TIP #558 - YESTERDAY Yesterday. So close in our memories, now escaped into eternity never to return. Yesterday's people. Yesterday's experiences. Yesterday's aches and pains; joy and triumphs. Many years ago I published a book entitled "Backroads of Barren County, Kentucky. The words were not mine but of a brilliant late historian, "Ellot"; the penname of William Daniel Tolle of Barren County, KY. "Uncle Daniel" had a deep love for history, its people and events, and wrote for a local newspaper from the late 1870's until the mid 1920's. Building on the works of Franklin Gorin (Times of Logan Ago, written 1870), he went over every inch of the county with a pen in hand, paper by the bundle and a curiosity of a newborn child. He wrote of the times past - yesterday. The following is a glimpse of his writings. It will deal with Barren County and its people, but the memories were repeated in every village and community in Kentucky. You won't recognize the names but you don't have to; they lived in your ancestors' towns too. As we hurry through our busy lives with all its modern conveniences we could take the time to remember how it was - yesterday. "Yes, as Mr. TAGUE TAYLOR says, "Glasgow had a cotton factory. It was located on the plot of ground known now as the MAT PEDIGO place on the spring branch south of the Burkesville road. The establishment, grist mill, saw mill, and cotton factory were owned and operated by WILLIS BUSH and JAMES JAMESON. The patronage was immense. Fleets of covered wagons, with bells on the harness, from Tennessee and upper Cumberland River would arrive and camp on South Fork, opposite the plant if there was room, for the camp was always full, as the establishment did a thriving business. Flour was then served in barrels exclusively .Many times women would attend the fleet, clad in homemade cotton dresses, and come with their cotton to get a new supply of "hanks" to carry home, spool and weave, cut and made into garments for family use, and especially learn their daughters to weave, until the factory was destroyed by fire. "The wagons would go home with their products, and sugar, coffee, iron and salt, bought of DAVID YOUNG, D WILSON, JEFF GORIN, JAMES BRYAN, HENRY CRUTCHER, CARY SNODDY, or G W TRABUE; wool hats or fine furs from TOBE VANCE or SAM SCOTT; wool bolts from M S REYNOLDS; wagons from BILLY GRINSTEAD; horse shoes and plows from SAMMY DICKINSON; tin ware from HATTON; silverware (sterling) from the hammer of JOE and JAMES EUBANK; bedsteads from ANTHONY CAKE, Col. HARBISON or JAMES MILLER; linseed oil from an immense factory that stood where the TERRY brick house now stands; meal to last them home from SAM FLOWERS' tread mill; a town dinner at JOSIAH MOSSES tavern, that can't be equaled today by any hotel with a big H. For miles in either direction the trains of wagons were constantly arriving, but all returned with out the purchase of a single garment ready made for weaving. Probably some of them might leave their measures and order for a suit from COL HALL and HENSON MUSGROVE to cost $75. or a box overcoat for $50. The dudes of the day think they can dress and dress fine. The prices above named brought fine goods that can't be duplicated now. The men nor women wear as fine clothes now as were worn by their ancestors. PAGES, LEWISES, TRIGGS, PRESTONS, CARON, JORDAN MAYFIELD, YOUNG, ELLIS, ROGERS, DUFF, GATEWOOD, BRYAN, QUESSENBERRY and scores of others, men in every sense, would put on their box coats with capes and ride all day in the rain and get home dry, because of the make and quality of the cloth. They would ride in comfort on a PRESTON RITTER saddle to town, consult FRANK GORIN, JOHN RITTER, McFERRIN or B MILLS CRENSHAW who would send them for further information concerning the general topics of the times to COL MUNFORD or BILLY GARNETT or perchance to DR ROGERS, DR WESTERFIELD or WHITSETT who in turn would send them to the Jolly JOEL DEPP to learn all the news. The arrival of the coach at MOSS' tavern at 8 P.M. from Nashville enroute to Louisville was the event of the day to be greeted by a crowd of half dozen to learn the news and hear COL BOB MAUPAIN expatiate. The writer has seen HENRY CLAY, JAMES K POLK, JOHN L CRITTENDEN and others of note leave the coach and enter the dining room to regale the inner man, but in this day of degeneracy they enter the bar room and forget the dining room. COL BOB HALL exhibited the first revolver ever seen in Barren County to a big crowd in MUNSFORDS grove. I have seen JUDGE RITTER, JAMES EUBANK and BILLY GRINSTEAD start from JUDGE RITTER'S house on the Burkesville road with their hounds and enter the woods just opposite, get up a flock of deer and kill a fine buck to begin their day's sport. I have seen a fine drove on the hill just beyond CAPT LEWIS'S learning town ways. I killed a wild turkey hen close to MRS PORTER'S and exultantly ran home with it and described how she behaved, and that was the last turkey I ever killed. I have killed many squirrels between John Hawkins and South Fork; and I have caught many fine strings of fish in South Fork which surely was a larger creek than at present. We used to leave the sidewalk at CARY SNODDY'S (DELVAUX) and take a path diagonally to MOSS' Tavern (PALMORE'S) through weeds in summer. I have skated all over the plot of ground where RAWLES store now is on a large pond. The JEWELL Building was the site of a deep pond. Pond College was a log house on the site of the Baptist Church. The Methodist Church formerly stood opposite DICK BETHEL'S. The Masonic Temple stood just east of the Methodist Church. I have seen COL MAUPIN and the minister, after arranging their toilet, walk from the hotel to the church under an umbrella hatless, but with a great profusion of ruffled shirt bosom. An efficient fire company, with a good hand engine and 100 leather buckets exercised every Saturday morning. Old UNCLE JIMMY THOMPSON was a versatile character. He built the Pike, built houses, built streets, worked in the Church. He was identified with every move, and was a most excellent man and useful citizen. JAMES MURRELL, a great stockman, did more, and kept it up longer, to awaken interest in the people for fine stock than any one, and succeeded. The first fair was held where the planing mill is now located with a single rope for enclosure. Where MRS MURRAY'S flower garden is was enclosed by a high fence, and the men who boasted of their prowess at some fancied grievance, or real affront would get in that enclosure and strip their bodies to the skin, soap themselves and fight to the finish. I know they did. I have a lively remembrance of it when I should have been at school, and father thought so, too. He was looking for me, and I have fought shy of prize fights ever since. On Race Street, DAVID YOUNG, HAIDEN DODD, FLEM BYBEE, JOEL DEPP, DR ROGERS, McMURRAY, BILL DODD, BEN DAVIS and LEROY DODD, RILEY PEDIGO, UNCLE TOM EUBANK (a mechanical genius; father-in-law of PEDIGO), Old UNCLE HARBNESS (the cake and cider vendor), JORDAN, MURRELL and JIM MURRELL. Then we had CLARK, the peach vender, and JEWELL'S luscious watermelons, that ought to have been perpetuated to this age, Old MRS B would come in occasionally shoes and stockings in a reticule until she approached town, and then she would seek a quiet nook, apply her bandana handkerchief, put them on and then walk in the middle of the street, for "I musn't walk on the gentleman's hathe" and get a lb. of sugar and coffee and out for home. KILGORE'S father of our industrious ED printed a paper minus Associated Press Dispatches, for that, people and KILGORE never did agree as to value of service. GLAZEBROOK'S brother, JOE, and AUSTIN were closely identified with business of the town, and were a success in life. Every day was work day with Colored women under the majestic elm at the Big Spring. A dozen or more were present but no males were loafing around. The jail stood about 50 feet north of the spring, and being isolated prisoners got all the outside help needed for escape, and for that reason was removed to the present site. Oxcarts were indispensable. Men and women handled them. Buggies were unknown. A little later very fine and costly barouches, silver plated, satin and silk linings, with harness to match, were introduced. No vehicle in this day is as fine or attractive. Uncle BOB HUGHES would come in with his drove of cattle going south. REYNOLDS, DICKINSON and GRINSTEAD always added from two to four cattle each to his drove, and not a word said about pay, but in three or four months UNCLE BOB would materialize on court day and every man would get his pay in the back room of UNCLE JEFF GORIN'S office. Mayor ALEX EVANS lived on the Columbia Road, known now as the MORTON farm, wealthy, proud and stylish, as were the neighbors, WARDERS, SETTLES and LOGANS. CHARLEY TAYLOR, the tailor, would get up their finery in clothes, and he and SAM SCOTT, under certain conditions, would quots Burns in true Scot style. TAGUE TAYLOR and his sister, MRS DEPP, and Miss LUCY SCOTT remained to remind us of the good old men who artistically met the fastidious tastes in hats and clothes .GENERAL LOGAN built the brick house occupied by MRS BETDORF on Front Street. It was designed for two stories, but cut short because HAMILTON was hanged...as "it was bad luck to build a two story house when a hanging occurred." so tradition has it. In ye olden time when PAGE, JEWELL or LEWIS got home from New Orleans, with their tobacco gold, rich and poor, black and white had them Banquets of good things...not just one but kept it up. HAYD TRIGGS says the man who inherits $1000,000 and keeps even with it five years deserves more credit than the man who begins with a dollar and accumulates $100,000 in four years. In proof of it we will come down nearer our time, and a few to whom the olden time ways were transmitted. Who will hand us down to future generations? We have made our mark and future generations will pass upon it as boldly, indelibly, legibly or less so, and thus these grand men, though dead still live and their works do follow them. And some who for years were associated at this bar with the above renowned dead, yet live in the flesh, and are very much alive in the memory of all our people, and neighbor people. . © Copyright 22 Sept 2005, "Backroads of Barren County", Sandra K. Gorin, All Rights Reserved Sandi's Puzzlers: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gensoup/gorin/puz.html SCKY Links: http://www.public.asu.edu/~moore/Gorin.html GGP: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/