This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the August 11, 2005 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.
 

             While looking for something in our shelves this morning I ran across some earlier Historical Comments from August 31, 1978 when Roy Preston was asking for help in identifying Magoffin County’s cemeteries and historic sites…and planning for Magoffin County’s FIRST Founder’s Day.

            Little did we envision that over a quarter of a century later we would be “chomping at the bits” getting ready for the 27^th consecutive Founder’s Days here in Magoffin County but that’s exactly where we are as we are only two weeks away from the Big Event!  There is a lot to be done in these few days left before “company” arrives, not too many people realize all the preparations that take manual labor to prepare our facilities for this event…, and we are a quarter century older!

            We are expecting Bob and Betty Whittaker of SC to come in Wednesday the 10^th and although they are “company”, they just get into the “harness” and go to work. 

            My sisters and I went to visit our sister Anne Kelley and her clan in Berea, KY on Saturday and found her in fair health.  She depends on a cane but can get out in her yard and dabble in her flowers that she is so proud of.

            Then sister Ida Jane was planning a stop-over in Ashland on Sunday for Magoffin County Day so Ol’ Todd dropped a hint that he would like to go to that event “one more time” and Jessica and Abby loaded me up and away we went.

            I used to hoe corn for fifty cents a day to save up enough money to go to Ashland for this event in the late thirties.  We could get a ride in the back of a truck for about two dollars with cousin Fred Conley or Tom Conley in his cattle truck. Yep, we would stand up all the way there and back in most cases.

            People would come from all over to meet and greet but we boys liked to flirt with the pretty girls.

            Magoffin Day almost died out in the early forties but “my generation” has revived it somewhat.

            I worked in Ashland, KY in the early forties.  Farson Brothers Wholesale on Greenup Avenue and Sam Lykins Serv-O-Center where I worked are no more. They have been replaced by shopping malls and office buildings but I got to rekindle many acquaintances of yesteryear in Ashland’s city park.

            In a change of pace, I got to reading some of my earlier Comments from back when we first organized as a historical society. Now, as back then, we get so many inquiries about the Magoffin Baptist Institute.  I will jot down a bit of its history from 25 years ago when I interviewed Baxter Caudill, son of the late Rev. L. F. Caudill and Cynthia Conley, the couple who were instrumental in the founding of the Missionary Baptist Church in Magoffin as well as the Magoffin Baptist Institute.

            A. E. Brown, a representative of Baptist Board of Education contacted Bro. L. F. Caudill and asked him to tell the people of Magoffin County of their desire to establish a school in Magoffin County with the proposal if Magoffin could raise a portion of the cost or two thousand dollars, the Baptist Board would match it with four thousand.  A committee was formed.  L. F. Caudill was one of that committee and though his untiring efforts got eighteen hundred dollars pledged and the rest of the committee members were said to have made pledges totaling $150 whereupon Bro. L. F. Caudill offered to mortgage his little farm on Burton Fork to make up the remaining fifty dollars. On hearing this, those in the audience made up that amount.  The first building was completed in 1906 and served our county until 1944 when the school was moved to Frozen in Breathitt County.

            Tina Preston Pyles, 6870 KY Rt. 40, West Oil Springs, KY 41238 (606-297-4829 or email [email protected]) writes that she has decided to rent out a small one room cottage (sleeps two) and camper site in east Salyersville to help alleviate the shortage of RV campsites during the upcoming Founder’s Day celebration.  Space doesn’t permit going into further details but if anyone else has camper or RV parking spaces, let us know as there is a great need for this type of parking.

            Everett D. Jenkins ([email protected]) whom I met last Sunday in Ashland asked me about the gravesite of Nehemiah Crace who married Mary “Polly” Franklin. His gravesite is in the Tick Lick area.  This is a cemetery I seem to have missed.  Can anyone tell me about or show me this gravesite?  His father-in-law Clarence M. Crace was a son of Campbell M. Crace and Susan Blanton.  Campbell was a son of Nehemiah Crace who was a son of Campbell C. Crace and a grandson of Peter Crace.

            Frances Fletcher ([email protected]) writes she is looking for Edward Hurt and his wife Rachel Ritchie. She believes they may be from Perry Co. KY. She would appreciate any leads.  Frances left out the all important time frame dates on this one but perhaps someone out there may recognize the names.

            Ronald Whitaker ([email protected]) asked if I had recorded the coordinates of the following burial sites: Martha “Patsy” Whitaker, James O. Whitaker and Frank Whitaker.  Sorry, Ron, I only have the readings for Martha “Patsy” which are N-37-39-35 and W-83-0-49.  I set out to get all coordinates but I haven’t yet found time to visit the nearly five hundred cemeteries that I know about here in Magoffin.

            Woody Antle, son of Dora Mae Patton Antle ([email protected]) asks if anyone would know the names and/or phone numbers of the people who live in front of the Patton Cemetery at Sublett, KY and how does one get access to that cemetery.  He also would like to know if anyone knows anything about the murder of Thomas Patton about 1887.  Would someone pick up on this and contact Woody?

            Matt Shepherd ([email protected]) is interested in learning what the text is on the Founder’s Day marker for the Shepherd family.  The ancestors of the Shepherd family are inscribed on the marker followed by these words “Conscious of our Creator…Keepers of our environment…Teachers of our youth.  Let our past shine for the future.”  We remember the fine efforts of Oma Risner and her sister Alma Holliday in working with this marker.

            The Kentucky Educational Television crew (KET) came back for a wrap-up on doing a documentary on our Pioneer Village.  We had visitors from Illinois and Missouri here at the time to take a tour of the village which worked out well for the KET purposes.  This won’t be shown until after January of 2006 but maybe I will still be here at that time to see the final results.    

            Founder’s Day is shaping up with help from a lot of people.  This is a family oriented event and all are welcome.  Plan now to enter one of the many activities such as the various pageants, school contests, the heritage and cultural arts show, the talent show, the pet show and the Look Alike contest.  There is a talent contest planned for Saturday.  The Extension Office has added a culinary arts competition to their program so this will be somewhat like the county fairs we used to have. A special event to look forward to is the Blue and Gray Musical performed by the Middle School on Friday.  There are old fashioned church services and a gospel sing on Sunday.  You will need a program to check out all that is planned.  We can send one to you or stop in at our library and pick one up.