson,  and there is probably more than I am unaware of.

Removal of a familiar Marion Icon

 

This giant flag graced the east side of the old City Hall and Fire station wall since 1975.  The Flag was painted during our nation's history - our bicentennial.  The larger-than-life image was first approved to be painted on the wall by Narion city Council in 1975, the year before we turned 200 as a nation.

A Murray State artist, Mike Brum, pictched the current 100-foot design as one of three to be used.  It was part of a venture to have in each Kentucky county by 1976 a large image of Old Glory to stand as the ultimate testament to two centuries of democracy and liberty.

Since city hall and the fire station have relocated to their more modern, up to date buildings, the building adorned in the Stars and Strips has laid dormant and largely empty for several years.  The structure will be razed, bringing the flag down along with it.  There is simply no viable safe way to support the tower of bricks without the building who eastern side it walls.

The Flag's disappearance will be a sad day for many a Marion citizen gaze upon the image every day as they go their way to and from the downtown area.  

 Demolition of the building began on Monday, June 24th, 2013 and was completed the next day.

 Demolition complete, Gone another of Marion's Historical icons and another part of her history.

Boston Lumber Company

For many years the Boston Lumber Company supplied the needs of lumber and anything else one would need for construction.

Crittenden Press, Nov. 19, 1914

Boston's new lumber emporium is nearing completion and is an immense establishment worth a visit from any citizen of the community who is interested in the growth and development of our various enterprises.

Mr. J. N. Boston is the owner of the new business and the owner of this fine property.  He has also valuabe help in the conducting of his office from his two sons, Messsrs Maurie and Ted Boston.

Their new ware-rooms and offices near the I. C. Depot are not only immense but are stored with everything that goes into a house.  Their machine shop and engine rooms and planing mills are now being reconstructed and enlarged and at the same time not put out of commission.  The larger building was put up, over and around the older and smaller ones.

They handle lime, cement, nails and all kinds of builders hardware and have recently installed a self measuring apparatus for gasoline where motors can be filled and the gasoline measured and strained at the same time.  This is a new invention and a patent well worth going a long distance to see.

In fact few people in Marion know to what exent this business has grown and would be suprised to take a trip through all its departments and see its immensity.

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In June 1973, the J. N. Boston & Sons Lumber Business was sold at action to settle and to dissolve the interest of the J. N. Boston heirs.

The Darben Develpers, Inc. purchased the company, but I don't think it stayed in business very long after that. 

The old building still stands, but going down each day, as a reminding to passers-by of a once prosperous business in Marion.

This picture was made in 1998.

Souvenir School Cards of Long Ago

Starting in the last decade of the 19th century, and continuing almost as long as the one room school houses existed, teachers gave little souvenir cards to their students at the end of the school year.  You will notice that these are one room schools, so the list of students includes all grades, 1-8.
 Mamie Henry was their teacher in 1905-1906.

 

The Caney Fork school was a log school building located on the A. K. Love farm, and was located between Sheridan and Hurricane.    The school closed in the 1940's and the students were sent to the Tolu School.

 

Owen School was located a few miles from the Frances community on S. R. 855 North.  It sat in the area where the Owen Cemetery is located today.  Some of the early school records date the old school back to 1897-1898. Mildred Ruth Moore was the teacher in 1922 when this little card was given to her students.

Owen School closed in the early 1950's and the students were sent to Frances School.

 The Oliver School also was located near the community of Frances.  At one time it was a two room, two story building located on the Oliver family farm.  Miss Tennie Wheeler was the teacher in 1897-98.

In 1919 this school was torn down a new building was built at Frances.

Genealogy Society Visits Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Caldwell County

For our June Genealogy meeting, the group took made a field trip to a joining county of Caldwell County to visit the Pleasant Hill and Asher Cemeteries.  Why would we do this? 

 Buried in both of these cemeteries are many with ties to Crittenden County.  Especially Pleasant Hill, as it is very close to the Piney Fork area.  Many familiar names are noticeable as soon as you enter this pretty cemetery located on a hill side. 

As you enter the cemetery this huge tree stands in guard of the grounds.  We couldn't help but be amazed at the size of its truck and the spread of its branches.

Left to right:  Rita Travis, Margaret Parish, Doyle Polk, Fay Carol Crider, Don Foster, Darlene Eskew, Steve Eskew, and that is me in the little insert picture on the right end.

The most unusual monument in the cemetery belong to Manda C. Coleman

Here some of the members stand around her mausoleum -type marker, making suggestion on some of the decorations that adorn her marker.

Her marker has unusual lettering on it in raised rolled looking markers.

There are 2 large mussel shells embedded on the front and on the top are 3 cannon balls also embedded in the top of the stone.  The mussel shells are a symbol of Eternal Life, and another source says they are a symbol of a person's journey through life.   The shells were very popular to use on old graves in this area and Crittenden County also has many graves with the remains of shells on them.

Her dates are on a stone with the same unusual lettering and is located in front of the stone.

We had a lot of fun trying to figure out all the symbols and how the unusual marker, lettering and numbers were made.

A thank you to member, Steve Eskew,  for sharing some of his research about Manda C. Coleman.

She was Manda Caroline McKee, born 1839 in Wilson County Tennessee.  Her father was Robert McKee, mother Elizabeth Turner.

Her 1st husband was Thomas Coleman, born 1833 in Smith County, Tenn.

Knowing more information about the people that are buried here and some facts about their tombstones, makes visiting old cemeteries an exciting adventure, or it does for us die-hard genealogists anyway.

June 10, 2013, the 125th Hurricane Camp Meeting

Time for the annual Hurricane Church Camp Meeting.  This will be the 125th anniversary for these meeting.
The old scared shed sits in readiness for the people starting Monday, June 10th, 2013.

The camp meeting was founded in 1888 by Samuel F. Crider, James F. Terry, John B. Perry, Richard S. Clark, Newton Franks, Joel W. Guess, and S. K. Breeding. The majority of these founders resided in or near the town of Tolu, which was located about five miles away.

 The first tabernacle was erected and the first meeting was held during the summer of the founding.  The people of the community cut logs from the nearby woods, hauled them to the sawmill and prepared them for building this first tabernacle

Rev. J. J. Smith attending this first meeting and continued to be the evangelist or one of the preachers for more than 50 years.  Many great evangelists and singers have come to Hurricane through the years.

The Hurricane Camp has changed over the years.  Besides the day and night services, there is now a youth camp during the week-long meetings.  The cabins are somewhat more modern, with a girls' dormitory and a boys dormitory. 

The sawdust floor of the tabernacle has been replaced with concrete, but the seats are still the same, rather hard and uncomfortable.  There is no air conditioning for the nighty services but hand-held fans are available for fanning the warm, humid western county night air.

The kitchen and dining hall have been updated, and all the meals are prepared daily with extra made for the nightly visitors that attend the meeting.

 Hurricane church is one of the old landmark churches in this area, having been founded in 1843.  The land for the church was donated by one of the early pioneer settlers, Richard Minner.  The church building now standing is the third building that has graced this beautiful naturally terraced hillside, having been constructed in 1931.  It replaced the second building that was destroyed by fire in 1919.

  There are many stories to tell besides just attending services.  The yearly event was the highlight of many people's social lives, just about the only social lives they had.  Here they could  recall old friendships made in years past, the ladies could visit and catch up on all the past and present news in their lives.  Many courtships were made here and several marriages were the results of these meetings.

One humorous story that has been past down through the families is one about Mr. Abe Rankin, a well-know farmer and business man of the Fords Ferrys neighborhood.  When the Camp Meetings were in

their heyday (probably in the early 1900's), Sunday was the big day when people came from miles around in their best dress-up clothes.

 Mr. Rankin, bought some blue and white bed ticking and had him a suit made out of it.  Needless to say there was not another bed ticking suit there, and he made quite an impressive sight, whether it was good or bad, I do not know, but he was remembered for years with his blue and white striped suit.