Jackson Purchase Historical Society

Dr. Dennis Henry Anderson

Dennis Henry Anderson was born in West Tennessee, near Jackson, in 1866.   He graduated from Lane College, Jackson, Tennessee, in 1893 and became a Methodist minister and teacher.   He married Artelia Harris, a native of Virginia, on July 14, 1897 while they were teachers in the Fulton, Kentucky public schools. Anderson believed that education and job training were vital for change for African Americans.

He opened schools in Fulton and Graves counties, raising the funds for the building of the first high school in Fulton County in 1905.  On December 9, 1909, the 43 year old Anderson began work on the foundation of the first building of what would be called the West Kentucky Industrial College (a predecessor of today’s West Kentucky Community & Technical College).  He and his wife worked on the foundation in the evening by candlelight, constructing the school “out of logs and faith.”   He went door-to-door, requesting funds for the school.  The cornerstones were laid in 1911, and Anderson began a 7 year struggle to get state support for his college.

In 1918, a bill creating the state supported West Kentucky Industrial College was signed by Governor A. O. Stanley “for the mental, moral and physical development of the colored people after the manner of the Booker Washington School of Alabama” by operating a “training school for colored teachers, boys and girls”.  The school grew to be, at one time, the second largest black junior college in the United States.  In 1938, the teacher-training program at the college was transferred to Frankfort, and the college closed and reopened as West Kentucky Vocational School.

Anderson was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Lane College in 1934.  He died at the age of 86 in 1952.  To read more about Dr. Anderson, see The Fascinating Story of Black Kentuckians, by A. A. Dunnigan; Fifty Years of Segregation: Black Higher Education in Kentucky, 1904-1954 by J. A. Hardin, and My West Kentucky, A History of West Kentucky Technical College 1909-1999 by J. M. Blythe.

(This posting created using the following resources:  Paducahans, Famous and Not So Famous, by Allan Rhodes, Sr. and John E. L. Robertson, Sr.; the Internet website of the University of Kentucky Libraries, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database at www.uky.edu/Libraries/NKAA and the Internet website of West Kentucky Community and Technical College at www.legacy.westkentucky.kctcs.edu/aboutus from which the image of Dr. Anderson used above was obtained.)

“Alice “Dolly” McNutt

June 22, 1917 – January 11, 1989

“Madam Eloquent” was a title bestowed on Alice “Dolly” McNutt by those who heard her speak.  She was the first woman to become the mayor of a second-class city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, in 1971. Dolly carried 22 of the 28 precincts and tied for another.  During her tenure in office the city enjoyed many federal funds that went for improvement of the infrastructure such as improved sewers and sewage treatment facilities.  Also, new water, power, and sewer lines went out to what is now Kentucky Oaks Mall and out Coleman Road.  Locally, she fully funded the pension funds for both fire and police departments.  Hueblein opened a plant in Paducah to produce vodka.  Bill Bartleman and Berry Craig summed up the career of Mrs. Houston McNutt in the Paducah Sun on January 13, 1989.  Their article reported Judge J. William Howerton saying, “She didn’t count votes before she took a position on an issue.  She decided what was best and worked to accomplish that, without concern about how it was going to affect her politically.”  Former Governor Julian Carroll felt Mrs. McNutt was one of the rare people who not only was intelligent, but also had the ability to communicate.  “We very rarely see anyone that has both of those abilities and because of it, she had a tremendous influence in her leadership in the General Assembly and as mayor.”" (This excerpt from Paducahans, Famous and Not so Famous by Allan Rhodes, Sr. and John E. L. Robertson, Sr.; used by permission)

Dolly McNutt served in the Kentucky State House of Representatives from 1976 to 1986.  An outdoor civic plaza in Paducah is named in her honor.  Alice “Dolly” Hite McNutt died of cancer on January 11, 1989 and is buried beside her husband, Samuel Houston McNutt, in Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Paducah, KY.

(This posting also created using Internet sources:  www.findagrave.com; www.politicalgraveyard.com; and city of Paducah website.)

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s website, “Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.  It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” (www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.html)

Controversy surrounds the question of who first proposed such a holiday but it is a fact that the first Labor Day celebrated in the United States was on September 5, 1882 in New York City.  Slowly gaining recognition, the first law for a Labor Day holiday was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887, followed by Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Nebraska and Pennsylvania.  During 1894, 23 more states passed similar laws and finally Congress enacted legislation, June 28, 1894, making the first Monday in September a national Labor Day holiday.

The first proposal for the holiday contained language that outlined the  celebration form to be a street parade followed by a festival for the workers and their families.  The significance of the parade was to show a public display of the strength and spirit of the trade and labor organizations.   This parade/festival format has been the main framework of celebrations since 1894.  Speeches by prominent people have been added to the celebratory tradition as have picnics, barbecues, and fireworks.

The American Federation of Labor convention of 1909 adopted the Sunday preceding this holiday to be Labor Sunday and it was dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

Around the world, similar Labor Day holidays are celebrated at different times of the year  in Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, to name a few.  All Labor Day holidays were created to celebrate the social and economic achievements of workers and all had their origins in the labor union movement which gave workers, among other things, the 8 hour work day (8 hours for work, 8 hours for recreation, 8 hours for rest.)

(This posting created from the Internet sources at www.dol.gov; en.wikipedia.org)

Born May 20, 1861 to Robert Chappell and Fredonia Charlotte (Stephens) Mayes in Mayfield, Kentucky, William Harding Mayes attended Paducah District Methodist College at Milburn, Kentucky, Norton’s English and Classical School at Union City, Tennessee and Vanderbilt University where he earned his law degree.  His legal studies completed he was admitted to the Kentucky Bar in 1881 and practiced in Mayfield.  Admitted to the Texas Bar in 1882 he practiced in Brownwood, Texas until 1886.   From 1882 to 1883, he was Brown County’s county attorney.  He was editor and publisher of the Brownwood Bulletin from 1887 to 1914.  He served as president of the Texas Press Association from 1899 to 1901, and the National Editorial Association of the United States from 1908-09.

In 1912, he ran for lieutenant governor of Texas.  “When announcing his candidacy, he declared that he would accept the office if the voters so desired, but refused to make speeches, to spend any money other than for postage or stationery, or to leave his job to campaign extensively.”  (see page 61, Presiding Officers of the Texas Legislature, 846-1995, printed by the Texas House of Representatives, Austin, Texas 1995).   He won! And presided over the Senate of the 33rd Legislature from 1913-14.  Mayes was the first newspaperman to hold the office of lieutenant governor of Texas.  He did not seek re-election.

Leaving politics, he established the journalism school at the University of Texas, its first.  He served as its first dean from 1914 to 1926.  During his 12 year tenure as Dean, he also was the president of the Association of American Schools and Departments of Journalism.  Mayes wrote at least one book, “Texas Empire Builders of 1936″.

In 1936 he served as Executive Vice-President of the Texas Centennial Committee.  Mayes died June 26, 1939 in Austin and was buried in Greenleaf Cemetery, Brownwood, Texas.

(This posting created from the following resources:  The Handbook of Texas - Online, www.tshaonline.org/handbook; Presiding Officers of the Texas Legislature, 1846-1995, Published by the Texas Legislative Council, Revised 1995, Printed by the Texas House of Representatives, Austin, Texas; and Genealogy Trails at www.genealogytrails.com)

Marshall County, 92nd created in the state in 1842, was named for U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Marshall (1801-1835); it was carved out of the northern portion of Calloway County.     It is bordered on the north by Livingston, Lyon and McCracken counties, on the east by Trigg county, on the south by Calloway county and on the west by Graves County.    Its county seat is Benton, named in honor of Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri.

For 10 years in a row, 1999-2009, Marshall County has been named the best county to live in within the State of Kentucky.

Kentucky Lake and Barkley Lake, both created by the Tennessee Valley Authority by impounding  the Tennessee and  Cumberland Rivers,  make up one of the largest man-made bodies of water in the country.  It lies on the north/northeast boundary of Marshall County.

Benton holds its annual Tater Day Festival in April.  This festival has its origins in a trade day began in 1842 and is the world’s only celebration of the sweet potato.

Held annually the fourth Sunday of each May, is the Big Singing, which originated in 1884 and is the oldest continuously operating indigenous music festival in the United States. The Big Singing was founded by James R. Lemon, publisher of the Benton Tribune-Democrat.

One of Benton’s most famous sons was Joe Creason a journalist who was a columnist for the Courier-Journal from 1946-1963.  Creason also wrote two books based on the research he did for this columns before he died suddenly in 1974.

Calvert City was founded by Potilla Calvert and is known for its chemical and manufacturing plants.  Mr. Calvert’s home, Oak Hill, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Marshall County was the site of Cherokee State Park, located on the grounds of the current Kenlake State Resort park in Aurora.  This park operated as the only segregated resort facility for thousands of Negro citizens until the early 1960′s when it was closed after the state park system adopted a complete integration policy.

Calloway County was created out of Hickman County in 1822 and named for Col. Richard Calloway who came to Kentucky with Daniel Boone about 1776.  Calloway was one of the founders of Boonesboro and was killed there by Indians in 1780.

Calloway County is bounded on the north by Marshall County, on the east by the Tennessee River, on the south by the Tennessee/Kentucky border and on the west by Graves County.  When created, its northern boundary was the Ohio River.

As Calloway County grew, typhoid fever raged through the county, more severe in the warmer months.  The common house fly was identified as the carrier of the disease but as few windows had screens and sanitary conditions miserable, a rich breeding ground was readily available for the flies.    Warnings from various county and state officials sometimes generated sporadic campaigns to control the flies.  “The Women’s Club sponsored spring drives to get rid of the flies by awarding youngsters free movie tickets for each 25 early fly carcasses submitted in evidence, in late April and May, in the firm opinion that the destroying of the first flies would hold in check the summer’s population- Calloway’s first experiment in fly birth control.  The uncanny capacity of youth to outwit their elders found maximum ingenuity in perfecting a screen fly trap fashioned a bit along the lines of an ice cream cone shaped net.  Result:  A fly panic broke the Woman’s Club bank in a youth stampede on the Woodruff Opera House.  Moments later an official moratorium ended once and forever the Fly War of 1912.”  (The Story of Calloway County, 1822-1976, by Dorothy and Kerby Jennings, 1978, Murray Democrat Publishing Co., 615 Maple St., Murray, KY 42071, pages 168-169).

Dieter Ullrich

The Summer Meeting of the JPHS was held on July 24, 2010, in the auditorium of the Wrather Museum on the campus of Murray State University.

Dieter Ullrich was the speaker on the topic of the Battle of Lochridge Mills, Tennessee.  Mr. Ullrich holds a Masters in Science in Library/Archival Science and a Masters in Arts in History.  He is currently the Special Collections Librarian/Archivist of the Pogue Library at Murray State University.

Among other publications, Mr. Ullrich has written “They Met At Lochridge Mills” (West Tennessee Historical Society, Vol. 51, 1998 Annual Issue, pages 1-20) and spoken about this battle before other historical groups.

Lochridge Mills was located in Weakley County Tennessee and the battle involved Union troops from Iowa and Minnesota and were primarily of German descent.  The Confederate troops were primarily Tennesseeans of the 6th and 7th Tennessee Calvary.  Mr. Ullrich presented a slideshow to accompany his speech and showed not only maps of the battle area but pictures of the various generals and a picture of how the battlefield looks today.  A question and answer period followed.  Several visitors were descendants of the Lochridge family who brought to share pictures and a newspaper article concerning the battle.

New officers were also elected at this meeting for the 2010-11 year.  Our new officers are Marion Claybrook, President; Sarah Strange, Vice President; Melissa Earnest, Secretary; Marvin Downing, Treasurer; and Cecelia Edwards, Member at Large.

Dues for the 2010-2011 year are now being collected.  At this meeting, we were thrilled that  Charles and LaDonna Bobbitt and John and Melissa Earnest became life members of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society.  If you have not paid your dues yet, please send them to Marvin Downing.  Individual membership dues are $15.00.

The podcast features our Summer Meeting speaker, Dieter Ullrich.   Mr. Ullrich holds a Masters in Science in Library/Archival Science and a Masters in Arts in History.  He is currently the Special Collections Librarian/Archivist of the Pogue Library at Murray State University.  Among other publications, Mr. Ullrich has written “They Met At Lochridge Mills” (West Tennessee Historical Society, Vol. 51, 1998 Annual Issue, pages 1-20) and spoken about this battle before other historical groups.

UPDATE: You can now listen to the podcast here on the site or via your subscription in iTunes.

Obion County is one of 95 in Tennessee created in 1823 and included was is now Lake County until 1870.  It is bounded on the north by Fulton County Kentucky, on the west by Lake County Tennessee, on the east by Weakley County Tennessee and on the south by both Dyer and Gibson Counties Tennessee.   It is generally considered to be named after the Obion River; Obion thought to be an Indian word meaning “many forks”.

Troy was the first county seat and the first incorporated town (March 1, 1843) in the county.   Davy Crockett was there when Troy was laid out as county seat.  Crockett would go on to represent Obion County in the U. S. House of Representatives.  Crockett’s fame as a bear killer (his record was 103) was made in Obion County.

Union City is now the county seat.  Laid out in 1854 on land owned by General George Gibbs, Union City came by its name because it was where the Nashville and Northwest Railroad and the Mobile and Ohio Railroad met.

(This posting created from the online Tennessee Encyclopedia and the Jackson Purchase Historical Society Sesquicentennial Publication, 1969)

The official flag of the United States of America was adopted June 14, 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress.   Believed to be celebrated first in 1861, in Hartford Connecticut, it was Woodrow Wilson, in 1916, who issued the proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day.  National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress in August of 1949; however, Flag Day is not an official federal holiday.  The week in which Flag Day falls is designated National Flag Week.  Presidential proclamation is usually made to urge citizens to fly their national flags not only on Flag Day but the entire week.

Flags are symbols and have been popular through the ages.  They generate feelings of intense national pride, patriotism,  and respect for country.   On the field of battle, the flag marks the warrior’s headquarters and is a rallying point.   In 1861, a private in the 1st Tennessee Infantry Regiment recalled: ‘Flags made by the ladies were presented to companies, and to hear the young men tell of how they would protect the flag, and that they would come back with the flag or come not at all, and if they fell they would fall with their backs to the field and their feet to the foe, would fairly make your hair stand on end with intense patriotism, and we wanted to march right off and whip twenty Yankees.” (The Flags of the American Civil War 1: Confederate, by Katcher and Scollins, ISBN 9781855322707, page 3, para. 1).

The scientific study of the history and symbolism of flags is called vexillology.   If you are interested, visit the North American Vexillological Association website where you can find information on flags from not only all parts of America but all over the world.