Museum Newsletter - 30 Oct 2010

Friends of the Bullitt County History Museum
E-Newsletter
October 30, 2010 (Volume 6, Number 11)

Dear Friends,

Announcements...

>>The Museum will be closed Tuesday November 2nd for Election Day. Be sure to vote, and vote wisely!

>>Bullitt Genealogical Society meeting November 20. Janet Hickey Upton will be the guest speaker. She will present a program about her Bullitt County family connections from her new book. Regular meeting location, Ridgway Memorial Library in Shepherdsville, located on Second Street near the railroad underpass.

>>Kentucky Historical Society Award. I am very happy to announce that we have won another state award. Volunteer Jose Rosario has been selected by the Kentucky Historical Society for an Award of Merit for his Henry Mattingly project. While researching Bullitt Countians in the Civil War, Jose discovered that Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient Henry Mattingly was buried in the Lebanon Junction Cemetery, but his grave was not properly marked. Jose saw to it that a new grave marker was placed and that it was properly marked as a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Jose went further, organizing an outstanding ceremony marking the occasion.

See this page and this page for some details.

Well, at an awards dinner Friday, November fifth, at the Old State Capital Building in Frankfort, Jose will be recognized for that work, along with other good people from around the state. I am so proud of the work being done by our great museum Volunteers! Though we are very small, this caliber of work is what makes us stand out statewide.

Congratulations to Jose! Thanks also to the many people in LJ and at Ft. Knox who helped make the Henry Mattingly project a success. And thanks to the Kentucky Historical Society for its work around the state. I see several more possibilities coming for us in next year's awards!

>>African-American School Input Needed. Volunteer and Genealogical Society President Daniel Buxton is doing research on the various African-American schools that once existed in Bullitt County. He asks everyone to send him any information, photos, etc. that you might have on that subject. You can either call him at the museum on Thursday mornings, or e-mail me or the museum and I'll forward it on to him.

Activity...

>> Donations. Barbara and Ken Bailey donated the book, "New Salem Baptist Church, Nelson County, 1801-1980". Judy Richardson bought and donated a portable project table for our research room. The Bullitt County Public Library donated several surplus books on Washington County. Our Kansas Friend, Helen Mathews, donated a massive red book on the McCubbin Family, "Nicholas McCubbin, 1780-1855, His Ancestors and Descendants", by Gleason Ross McCubbin. Thanks everyone, for your generosity!

>>Art Donation. Alma Lesch was a world renowned artist who lived in Shepherdsville. There are several references to her on our web site. Recently, museum Friend Dennis Shaffner donated a nicely-done copy of her work titled simply "Sallie". It is now hanging on display in one of our museum display rooms. At first glance, the wall hanging might be assumed to be just an inexpensive cloth print. But it is actually tightly woven with different color threads to create the image. Thank you Dennis for this gift, and for your ongoing work to see that Alma is properly remembered.

>>Web Site Additions. Follow this link to the page of Latest Additions.

>>Speaking of our web site, Joyce Barnett recently wrote these kind words of praise (in part): "I am very appreciative of all the mind-boggling work that this site demonstrates! A question crosses my mind during my historical search, I come to this site, and the answer is found in a wonderfully understandable format! I find myself using your site as a bench mark that other counties should strive to attain. I've been searching for one-room school houses and here was Pitts Point waiting for me to have a look! Your site transports me back in time and helps my ancestors talk to me. Thank you and all the staff for your uplifting work."

And thank you Joyce.

For Your Information...

>> Lebanon Junction FaceBook Site. For those of you that use FaceBook, there is a new Friend you should meet. Search FaceBook for "Lebanon Junction" and you'll find a new source of information and photos, as well as discussion opportunities, about Lebanon Junction in southern Bullitt County.

>>"Smart History". There is a new web site that attempts to be a new style of art history textbook, without the textbook. Using the web, with its multimedia opportunities, SmartHistory.org might be a valuable resource for art and history studies.

>> Google Books. I am only beginning to learn of all the free books on line through Google Books. Many, many books, such as the important "History of the First Brigade (The Orphan Brigade)", by Edward Porter Thompson, are entirely available on line. These books, which are past copy right protection because of their age or other factors, are freely available on line via www.books.google.com .

>>Sanborn Maps online. We have talked about the Sanborn maps before. We have several of them in our research room. These maps are fantastic resources. They are detailed and accurate plats of cities from the late 1800s into about 1940. Done every few years at the time, they can be especially useful to see how the towns change over time. For example, there was a big fire in Shepherdsville in 1927, if I recall correctly, at Second and Buckman (Main) Streets. Comparing the 1920 and 1930 maps dramatically shows the change. Once on line but lost for a while, they are again on line now at this site.

[David related an interesting description of horses, railroads, and the space shuttle in his newsletter. However, it appears that, while interesting enough, the tale doesn't ring quite true. To read about it, follow this link.]

Finally...

A Salute to Veterans on Veterans Day

World War One was known at the time as simply THE World War. It was viewed by many as the last Great War against evil and tyranny.

"The war to end all wars."

When the fighting ended, a special day was set aside to remember this special war. In 1919 Armistice Day, the day that the World War ended on November 11, was set as that special day of remembering all that was sacrificed, and all that was saved.

Sadly, we all know that war did not end that day. Within months after the armistice (which means "suspension of hostilities") battles broke out in Africa, governments were overthrown in South America, and Middle Easterners fought among themselves for territory.

The "War to End All Wars" did not end all wars.

"Armistice Day", became "Veterans Day", a day to remember all who have so bravely sacrificed so much in so many wars.

So we at the Bullitt County History Museum do remember, and are thankful.

And we honor those countless thousands of heroes who have made it possible for America to be America.

A Veteran's display exists at the museum, located in the county courthouse, remembering the eighteen young Bullitt County men who gave their lives in World War One. Last year we expanded that display to remember those who fought in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the current Middle Eastern wars.

God bless them and their families.

Remember our veterans this November 11.

Thank them, and honor them.

For it is by them that we are free.

Thank you for being a Friend of the Bullitt County History Museum.

David Strange
Bullitt County History Museum
Executive Director
Museum Phone: 502-921-0161
E-Mail address: David.Strange@BullittCountyHistory.org