Bits & Pieces

(This is from a post made by Sandi Gorin to the South-Central-KY list.)

Thought some of your Monroe Co researchers might like to see this article
which will be appearing in "Traces" which I'm typing right now for the
historical society.

Dogwood Academy

(By Mrs Corinna Moore, The Monroe County Historical and Genealogical
Society Journal, Volume 1, Number 11, January 1976).

  "This old Cultural Center was one of the first schools in Monroe County
Ky. It was built in the early 1800's and was located about three miles east
of Tompkinsville on the old McMillin Landing Road leading to Cumberland
River, and was surrounded by a dogwood thicket, from which it got its name.

  "It consisted of one log room with a puncheon floor, long horizontal
window shutters, peg-leg puncheon seats, fireplace on one side, and a
teacher's stand.

  "One of the earliest teachers of this school was James Thompson, (my
grandfather), born in 1844 and taught there when he was twenty.

  "A few years later this building was moved about two miles farther on the
same road to the farm of Elswick Thompson, (father of James Thompson), and
was still called Dogwood Academy.

  "Sometime between 1864 and 1879 a weatherboard house was built on the
same grounds, painted red and furnished with hand-made seats, teacher's
desk (on a table) and a blackboard painted on the wall. This building was
called Rush Pint, later called Old Rush Point.

  "Old Rush Point served as the hub of the Community for almost a century.

  "All the activities and festivities including writing schools, moon-light
schools, subscription schools, debates, old-time picture shows, spelling
bees, ciphering matches, folk singings, Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas
trees, revival meetings and elections were centered around it.

  "It is known that Titas Langford taught here in 1879, Emiline Roddy
taught there in 1883, and Kate Jordan taught in 1896.

  "Other teachers of the 1800's were Winfield Emmert, James L. Geralds, A.
M. Carter, Etta Hestand, Susan Hestand, Randolph Rush, and Billy Hammer.

  "Teachers of the early 1900's were Lena Embrton, Lena Bowles, Evie
Gentry, Belle Crowe, Verda Crowe, Cora Page, Fanny Pitcock, Lawrence
Richards, Cora Wood, Alice Hammer, Arthur Ford, Ruby Ford, Nora Harris,
Hassie Thompson, Everette Speakman, Alice Patterson, and O. B. Hestand.

  "The latter teachers were Lillie Hagan, Lucy Goad, Effie Thompson, E. P.
Harlan, Ada Emmert, John Duncan, Ralph Hagan, Traavis Hayes, Nell Proffitt,
Iva Coe, Ray Eden, Billy Bowman, Hazel Crawford and Wilma Roddy.

  "In 1939 a modern building was built about five miles from Tompkinsville,
one half mile east to the Celina Tennessee Road, and was called New Rush
point.

  "About Christmas time the pupils, together with their teacher, Mrs. Wilma
(Roddy) Baskett, took their belongings and proudly walked to the new school.

  "Teachers of this new school were Grace Crowe, Glen Jackson, Hazel
Crawford, Eva Thompson, Thelma Miller, Dane Walden, Iva Thompson, Alice
Patterson, Jasper Thompson, Maggie Shirley and Stanford Moore.

  "In 1967 this new school was destroyed by fire. So ended Rush Point."

Sandi


Fires and Other Disasters


Abstracted from the Monroe Co History Book of 1992 - Dayton Birdwell editor.

Disasters:

Fire of 1863 - Courthouse burned along with other buildings by Confederates
Apr 22, 1863. All records were most. all the mills in or near Tompkinsville
burned.

Fire of 16 Nov 1887, before midnight, Nelson Brothers Store. A safe was
blown by burglars. The town couldn't be warned since they had cut a "rope"
to the courthouse. No bank was in town at this time an dmost people stored
their money here. T. P. Evans tried to save his store - got his money (over
$1,000 in gold, silver and bills)  - ran with it to the courthouse and
covered it with some boards. Then he found the courthouse was burning and
the walls were falling. He couldn't reach his money - bills were burned,
silver melted but gold was saved. Most of the county records were removed
in time. Every store in town burned except Evans and Hughes and J. H.
Vandovers - 21 buildings, most not insured. Also burned was John Shirley
Store Room, Harlan's Hotel, Rowan Leslie General Merchandise, John Gee
Store Room, E. Harlan's Livery Stable, Enterprise Printing Office, post
office, courthouse, Baptist Church and Mason Hall along with Nelson's and
Evans mentioned earlier. When the safe was finally reached they found over
$13-14,000 in cash and unregistered gov. bonds were missing, $10,000 in
unregistered bonds belonging to William H Glazebrook. He offered a reward
and 6 weeks later, 3 men were captured in Knoxville, TN. A Glasgow wagon
was sent to get them and many T'ville citizens went to see them. They
confessed and said they would return Glazebrook's money. They told where
the money could be found - a telegram was sent to Knoxville - the
authorities there found it. The men were handcuffed and put in a wagon
under guard. 75 of them in fact, each with a Winchester rifle. 5,000 or so
people gathered in T'ville to see them. The guards continued to guard thru
the night. They were tried, convicted and sentenced to the penitentiary for
30 years. 

Fire 2 Jan 1913 - many houses burned in T'ville - originated in the Pitcock
Brothers Dry Goods Store which joined the Duke building. They and the
Bradshaw Hagan Co building were destroyed. Also S L Gill Drugs, D Kefauver
Dry Goods, People's Bank.

Fire of 1928 in the pressing and cleaning establishment of Dewey O Hagan -
spread to the Counts annex. Destroyed along with the Bliss Barber Shop,
Robinson Restaurant and A L Emberton Grocery.

Fire of 1934 - a fired on 16 Jan destroyed 3 buildings on Main St housing
GOFF'S Cafe, BASKETT'S Cafe, RICH and RHOTON Grocrey, WALDEN'S Barber Shop
and EMMERT'S Jolly Bakery. These were owned by BRADSHAW & HAGAN, Leonard
YOKLEY and Elisha BIRDWELL.

Another fire 18 Sept 1935 destroyed the "Greenhouse", Bethl BROWN
Storeroom, Elisha BIRDWELL'S Rhamburger wagon and the Dewey RICH
Restaurant, Grover RALEY's pool room suffered damage.

A fire 9 Oct 1966 destroyed the Tompkinsville Drug Co owned by Susie
LESLIE, Mrs. Claarice BUSHONG and William Randell BUSHONG; Tompkinsville
Drug Co, Wayne's Barber Shop, offices of Dr W R BUSHONG and Dr K R
CRABTREE, Thelma's Beauty SHop, James C JERNIGAN's law office and the
BOWMAN Popcorn Stand.

On 9 Dec 1979, fire destroyed the F M WILLIAMS bldg on Main St owned by Mrs
O D HUNDLEY, Clay HUNDLEY had a law office on the 2nd floor. 

9 May 1933 a tornado struck Tompkinsville. 40 persons were injured and 14
lost their lives. The latter were: Clara HAMILTON, Mayme MAXEY, Miami
FRAIM, William BAILEY, Mr & Mrs Roy REDFORD and little son, Mrs Travis
TYREE and two children, Westerfield ANDERSON, Mrs Jina BLANKENSHIP, Mrs. Ed
TURNER and Mrs Jimmy COULTER.
**

The YOKLEY Funeral Hoe opened in 1856, started by John W YOKLEY, Sr, joined
by his son Jr, and his son, L K "Leonard" YOKLEY. 

Fire Department: Organized 5 Feb 1930 with: D O HAGAN, Chief, Buford PAGE,
captain; C S "Pat" HAGAN, secretary; R H McCREARY, Shadrach BARTLEY,
Lenneth JONES, Dr E R BRYANT, S T HAGAN, Wilbur CHISM, W C RICH, G H RICH,
M D MOODY, Robert REECER, H B SWAN, Buford BOONE, and W P GILLENWATER.

-- Sandi

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