ColumbiaMagazine.com
Printed from:

Welcome to Columbia Magazine  
 



































 
JIM: The news from August 30, 1905 - 110 years ago

Fivescore and five ago: the Fair; things for sale; moral rectitude; education; bridge improvements; a whiff of politics; other oddments; and two terrible tragedies.
Click on headline for complete story

By Jim

Fivescore and five years ago today -- August 30, 1905 -- dozens of short items dotted the front page of the Adair County News, many of them dealing with the Fair, which had closed out on Saturday.

Among the Fair-related bits, readers were informed that "Mrs. Tim Bradshaw's Jersey cow went after two premiums and got them both;" Clide Crenshaw's pig took two blues, Jo Coffey, Jr. won top honors in the gentleman's riding ring; "The show of mules was as good as any county in the State ever had;" and the lemonade stand was a huge hit -- and never ran dry.



Attendance strong, high toned moral rectitude noted

Of course, attendance was strong and nearly every soul who crosed the gates gave evidence of high-toned moral rectitude. Observed the newspaper, "in the entire history of fairs at Columbia, there was never better order," and farther stated, "better conduct could not be expected at a religious gathering of like numbers."

Due credit was given Deputy Sheriff Bram Vaughan, who "never flinched" in his duties and who found it necessary to escort from the premises only two or three miscreants, partakers the lot them of John Barleycorn.

All in all, the News succinctly summarized the four-day event by quipping, "The first day was good, the second fine, the third was a crowder, and the fourth in line."

Mrs. T.J. Kratzer a new resident, came for the good education offered here

In other news, Mrs. T.J. Kratzer had opened a dress making shop over Hughes & Coffey's store. The ad promised "large experience and...low prices." (The Kratzer family had removed to Columbia for their children to attend the Lindsey Wilson Training School.)

The Dr. S.P. Miller were soon to come for the educational opportunities here

The Dr. S.P. Miller family planned to soon become residents of Columbia, Mrs. Miller having recently purchased her parents' home (the Capt. Oliver & Mary Patteson place) on Jamestown Hill, and their new neighbors, A.H. & Mollie Ballard, Mrs. Miller's brother-in-law and sister, would arriving soon as well. The Miller's wanted their children educated in Columbia, and the Ballards both were educators. Stated the News in another article about the attraction of Columbia and Adair County,

"Good schools, progress in methods on the farms, and the general moral standing of the people are becoming known and being appreciated."

Real estate market included six room house for $1,650

For another family who might be moving to Columbia, Allen Pile offered for sale a "nice residence property" consisting of a six-room house, good well, a garden patch and young orchard, fences, and almost new buildings, all for only $1650. G.W. Robertson also offered a house and lot for sale, no price give. His was two-story, eight-room dwelling, complete with porches, on a two and a half acre lot, both fresh and sulphur water, and an abundance of fruit trees. "The location is all that any one could desire."

Milltown, Plum Point bridges got fresh coats of paint

In other news, the Milltown bridge had a fresh coat of paint and a contract had been let for same for the bridge at Plum Point. By this time, both bridges were five years old and had seen plenty of use. Mr. W.R. Myers, who had installed and ran Columbia's first power plant, announced his intention to "put a larger engine in the electric light plant,": a move that would improve service but would also necessitate a short-lived "swing back to darkness."

S.F. Eubank offered new Spring wagon for sale

S.F. Eubank offered for sale "a new Spring wagon, of my on design, pronounced first class;"

W.L. Walker offered 16 lbs. of granulated sugar for $1 cash money

W.L. Walker had some hot deals going, including sixteen pounds of granulated sugar for one dollar cash money; and Trabue Wickliffe (a nephew of the Misses Trabue) had for sale "A Larport buggy, good as new...; a new left hand (No. 14) Vulcan turning plow;" a good milk cow and two heifers, the current-year corn crop; and one stack of hay.

Elder Huffaker was candidate for KY Senate on Prohibitionist ticket

Elder Tobias Huffaker was the announced candidate for State Senate for the Prohibition Party, while Zach Samuels, who had been nominated as the Democratic candidate for Coroner, respectfully declined the honor, "as he is a Prohibitionist."

Freak traffic accident takes life

On a very sad note, Miss Dolly Vannoy, 24, of Stanford, was killed in Columbia on Monday, August 28th, in a freak accident. She and her sister Mary had been in Columbia visiting their uncle, Mr. H.R. "Dolph" Thurman, and attending the Fair. That Monday morning, the sisters, in a buggy driven by Twyman Atkins, were on their way to the John B. Coffey home to say to goodbye to Mrs. Coffey. Shortly before arriving there, stated the Interior-Journal, "the horse became frightened and ran at a terrific speed, throwing the occupants of the buggy to the ground..." and Dolly was "instantly killed, her neck being broken." Neither Twyman Atkins nor Mary Vannoy were injured beyond superficial bruises and scrapes.

Dear friend of Dolly Vannoy dies of injuries in eerily similar accident

In a bizarre twist of fate, Dolly's dear friend and former college roommate, Miss Pearl Montgomery, had died on Saturday, July 1st, from injuries sustained in an eerily similar accident on June 30th, a few weeks short of her twentieth birthday. Although Miss Montgomery was a native and resident of Casey County, she was well-known and well-liked in Adair County, her father being Elder J.Q. Montgomery, an Adair native and close kinman of Elder Z.T. Williams. Just a month earlier, Pearl was graduated from Hamilton College, Lexington, and subsequently passed the state teacher's exam with flying colors and secured a school in Casey County for the fall of 1905. She had gone to Barren County for a few days to visit friends before beginning preparations for her new position.

The moving tribute published in the Glasgow Times in the wake of Miss Montgomery's death could have been published almost en toto for Miss Vannoy:

"Young, beautiful, and talented... the idol of her father's heart and the world fair and beautiful before her--in the twinkling of an eye death comes and the light of life goes out in darkness forever. It is a most grievous tragedy and one that shocks the very heart's core of the entire community."


This story was posted on 2015-08-30 14:44:44
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know.


(AD) - Many Reunion organizing efforts are also advertised in our REUNIONS category in our CM Classifeds. These are posted at a very low cost. See RATES & TERMS


 

































 
 
Quick Links to Popular Features


Looking for a story or picture?
Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com.

 

Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728.
Phone: 270.403.0017


Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.