Community Ties
The Rowan County Historical Exhibit at the Folk Art Center was very enlightening. Having grown up
here in Rowan County, I found it fascinating that there were many aspects of Rowan County’s history that I
knew little or nothing about. One being the Queen City land swindle of 1875. This event alone brings to mind
the old adage “If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t.” People were purchasing lots in this fictitious
fantasyland because it is a bedrock belief that land is a valuable possession and that raising a family in a small
town is better than in a big city. These beliefs are probably a big reason that Mr. Sewell was able to con so
many people to purchase lots in Queen City. He portrayed it as a paradise of sorts (Jewell of the Mountains)
with wonderful schools, churches, rail service, commercial opportunities and to top it all off, a lake. (The real
lake in Rowan County, Cave Run, doesn’t actually exist until almost 100 years later in 1974.) Who wouldn’t want
to be a part of this American Dream?
To people with no ties to Morehead & Rowan County who view this exhibit it could appear that many of
the people who left their mark in history are somewhat unsavory in character. This is evidenced in the Queen
City scam. It took place in Rowan County but Mr. Sewell, the con artist, actually was from Breathitt County.
Also along the lines of perceived unsavory characters are the people involved in the Tolliver Martin
Logan feud. I was somewhat familiar with this feud. I honestly don’t know who was supposed to be the “good
guys” and the “bad guys.” It would probably depend on who you ask and if they are a descendent of any of the
original participants of this famous Rowan County Feud. To those looking at the exhibit it makes the parties
involved appear to be unsteady, gun brandishing, drunken brawlers ready to take on anyone who looks at them
the wrong way. With the feud starting on Election Day, it is evidence of why legislation for election laws was
put in place in later years. Rowan County was certainly not alone in the sleaze factor of local politics. By the
early 1900s there were 120 counties in Kentucky making it possible for 120 separate little political machines to
operate according to who had the power and the money. Political corruption will always be, in every society, I
suppose, but in more modern times it has to be conducted more creatively to skirt around the law.
The photos in this exhibit were quite interesting. The photos in many ways represent hard work,
determination, pride, deep rooted religious beliefs, and the love of community.
When I was a child, I remember eating at the Eagle’s Nest Restaurant. It hasn’t existed now for
many years but it used to be a very popular spot for business people, professionals and everyday working class
people to come together, enjoy a home cooked meal or a cup of coffee and great conversation.
The Kentucky Firebrick Company in Haldeman was a community in and of itself. My grandfather
worked there for 35 years. My dad’s older brother worked there for a time as well. There are a few remnants
of the brickyard in the community of Haldeman. I only know of it from what my dad has told me and in the
photos of its heyday which show hard working people making an honest living. Dad told me about how the
Company Store operated. Unfortunately many workers’ entire paychecks were owed to the Company Store for
the bartering of goods for their family. It seems contradictory because you see an honest day’s work in the
pictures, but it often was traded for items that were inflated in price to better suit the rich owners of the
company. My dad tells me that the first black person he ever saw was the butler for one of the
superintendents of the company. It was around 1945 when my dad was 15 years old. My grandfather struck a
friendship with him and brought him home (to the western part of bordering Carter County) for supper. After
supper they sang hymns. His name was Jason and he had moved to Rowan County from Pennsylvania with the
superintendent’s family. The rich bosses and the common workers play into the “us and them” trait and the
“Rot at the Top.” The pictures sure look wholesome and nostalgic, though.
I had also heard about the great flood of Rowan County but I honestly did not realize how horrific it
was until I viewed the photos in the exhibit. With it happening on the evening of July 4, 1939, only hours
before the devastation people were celebrating and merrymaking. Afterwards, folks came together to help
one another rebuild from the terrible loss. My dad tells me that they traveled to Morehead just after the
flood when he was nine years old. My grandparents paid their respects at a funeral parlor to some people they
knew who had perished in the flood.
I am most proud to be a citizen of Rowan County because of the contribution that women such as Cora
Wilson Stewart and Phoebe Button brought to this area with the beginning of the Moonlight School and
Morehead State Normal School and Teacher’s College. Later came Dr. Claire Louise Caudill, a dedicated and
compassionate doctor who made many house calls to the rural areas of Rowan County. Wow! Women breaking
educational ground in the early part of the twentieth century and a woman doctor during a time when it was a
man’s profession. Dr. Caudill, and Nurse Susie, it is said birthed half of Rowan County. I don’t know how true
that is but she delivered a lot of babies during her 50 plus years of practice. Two of those babies were my
younger brother who will be 40 next month and my son who is now almost 26 years old. These pioneering
women made their mark and continue it today. Morehead State University employs a large number of people in
Rowan and the surrounding counties and gives many rural area students of the region the opportunity to pursue
higher education either at the main campus or at one of the extended campuses. Saint Clair Regional Medical
Center that Dr. Caudill started also employs a great deal of the Rowan County citizens as well as citizens from
other surrounding counties and offers health care services to people of the region with out based clinics in
some of the surrounding counties.
Growing up here in Rowan County, I only recall two to three families of color. There were also some
faculty members of MSU but the county as a whole by far was predominantly Caucasian. This is reflected in
the photos of the exhibit. I don’t know if there were many non-Caucasians living in Rowan County in past times
besides Jason, the butler that I already mentioned. Obviously the few people of color weren’t photographed
much or written in historical documentation as illustrated in the exhibit.
Another set of photos that impressed me was the work in the Licking River area that eventually
became Cave Run Lake. Its purpose was to help with flooding but it came with both loss and gain. Many people
had farm land that they were forced to sell and relocate so that the lake could be formed. I remember my
dad taking me on Sunday afternoon drives when I was about eight to ten years old along the rural roads that
were to be totally submerged by the formation of the lake. I remember trying to imagine it all when he told
me that we were driving on roads that would soon be under water. Despite the relocation of many families,
most view the forming of Cave Run Lake as a positive factor. It brings in tourists, campers, fishing
tournaments and the like to the area which is great commercially and fiscally speaking.
Life is different in many ways in Rowan County. Business and industries have come gone. The railroad
has come and gone. Interstate 64 and other modern highways were built making access to other places an
easier task. Cave Run Lake was formed to alleviate flooding but brought with it tourist revenues. Educational
opportunities have opened up allowing more and more generations to have the opportunity for higher education.
Though Morehead and Rowan County have grown, its citizens still have many of the same basic beliefs
that their forefathers had. The logging industry is still prominent. Some of the lumber yard owners’ families
are still flourishing while the actual loggers work hard for little pay. It is still a region where higher education
is promoted. People still work hard for the American dream of owning land, having family, practicing their
faith and embracing community ties. The area is much more culturally diverse than in the past though
compared to many places it is still just a minute portion of the population.
Overall this exhibit was very educational for me since it caused me to reflect and to think in terms of
popular culture and its myths.