Marion's Woman Club Building - City Landmark Sold

 The following information appeared in The Crittenden Press, June 8, 2023 edition.  Written by Chris Evans, editor and publisher.

A little more of Marion's history slipped away last week as pieces of the past were wrapped in newspaper then loaded into boxes destined for an out-of-town auction house.  Fine glassware and silver serving dishes were among items packed to be sent away.

Erected almost 100 years ago, the building and property has been sold to NOJO, a limited liability corporation owned by former mayor Jared Byford.

The 2,765-square-foot structure had served as the Woman's Club meeting hall since around 1926 when it was first built.  The original Woman's Club building burnt in March 1947, and the existing establishment was re-constructed by Boston and Son's Lumber Co. 

                  The architect drawing of the Woman's Club in 1926.

(My thoughts, the original sketch of the Woman's Club building built in 1926 and the building that was built back after the fire, the one we see today, still look the same.  The information for the burning of the building in 1947, said that the fire originating in the basement swept through the offices, and the interior of the building was gutted.  Portions of the floor were burned out and the roof, in several sections caved in.  The exterior of the building must have still been intact and the rebuilding was mostly on the inside burned out sections. )

Caring for the building had become a heavy burden for the small and aging group of women who remain active in the club.  Annual recurring costs for utilities, upkeep and taxes had risen to around $5,000 in 2022.

Members aren't sure what the future holds, but for now they're going to keep up the club's mission, which is service to the community.

Community of Crossroads, Needmore and finally Frances

 Our little hometown communities are quickly slipping away. Modern day generations do not know the feeling of living in small communities where the post office and general store were usually in one building. A gathering place for old and young alike to check on the mail, buy everyday needs and share local gossip. To me, these were the good old days.

 Many other small close-knit communities were scattered all over the county, one of these was the village of Frances. Seems it had other names before it was finally christened with a post office and named Frances. Here is some early history of that community.

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Because of a bride, a place in Kentucky first called Needmore, and fabulous deposits of fluorspar, the town of Frances sprawls in a curve on Highway 70 in Crittenden County. The bride and the town of Needmore were responsible for the name Frances. The fluorspar enabled the town to service as a business center even after rural people were able to travel and go to other places.

 

Frances was a place, however, long before anybody knew that fluorspar veined the ground of Crittenden County in a quantity that makes this county one of the foremost spar fields in the world. 

 

The first log cabin in the community was built about 1797 by James Armstrong who came from Giles county Tennessee. But Frances did not begin to look townish until about 1844 when Alvin Duvall built three cabins on the site now occupied by Frances Graded School. 

 

By 1872, the area still wasn't anything to brag about, but it had improved to the extent that it had a physician, Dr. Charles Owen, who had survived a shipwreck on his way to American from England. Dr. Owen bought a small triangle of land from Alvin Duvall and set out at once to provide a home for his family. Dr. Owen built the first store and apothecary and a Masonic Hall, Liberty Lodge was added to the growing collection of buildings. Dr. Owen was a very prominent and civic minded citizen of the area, for in 1880 when a new school was established just a short distant from the town, it was named Owen School in his honor.

 

In 1874, the small cluster of buildings was known as Crossroads. The name was applied loosely because the Eddyville and Salem roads and the Dycusburg and Marion roads, heavily traveled routes in those days, crossed there. Later, residents of the tired-looking collection of buildings noted the sad appearance of Crossroads and the never-ending fields of persimmon and sassafras bushed around it, and decided that the place should be known as Needmore. The name was a fitting one because Crossroads needed more – of about everything the residents could think of.

 

But one day Needmore, as it was known by that time, had prospered enough to qualify for a post office, and this new important addition to the community had to have an official name. The populace said call it Needmore, as that is what it was now known by, but Uncle Sam said, No, as Kentucky already had a Needmore post office. A duplication of that name would put mail people in a dither, and cause the mail to be sent to the wrong Needmore. So unofficially, the citizens of Needmore got in a huff and told the postmaster to name the town himself.

 

Along about his time, President Grover Clevand's new bride, was the toast of the nation. President Cleveland was trying to think of ways to honor his bride. The post office employees of the postmaster general were aware of this, and when the task of renaming Needmore fell in their laps, they quickly chose the name Frances. 

 

The Frances post office was established June 1886 with John C. Allen postmaster; other postmaster were Wm. J. Tabor; and Frederick Perkins. It was discontinued in Nov. 1887 with papers sent to Marion, but it was re-established in April 1888 with Wm. W. Pogue as postmaster, following him were Marion F. Pogue, Samuel H. Matthews and in March 1908 it was discontinued and the mail was sent to Marion.

 

Now Frances could have made out all right with Crossroads or Needmore or any other name, as far as names go, but without the fluorspar the curve in Highway 70 might be just a curve bordered by persimmon and sassafras bushes. Or there might not have been a road at all.

 

Fluorspar is the life blood of the town, the mineral brings in the people and the trade and the money that any town has to have to exist, and it is responsible for a closely knit village of people who understand each other and work for the good of all.

 

The small community has become a veritable beehive with miners, prospectors and capitalists all in a rush to better their financial condition by developing the spar mining business. Almost a stone's throw from Frances is located the Asbridge Mines, which was opened about 1900. The mine is worked by four or five men and it was learned that the profits on the spar taken from that mine last year was over $8,000. The vein is almost inexhaustible and it is claimed can be worked profitably for the next 50 years. 

 

Within 80 feet of the Asbridge is the McClelland Mines, which promises to be an even greater producer of spar. The mine was opened by Mr. F. A. McClelland. He is an experienced mineral man and an expert on spar. The Hodge Mine, said to be the largest and best paying spar mine in the world is only one and a half miles from Frances. Mr. John Hodge, upon whose land this mine is located, is said gets $3,000 a year as royalty. The Yandell and Tabb and the Tabor are names of some of the other mines, all within a radius of three miles of Frances. They are all doing a fine business and new mines are being opened every week. 

 

Some of the Frances merchants from 1874 to 1950's included: Dr. Charles Owen, drug store and grocery; Critt Allen, general merchandise; M. F. Pogue, drugstore and general merchandise; Pogue and Matthews; general merchandise; W. E. Asbridge and Milton Yandell. Later day store businesses included Dr. Abell, eye doctor, Brown Brothers, Oman Matthews, Wm. Asbridge, Robertson Krone, Doom's garage, Sam Matthews, and John Holloman. 

 

There is farming, too, But farming alone could not have spawned the proud, little town of Frances and kept it on the up grade in an age of emphasis on larger shopping centers. (Information from Doyle Polk and from notes written by his aunt Stella Simpkins in the 1940's)

One Room School - Glendale

 Remembering Our One Room Schools

From the archives of The Crittenden Press, let's travel back to the year 1879 and visit once again some of our one room schools.

We find our County School Commissioner, Rev. James F. Price bundling up against the cold, climbing on his horse and heading out to visit his first school on this trip, Glendale. He shares with us his findings.

November 17^th 1879, - I visited Glendale school, E. M. Rousseau teacher.

It rained me out this day so that I did not get there until late, and as the very unfavorable day prevented many pupils from attending, I did not have a good opportunity to see the character of the school, but from my own observation and from what I could gather from the teacher and trustees, I think they have a splendid school.

The average attendance is forty-four; the school seems to be progressing well; the teacher is manifesting a great interest for the school and his instruction is very thorough.

You need not say whispering cannot be prohibited in school for we have a test of it here; the teacher does it by means of the merit roll. Whenever any one whispers, he or she is deprived of recess the next day.

You may say that the pupils act perfect, when they are not, the teacher watches them very closely and if he ever finds one practicing deception upon him in that way, he deprives that one of recesses two or three days or until he thinks that the pupil will tell the truth; this, I am informed for the last six weeks the school has been without whispering.

Some students are pursuing studies beyond the common school course.

The patrons seem to be very much interested in the school, they have a very good schoolhouse, but not sufficiently supplied with blackboard to accommodate the school.

Some extra history about Glendale School.

Glendale school was located about one and one-half miles off S. R. 297 on Hwy 2123 between Sheridan and the Crittenden Springs Road.

In Sept 1865, B. B. Terry deeded to the trustees of the school district land on which to build a schoolhouse.  It was a one-room building with one door.  Later a new school house was built not more than a few feet away from the old building.  The new school had a vestibule and the heating system was in this vestibule.

Sunday school and church services were held in the school building for many years.  School was discontinued in the spring of 1953 and students were sent to enroll in Tolu School that fall. 

When the board of Education sold the building, the people of the community bought it and organized a General Baptist Church.  

Our County Roads - Always in the News

Roads have always been a vital part of our county's history and always in the news. As early as the second county court meeting, after Crittenden County was formed from Livingston County in January of 1842, the court preceded to lay the county into Constables' districts. There were six districts laid off.

At the next county court meeting, April 5, 1842, men from the different districts were appointed to begin surveying roads for the new county.

Surveyors Chosen For New Roads

Some of the men that were selected to view and mark the new roads for the county were Arthur Love, Daniel Minner, Calab Minner and Harvey J. Minner, who were appointed commissioners to view and mark out the nearest and best way for a road from the Hurricane Meeting House to intersect the Wallace Ferry Road at A. Walker's.

In the Eastern part of the new county, Edward Kemp, Mannering Towery and Joshua Orr were appointed to view and mark out the nearest and best route for a road commencing at the bridge on Piney Creek and intersecting the road leading to Montezuma at or near Thomas Neal's and report to this court.

Other responsible men were appointed for surveyors with hands to help keep the roads in repair. (Some entries in the County Court Books reads):

William Weldon was appointed surveyor of that part of the public road from Centerville to Ford's Ferry, beginning at the fork of the road at tree No. 2, being prescient No 1, with the following keeping said road in repair, A. H. Yandall, D. Gaines, L. McMillon, W. Brown's hands, W. Smith and hands, Mrs. Stephenson's hands, J. Carrick, H. Jackson, J. Loyd, L. D. Husband, J. W. Cruce and hands.

John R. Clement was appointed Surveyor over that part of the public road leading from his ware house at Clemensburg on the Ohio River to where said road intersects Flynn's old road near Gen. Hughes and that he with the following hands keep same in repair, Joseph Hughes' hands, Matthew Hughes, Benjamin Hughes, James Hughes, William Health, Samuel Heath, Robert Heath, J. C. Beal, John Beal and Joab Beal.

The roads in the area where you lived were to be kept in repair by the males of the families that resided there and used these roads.

Male Citizens to Work Roads

 Pictured is a man using a wooden road drag to try and smooth some of the ruts and potholes from one of the county dirt roadways. 

 In a special Fiscal Court meeting of Jan. 7, 1913, it was ordered that the county roads of Crittenden County be worked by hands to be turned in by the County Road Engineer, or his assistants, and all able bodied male citizens of the county over the age of 18 years and under the age of 50 years, except licensed ministers of the gospel and citizens of incorporated towns and cities, are required to provide themselves with necessary tools and implements and to work on pubic roads of the county, not exceeding two days in a week and six days in each year, provided that any road hand may pay to the county engineer, the sum of three dollars. ($3.00) on or before the 1^st day of June, of any year, and upon payment of said sum, he will thereby be released from work upon the road during the said year.

The County Road Engineer shall immediately pay over said sum so paid to him, to the county treasurer, who shall place same to the credit of road, and same shall be applied and used in the employment of graders, plows, and teams and hands to work upon the roads of the county when needed.

Judge Travis' Vision for Better Roads

In the early part of 1920, the muddy county roads were still in the news, seemed no matter how hard the men worked the roads would become almost impassable in the winter months and rainy spells. 

 Judge E. Jeffrey Travis shared his thoughts and a new idea with the Press:

The weekend brought a good many citizens into town, 'cussin' and discussin' the roads. Bob Gibbs says that the roads in his community would bog a buzzard; Perce Brasher thinks it dangerous to undertake to go anywhere, even to Sunday school, except on foot or in a flying machine; Tom Ed Walker says traveling on his roads is not so bad if it would not give you seasickness, so muddy.

Uncle Dick Cruce and Jeff Clement, the most optimistic of all callers and commentators, blame mostly the unusually wet and freezing weather that we have been having rather than the county road engineer and the overseers for our extremely muddy roads at this particular time.

Judge Travis remarks to the public - It looks now that the Crittenden County roads are past all using. What are we going to do? We all want to know. The sooner we quit throwing our money into mud holes the sooner we will have money with which to build roads that do not get muddy, nor wash away.

You don't like this system: Well, what do you say to having all property owners pay reasonable property tax, say 30 cents for each $100.00 worth of property and each male citizen over twenty-one years, pay a reasonable poll. This would give us a fund of amounting to $25,000.00. With proper equipment and money properly distributed, this would work all our roads as well or better than now and leave us a nice sum to be applied with state aid in building some permanent roads.

This idea for a new way to improve the roads must not have gone over too well, but it would eventually be the only way to get better roads.

Judge Travis had a vision for the betterment of Crittenden County Roads, but it was several years later at a Fiscal Court meeting in August 1927 before the Court decided to fix a special road tax.

Road Tax Implemented

At the regular meeting August 2, 1927, the Fiscal Court voted to call for a special road tax election, the purpose being to change the system of road maintenance. The old plan, now over 75 years old, was based on free labor and is considered not only out-of-day but inadequate.

According to the new plan, which is to be voted on in the special election, a pole tax of $1.00 on each male voter and property tax of 20 cents per hundred is to be assessed for road purposes and the funds thus provided used to pay for the upkeep of the road system in Crittenden County.

Every member of the court was present at the meeting.

In January 1928, under the leadership of Judge L. E. Waddell, a new system of maintaining the roads was decided on by the Fiscal Court. According to the new plan all work on the roads will be done at the order of the fiscal court and the money expended under the old supervisor system would be used in payment of this work.

The Magistrate of each district would be allowed so many road supervisors. Said road supervisors would be appointed by the Court and would report to the Magistrate of his district once every two weeks as to the work he is doing and the expense of such work.

Team work on the roads for the year 1928 shall be $2.00 per day for each team. All road hands are required to work 6 days on the roads or pay the sum of $5.00 which shall be equivalent to such work.

The court voted to place $8,000.00 in a fund to be used in construction of a rock road in any community where the citizens will furnish a like amount. This was to encourage people to use their money for the improvement of permanent roads instead of throwing it in the mud holes that would just keep returning.

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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)