The Bullitt County History Museum

It Happened in August

We will be looking back 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 years to see what was being printed in The Pioneer News in 2002, 1982, 1962, 1942 and 1922 in the month of August.

2002 - 20 Years Ago.


Kyle & Tashia

Kathi Roberts

Kathi Roberts was pictured practicing for her participation in the National Roller Skating Competition in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Cindy Foshee was a special teacher in many ways. She retired from Bernheim Middle after teaching special education for 27 years. She began at Shepherdsville Junior High in 1978, staying there until the school closed with its students moving to Bernheim.

Kyle Skidmore was recognized as the regional winner in the Courier-Journal FFA contest, and Tashia Rash was recognized as the regional winner in the Speciality Animal Production proficiency. Both were pictured as they attended the state FFA convention in Louisville.

Gerald and Glenna (Young) Smothers of Mt. Washington celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Another couple celebrating the same anniversary were Thomas and Patricia Ann (Wright) Cheney, also of Mt. Washington.

Bill Hardy presented Matt Drury the annual James W. Hardaway Memorial Scholarship which was set up by Hester Belle Hardaway in honor of her husband. Drury, a graduate of Bullitt Central, planned to attend University of Louisville.




Rachel Clayton


Jerry Bridwell

Rachel Clayton, valedictorian for Victory Christian Academy, earned four college scholarships including the Seabees Memorial Scholarship from the Navy.

The five and six year old members of the Mariners were all smiles as they were pictured following their victory in their division of the Mt. Washington Youth softball league. Members included Karlee Leonhardt, Jenna Lehring, Jacob Davis, Nikki Hinkley, Cody Jamison, Ezra Troutman, Nick Bomar, Kayla Raymer, Chris Ethridge, Morgan Raymer, Justin Maples, and Wesley Stearman. The head coach was Melissa Ethridge, assisted by Larry Raymer.

When Jerry Bridwell died in 2002, a long-standing tradition ended. In 1960 he was hired by then County Clerk T. L. Cook to maintain the voting machines. From that time until his death Jerry continued to do so with a dedication admired by each succeeding clerk and the staff members of the clerk's office.

Mt. Washington middle school students who were honored for their academic achievements included Patrick Buley, Tyler Hall, Celeste Bova, Christa Hedgespeth, Amber Colyer, Krista Davis, Amy Bailey, Elizabeth Weekman, Jordan Craddock and David McDaris.

Alexis Shay Bauman of Hillview qualified to compete in the 2002 Coca-Cola Talent Classic competition at the state fair.


Lions Club

Many members of the Shepherdsville Lions Club were pictured along with David Strange as he handed a check to Adrain Jones in support of Jones' effort of establishing Shepherd's Shelter, a temporary shelter for those in need.

Fifth-graders Lindsey Shepherd and Chelsea Yochum were pictured cleaning desks at Nichols Elementary as they helped prepare the school for opening day.


Lindsey & Chelsea

Emily & Sydney

Dwain Koch

At the 4-H Bicycle Safety Rodeo, Ethan Smith and Nick Wallace had the best scores in the 9-11 division, while Jessica Reed took first place in the 12-14 division.

Emily Ferry and Sydney Spicer were pictured petting a Latino Cockatiel at the Feathered Friends show at Paroquet Spring Conference Centre.

And who remembers dancing to the music played by Dwain Koch, a.k.a. Spongedaddy, at Bullitt Bowl?

1982 - 40 Years Ago.


Troy Gartner

Troy Gartner was pictured enjoying a hot dog at the Cedar Grove Vikings' sponsored festival in Lebanon Junction.

Clara Simmons of Pleasant Grove wrote that Mrs. Winnie (Jones) Bass celebrated her 95th birthday with friends and relatives stopping by to congratulate her. Mrs. Winnie would celebrate two more times before passing in June 1985. She was the widow of Elbert Bass.

Oretha Ridgway of Nichols reported that she, Clarence and June Dawson, Bobby and Janet Belcher, Hilda Thomas, Marvin Hopewell, Marlene Abell, Clayton Dawson, Lynda Able, Tony Able, Todd Keller and Christie Able spent a delightful Sunday at Bernheim Forest.

Grace Elden wrote that anyone interested in learning to do English smocking to contact Carol Jones or Mrs. Shelburne.

While all the correspondents were good at sharing their community's news, I have been particularly impressed by the columns of Lebanon Junction written by Ruth Owens.

For example, she thanked all the folks who helped make the pork chop barbeque at the elementary school a success. They included local merchants Lois Broadhurst of Belmont Food Mart, John Mullins of Mullins' Grocery, and Lynn Beets from Beets Trading Post. She also thanked Tommy Kappel for lending chairs, and school principal Bill Bishop for the use of the school parking lot.


Chester & Hazel

In another column she identifies folks in her community who are ill or suffering from accidents; shares about activities at several churches; talks about the Homemakers' Old Fashioned Day in the Park, describing the activities that will be there and giving contact information; promotes the upcoming Lions Club calendar; celebrates birthdays, talks about local sporting events, as well as someone who is starting a chess club; promotes St. Benedict's picnic, identifying by name the many folks who will be working it, and so on. It takes a lot of reaching out to be able to share this way, and again I'm impressed.

Chester and Hazel (Larimore) Troutman celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a reception at the Victory Church on Ridge Road.

When Hettie Elder of Harrisonville wrote to her sister Ora Proctor of Shepherdsville inquiring about how the new born baby was doing, she surely never expected it to be delivered to the very same baby some 68 years later. But the letter got misplaced along the way until Harley Proctor of Pleasant Grove received a surprise from the Cincinnati dead letter office. It was addressed to his mother, Ora Proctor, and dated March 5, 1914.


Doug Smith

Jason Bridwell

Were you one of the Cedar Grove Vikings pictured leading the parade down Buckman Street after winning the league championship?

Doug Smith was pictured working on his backstroke in the Shepherdsville pool.

Jason Bridwell seemed amused as he was greeted by his teacher at Roby on the first day of school, at least that is what staff photographer Carol Fetter thought when she took his picture.

The Hebron correspondent congratulated Ike Neal and Mattie Harris who were married in the Hebron Presbyterian Church.

And young ladies from all over the county were pictured as they prepared to compete for the title of Miss Bullitt County Junior Miss.

Pictured from left to right, row 1 - Cathy Clemons, Beth Beavers, Michele Perry, Larissa Wilson, Tracie Tabler, Donna Ricketts and Renee Hamilton; row 2 - Diane Banfield, Tammy Smith, Jenny Bowen, Danita Cobble, Kelly Mills, Laura Hughes, Patty Wick, Becky Hall, Karen Bleemel and Gwen Mattingly.

1962 - 60 Years Ago.


Jack Snyder

Pamela Lutes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Lutes of Mt. Washington, enacted the role of Frytania, the wicked fairy in the drama "Sleeping Beauty" in a performance by The Little Colonel Players at Pewee Valley.

While Mrs. Stottman was on vacation her volunteer replacements at the library were assisted by the regular group of high school girls including Rita Bentley, Sherry Hartlage, Linda Howlett, Judy Robards, Linda Tate, and Gail Becnel.

Jack Snyder of Owenton replaced J. B. Hockensmith as the Bullitt County Extension Agent.

Do you remember attending the free Sunday high school band concerts at Camp Crescendo?

Dan Moore, head football coach at S.H.S. announced that practice would begin August 13th.

James Robards received Grand Champion on his four year old guernsey at the District 4-H show at Shelbyville. Other ribbon winners from Bullitt County included Judy Robards, Charles Parris, Geneva Parris, Michael Heffley, Neal Armstrong, Stephen Tichenor, Sue Tichenor, Judy Isgrigg, Peggy Isgrigg, Ronnie Crouch, Henrietta Renile and David Bates.

Groundbreaking for the new People's Bank of Shepherdsville building took place in August on the lot purchased from the Masonic Lodge No. 183 on Buckman Street. Bank President Clarence Dawson and Directors Leo B. Dawson, C. Frye Haley, Stewart Beeler, M. J. Cundiff and Barrett Murray decided the bank had outgrown its current facility.

Stanley Lee, Wally's Body Shop, Culler's Restaurant, Cundiff's Standard Station, Herman & Betty Brown's Western Auto, Bullitt County Bank, Peoples Bank, Shepherdsville Drug Store and Hardy Super Market all pitched in to sponor the Shepherdsville fast pitch softball team. How many of those businesses do you remember?

They won two games against the Preston Street Club, led by the hitting of Bill Edwards, Jim Dorsey, Gerald Davis and Roger Croan. James Burden was the winning pitcher in both games.

The paper announced the death of Ora L. Roby, former teacher and school superintendent, for whom Roby Elementary is named.

Cora Ney Hardy returned to Shepherdsville on a year furlough from her position as principal of a Baptist Girl's School in a suburb of the capital of Nigeria in Africa.

Superintendent Thomas S. Jeffries, Mr. & Mrs. M. L. Major, Mrs. Mary McClure, Mrs. Alice Harned, and Mrs. Hattie Halk attended the KEA leadership conference at Richmond.

As schools prepared to begin the new school year, two additional services were identified as Frank Hatfield would be the visiting teacher and director of transportation while Louise Terry would be in charge of elementary libraries at Overdale and Nichols.

Mrs. Mary B. Wise would be the head teacher at Belmont, William Lee at Cedar Grove, Woodrow Masden would be principal at Nichols, George Valentine at Lebanon Junction, C. L. Francis at Mt. Washington, Raymond Terry at Overdale, Billy Horrell at Roby, and W. G. Wells at Shepherdsville with Charles Herrick his assistant.

The Hebron correspondent wrote that John and Mary Dell Myers were vacationing in Michigan. Wonder how many fish they caught?

And Fletch Hagan would sell you a round steak for 79ยข a pound and 4 lbs. of sliced bacon for $1.79 along with an extra 350 Top Value stamps if you clipped the coupons from his newspaper ad.

1942 - 80 Years Ago.

In Mt. Washington news, Miss Jane Hall, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Hall, and Pvt. Vernon Moore, son of Mrs. Georgia Moore, were married at the Baptist Church with Miss Hall's pastor, M. D. Allen of the Methodist Church, officiating. The matron of honor was Mrs. Jerry Bridwell, sister of the bride. The best man was Bryant Moore, Vernon's brother.

A second marriage reported by the Mt. Washington correspondent was that of Miss Austine Armstrong to John Robert Jasper at the Baptist Church officiated by the pastor Rev. Noah Benningfield.

The war effort included salvaging scrap metal and other things, and Bullitt County had its own salvage committee that was directed by Jack Barnes. Its members included A. L. Isham, Maynard Jasper, Marvin R. Porter, W. W. Smothers, A. R. Hawkins Jr., T. C. Carroll, S. Neil Brooks, Floyd E. Patterson, James A. Hayes, Hyte Rouse Jr., Jack Raley, William Masden, and Jerry Beam.

William McFarland of Shepherdsville weighed 288 pounds when he enlisted in the army, but reported he was losing weight rapidly. McFarland volunteered on his 17th wedding anniversary after serving as county school superintendant for eight years. He had also been a member of the All-Southern football team in 1923.

In Lebanon Junction news, little Mackie Cahoe spent three weeks with his aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Otho Quick. Also, Dick Jackson broke both arms and was rushed to a Louisville hospital by his father, Neal Jackson.

Tom Hoagland and sons of Bardstown Junction brought a 21 ounce potato to town, claiming it to be the largest grown in Bullitt County.

Henry Z. Hardaway, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Hardaway, accepted a job in New York City with Southern Bell.

Miss Juanita Patterson spent the weekend with her parents and friends in Shepherdsville. She recently accepted a position with the Naval Ammunition Depot in Indiana.

In the Belmont column the sick list included Martha Stansberry, Kate Snellen, Minnie Coakley, Nannie Wineholder, Lizzie Raley, and Sue Engle.

The County Board of Education selected Raymond Field as principal of Mt. Washington High School, and Foster J. Sanders as Shepherdsville High School's principal.

Mrs. Nell Miller, a resident of the Hebron District, was selected to teach the upper grades at Pleasant Grove.

Mr. and Mrs. James F. Dragoo celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary at their home with family and friends. James and Nannie (Lamb) Dragoo were married in Bullitt County on 16 Aug 1892.

A weekly column titled "This Week on the Home Front" mentioned that the post office was now delivering mail overseas via what they called V-Mail (Victory Mail) in which the writer used a special paper to write their letters which were then microfilmed onto rolls that could carry 1,500 letters per film, greatly reducing the size and weight of the transported mail. The delivered microfilm was then used to print out copies of the letters which were then delivered to their recipients.

The Cedar Grove correspondent reported that "Pvt. Ernest Young was in Washington the last we heard from him," echoing a concern for the well-being of the many local men who were scattered around the nation and world engaged in the war effort.

1922 - 100 Years Ago.

In a big announcement about the upcoming Bullitt County Fair, the fair officers were named: Frank Bell, President; Henry Shafer, Vice President; H. H. Combs, Treasurer; and J. W. Barrall, Secretary.

Miss Edna Brooks entertained her Sunday School class with a picnic at Brooks Run Bridge.

Chester Hill of Chapeze advertised about 5,000 good tobacco sticks that he would sell cheap.

Charles and Margaret (Hardesty) Daniel, two graduates of Shepherdsville High School, were on their way back to Florida where Charles was the head of a school in Homestead.

C. P. J. Mooney Jr. of Memphis was the guest of friends in Bullitt County this week. He was on his way to Chicago and stopped over at the Mooney farm at Bardstown Junction for a few days.

Ben Magruder's barn, out near Deatsville, was destroyed by a bolt of lightning.

Following cases in Bullitt Quarterly Court, W. R. Brents' Ford touring car and Joe Gilbert's Hudson were both sold at auction by Sheriff A. L. Roby. Seems both had been used to transport illegal intoxicating spirits.

A. R. Fiedler advertised, "I am now making Pure Ice at my New Ice Factory in Lebanon Junction. Small or large orders filled promptly. Special rates for full blocks and over; can fill orders for any amount."

The Hebron correspondent reported that Mary C. Holsclaw, Ethel Prather and Imogene Cooper would soon return from Bowling Green where they were in school. They wrote to her that Professor Sanders was a very popular man at the Normal School.

In Pleasant Grove news, J. W. Lloyd and wife were guests of Will King near Mt. Washington; Mrs. Matt Bleemel and son spent a day with her sister, Mrs. Will Gentry of Bethel; and Ollie Harding and family spent a Sunday with her sister, Mrs. Will Buffin of Bethel.

The paper announced the death of P. H. Quick, a local farmer. He died at his home about two miles southwest of Salt River Station. He left a wife, two sons, Otha Quick of Lebanon Junction, and George Quick of Ohio, three brothers, Johnathan Quick of Nebraska, and Thomas and E. G. Quick of Bullitt County.

Mrs. Sue Rummage reported losing a double case gold watch at the fairgrounds.

The week before the fair, Jess and Stella (Daniel) Buky and family, and Mack Weller and wife returned to town for a visit from Florida and were well received by former neighbors.

And Col. J. E. Magruder, former member of the County School Board, installed a radio receiving station in his Salt River store and got everything from the Courier-Journal broadcasting station from a jazz musical number to a real sermon by Dr. Welch. This was probably the first receiving station in the County.


The Bullitt County History Museum, a service of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is located in the county courthouse at 300 South Buckman Street (Highway 61) in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. The museum, along with its research room, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday appointments are available by calling 502-921-0161 during our regular weekday hours. Admission is free. The museum, as part of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and is classified as a 509(a)2 public charity. Contributions and bequests are deductible under section 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code. Page last modified: 13 Jan 2024 . Page URL: bullittcountyhistory.org/happened/aug2022.html