History Burgoo

Behind the scenes at the opening of "The Makings of a Master: Kentucky Folk Art Apprenticeships"

        I’ve had some interesting assignments in the two and a half years I’ve been a volunteer at the Kentucky Historical Society. One of the most enjoyable was spending an evening with Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-Press.

        Since I’m a bluegrass music fan it wasn’t a hard decision when the call came for volunteers to help with the September 15th opening of ”The Makings of a Master: Kentucky Folk Art Apprenticeships” exhibition and the concert to mark the Bill Monroe centennial.

     Bob Gates, director of the Kentucky Folklife Program, surprised me with the assignment of looking after the musicians -- showing them where the food and soft drinks were and making sure they could get in and out of the locked doors to their tour bus.

     What a nice group of guys!

     When I informed Bobby Osborne about the cold sweet tea in the “green room” (the education rooms off the main lobby), he told me how he had gone off tea while fighting as a Marine in Korea. He said he had gotten too many cups of lukewarm tea when what he really wanted was something cold. 

     Bobby passed on the food and tea, but other members of the band dug into the fried chicken box suppers.

     While waiting with the band members until time to go onstage, I spotted a small electronic device clipped to the neck of Joe Miller’s guitar. Miller explained that the digital readout allowed him to tune his guitar, even when the rest of the band was playing. Bobby Osborne Jr. also had one on his five-string bass.

     It was a great concert! One of the highlights was the appearance with Osborne and the X-Press by Cory May, a young musician from Kentucky.

     I had a chance to talk to Cory early in the evening. It’s easy to tell he’s very passionate about his music. His talent and long hours of practice were evident when he played both guitar and mandolin and sang with Osborne and his band.

     "The Makings of a Master: Kentucky Folk Art Apprenticeships" will be open at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History through December 10 and will then tour the state through 2014.

     The next concert in the Folklife series will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, and feature the Reel World String Band, Carla Gover and Jeri Katherine Howell. The exhibition and concert are free with admission to the Kentucky Historical Society.

     I’m looking forward to it!

-Jim Gill, KHS volunteer since 2009. Jim also blogs at Searchin' for Kinfolk.

All photos by the Kentucky Folklife Program.

"Signs" of the Time

 

When you think of the Civil War what comes to mind? If it's slavery, Abe Lincoln, and the colors blue and grey, you’re in the ballpark.  If you can name a few states that pledge allegiance to either the Confederacy or the Union, recognize the name “Gettysburg”, or understand the term “Emancipation Proclamation”, you’ve done your homework.  If you can finish the sentence “Fourscore and seven years ago”, pick Stonewall Jackson out of a line up, and name the constitutional amendments that resulted from that four-year tussle, well consider yourself a pro.  I was hovering somewhere around pro status when I learned my pet project during my time here would consist of the Civil War.  Ah, but the caveat: My pet project during my time here would consist of the Civil War in Kentucky…

…And all my professional knowledge about the Civil War came to a screeching halt.

Not that I mind—I love learning history—but seriously: we’re talking about Kentucky.  Other than ironically being the birthplace of Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, what history could there be?  So I did what curious minds do best when they have a question: research. But instead of hitting the books, I found a plethora of knowledge in the unusual place of historical markers scattered around Kentucky (you know, those bronze signs you see in random places of the state as you drive by).  Fortunately, I got to save my gas, because KHS did me a great service by cataloging all of the markers and making them available on their website: http://migration.kentucky.gov/kyhs/hmdb/MarkerSearch.aspx?mode=All. (Thank you!)

My three word summary of that process:  So. Much. History.  (Does that make me a super pro, now?)

I couldn’t begin to sit here and tell you all I’ve learned from just reading those signs—but I can riddle you this--find the answers to these questions by clicking on the links and finding the markers:

• What does Kentucky’s Civil War story have to do with Carson City, Nevada? (They're Historic Markers 79 and 1335 in the Marker Number Search engine)
• When you Google ‘Famous American Family Feuds’, why does a Kentucky clan pop up? (Type "McCoy-Hatfield" in the Keyword Search engine)
• Why does Campbellsville make such a big deal out of the Fourth of July? (Marker 605)
• He was doing what with that chain? (Marker 528)
• Who was Kentucky’s Confederate governor(s)? (Marker 610)
• What often neglected battle was of the most importance in the Civil War campaign? (Marker 553)
• So who, exactly, is “Sue”? (Keyword search "Sue Mundy")
• To what lengths did the CSA (and USA!) go to in order to discourage their opponents? (Keyword search "Civil War, Courthouses")
• Where did the legislative go? (Marker 522)
• And lastly: Was Kentucky to be the new (West) Virginia? (Marker 74)

There’s an incredible story about Kentucky’s involvement in the Civil War (and other Kentuckian topics!) just waiting for you to explore. Just waiting for you on that sign you go past while walking your dog.  So the next time you’re on the go in Kentucky, and you have a few minutes to spare, take one and pull over to read a historical marker sign—you’ll be surprised (as I was) with what you find!

 

--Kortnie Allen, Super pro

 Images:

Battle of Mill Spring, Ky., January 19, 1862.  Total routof the Rebel Army, by the gallant soldiers of the West under Generals Thomasand Schoepff. Martin F. Schmidt Collection of Kentucky Views, 2004.41.  2004.41.202

 

I love an active library, and Whitley County is ready to record

 

After traveling the state quite a bit since starting here at KHS in 2005, I was surprised to get a chance to visit someplace new to me, Williamsburg, KY. I had been to Whitley County before, but never before the county seat. It was a an easy drive down I-75 into a very cute downtown, signs all over the place for the farmer’s market and a lot of green every where I went. If you haven’t been there, it is time to go.

Internal monolog aside, I was invited by the Whitley County Public Library  in conjunction with the Whitley County Historical and Genealogical Society to conduct an oral history workshop to get community volunteers ready to assist in an oral history project getting started down there. The library has purchased a professional audio recorder, ready to use for oral history, if you have history with Whitley County then consider giving them a call and signing up (or sign up your neighbor). 

Even with a torrential downpour which started immediately when I made it inside the library, there was still a good turnout of oral historians in training. With all of that enthusiasm, I can see this project going far. We discussed the basics framework of an oral history interview, preparation, conducting the interview and follow-up, as well as using digital recorders, ethics and the importance of release forms.
 This group is ready to get started documenting the history of Whitley County through the voice of its residents. Really, bring your parents, neighbors, dentist in and get them paired with a volunteer oral historian to record that story. It all makes up the individual AND community history of this county and the people. Take history into your own hands and participate!

In addition to that, the snacks were great and the sense-of-humor was even better.
Thanks for the invitation and the participation on such a wet day. I can’t wait to see what you all do.

 - Sarah Milligan

image, top - KHS Collection. 1987PH11.00121. Whitley County Courthouse. 1965.

Do You Have Kentucky Roots?

I am sitting at the Kentucky table here at the Ohio Genealogical Society Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio and this is the first thing I say as people approach the table.  This is a great conference, over 800 people are here from all over the country.  A true genealogy fest!  

I have been talking about our efforts of the last three months; all the records that we have put into the catalog and how accessible it is now that we have revamped the front page.  Folks here are very appreciative, they really seem to like what we have done.  I even got to talk about my recent discovery that Campbell County has two courthouses, one in Alexandria and one in Newport, both of which created records.  Talk about making things complicated for family historians!  When we cataloged the microfilm collections, we made sure to add this information to each record, so that people can distinguish between the two.

I even got a chance to talk to two ladies from Defiance County, Ohio, about our War of 1812 activities. They may be able to help us out with our transcription project.  We have digitized a whole group of letters in the Alexander Family papers which document the war through family correspondence between Alexander family and the Madison family.  We are going to put the letters up in our Digital Collections and then have volunteers help us with transcribing them.  If you are interested, please contact Louise Jones at louise.jones@ky.gov to sign up.

 

 Well, I think the sessions are getting ready to flood out of the meeting rooms now, so things will be getting too busy to write much more.

See you soon  back in Frankfort!

--Louise Jones

 

Spring Film Series Kicks Off March 17

Films have become an important part of programming at KHS since March 2010.  Since that time we have screened eight films, which have covered topics from stereotyping the "hillbilly image" to learning more about the "Narco" farm on Leestown Road in Fayette county to the terrible tragedy of the Prestonsburg school bus crash in the 1950's.  All of these films have given us an opportunity to explore Kentucky's culture and history that may not be found in other mediums.  We have also been fortunate to host a few directors for our screenings and this has given our audience an opportunity to talk with the filmmakers firsthand about their knowledge on the topic and their experience making the films.

This March 17 will begin the spring film series at KHS and will continue along the lines of the programming offered in 2010.  Again, we will be featuring independent films made by Kentuckians and about Kentucky topics.  We are also fortunate that we will have multiple directors on hand for the March and April films, a tradition we hope to continue throughout 2011.  Thanks to everyone for their support of this new program and we look forward to a great year of movie watching.

Our first set of screenings will be a group of short films by the youth filmmaking crew of the Appalachian Media Institute (AMI).  Many of these films address social and cultural issues that directly connect with Kentucky culture, from the stereotypes that go along with the eastern Kentucky accent to families coping with loved ones serving in the military overseas.  Provocative, insightful, and sometimes humorous these films are told from the perspective of the young people making them.  In addition to the films being shown, the directors will be in attendance and will participate in an informal question and answer session after the screenings. 

Above image from "Back Home," courtesy AMI.

AMI has been training youth in media literacy since 1988 and they help young people explore how media production skills can be used to ask, and begin to answer, critical questions of themselves and their communities.

In April, KHS will be screening another original documentary, this one on the life and times of former major league baseball player Steve Hamilton. Titled "The Father, The Pitcher, The Hero"  this film, made by several students from Morehead State University, chronicles the late baseball players life, pitching career, and involvement with the Major League Baseball's Players Association. 

      

Our third film, "To Save the Land and People" is a history of the early efforts to stop strip mining in Kentucky.  The documentary, directed by Anne Lewis, also discusses the impact that coal mining has on
Above image, screen shot from "To Save the Land and People," courtesy Appalshop, Inc.

the environment and the community in which it is found.  "To Save the Land and People" is an Appalshop film and more information can be learned from their website, www.appalshop.org. 

All films are free with admission to the Kentucky Historical Society campus and include film screening, entrance to Thomas D. Clark Center exhibitions, as well as free popcorn and soda.  For more information about the film series contact Mike Deetsch at mike.deetsch@ky.gov or 502-564-1792.

Tickets now on Sale for "The Very Worst Thing," November 18, 6:30 p.m.

Advanced tickets for The Very Worst Thing are now on sale through the Kentucky Historical Society.  The film will be screened at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History at 100 West Broadway, Frankfort, KY  40601.  The director will speak after the film.  Advanced ticket prices are $8 for KHS members and $10 for non-members.  Admission fee includes popcorn, soda, and entrance to the KHS history campus and sites.  To order your tickets in advance please email julia.curry@ky.gov or call (502) 564-1792 ext. 4414. 

The Very Worst Thing is a documentary film about the worst school bus crash in U.S. history.  On the morning of February 28, 1958, a school bus carrying 48 elementary and high school students on U.S. Highway 23 in Floyd County, Kentucky plunged into the swollen waters of the Big Sandy River.  Twenty-six children and their driver perished that morning, making it the worst school bus accident in U.S. history.  The tragedy not only shook the small, eastern Kentucky community but also the entire nation.  The cause of the wreck remains a mystery even to this day.  Additional information about the tragedy can be found at www.thekapt.com and www.floycountytimes.com.

Remix Films revisits the tragedy with their documentary film The Very Worst Thing, which was shot throughout 2009 in Kentucky.  Several individuals who were personally affected by the tragedy were interviewed.

The Very Worst Thing also included several original photographs taken during the recovery effort, many of which have been unseen by the general public.  Also included is a rare radio broadcast from the rescue scene from Ernest Sparkman of WSGS Radio, recorded just hours after the accident.

About Remix Films

Remix Films is an independent film company that consists of filmmakers Michael Crsip, Andrew Moore, and Scott McBrayer. More information can be found at http://www.theveryworstthing.com/. 

Annual Oral Historian Brain Swap - Whew, What a Conference!

The recent meeting of the national Oral History Association in Atlanta, GA – I must admit – was very interesting. I don’t know an exact count of participants, but it seems that there is a steady attendance for the last few years, somewhere around 400-500 participants. From what I heard and saw, the Wednesday pre-conference technical assistance workshops were well attended (digital preservation, digital audio, oral history basics, digital video and oral history and the law). The opening program was a short view of a on the WPA Federal Writers’ Project – Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story - I have been waiting to see, as well as a panel of participants discussing the topic and the documentary – including Stetson Kennedy, a Florida WPA writer and folklorist I always enjoy.

After this great start of engaging panels and technical workshops, the OHA conference itself , Thursday – Sunday, seemed to follow the lead. There was a good mixture between reports on new model projects (ie: Audio Histories and Tours of Change, Hope,and Adaptation), discussions on theoretical issues (Theoretical and Practical Challenges in Oral History, Ethical Dilemmas Undercover) and practical applications for oral history in a variety of settings (Oral History in the 21st Century Classroom, Oral History in the Reclamation of Cultural Space). There were Plenary Sessions every day, the Thursday plenary was exceptionally interesting as it dealt with oral history projects in post- Katrina Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, 5 years after the hurricane.

There were many Kentucky projects represented, as well as Kentuckians in attendance. I was pleased to see our oral historians and oral history project leaders represent their state as well as lend their support – once again – on a national stage.

There were so many things I participated in that were interesting, inspiring and just useful as far as oral history for Kentucky in the context of the global discipline. I am so grateful I was able to attend. Please let me know if you have questions about specific panels or presenters, I am happy to tell you more about what I know or connect you with those on a national level that were presenting.

Also extremely exciting is a new book by the revered oral historian, Allesandro Portelli, THEY SAY IN HARLAN COUNTY: An Oral History. Portelli is known in the oral history world for ground breaking oral history examinations and since the early 1970s has been conducting oral histories in Harlan County, KY about the people, the culture and the industry. This new publication is a culmination of this research and is getting great reviews. Although Portelli is from and lives in Italy, he often returns to Kentucky to revisit his friends and work. The original interviews are archived at the Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky.

Please, check out the online program to see more about what was discussed during the 2010 Oral History Association meeting.

Next year is in Denver the second week of October. The topic will be focused on “Memories of Conflict and Disaster: Oral History and the Politics of Truth, Trauma, and Reconciliation.” I will be sharing the call for proposals in the coming weeks. Please consider sharing our state’s oral history participation with the West. As for me, you will see me there – early and late – since I have been asked to join the conference program committee.

- Sarah Milligan

We Have a Winner!

The Kentucky Folklife Program is excited to share some news from master fiddler Roger Cooper and his apprentice Scott Miller - an update on our August 6, 2010 post. 

 
Just a couple of days after this picture was taken at the World Equestrian Games Kentucky Experience Pavilion Stage (left to right – Michael Garvin, Scott Miller, Roger Cooper, Chris Haas), Scott called me to share this --

L. Scott Miller won the 2010 Grand Master Fiddler Traditional Championship on October 2, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee, which is held in conjunction with the IBMA Bluegrass Fan Fest.  The Grand Master Fiddler Traditional Championship is designed to recognize fiddlers who play a fiddling style outside the recognized U.S. “contest” or “Texas” styles, or Canadian “contest” styles. The award is called the Robert C. Byrd Memorial Award in honor of the late fiddling Senator Robert Byrd from West Virginia.

Scott completed a one-year Kentucky Arts Council Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship with eastern Kentucky fiddle master Roger Cooper in 2010.

Scott says, “I appreciate the opportunity I was given to apprentice through KAC with Roger Cooper. The apprenticeship allowed me to learn the regional fiddle style of the area where I grew up and is enabling me to perform and teach it to a future generation of musicians. Winning this contest helps demonstrate the strength of the Apprenticeship program. I played four tunes I learned from Roger during the two competitive rounds of the contest. I was pleased to hear so many positive comments about how well people liked those tunes.”

Upon receipt of his award, Scott dedicated the honor to Roger Cooper and those fiddlers from whom he learned: Buddy Thomas, Morris Allen, Bob Prater and the great Ohio fiddler Jimmy Wheeler. He also recognized other influential fiddlers from the area: Ed Haley, J.W. Day, Jess Large, Arnold Sharp, and Emma Dickenson. Scott says, “I’m proud to be from an area with such a great fiddle heritage.”

Scott also won the Uncle Dave Macon Days Traditional Fiddle Championship this past July, 2010.

Congratulations, Scott!  Thanks to you and Roger for being excellent representatives of Kentucky’s artistic heritage on the national scene.

The Kentucky Arts Council Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship has been honoring and supporting traditional artists for nearly 20 years.  The next application deadline is February 1, 2011.  If you or someone you know would like more information on this program, contact Mark Brown.

-Mark Brown, Kentucky Folklife Program

Postcard Progress

 
At a time when most people are thinking in terms of instant messenger, email and texting to send short notes, Ronald Morgan sees the value in preserving the early history of the “short note.”  Mr. Morgan collected over 11,000 examples of Kentucky postcards over a twenty-year period, starting with his very first postcard, a scene of Lancaster, Kentucky.  He donated his collection to KHS in November, 2009, and since then the staff of the Special Collections and Library have been processing the postcards, inventorying them and, in general, readying them for researchers.  

 

The Morgan Postcard Collection is believed to be on of the largest collections of postcards dedicated to documenting Kentucky in a US repository, and is a spectacular view of life in Kentucky during the 20th century.   Pick a topic, theme or place particular to the bluegrass state and we guarantee you there will be something in this collection to help illustrate it.  After that first image of Lancaster, Mr. Morgan focused his collecting on scenes of Kentucky before 1940.  Among his favorites are those that show a Kentucky few remember, with street scenes showing dirt rather than paved surfaces, and agricultural scenes showing hemp growing side by side with tobacco.

All summer long the Special Collections and Library staff and our summer interns have been inventorying the collection and selecting images for inclusion in our Digital Collection Catalog (DCC).  To date we have six boxes completely inventoried and over 700 postcards digitized and added to the DCC.  Because we are scanning both sides of every postcard, there are now over 1400 images added to the database since July.

You might ask, how do you decide which images get included in the DCC?  Well, we have some projects going currently, and we are using these subjects to help us make the difficult choice of which get added and which wait to be added at a later date.  First, we want to make sure that one postcard representing every town, village or city gets included.  In some cases, there are postcards for towns, villages and areas that have disappeared off modern maps because they have been incorporated into another town or city.  

Then we look for subjects like:  horses (Kentucky has a bit of a reputation for this industry), distilleries (again, bourbon is a huge part of Kentucky’s economy), local businesses, schools, prominent figures (governors, military, and musicians) and rivers.   

We have only begun to scratch the surface of this collection, but it has proven to be a rich treasure trove of Kentucky history.  Stay tuned for additions to both the DCC and the inventory as we strive for the halfway mark in this amazing project.

The Special Collections and Library Staff, with special thanks to our summer interns and volunteers, because without their help, this project would not have progressed so quickly.

Kate Sowada
Jordan Schauer 
Adrienne Willoughby
Bill McHugh
Jim Gill
Evan Patrick
Dave Carpenter

 

Fall Film Series at KHS Begins October 28!

This October KHS will be screening three very unique movies as part of it's film series.  The first film, scheduled to screen October 28, is titled the The Narcotic Farm and is a story about the large federal addiction hospital that sits on Leestown Road in Fayette County just outside of Masterson Station Park.  While the building now serves at a Federal Medical Center, essentially treating those inmates with serious or chronic medical problems, it was first created in the 1930's as a drug treatment center for both federal inmates and volunteers alike.

In November KHS will screen the documentary The Very Worst Thing, written and directed by Michael Crisp, a film about the fatal school bus crash in Prestonsburg, KY in 1958.  The Prestonsburg crash is tied with the Carrollton bus crash of 1988 for the highest number of fatalities (28) resulting from a bus accident.  Director Crisp will be on hand after the screening to answer questions from the public.

December's film, Big Lever: Party Politics in Leslie County, comes right on the heals of the November elections.  This film details President Richard Nixon's first public appearance after he resigned from office.

All fees include admission to the KHS campus, film entry, popcorn and soda.  Admission for The Narcotic Farm and Big Lever is $4 for members and $8 for non-members.  Admission for The Very Worst Thing is $10 for both members and non-members.

The Narcotic Farm

Thursday, Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m.

Narrated and scored by former inmate Wayne Kramer, the film tells the story of this long forgotten American institution through the voices of the former addicts who spent years of their lives locked within its walls.  Many of the photographs and film footage are from the KHS collections.

The Very Worst Thing

Thursday, Nov. 18, 6:30 p.m.

A documentary about the worst school bus crash in United States history, which occurred in Floyd County (Ky.) on the morning of February 28, 1958.  Carrying 48 elementary and high school students, the bus collided with a tow truck on US Highway 23 just 3 miles south of Prestonsburg, then plunged over a steep embankment into the swollen waters of the Big Sandy River.  The director will be available for questions after the film.

Big Lever: Party Politics in Leslie County, Kentucky

Thursday, Dec. 9, 6:30 p.m.

In 1978 Richard Nixon chose this small mountain jurisdiction for his first public appearance since

resigning the Presidency. Priceless footage of his visit introduces this incisive and sometimes hilarious look at the engines that drive American politics. The film explores the machinations of party politics in this rural and staunchly Republican county: Hollow to hollow vote-hunting; family squabbles over candidates; patronage promises; speech-making on the courthouse steps; and the up-and- down career of the incumbent County Judge-Executive who sought re-election while under indictment for vote fraud conspiracy.

For more information about the KHS film series feel free to contact me at mike.deetsch@ky.gov.

--Mike Deetsch