What’s in the Woods? – My dad’s memories of growing up without deer, turkey, bear, and elk in Salt Lick, KY.

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Karrick, Salt LickLeave a comment

In this post, my dad, Joe Karrick, writes about wildlife in Bath County. He told me a while back that he didn’t see his first deer until he was a teenager, and that really amazed me. I guess I found that so hard to believe because I take them for granted. I have seen them outside my kitchen window right here in Owingsville. I just never considered that there was a time when they weren’t around, because in earlier days, wasn’t Kentucky known by native and pioneer alike as a land abounding in wildlife? What happened to the deer?

The answer, of course, is that they were over-hunted and their habitat harmed, which consequently led to them being pretty much wiped out. The history behind that and their reintroduction is quite interesting, and I’ve included a link to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife’s page on the history of deer management in Kentucky, where a timeline is shown starting with Thomas Walker’s observation in 1750 that deer were “plentiful.”

Yes, deer were plentiful but by just 1775, the Virginia Legislature was attempting to address the diminishing deer population, and by 1810, James Audubon wrote the once plentiful deer had “ceased to exist.” In 1916, deer hunting was banned in Kentucky.

Deer were overhunted but it’s important to not vilify outdoorsmen. Good hunters care about healthy animal populations as much as anyone else, and there have always been those voices of reason. For example, Daniel Boone, that mighty frontiersman himself, is considered to be the first “game warden” in our state after he was appointed to oversee Boonesborough’s “game committee.” I don’t hunt and I eat very little meat, but I appreciate hunters who act as stewards of our beautiful land and its creatures. They are some of the very best advocates for game laws and regulations because they know what can happen otherwise.

From my dad, Joe Karrick:

As a boy growing up in Bath County, Kentucky, during the 1950s, I spend a lot of time in the fields and woods. I pretty well knew what animals were in the woods. There were no deer until the late 1950s, no turkeys, no coyotes, no eagles, no elk, and no bears.

Deer were hunted to near extinction by the start of the 20th century. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife did a lot of restocking of deer across the state. I started seeing deer in the woods after about 1957. Today’s deer population in Kentucky is about one million.

Turkeys were restocked starting in 1978. I often see turkeys now like the mother and her chicks in the summer on my farm.

I saw no coyotes in the 1950s. Most folks think that coyotes came into Kentucky in 1977-78 when the Ohio and Mississippi rivers froze over and they coyotes walked across them into Kentucky from neighboring states. Coyotes are everywhere in Kentucky now and can be a pest. I grow sweet corn for market – coyotes eat sweet corn!

I never did see a bear in the 1950s, but I did see a track in the mud in the Clear Creek area. Bears have expanded into Kentucky from the east. Kentucky habitats have improved. Forests that regenerated after the heavy wholesale logging in the early 20th century are now mature and are providing heavy crops of nuts, acorns, etc., which the bears love. Bears are now sighted every year in Bath County.

I did not see any eagles in the 1950s. In the last few years, I have seen eagles, even had one fly over my house!

Eastern elk were hunted to extinction in Kentucky by 1860 or so. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife have introduced western elk into strip mined lands in eastern Kentucky, and the population now is about 18,000.

I have never seen a mountain lion here in Bath County. There have been confirmed sightings in Tennessee and Missouri, and sightings are increasing.

A cougar was killed in Bourbon County in 2014 by law enforcement. It is believed it was a pet that had escaped. My sister, Janet, lived the Clear Creek area and while driving in the National Forest one afternoon late, she swore she saw a large tan, long tailed cat with two cubs. Sounds like a cougar to me!

Dad writes about cougars, and Don’s father, Burl Kincaid, Jr., wrote about them, too, but he called them “catamounts.” His grandfather, Jacob Kincaid, told the story of the “Catamount Hunt of Stepstone” and you can read about that here: https://journalsofwilliamburlkincaid.blog/2014/01/09/the-catamount-hunt-of-stepstone/

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife’s history of deer management: https://fw.ky.gov/Hunt/Pages/History-of-KY-Deer-Management.aspx#:~:text=So%20the%20Kentucky%20Division%20of,Crittenden%2C%20Livingston%20and%20Ballard%20counties.

Riley Ingram’s letter to the editor of the Owingsville Outlook (December 22, 1910) describing his hunting trip north. In the following image he mentions how game has been driven from “Old Kentucky.”
Five elk are let released at an abandoned strip mine near Hazard, KY, in 1997. (Image courtesy of WHYY/PBS).

My dad’s memories of stripping tobacco on the family farm in Salt Lick, Ky.

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Karrick, WorkLeave a comment

In this post, my dad, Joe Karrick, reflects on his memories of stripping tobacco. As he notes, tobacco was once grown on almost every Kentucky farm. Indeed, data from the USDA shows that in the 1950s, Kentucky had around 136,000 working tobacco farms, but by 2022 that number had dropped to 984. That decrease came about due to the drop in demand because of increased health concerns over tobacco usage, and also because of a major reform signed into law in 2004, commonly referred to as simply “the buyout.” While tobacco growing may not be the thing it once was, it’s still important to know our history and the work that shaped and supported families for generations.

From my dad, Joe Karrick:

When I was growing up, about all farms in Kentucky grew some tobacco – we were no exception. We grew about 2 – 2 1/2 acres of tobacco every year. In the fall of the year, after the tobacco had cured in the big tobacco barn, it was time to “strip” it. This involved pulling the tobacco leaves off the stalks and tying the bundles of leaves into hands.

Tobacco had to be “in case” in order to work it. “In case” meant that the leaves had enough moisture in them to be pliable and workable. Rainy days and foggy mornings would bring tobacco in case. The sticks holding about 6 stalks of tobacco would be dropped down out of the barn rails. The stalks of tobacco would be pulled off the sticks and stacked tightly in a pile or bulk, and covered to retain moisture.

Burley tobacco hanging in a barn near Lexington, Kentucky. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress)

There was a “stripping room” attached to the barn on the north side. The entire north side of the stripping room was windows to give light to work by. Norther exposure was preferred because the light was not glaring and more stable throughout the day. A waist high table ran the entire length of the room, about 20 to 24 feet long. A small stove at one end heated the room.

Tobacco was brought into the stripping room a large arm load at a time and placed on the left end of the table. I remember my mom helping strip tobacco. She would strip the bottom leaves off the stalk, place the stalk on the table to the right, and my Dad would then pull the middle leaves off.

A Bowling Green family stripping tobacco. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress)

Tobacco had to be sorted into about 5 grades as it was stripped. My Mom would pull off the bottom damaged leaves called “trash” and pile them on the floor by her side. Then she would pull off the next grade of leaves, the “flyings” and accumulate them in her hand. Flyings were bright colored, usually tan-yellow with tattered edges. Dad pulled the “lug” leaves. Lugs grew in the middle of the stalk and were large, smooth, solid, tan/brown colored leaves, usually the most valuable. Above the lugs there would usually be two to three “bright” leaves. These were darker than the lugs and showed more red colors. Dad would pull them and make a pile on the floor by his side. He then passed the stalks down to me, and I would pull off the remaining leaves, the “Red.” Red leaves were shorter and darker colored than the Brights and Lugs. Empty stalks were piled on the right end of the table.

We accumulated the leaves in our hands until we couldn’t hold anymore. Then taking a leaf and folding it along the stem, we used it to tie the “hand” of tobacco to hold it together. The tie was made at the stem end of the leaves with all the stems bound tightly together. Thus a hand of tobacco was the quantity of leaves that you could hold in your hand.

The hands of tobacco were then placed on a tobacco stick – a stick would hold 12-14 hands. When the stick was full it would be “pressed.” The stick of stripped tobacco would be put in a press and squeezed flat and made easier to handle.

An old tobacco press. (Image courtesy of the University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture Collection)

Work would continue all day; carry armloads of tobacco in, strip the leaves off, tie the leaves into hands, carry out the empty stalks, press the finished hands, place the finished pressed hands in a tight pile or bulk and cover.

We usually had a coffee pot on the stove and something for lunch, maybe beans, corn bread or some other basic grub.

We worked together toward a common goal. I learned early where money came from, and I learned the value of hard, honest work. I saw my mom and dad stick together through thick and thing – a good life lesson!

Tobacco placed in the typical baskets and loaded in a truck. (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress)

Sources: https://www.lpm.org/news/2024-10-22/crop-cashed-out-less-than-1k-ky-farms-still-grow-tobacco-20-years-after-major-reform and https://guides.loc.gov/tobacco-industry.

Thanks for reading!

My grandmother’s gingerbread recipe.

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Karrick, RecipesLeave a comment

My paternal grandparents were Hugh and Bertha Karrick of Salt Lick, Kentucky, and while thumbing through an old Homemaker’s cookbook, I found my grandmother’s recipe for gingerbread and decided I should try to make it with my own granddaughter, Elliott. She is four years old and loves to mix stuff up in the kitchen, recipe or not! It turned out great and we topped it with homemade whipped topping. Yum.

As I stated in previous post, as I move forward with this blog, I hope to share old local recipes like the gingerbread recipe of my Mamaw’s. I have quite a few cookbooks from the Homemakers, The Women’s Club, local churches, and so forth. These need to be saved for various reasons. First, these old cookbooks give us a glance of the domestic work that women traditionally did, and it’s work that needs to be appreciated, as it has often, at least in my opinion, been undervalued.

Second, old local cookbooks connect us with not only our own ancestors, but also the ancestors of our community, and they offer a glimpse into how information was collectively passed on. The recipes and household tips may seem trivial, but they’re not. I’ve participated in the compilation of these kinds of cookbooks, and it’s been my experience that the recipes are eagerly shared and received. Everybody wants a recipe that works, and in the days before the Internet provided easy access to that, women shared through church cookbooks and hand written notes. Of course, one could get a recipe out of a book or magazine, but not ones “reviewed” by the community by word of mouth after church potlucks and funeral dinners.

Third, these recipes often are from a time before processed foods. If we want to eat healthier, it might not hurt to start with these older recipes that use basic ingredients. You might see the occasional “cream of something soup” called for, but not often, especially in the oldest ones. The recipes, with few exceptions, are simple and call for basic pantry staples.

I hope you enjoy the ones I share, and if you have one you’d like to contribute, please let me know.

The recipe. I followed it exactly as written, although I wasn’t sure what a “moderate oven” temperature would be. I finally went with 350 and baked for about a half an hour, testing frequently to see if a toothpick inserted would come out clean. 
Mrs. Hugh Karrick's Gingerbread (Salt Lick Homemakers)

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter or shortening
2/3 cup molasses
2 tsp. baking powder 2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, well beaten
3/4 cup sour milk [buttermilk]

Sift flour once, measure, add baking powder, soda, spices, and salt, then sift together three times. Cream butter thoroughly, add sugar gradually and beat together until light and fluffy. Add egg and molasses, then flour alternatively with the buttermilk, a small amount at a time. Beat after each addition until smooth. Bake in a moderate over [I baked at 350 for about 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick came out clean].
The finished product was cake-like and tasty. Elliott likes to go shirtless but insisted on an apron for cooking! I’m going to try to make one for her that fits.
We also made homemade whipped cream, which is super easy to make. 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Beat until soft peaks form. We overbeat ours a little but we didn’t care.

I took the cookbook to my dad, Joe Karrick, because of the advertising in the back featuring Salt Lick businesses. I wanted to know more about some of them and thought it would also be helpful in dating the cookbook, which Dad decided was probably published in the 1950s.

The Greyhound Restaurant (a Greyhound bus stop) became Greene’s, a place by the creek most of us can recall. Horseman and Powell became Powell’s. Salt Lick Milling had corn meal and flour and was located on the creek bank further into town. Tom Perry operated the establishment.
Jarrett Manufacturing Co. became Reeve’s Lumber. The Gem Theater was located across from the Powell funeral home (or that’s what my dad best remembers). Earl Wills ran E.B. Wills Grocery, and Henry Craig ran the other listed at the top.

Thanks for reading!

Hog Killin’ Weather

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Karrick, WorkLeave a comment
A clipping from a 1908 copy of the Owingsville Outlook, courtesy of the Library of Congress.

A few years ago, as I was looking at digitized copies of the Owingsville Outlook, I happened upon this interesting tidbit in which the writer states, “Hog-killing, Thanksgiving and Christmas to look forward to before the blue days of winter come on.” It struck me that “hog-killing” seemed a celebratory event, one on par with Christmas and Thanksgiving, something to be enjoyed before the gloom of winter set in. I mentioned it to my dad, Joe Karrick, and he started telling me his childhood memories of that event. Of course, this clipping is a lot older than my father, but I would guess the ins and outs of hog killing stayed the same.

“Hog-killing weather” is the phrase my dad remembered. One couldn’t butcher hogs until the weather was cold and was going to stay cold. It needed to be timed well to ensure a good final product. In the clipping below, you’ll note that some in Knob Lick were going to have ruined meat due to the weather warming back up. I would imagine this would have brought terrible hardship for some families. It also makes me wonder how good some would have been at predicting the weather without all of our modern technology. I’m betting there were a few old timers that could “feel it in their bones.”

Clipping from the December 1, 1898 edition of the Owingsville Outlook.

While it may seem gruesome to our modern minds and sensibilities, hog-killing was often a familial event, with uncles, aunts, and cousins coming to lend a hand and visit. Neighbors and friends, too, would join in on the work if needed, and often it was needed because this work had to be finished in a day. While it seems men did the worst and most physical of the work, women labored as well, cutting up meat, grinding sausage, and often seeing to the huge kettles. Children weren’t shielded from the blood and gore either, as you can tell from my dad’s recollection of the event. My mom worries that what he writes is “too gruesome,” but Dad, in true Dad fashion, says it’s just how it was – no sense in trying to pretty it up.

If you have your own memories of “hog-killing time” please leave a comment, or if you’d like to read more from “Papaw Joe” be sure and let us know.

Hog Killin’ Time by Joe Karrick

I grew up on a family farm just south of Salt Lick in Bath County, Ky. My Dad. Hugh Karrick, raised cattle and hogs, and grew corn, hay, tobacco, and sometimes a patch of watermelons or strawberries. Dad raised hogs to sell but usually butchered three to four for our own use. Almost all country folks back then raised hogs for meat and lard.

Hogs were butchered in the fall when temperatures dropped, thus the old saying, “hog killing weather.” If my memory is correct, Dad would choose three to four in the 250 – 300 pound class. I will try to describe the process.

The hog was shot with a .22 caliber rifle aiming at the brain. Death was instantaneous. Dad always had someone else to do the shooting. I think he dreaded it since he had cared for the animals all year. As soon as the hog was shot, someone would slit its throat, cutting through major veins and arteries, and then the hog would bleed out.

The next step was removing the hair from the carcass. This was done by placing the carcass in a “scalding pan,” a large metal vessel big enough to hold the hog. A wood fire was built under the pan, and the water heated to about 150 degrees, scalding temperature. After being submerged for a bit the hair would “slip” or loosen itself. Then came the job of of scraping all the hair off the hog. This took a while. After the hair was removed, the hog was hung head down from a barn rail. The belly was opened up and all the entrails were removed, the heart and liver were saved.

My grandmother had a very large screened in back porch. The hog carcasses were laid out on the porch floor. The heads were removed and saved to make souse meat. There sat a working tub full of hog heads! The carcass was then cut up into the parts that most folks recognize: hams, ribs, shoulder, sow belly or bacon, jowl, and backbone. The feet were saved for pickled pigs feet. The cuts were trimmed of excess fat and then put on benches in the “smoke house” and salted down. It took several weeks for the salt cure to be completed.

All of the trimmings and leaf fats (around internal organs) were saved and made into lard and soap. Two big black kettles were set up in the back yard and heated up with wood fire. Lard was produced in one kettle by heating the fat until it liquified, then, I think, strained and poured into five gallon cans where it cooled down and became white lard. The second kettle was for soapmaking. Again, fat was placed in the kettle, and such soap production requires lye to convert the fat to soap. After heating and liquifying, the soap resolution was strained and poured into flat pans, and upon cooling was cut into cakes of soap.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, my grandmother and her helpers were busy making sausage. A large meat grinder was clamped to the old kitchen table. Meat suitable for sausage was run through the grinder, mixed with some spices, and made into patties. The patties were cooked and then placed in large mason jars for storage.

The process provided food for the family for the coming year.

A lot of folks today think meat comes from Kroger. Meat comes from animals that have been cared for by a farmer. A good farmer’s goal is that his animals have only one bad day in their lives, and that is the day they are slaughtered.

Thanks, Dad, for sharing your memories of “hog killin’ time.” May we all appreciate where our food comes from and honor those farmers who strive to give the animals in their care a good life.

If you want to read more about hog killin’ time, I recommend the following sites: https://afroculinaria.com/2013/01/24/hog-killing-time-comments-and-commentary-on-a-southern-plantation-tradition/

https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/hog-killin-day/

If you need help cooking a ham, a few years ago, the sister of my friend Julie Grannis Carroll was featured in an NPR article about how her family prepared them. Linda and Julie grew up in Fleming County and “putting the ham to sleep” was a family culinary tradition. Here’s a link to that article. https://www.npr.org/2022/12/04/1139534855/kentucky-ham-country-ham-recipes-food

Thanks for reading!

A post to honor my late husband.

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

As people in my community and circle know, my husband, Don Kincaid, died on June 18th of this year after a long and often brutal battle against liver disease caused by auto-immune hepatitis. He was the bravest person I’ve ever known, lovingly ran a tight ship, and now I feel like I’ve lost my captain. In trying to learn to navigate without him, I’ve decided to spend some more time on this blog, which was started in memory of his father, William Burl Kincaid, Jr.

Don loved the idea of the blog, but his declining health prevented him (and me) from keeping up with it and following through with our plans for it. I’m not exactly sure of how active I’ll be on here because, to be honest, the last few years have been very hard and I’m moving forward slowly, but my intention is to invest a little more time in it, hopefully expanding a bit in content.

Don loved Owingsville and all of the quirkiness that can be found in small, rural towns. He loved people, was a keen judge of character, and paid zero attention to a person’s wealth or position when engaging with them. I have had people I don’t know come up to me since he died to tell me of a certain kindness he did for them, or to tell me how much they admired him for both his professional and public service work. A local man who worked with Don in city government sent me a note describing him as “selfless.” He certainly was, always putting the needs of others before his own. He served in office to help the community, because if you have the capacity to make the lives of others better, that’s what you do . . . and that’s what he did.

He accomplished a lot in his life, but he never was one to brag or seek to take credit, traits he inherited from his father. He also got his dad’s stoicism and resolve – characteristics that the Greatest Generation seemed to have in spades. Throughout his illness, he was a fighter, even until the very end. He refused to give up, never felt sorry for himself, refused to sink into despair, and when I myself was tempted to do just that, he would say, “You can cry for a little while, but then you have to pick yourself up and go on.” Or, “We don’t quit. We look things straight in the face and carry on.” I am trying so hard to do that.

As I move forward with this blog, I plan to share old recipes, old letters, historical tidbits, book reviews, pictures – pretty much what we did before – but I also want to add some personal elements, like crafts with my grandchildren, my personal hobbies, and musings about things that are important to me. I hope to maybe inspire another person who has lost their anchor in life. In doing all of that, I want to honor the memory of my husband, and, wherever his spirit is in this vast and beautiful universe, I hope he’s proud of me.

On the beach at St. Augustine. One of our very favorite places.

"Cap" Dawson’s Blacksmith Shop

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Black History, Dawson, Mr. Burl's Writing, WorkLeave a comment

In this entry, Mr. Burl writes about the blacksmith shops that were in Owingsville and specifically mentions “Cap” Dawson.  In his book, The History of Bath County, John Adair Richards also mentions Cap Dawson.

From the journals:

Have you ever watched a blacksmith prepare a shoe for shoeing a horse?  All of our Bath County towns had these shops.  A typical blacksmith had an anvil, a forge and bellow, hammers, cutters, barrel of water, and nails.  The “Smithy’s” shop often was crude with a dirt floor.

Before the automobile took its toll on the blacksmith shops in the late twenties, there were three shops in Owingsville.  Do you recall the name of “Cap” Dawson, Wes Harris, and Jim Reed?  “Cap” was the smith for a shop located where Western Auto* now operates.  Later,  “Cap” operated a shop where the E.L. and A.T. Byron building now stands on the corner of Henry and Oberlein Streets (not “Oberline” as is currently on the sign).

Young boys often frequented these shops as spectators enjoying the works of the blacksmiths.  Often there was excitement when an unruly horse acted up. Blacksmiths would on occasion accept other jobs such as repairing hinges, repairing metal parts of farm wagons, etc. 

*Western Auto was located where Family Discount Drugs now stands. If you look on the map below, you’ll see a blacksmith shop in that location.

default
Old Sanborn Insurance map of Owingsville, 1891. This map shows a blacksmith shop on the corner of  Oberlin and Water, plus another one by the old jail on Slate Avenue (“Furnace” on the map).  Mr. Burl’s memory of the blacksmith shop would come much later as he wasn’t born until 1916.  Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Owingsville, Bath County, Kentucky. Sanborn Map Company, Jul, 1891. Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, .

sn86069620 1899-04-06 1 4 image 681x648 from 3507x3872 to 5523x5792
News of blacksmiths from an old copy of the Owingsville Outlook dated 1899. Vice on the left column, while John Craig is mentioned on the right. Owingsville outlook. (Owingsville, Ky.), 06 April 1899. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

sn86069620 1906-05-31 1 1 image 681x648 from 1347x5842 to 3528x7919
News clipping from 1906 that mentions the Wyoming blacksmith. Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.), 31 May 1906. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

sn86069620 1903-03-05 1 1 image 681x648 from 401x4395 to 2549x6440
Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.), 05 March 1903. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

sn86069620 1898-10-06 1 1 image 681x648 from 359x4129 to 2363x6038
1898 newspaper clipping mentioning the blacksmith at Preston. Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.), 06 Oct. 1898. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

Christmases Past

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn HolidaysLeave a comment
download (13)
From the journals of Burl Kincaid:
In the early 1900’s, most Christmas shopping was done locally and from Sears & Roebuck and Montgomery Ward catalogs.  There was very little traveling to neighboring towns or to Lexington because few people owned automobiles.  Even though gasoline was very cheap, there was very little money.  If a person owned a horse and buggy, they could make the trip to Mt. Sterling, but it was time consuming.
Unlike children today, most children back then were well pleased if they received one gift and perhaps some hard candy or nuts.
Most folks either used cedar or pine for their Christmas trees because there were no artificial ones. There were not any electric lights for trees then, so if people desired lights, they used candles. This was extremely dangerous but most used them cautiously. One of the most common decorations was popcorn on a string. Possibly, garlands and/or tinsel grew out of the use of strung popcorn.  Homemade wooden ornaments painted with various colors and paper colored with watercolors or some of other kind of coloring were also popular.
A large part of the Christmas season was the preparation of food. The making of candy, such as fudge, fondant, and cream candy, was not only a chore but also entertainment.  Baking cakes, usually fruit cakes, was a traditional custom for many families. The author knew a lady who always had a fruitcake, a jam cake, a spice marble cake, a white layer cake, and a hickory nut cake all baked prior to Christmas Day.

 

 

Fratman Hall

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Entertainment, Mr. Burl's Writing, OwingsvilleLeave a comment
 
There used to be a place in Owingsville where actors would gather and put on grand performances.  Seriously.
From the journals:
“Chick” is in there selling nuts and bolts, paints and varnishes, and most anything you need in the hardware line but what does that have to do with Fratman Hall?  That’s right – the Smith and Son building was originally an entertainment emporium. 
Mr. Fratman was the owner and manager of the upstairs auditorium.  The rear of the downstairs, which is presently occupied by the Maze Auction Company, housed a circular staircase such as those seen in movies of yesteryear.  The actors and actresses dressed in the rooms at the foot of the stairs and walked up to the stage.
Vaudeville type shows, plays, and other forms of show biz were the order of the day.  Often, young boys would hang around the entrance after the show started, and if the house was not full and the boys were deserving, they were permitted to enter free of charge.
We have a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Burl was one of those boys who would hang around the entrance! 
~Ginger

 

A clipping from an old Owingsville Outlook (March 10, 1892). A show called “The World” is playing at Fratman Hall and it is mentioned twice in the left column and once in the right.

While Traveling to Lexington, Miss Jane Runs Out of Gas

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Miss Jane's LettersLeave a comment

Everybody seems to enjoy the sweet letters of Miss Jane Kincaid, so here is a new one. It was written on a Wednesday night in the late 40’s. She didn’t let running out of gas keep her from having a “very nice day” in the city!

Dear Burl, Jr.

We are just wondering if you reached Boone [Iowa] tonight. Do hope you are feeling better and ready “to go.”

We went to Lexington about 8 o’clock Tuesday morning. We ran out of gas about three miles from Winchester, and Mary B. thumbed a nice man, who sent us out some gas from Winchester. In the meantime, Truman Caudill from Mt. Sterling (do you know him?) pushed us a piece thinking there was a gas station but there wasn’t. 

We had a very nice day. Aunt Lyda came home with us. She is so frail. Hope the change will do her good.

We are all over with Aunt May. Don’t worry we keep our house locked and the coal oil stove turned off good ha!

Daddy hopes to work in the garden by noon tomorrow. Uncle Willie is going to help a half day.

How did you find the grass at Amana? And how is it where Uncle Henry has bought? Daddy thinks there is a good head here.

Miss Mamie Tipton is to be buried tomorrow. She had suffered so long with cancer of the throat. 

Now honey, take care of yourself. Let us know if you want anything. What about some vitamins? 

Lots of love, 

Mother

IMG_20190302_203729

IMG_20190302_203709

Brigadier General James Virgil Thompson

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Military History, Mr. Burl's Writing, Thompson6 Comments
Reposting in honor of Memorial Day and for D-Day, which is right around the corner.

An American G.I. untangles communication wires that had become
wrapped around a cross in Pont l’Abbe during the fighting. (Photo from The Library of Congress)
                                           
 June 6th of this year marks the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the day when allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy during WWII.  Bath County can be proud that many, many men from here answered the call of duty during the Great War, but one in particular stands out because his name can be found in the history books as one who helped lead the charge during the Normandy invasion.  That “one” is James Virgil Thompson, commander of the 358th infantry of the 90th Division of the VII Corps.  The 90th Division bore the nickname “Tough Ombres.”   Mr. Thompson’s brothers were Ed, Bascom, Banks, Earle, and Arnold(1).From the journals:“Excuse me, may I have your autograph, Lt Lindbergh?” asked a person in the crowd.

“I am sorry, but I am not Lt. Lindbergh,” responded Lt. Thompson.

Incidents such as this occurred often.  Charles A. Lindbergh (an international hero) and Virgil Thompson of Owingsville were men of the same stature and their facial expressions were much the same when they smiled.  Lindbergh had just made his historic flight from Garden City, N.J. to an airfield near Paris, France in May of 1927. 

Close to that time, Thompson had graduated from West Point as a 2ndLieutenant.   Charles Lindbergh had been commissioned a 2ndLieutenant in 1925.  The two men were about the same age, looked alike, had that same military bearing, and of course wore army uniforms most of the time.

Lt. Thompson worked his way up through the ranks and it was apparent to those who knew him that he would achieve a high military rank someday.  Virgil served in the Philippine Islands, Panama, and other foreign posts as he climbed from rank to rank.  Finally, after this country was attacked by the Japanese, war was declared by the United States against the Axis powers.

Lt. Thompson became Colonel (Bird Colonel) Virgil Thompson and was a regimental commander.  He led his troops on the beaches of Normandy and was wounded by several machine gun slugs in the abdomen (2)  For many days, it was feared that Virgil would not make it.  Colonel Thompson did recover and returned to the ‘States’ where he was discharged.  He remained as a civilian for a short time, then went back on active duty.

Colonel Thompson was promoted to Brigadier General and went to Korea as an advisor to the South Korean military.  There is no doubt among his friends that Virgil would have risen to perhaps the rank of a Four Star General if he had not been badly wounded in France.

While at West Point, Virgil had the distinct honor of leading the “Army Mule” at an Army-Navy football game.  This was an honor bestowed upon only the top men in the academy. 

Bath Countians saw Virgil on the “Pathe” news at the Majestic Theatre.  Later, a movie starring Richard Dix entitled ‘The Quarterback’ was shown at the local theatre.  The shot of Cadet Thompson leading the mule was cut from the “Pathe” (3) news and inserted in the movie The Quarterback.

Brigadier General Virgil Thompson was a great Bath Countian and American who gave his best for his country.

Virgil seemed to enjoy visiting with people from all walks of life when he would return home on leave.  In the summer when Virgil was at home, he would chat with the boys in the Court House yard and seemed to enjoy it immensely.

(1) Captain Arnold Thompson, a recipient of both the Bronze and Silver Star prior to his death, was killed in Germany during WWII.   At one point he served under General Patton.

(2) In his book Hanging Sam:  A Biography of General Samuel T. Williams, Harold Myer includes this description of the fighting at Pont l’ Abbe, France:  “The 358thInfantry continued its attack on Pont l’ Abbe with the plan of eventually pushing on to occupy the high ground beyond the town. . . The 358th Infantry encountered severe resistance in its sector and was forced to engage the enemy in hedgerow to hedgerow combat.”

(3) Pathé news produced and distributed cinema newsreels.

If you want to read more about Virgil Thompson and his role in the Normandy Invasion, I would suggest searching for “Col. James V. Thompson.”  My good friend Harvey Thompson is the great nephew of Virgil Thompson, and I want to thank both him and his mother, Miss Ada June, for their help in providing me with more information about this great military hero from Bath County.

 
 
Members of the 358th infantry attempt to hide an
anti-tank gun in a stack of hay somewhere in the countryside of France. (Photo – Library of Congress)
Soldiers advancing towards Utah Beach during the invasion of Normandy. (Photo – Library of Congress)
A newspaper clipping announcing the death of Arnold Thompson
and the wounding of J.V. (Virgil) Thompson. (Clipping courtesy of the Thompson family.) 
Charles Lindbergh, who does indeed bear
a resemblance to Virgil Thompson. (Photo – Library of Congress)