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The President's Corner
Each month the Harrison County County Historical
Society's president writes a column for publication in the monthly
newsletter, the Harrison Heritage News.
June, 2011
By Billy Fowler
Strange Happenings in the Handy House
As Told to Billy & Sharon Fowler
A local lady
who lived in the Handy House for a few years back in the 90s shared
a story with my wife and me. I felt her story to be worthy of
sharing. So here goes!
The lady
started talking about the strange things that happened in the Handy
House while she and her family lived there. The first thing she
talked about was her daughter’s bedroom. (The room we commonly refer
to as the rear parlor.) With a very serious look on her face she
said that the family members were constantly hearing noises coming
from above when they were in that room. She went on to say that they
did not use the upstairs and there was no one up there when these
noises were happening.
Another of
what she deemed to be strange happenings seemed to take place while
the family was out of the house. She talked about having cats that
lived indoors with the family. She went on to say that she would
feed these cats atop the piano which was and still is located in the
central hallway of the first floor. Not wanting the cats to wander
through the entire house while no one was home, she would place
their food on the piano and proceed to close the doors leading out
of the hall to the various rooms. She would also go upstairs and
make sure all the doors leading out of the upstairs hall were
closed. As if to be sure we understood the significance of what
would happen next, she went on to say that all of the doors worked
well and latched properly when closed. She stated rather sternly,
“They could not open on their own!” But when she would return home,
the upstairs doors would be open. She said the first time this
happened she stood in the upstairs hallway and said aloud “OK, we
can both live here”. Apparently she was right since the family
stayed there several years.
When asked
about the basement she said that she had seen the chains and
shackles that were reportedly used to confine slaves attached to the
stone walls before she moved into the house. They were, however, no
longer there at the time she and her family moved in. Irregardless
of that, she said she stayed out of the basement. It seemed that she
thought it best to leave that area to whatever spirits might choose
to live there.
On another
occasion she said she had failed to mention what happened with her
towels as if she wanted to be sure we knew all the strange things
that happened there. She went on to say that she always had small
hand towels neatly hanging on the racks in her bathroom. When she
would leave the house for awhile and return, much like the doors
that mysteriously opened the towels would be found in disarray when
she returned home. She described the towels as looking as if someone
had tried to dry their hands.
If you are
wondering why I am telling this story now, it has to do with a local
group known as “Running Scared” who investigates for paranormal
activity. Sharon and I will be spending a few dark hours with them
at the Handy House while they do their investigation. I hope we
don’t leave there running scared!
Come to the
July 21st Historical Society meeting to hear their report on what
they do or do not find at the Handy House. This meeting will
definitely be different from the norm. See you there.
May, 2011
By Billy Fowler
One of the
things I mentioned last month was election of officers. President
Billy Fowler, Vice-President Bob Owen, Secretary Marilynn Bell and
Treasurer Dorothy Slade were reelected for two more years.
If you missed
the May meeting you missed another excellent presentation by 5th
grade students. In the past Jeff Kinney has brought volunteers from
the History Club to make presentations. This year he brought
volunteer presenters from the 5th grade history classes that are not
History Club members. Their presentations were visual displays of
something from history. They had to pick a subject, do the research
and create their display from the facts they discovered. It was an
excellent group of students and presentations.
The June
meeting will be a show-and-tell. Rearranging the schedule due to bad
weather earlier this year prevented us from having our normal winter
show-and-tell. I am not sure about everyone else, but I missed it.
We always see unique and interesting things and have a lot of fun at
these meetings. Remember, you do not have to bring something to talk
about. You can just enjoy what others bring. So come on out and
let’s have some fun.
Have you been
making vacation plans for the summer or maybe you decided to stay
home with gas prices being just too high. I am not going to bore you
with a long list of local activities that you should be attending
(well not this month). You know there are lots of things around here
to do. Just get out and do some of them, either as part of your
planned vacation or alternatives to buying gas to leave town. Most
of the local activities are free or inexpensive and the money spent
benefits the local economy.
Another
subject that we have not discussed for awhile is the need for
presenters at the monthly meetings. Do not hesitate to offer
suggestions. We welcome your input and will consider any and all
suggestions that we receive.
April, 2011
By Billy Fowler
My last
column was dedicated to promoting the Northside Elementary School
History Students. That meeting and their presentation is now
history. They were great and anyone who missed it missed a wonderful
group of children.
Moving along
to our next meeting, I am going to promote another group of
children. Each May Jeff Kinney brings students from Eastside
Elementary School’s Fifth Grade History Club to the Historical
Society Meeting. Each year they have presented an excellent program
for our group. They will be here again this year and I anticipate
another excellent program. Same as last month, let’s go all out to
support these students.
Another
subject that needs to be discussed is that this is an election year
for the society. Every two years at the May meeting a slate of
officers who also serve as directors is elected to serve a two year
term. At the March meeting I appointed Marilynn Bell and Randall
Boyers as a nominating committee with the request that they have a
slate of nominees prepared by the April meeting.
It is the
recommendation of the nominating committee that the current
officers/directors continue for another two year term. The current
officer/directors are President Billy Fowler; Vice-President Bob
Owen; Secretary Marilynn Bell; and Treasurer Dorothy Slade. All have
agreed to accept nomination to their respective positions for
another two year term. The election will be at the regular May
meeting and as always other nominations may be made from the floor
prior to voting.
Other
activity that has taken place is the Society has made a $100
donation to the community college to help furnish their new
addition. Also at the board meeting in December Marilynn Bell and I
were appointed as a committee to work toward rehabilitation of the
Handy House. We continue to explore funding options for the project
and as always any donations will be greatly appreciated.
March, 2011
By Billy Fowler
March is a time when people start to think about
upcoming activities that are going to be so much more pleasant than the
winter months that are being left behind. I am no different; I have been
spending time thinking about outdoor activities. We have already mowed
our yard and are now looking for a dry day to do it again. Oh well, it
can not all be fun!
Speaking of fun, did you attend the Historical
Society meeting last April? If not, you missed a good one. A group of
fifth graders from Northside Elementary School entertained us with
wonderful individual performances. Each student stepped up to the podium
and made a one minute speech about a figure from history. The students
talked as if they were the historical person. In order to do this they
first had to select someone from a pre-determined historical period.
They then had to research the selected individual in order to gain
information to prepare their speech. There was undoubtedly practice in
front of mirrors, parents, pets or who or whatever they could find. Then
they presented their speeches at school. Oh yes, don’t forget then they
performed for us. Did I mention that they were also in costume? I say
that is not bad for a bunch of fifth graders.
If you missed that meeting you have a chance to catch
this year’s group at the April 21st meeting and if you attended last
year I feel sure you will be back this year. Can you think of a better
way to support our future historians and society members? I can not. We
are always looking for ways to get younger folks involved in history. We
have some very creative teachers doing their parts, now we can do our
parts and come out in force to show our support for these hard working
and brave students.
February, 2011
By Billy Fowler
February has brought more cold weather and snow and
something else that I cannot remember from earlier this winter. A few
warm days! But at least it is one more winter month out of the way. I do
not know about the rest of you, but I am looking forward to more of the
warm days.
We have been talking about the Handy House for so
long that it just seems to be part of our normal discussions. One thing
that is not normal is a recent donation. We received $9,000 from Verizon
Wireless (dba Celco Partnership). I have been working with
representatives from the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic
Preservation Office, Celco Partnership and Verizon Wireless for nearly a
year to draft an agreement that assures everyone the money will be spent
wisely and as intended. The check has now arrived and been deposited in
the Historical Society’s account.
Since the weather is starting to improve and now that
we have a little money, some people are expecting immediate action. Well
it just does not work that way. The donation, much like a grant, comes
with stipulations as mentioned earlier. Without boring you with a lot of
details, let me just say that the money must be spent on some specific
stabilization issues. That is not a problem since the first thing that
should be done is to stabilize the structure to prevent further
deterioration. Also much like we have done for so long, we must continue
to think farther into the future. The first thing to do with the money
is attempt to grow it. Our secretary Marilynn Bell is already looking
for a grant that we can use this money to match. Hopefully we can at
least double the amount before we even think about spending it. This
does not mean we will sit idly by hoping for something to happen. We
will start doing some work on the grounds a little later in the spring
probably using our own personal money as we have been doing for years.
We have not given the house as much attention as we would have liked
since the city erected a fence around it about a year-and-a-half ago.
The fence, though it kept us from cutting the grass, vines and weeds
from growing right up to and up the side of the house, it did not keep
vandals away. The result is that we will again have to clean up the area
immediately surrounding the house and deal with the damage caused by the
vandals.
If you think these things are depressing you are
correct, but not nearly as depressing as the years of struggle that for
so long seemed to be going nowhere. What I hope you and the rest of the
community understand is that if we could endure that for six-and-a-half
years just to finally get an agreement that we can do something, we will
endure these things and continue onward.
January, 2011
By Billy Fowler
January is not only a cold snowy month, it is also
the time for my first column of the year. I would like to start by
talking about the historical society and the necessary changes in order
to grow. As you probably already know I have been an officer of the
historical society for nearly six years. During that time not much has
changed in the way we do business. We go about lining up speakers for
the monthly meetings, putting together and distributing a newsletter and
occasionally offering support to some cause. The support is either a
small donation or going on record for or against something in the
community.
With the signing of the lease for the Handy House our
way of doing business has now changed. We are no longer simply an
organization of monthly meetings and newsletters. We have now moved to
the next level. This move is necessary for our organization to continue
to grow. One of the decisions made by the board was to purchase Officers
and Directors Liability Insurance. This coverage is one of the first
things recommended for a non-profit corporation when it is formed. It
has not been considered to be a priority since the society has not
actually been involved in much other than those things mentioned
earlier. Legal advice as well as personal research said “do it now”
because of the new responsibilities being taken on. The board therefore
unanimously approved the insurance purchase which cost $659.66 for one
year. Simply stated, the policy provides protection for current and
future officers in the event of a law suit. If there is a legal suit
against the society it is almost certain the officers/directors will
also be named in the suit. Without some form of protection each
officer/director will be responsible for the legal fees and any judgment
that might be handed down. People could lose their homes and life
savings in the event of such legal proceedings. This is why the legal
advice was to do this and this is why your board took this action.
This is the beginning of a new era for the Harrison
County Historical Society, Inc. I know people tend to do nothing when
they are happy with the way things are going. With that in mind let me
know if you disagree with the way your board is conducting business.
Send me an e-mail at
billyfowler@kymail.com or drop me a note at 380 Oddville Sunrise
Road, Cynthiana, KY 41031 and tell me what you do not agree with.
December, 2010
By Billy Fowler
Handy
House Lease Approved
This year
started out pretty much the same as any other year. How often have
we all said that? Well, it is pretty much true. Except for the
obvious normal changes in life, mine started out pretty much the
same. Although I can not say that it is ending the same. For nearly
six and a half years Sharon and I, along with many others, have been
attempting to reach an agreement with the city and county
governments to allow for the preservation of the Handy House. It has
now finally happened.
At their
November 23rd regular meetings both governing bodies voted
unanimously approving what we all hoped to be the final version of
the lease. We received word the following week from the Kentucky
Heritage Council that they were OK with the final version of the
lease. The only thing that was left to do was sign the documents.
Tuesday December 14th we did just that. Judge-Executive Barnett,
Mayor Keith and I met and signed the lease documents.
The
Historical Society now holds a fifty-year lease on the Handy House
and yard. There are provisions in the lease that stipulate a number
of things that we must accomplish within the first five years in
order to continue the lease for another forty-five. There is no
doubt in my mind that we will accomplish not only those short term
goals but also our long term goals of rehabilitating the house for
the benefit and enjoyment of the community.
The first
thing that came to mind after the lease signing was; “what now?”!
This project has been a major part of our lives for so long that
when it suddenly came to an end I had to wonder: what now? Well, now
I, along with many others, will turn our efforts away from the long
battle that was necessary to reach this point to the next battle.
You see, we
have never kidded ourselves into believing this would be easy. We
only believe “it is the right thing to do” and that we can be a part
of doing it. The “it” that I am referring to is obtaining the
necessary funding and completing the rehabilitation of the property.
Even though we plan to have a lot of hands-on work we will still
need funding to purchase materials, hire specialists when necessary
and etc.
Now the
bottom line: we need everyone’s support; support that will come in
many forms throughout the term of the lease and beyond. Let’s start
supporting the project by sending donations to the Harrison County
Historical Society. This is something that is new to me. I am not
accustomed to asking for donations but I understand that it is now
going to be an integral part of my job as President. Forgive me if I
do not ask properly. I am doing the best that I can. And yes,
donations to the Historical Society are tax deductible. Ask if you
need a receipt when you send your donation. Otherwise we will not
spend the money to mail it to you. I should add that all donations
small or large will be greatly appreciated! Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year.
November, 2010
By Billy Fowler
As we approach the end of the year Bill (our editor)
suggested I might want to do a column recapping the year for December.
You know good things, bad things etc. I like his suggestion but think I
will do it in this November issue. I have decided to save December to
talk about the Handy House.
All I have to do now is try to remember what has
happened for the last eleven months. Please forgive me if I leave out
something that seems important to you. It is not that I don’t agree with
you, it is just bad memory on my part.
Who can forget the 10th Anniversary Issue of Harrison
Heritage News in January? It came about because of the dedication and
talents of everyone involved during the previous ten years.
The year brought some really good programs to our
monthly meetings; programs by professional presenters like Carol Jarboe
who portrayed indentured servant Maggie Delaney and Kevin Stonerock who
returned to entertain us this year with “The Steamboat’s A Comin”. We
were also blessed with professional quality programs presented by school
groups from both Eastside and Northside Elementary schools and
individuals such as Kenny Simpson and Jerry Dailey. And once again Wayne
and Phyllis Stafford graciously hosted us at their log cabin. I hope
some of you are starting to realize how much you missed when you missed
meetings this year. Of course it has not all been about the meetings.
The many returning local events such as the Raggedy Ann Festival, Museum
Anniversary, Art Walk and Taste of Harrison County were joined this year
by an all new Pow-Wow. I am not sure I spelled it right after all this
is the fi rst time I have tried to spell it and my spell check just does
not know what it is. Do you? If not, go next year. I feel sure they will
do it again.
Of course there are always “bad” things. We always
seem to lose members due to their passing. I intentionally will not name
them because I do not want to chance leaving anyone out. Their families
and friends should take comfort in knowing that we miss them. Another
bad thing is that unfortunately the Civil War Reenactment did not happen
this year, but it will be back next year. I will not rehash the
September issue which was for the most part about the lack of
preservation and loss of historic buildings in our community. All you
have to do is look around at some of our streetscapes to see what can
best be described as looking like someone with a lot of missing teeth.
The town is trying hard to keep smiling but it gets more difficult each
time another tooth or building is yanked away.
October, 2010
By Billy Fowler
Here it is – time to do another column. I will say
that I heard comments from members about the last newsletter. All of the
comments were positive about the newsletter. However, none were positive
about the lack of historic preservation in our community. That statement
is the perfect lead-in to another subject, the Handy House.
As stated last month, nothing is happening. Well, I
guess you could say something is happening. I have been told repeatedly
that the members of the Fiscal Court are overwhelmingly in favor of
moving forward with the lease. I have also been told the same thing
about the City Commission. That sounds like something doesn’t it? The
puzzle is that what appears to be opposition from one member of the City
Commission has caused both governing bodies to refuse to bring the
matter up for a vote.* Since negotiations have completed and the City
and County refuse to vote, I updated the State Historic Preservation
Offi ce in Frankfort. Out of the goodness of my heart I copied a couple
of members of each local government (the ones that I have e-mail
addresses for). I just want to be sure that I continue to communicate
with them even though they are inclined to not communicate with me.
One thing that I have not communicated to the local
governments is how disturbed the folks in Frankfort are. Although the
majority of both local governments admit to the need to work out an
agreement in order to be eligible for federal funding for the park, they
still refuse to vote on an agreement. Even after many preservationists,
both local and around the state, including the Kentucky Heritage
Council, have gone well above and beyond what is considered normal to
help make this lease happen. Not to just make it happen but have
accepted unheard of compromises to make it easier for the City and
County – they still will not vote.
I guess the local officials just do not care how much
they upset the one group that needs to sign off on all federal money
coming to Cynthiana and Harrison County!
*Update: After this column was submitted, the
fiscal court Nov 9 voted 7 - 1 approving the Handy House lease. The city
still has not voted.
September, 2010
By Billy Fowler
I am starting
this column the same way that I have for the last few months, with
an update on the Handy House lease. Well, we are once again at what
seems to be a stalemate. A lease has been negotiated and distributed
to the Fiscal Court and City Commission for a vote. That was in
August and we are nearly in October and neither governing body has
voted. I keep hoping that they will break the stalemate and vote!
Well, we will see what happens next month.
Another
subject that seems to keep hitting us in the face is demolition. Or
maybe I should just say “destruction”. That word does not sound as
nice as demolition but it says the same thing only with a stronger
tone. Now we all know that sometimes you have to rid yourself of the
old to make way for the new. There is nothing wrong with this if
some thought is put into the plan. But what I see is a lack of
planning or at least a lack of logic if there is a plan. Earlier
this month two two-story brick houses on Church Street built for Dr.
Swinford in the early 1900’s were torn down to reportedly make way
for a parking lot for Judy Construction Company. This is private
property and therefore we have nothing to say about what the owner
does, but I will say it anyway. Judy Construction is located next
door to one parking lot that is available for public use and about
half a block from another one. I guess it is more prestigious to
have your own, so down with the houses. Today (same month) Sharon
and I stood on Main Street and watched as a City-hired contractor
tore down a three-story brick building that among other things was
once the home of Hobson Press. Most of the City leaders probably do
not know that there was ever a book publisher/printer in Cynthiana.
Did you?
This month
alone has taken three brick buildings from our downtown area and the
only plan seems to be one parking lot. As far as I know the one on
Main Street will be a vacant lot. Somebody might park there anyway.
At least that would give it a use.
I am sure
that some people will say “oh well it is just three buildings”.
Before you make that statement stop and count! This is just the most
recent three. In the last handful of years we have lost buildings
from the downtown area on Pike Street, Walnut Street and Pleasant
Street. Now Church Street and Main Street again! You only have to go
back a few more years to start adding in others such as Mill Street
and Court Street. Now that you seem to have made a little headway
toward understanding that we have become very good at destruction
take a couple of seconds to count what we have built back in place
of what we have lost. You do not need an accounting degree to figure
out that destruction seriously outweighs construction. The following
is from a Letter to the Editor of the Cynthiana Democrat that I
wrote in March 2007.……….tearing down Cynthiana one building at a
time will in the end accomplish the same as tearing down the town
all at once. If you think this seems drastic run the numbers one
more time!
Look for that
letter in its entirety elsewhere in the newsletter. The message is
still the same today.
August, 2010
By Billy Fowler
Here I am
again, time to give an update on the Handy House lease. It seems
that I am able to report some progress each month. This is a
pleasant change from the years of stalemate with the Handy House
project.
You may
recall my last report that there was an upcoming meeting. That
meeting happened as planned. We agreed on the size of the yard to be
included with the house and the surveyor has since completed the
survey of the area. It is my understanding that the survey has now
been added to the proposed lease and the lease has been distributed
to the members of both the Fiscal Court and City Commission. They
will now review the lease and if they are in agreement I will
receive a copy to review with our Board. Once all three groups are
in agreement the final proposed lease will be sent to the Kentucky
Heritage Council for their review. Hopefully next month will bring
even more progress to report.
The next
topic is one that came as quite a surprise a few days back. I
received a call from our friend and fellow member Cindy Franklin.
There was a magazine reporter at the Library who had been assigned
to do a column on Oddville. Cindy wanted to know if it was OK to
have the lady give me a call. I was not sure I could help much but
of course it was Ok for her to call. Later that day I spoke by phone
and in person with Amanda Hervey and her friend and travel companion
Brittany. Each month Amanda’s editor randomly assigns her the name
of a place in Kentucky. She then has twenty-four hours to travel to
the place and obtain a story. Her first assignment was a place that
began with the letter A. She has since traveled through the
alphabet, letter by letter, town by town until she has now reached
O.
Well, O sent
her to Oddville. Even though I am a 10 year resident of Oddville, I
am in no way an expert on the community. She did explain that the
story did not necessarily need to be about history, it could be a
human interest story or anything interesting. I shared what I could
to go along with the research she had done at the Cynthiana-Harrison
County Library. She had already talked to some others in the area
and had an appointment to talk with members of the Whitaker family.
It seems that whatever, hopefully interesting, thoughts she went
home with will become a column in the December/January issue of
Kentucky Monthly. For anyone who wishes to review her work and read
about Oddville later this year Kentucky Monthly is one of the
magazines available at the Library.
July, 2010
By Billy Fowler
I will start
this column by once again reporting on the progress of the long term
lease of the Handy House to the Harrison County Historical Society.
At my last report the Archaeological Survey had been completed and
was awaiting review by the Kentucky Heritage Council (KHC). KHC has
completed their review and issued a letter to the local governments.
The next step in the process is a meeting with representatives of
the City Commission, the County Fiscal Court, their surveyor and me.
This meeting is scheduled for later this week. I will report next
month on the outcome of this meeting and any further developments
that may occur.
Moving on I
would like to remind everyone of the Show-and-Tell scheduled for the
August Historical Society meeting. I know there are members that
have not attended one of these. You have no idea of the fun you have
been missing out on. We schedule two of these each year as a way to
allow members and non-members to participate informally. We simply
gather around and take turns showing off some item that we bring in.
Some people feel they do not have an item to show. That is alright!
Just come and see what everyone else brings. Chances are you will
not only enjoy the discussion but will also likely be reminded of
something you can bring next time.
September
will be another special meeting. We will once again meet at Wayne
and Phyllis Stafford’s log cabin. We had an excellent meeting there
last year and they have made additions to the cabin since that
meeting. Along with enlarging the structure and adding
air-conditioning Wayne and Phyllis have also added several antiques.
It is easy to find, go west on US 36 to Breckenridge then turn right
on Dutch Chapel Road. Their driveway is about 1 ½ miles on the right
at mailbox number 1432.
We hope to
see everyone at both of these upcoming meetings and bring a friend.
June, 2010
By Billy Fowler
Remember the
archaeological survey that was being performed at the Handy Farm?
The archaeological team has completed and issued the report that we
have been waiting for. The delay in issuing the report was explained
as the project being more complex than they anticipated. (As I said
before, it takes a lot of time to process hundreds of bags of
artifacts.) The next step in the process is for the Kentucky
Heritage Council (State Historic Preservation Office) to review the
report and issue a letter to the local governments. After that
letter is received, the final details can be placed in the lease
agreement between the local governments and our historical society.
And don’t forget, both governing bodies will have to have a final
vote before proceeding with the lease signing.
Moving along
into summer we can now look ahead to some exciting local events.
Unfortunately the Battle of Cynthiana Civil War reenactment will not
be one of those events this year. They have communicated to me that
due to events beyond their control they were unable to make the
necessary arrangements in time to hold the reenactment this summer.*
They have also informed me that it will definitely happen next year
and it will be Father’s Day weekend. Make your plans now to support
this group who among other things are dedicated to the future of
this event and our community.
By the time
you read this the Fabulous Fourth celebration will be over. I
anticipate the local Rotary Club once again doing an excellent job
with this annual event. July will also bring Kevin Stonerock, who
presented an excellent one man performance at one of our meetings
last year, back for another meeting. This year he will be performing
“The Steamboat’s A Comin’!” He is once again being jointly sponsored
by the Cynthiana-Harrison County Public Library and the Harrison
County Historical Society at our July 15 meeting. Everyone is
welcome at our meetings, so bring a guest or send a friend.
Later in the
month the Cynthiana/Harrison County Museum will be celebrating its
16th anniversary July 23-24, and the weekend of July 30-31 the Arts
Council will be presenting a downtown Art Walk for the second year
in a row. You really should not miss either of these events. They
are both fantastic.
With all this
activity no one can legitimately say there is nothing to do in
Cynthiana. I look forward to seeing everyone at all of these local
events. Please do not disappoint me by not being there. *Editor’s
note: The Cynthiana reenactment was to alternate with Georgetown,
whose turn was this year. That Georgetown event fell through, and
Cynthiana could not go ahead on short notice for no funding had been
requested from sponsors for this year.
May, 2010
By Billy Fowler
It is May
here in Oddville, which is just a few miles out of Cynthiana for
anyone that does not know where to find it. May finds me sitting
here wondering what to talk about in this months column. This
probably seems like a strange way to start off but the truth is I
just can not think of anything to write about. What you don’t know
is that I have started several columns this same way over the past
year. If you can not remember reading those it is because I always
came up with something after starting and changed directions. The
beauty of working with a computer is the ability to just delete that
strange sounding beginning after developing a better thought into a
column. Well this month is going to be the exception.
Since I have
gone this far and still have not developed a single reasonable
thought, you get to read my ramblings while I say absolutely
nothing. Not very professional you say! Well remember this like all
the Historical Society positions is voluntary and sometimes my brain
is just blank. I contemplated sending a message to our editor,
saying just go without me this month but I just could not do it. You
see, they save this space in the newsletter just for me and if I
don’t use it then someone else has to do more voluntary work because
of my inability to have a good thought.
By now you
have to wonder how long I can go on about nothing. Have you heard me
talk? I am confident that the people who have listened to me will
tell the rest of you that I can go on forever about nothing.
Before I
close out I have a word for our ever faithful editor Bill Penn. I
hope this is enough to fill that blank spot on the page. Because I
have officially gone totally blank! Maybe next month will be better.
April, 2010
By Billy Fowler
In my last
column, I ended by saying I would let you know what happens next
with the Archaeological Survey at the Handy Farm. Well, what
happened next is we are still waiting for a written report from the
team performing the survey. You probably remember me saying they
took hundreds of bags containing artifacts back to the lab. We
cannot forget that all those artifacts had to be cleaned, cataloged
and studied to determine what it all means. This process takes a lot
of time and must be done before a report can be issued.
Communication from the team tells me they hope to have a report
issued by the end of April. I will continue to let you know what is
happening in future issues.
I would like
to end this column talking about some of the great students in our
elementary schools. Joe Moss, as part of a Eastside Elementary
School Fifth Grade History Club project, discovered errors on two
historical markers here in Cynthiana. Now I am sure others may have
discovered or suspected these errors in the past, but for one reason
or another did nothing about the errors. Well, Joe not only
discovered the errors, he reported them to his teacher and to the
Kentucky Historical Society. He and his teacher, Jeff Kinney, were
invited to Frankfort to discuss his findings. Upon arriving in
Frankfort, Joe was asked to show his research to the Executive
Director of the Kentucky Historical Society along with the head of
research for the Society. There was no disputing his facts! He had
brought an error to the attention of the right people to do
something about it. And they did something; they had a new marker
made to replace incorrect State Highway Marker number 109.
At a ceremony
attended by local and state dignitaries this past Saturday, Joe
proudly unveiled the new correct marker located just south of the
John Hunt Morgan Bridge (see photos page 3.) The other marker
located at the entrance to Battle Grove Cemetery has also been
replaced by the cemetery with a new correct marker.
I said I was
going to talk about great students and Joe is just one of them. We
were treated to presentations by Northside Elementary Fifth Grade
Students at the April meeting. These students each picked a person
from the American Revolutionary War period. They researched the
person they picked and while in period costumes made a one minute
speech as if they were the person from history. I have to say they
not only did something I am sure I could not have done as a fifth
grader, but they were also excellent! (Look for a photo in the next
newsletter.)
We will be
treated to presentations by this year’s Eastside Elementary School
Fifth Grade History Club at the May meeting. Don’t miss it!
March, 2010
By Billy Fowler
These warm
days have been good for the University of Kentucky archaeologists
who were commissioned by the city and county to perform the Phase I
Archaeological Survey at the Handy Farm (Flat Run Veterans Park).
They came out in force to dig hundreds of holes around the Handy
House and on the farm. They measured and laid out a grid then placed
little flags at the points on the grid. With shovels in hand they
removed the sod at each of these little flags. The dirt was then
carefully removed from where the sod had been and placed in screen
boxes (see photo below). This dirt was then sifted back into the
holes with any artifacts found (large or small) being placed in
paper bags. Each bag was identified with coordinates to tell them
exactly where the contents were found. Maps were hand drawn on site
to indicate where each hole was dug along with identifying landmarks
such as the house and barns to give perspective to the future
observer of these maps.
You might
think their work was over but according to the archaeologists it was
just beginning. They now have to clean and catalog the thousands of
artifacts contained in the 400 plus paper bags that they have
collected. As complicated as this sounds, it is necessary to
positively determine any areas of significance in the 115 acre park.
They actually
allowed me and Sharon to help (under close supervision). This was
not only fun but also painful after a winter of very little
exercise. And don’t think it was all fun. You should have been there
when it started raining. The dirt that I was sifting packed on my
feet sometimes a couple of inches thick and it was impressive to
watch one of the archaeologists sketching a site that was being dug
while Sharon stood near him holding an umbrella over his sketch pad.
Neither Sharon nor the archaeologist was able to be under the
umbrella. It was the pad that was being protected from the rain! I
think that is enough fun for now and I can’t wait to see what
happens next. Let you know next month!
February, 2010
By Billy Fowler
One of the
projects that we have talked about in our meetings for several
months is records from Cynthiana and Harrison County schools that
were discovered tucked away in the Harrison County clerk’s office.
It is amazing to me and others that these Superintendent’s Records
from 1895, 1896, 1897, 1900, 1905 and 1906 have been stored there
for so long without anyone discovering them. Well, they have been
discovered and thanks to the efforts of Charline Wilson and the
generosity of the Harrison County clerk they have all been copied
and taken to the museum. My wife Sharon volunteered her time to
place all the copied records into page protectors and binders at the
museum. These are records of students, their parents and/or
guardians, and in some cases, birthdays. Anyone looking into their
genealogy should stop in at the museum and see what new information
may be available in these records. I have to say this is just
another good reason to visit the museum.
Another
project that has been discussed meeting after meeting is the
possible leasing of the Handy House to this historical society for
rehabilitation. I still can not report a conclusion of the lease
agreement. I can, however, report what appears to be major progress.
Your board of directors met a few days ago and reviewed the latest
draft of the lease. The board unanimously agreed to the revised
version except for one point that we all believe needs to be changed
and a few typing corrections that still need to be done. We look
forward to these items being cleaned up in the near future and the
lease then being presented to the City and County. Additionally the
City and County have authorized a Phase I archaeological study to be
performed at the Handy Farm (Flat Run Veterans Park).
This is the
first step of the review process required by the federal government
in order for the local governments to be eligible to receive federal
funds for use at the Park. We (the historical society) have been and
will continue to cooperate with the folks performing this review.
The end result is planned to be a completed lease to allow for
preservation of the historic Handy House along with completed
documentation to allow for the use of federal funds to develop the
Park. I will continue to keep you informed as the project
progresses.
January, 2010
By Billy Fowler
I keep
thinking about the first Harrison Heritage News I read so many years
ago. Like so many others, I thought this is pretty good, especially
coming from a bunch of volunteers. Little was I to know that they
would be able to improve on what was already “pretty good.” It would
continue to get better with time. Then the unthinkable happened;
they decided to elect me to this position and now I have to actually
contribute to this Award Winning Publication on a regular basis. How
do I manage to do that without destroying what so many have spent so
much time developing into this magnificent newsletter? Well, I
simply sat down and did what I do best. I rambled along drifting
back and forth from one subject to another always hopeful that each
person who read my column would find at least one sentence in it
that appealed to them. As you can see, it is not a scientific or
particularly journalistic approach to producing this column and
hopefully this column is not destroying the thing that makes our
historical society unique – the newsletter!
Now let’s
speculate on the next ten years. Everyone knows history repeats
itself. Right! So it will again repeat itself with the newsletter?
There will be new folks stepping up to make contributions and these
will be better, more informative and down right impressive
contributions. This can only result in the newsletter continuing
what it has been doing for the last ten years - getting better and
better! I will have to be honest and say that some of us old-timers
think there will be deterioration to the newsletter. The computer
“geeks” will win out and the “paper copies” that everyone loves to
pull out of their mailboxes will simply no longer be published.
Who knows,
maybe the 20th anniversary issue will be the special printed and
mailed version. It will really be special to actually pull a hard
copy out of the mailbox like they used to do back in the good old
days. They have not won yet and you are now reading the
old-fashioned paper copy that we all love to send out. Isn’t it
GREAT!
December, 2009
By Billy Fowler
As with every organization like ours, we have to
discuss dues. Everyone should have received a reminder in the last
newsletter that 2010 dues are due in January. I know some folks
had already paid for next year and we really appreciate the early
payment. But many people like me had not. I laid one of the
green reminders on the kitchen table until we remembered to take Dorothy
Slade a check.
I am sure some of you wonder what portion of the dues
stays in the treasury for use on worthwhile projects. The answer
is none! We have looked at the cost of producing and distributing
the newsletter and determined that the dues just barely cover that
expense. By the way, the cost of the newsletter is materials only.
We all do everything on a volunteer basis and we are glad to do it.
This discussion brings me to another thing that many people look at this
time of year. Charitable donations are the only source of income
other than a small amount of money from book sales each year for the
society. We normally do not do much in the way of solicitation.
I do, however, believe it is time to take a somewhat different approach.
There is at this point a real possibility that the
Harrison County Historical Society will enter into a long term lease
agreement with Harrison County and Cynthiana. This lease will
allow the historical society to rehabilitate the Handy House but will
also place the financial responsibility on the society. I believe
this to be the most aggressive preservation project undertaken by this
society in the history of its existence. We will be aggressively
pursuing grant opportunities to help us with the project but we will
also be asking for donations to go along with the grants.
As you can se, we now have to start asking for
donations and assuring everyone that their money will be well cared for
and well spent for this or some other equally worthy historic project.
Merry Christmas to everyone and please remember to be
generous to your Harrison County Historical Society.
September, 2009
By Billy Fowler
Last month I
ended talking about negotiations concerning the Handy House. At that
time no discussions had started but they were scheduled. These
negotiations are now underway and as with any complex issue it takes
time to work out all the details. I am not currently in a position
to discuss the issue since nothing is settled. I am, however,
hopeful that next month will bring an announcement.
Moving along
to the next subject. What about this weather? Isn’t it great? Well
that is what you are supposed to talk about when you can’t think of
anything else. Right?
As I type
this column Cynthiana and Harrison County are preparing for the
Taste of Harrison County (an annual event). As always, Sharon and I
will miss the festival. For some reason they have it on the same
weekend that we attend another annual event. I feel safe in saying
that it will be a success and enjoyed by many in spite of our
absence.
Be sure to
check out the schedule of up coming historical society programs.
There are a lot of good speakers scheduled, not to mention the
Christmas potluck that we join with the Museum folks for each year.
Good eating!! Don’t miss it or any of the other programs. Some of
you were expecting to meet at the newly renovated Prizing House in
October. This outing has been postponed until January 21. Mrs.
Gossett asked for the postponement due to a large event coming the
week we were going to be there. Check it out. It may be something
you would be interested in. As with any new (or old) local business
they can use the community’s support.
Speaking of
support for local endeavors, the folks at the Rohs Opera House have
brought back the very popular ghost walks. They will be held through
September and October. We have taken the Ghost Walk both years that
they have been held and will probably go again this year. Last year
we took two eleven year old grandsons. That was areal treat. Give
Rohs a call to confirm the schedule of these and other events.
August, 2009
You may have noticed that this newsletter has arrived
a little early. What you may not know is that until recently we have
been “bumming” the use of equipment to print the newsletters. We want to
thank the chamber of commerce and Harrison County government for
allowing us the use of their equipment for so many years. This use of
“borrowed” equipment has become more of a problem as time went by for
the historical society as well as the equipment owners. As a result we
decided to have the newsletters printed commercially which provided good
quality copies while providing it’s own set of problems. One of our
members suggested that I investigate purchasing a copier. I was a little
skeptical, but thought it worth looking into. I was surprised that a
copier recommended to handle our needs was actually affordable. A motion
was passed at our last meeting authorizing me to purchase the copier.
Now that we had purchased it we needed to determine if it would actually
meet our needs. If not we could return it within fourteen days of
purchase for a full refund. (Do you remember that I started out talking
about the newsletter being early?) I requested the newsletter staff to
bring it together in time to print it on our new copier during the trial
period. They all responded with their usual enthusiasm and we all hope
you are happy with the outcome and the fact that the society has become
a little more self sufficient.
On a different subject, both the city and county
voted (with only one opposing vote) at their July 14th meetings to enter
into negotiations with the historical society. The purpose of these
negotiations is to reach an agreement that will allow for the transfer
of property interest of the Handy House. These negotiations will end in
an agreement as to how much area and what will be required of the
historical society. The agreement will then go before both governing
bodies for a final vote. As I type this column, negotiations have not
yet begun but are scheduled to start before the week is out. I am
confident that when we sit down together we will learn that we can reach
an agreement that will benefit preservation as well as progress. I will
keep you informed on this and other historical and preservation projects
as we go forward.
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