Pewee Valley Historical Society Events 2016
New Exhibits at the Pewee Valley Museum
The Pewee Valley Museum has a new look with 17 new photos posted of important people and places in our town's history. Pewee Valley Historical Society member Shelley Schippert designed the new signage, which includes QR codes for smart phones to take visitors interested in "the rest of the story" directly to the correct page on the society's website.
Also on display are many postal artifacts gathered from several different sources. In October, Pewee Valley Postmaster Andrea Braden loaned the museum 1950s-era hand cancellation apparatus, a hand-turn cancelling machine, a wooden cash drawer and a cash book signed by, among others, Louise Herdt "Sis" Marker. In addition, two exhibit cases are filled with artifacts culled from the city's archives at Town Hall and donations/loans from:
Also on display are many postal artifacts gathered from several different sources. In October, Pewee Valley Postmaster Andrea Braden loaned the museum 1950s-era hand cancellation apparatus, a hand-turn cancelling machine, a wooden cash drawer and a cash book signed by, among others, Louise Herdt "Sis" Marker. In addition, two exhibit cases are filled with artifacts culled from the city's archives at Town Hall and donations/loans from:
- William Lee Smith (a book of 1970 postal covers collected by his mother Cornelia Synder Smith, Pewee Valley Postmaster from 1944-1961)
- Doris Stoess. retired Post Office employee (Pewee Valley souvenir postcards from the 1970 Centennial Celebration and a caboose supporter tag)
- Mike Thompson (Pewee Valley catcher pouch dated June 1956 used when the city's mail was delivered by train saved by his grandfather Matthews Fletcher, Pewee Valley Postmaster from 1963-1982)
- D.D. Hendrickson, Pewee Valley Postmaster from 1983-2001 (her parents' postoffice box from the original post office on Central Avenue and a variety of locks, keys, postal related banks, small postal scales and very old apron used by postal employees)
- Donna Russell (a collection of photos and artifacts from W.N. Jurey, who built the Little Colonel Playhouse and was Pewee Valley Postmaster from 1893-1897; postcards and covers associated with Fannie Craig, the Little Colonel stories and the Kentucky Confederate Home)
Special Thanks to Everyone Who Helped Make the Mail Crane Dedication a Success
Pewee Valley Historical Society
* Jana Brizendine, who passed out programs at the event. * Angela Lasseigne, who worked with South Oldham High School's chorus to recruit the two very talented young ladies who sang the national anthem at the ceremony and rounded up the Fletcher gang to make sure they were on time for the dedication. * Brad and Pat Palmer, who cleaned up Town Square for the ceremony; assisted with the set up and breakdown at the event; put together an exhibit case of postal-related artifacts at the museum; provided a bird cage hanger for displaying the catcher pouch; and addressed the invitations. * President Suzanne Schimpeler, who developed the program for the dedication ceremony, placed promotional posters around town, took photographs, and helped with the artifacts on loan from the Pewee Valley Post Office at the museum. * Norman Schippert, who provided the sound system for the dedication ceremony and staffed the museum the day of the event. * Shelley Schippert, who designed the invitation, posters and program for the event; and worked directly with the Pewee Valley post office and US Postal Service to design the special Mail by Rail Station Cancellation and commemorative post card. |
Pewee Valley City Council and Employees
* Mayor Bob Rogers, who gave the historical society the go ahead to restore the crane, helped erect it in Town Square, and emceed the dedication ceremony.
* Glen Rowland, who served as a liaison with Allgeier Welding in Crestwood, helped erect the crane in Town Square, blocked off the street for the ceremony, and assisted with the event setup and breakdown.
* City Clerk Laura Eichenberger who helped pull the invitation list together, sent out email invitations, and posted information about the event on the city's website.
Pewee Valley Post Office
* Postmaster Andrea Braden, who made the crane dedication a major event by offering a special Mail By Rail Cancellation. In addition, she put together the list of past and present postal employees and recruited a crew to help with the actual cancellations after the dedication ceremony.
* Randi Cross, Postmaster of Pewee Valley from 2003 – 2013, who helped with the cancellations.
* Sharon Elder, Retired Clerk, who worked at the Pewee Valley Post Office from 2000-2013 and helped with the cancellations.
Call of the Pewee
* Editor Paula Kennedy, who promoted the event in the September 2016 issue.
* Mayor Bob Rogers, who gave the historical society the go ahead to restore the crane, helped erect it in Town Square, and emceed the dedication ceremony.
* Glen Rowland, who served as a liaison with Allgeier Welding in Crestwood, helped erect the crane in Town Square, blocked off the street for the ceremony, and assisted with the event setup and breakdown.
* City Clerk Laura Eichenberger who helped pull the invitation list together, sent out email invitations, and posted information about the event on the city's website.
Pewee Valley Post Office
* Postmaster Andrea Braden, who made the crane dedication a major event by offering a special Mail By Rail Cancellation. In addition, she put together the list of past and present postal employees and recruited a crew to help with the actual cancellations after the dedication ceremony.
* Randi Cross, Postmaster of Pewee Valley from 2003 – 2013, who helped with the cancellations.
* Sharon Elder, Retired Clerk, who worked at the Pewee Valley Post Office from 2000-2013 and helped with the cancellations.
Call of the Pewee
* Editor Paula Kennedy, who promoted the event in the September 2016 issue.
Pewee Valley Historical Society Meeting Agenda
Wednesday, October 5, 2016 at Town Hall
Wednesday, October 5, 2016 at Town Hall
- Website Progress Report:
- Call of the Pewee: 1969-1998 scanned; digital uploads of 2008-2015 completed. Nine years left.
- New Pages: Mail By Rail, Pewee Valley: Land of the Little Colonel published by Katie S. Smith in 1974, Fox Film Scrapbook
- Museum Exhibits: One of the exhibit cases currently displaying City of Pewee Valley artifacts will be changed out to include new additions to the collection including Little Colonel post cards, other post cards, Antiquitates Peweeji, the Sunday Magazine section from the City’s Centennial in 1970, etc. New historic artifacts from the Pewee Valley Post Office on loan to the Pewee Valley Museum include an old locking wooden cash drawer, hand cancellation apparatus, old crank cancellation machine, old cash books from the 1950s. Thanks to Andrea Braden for making them available.
- Museum Photos: We are trying to get the 20 new signs we have budgeted for 2016 made in time for the Mail By Rail event October 22. Suzanne and Donna recommend concentrating on public places and people, rather than homes, for FY 2016. Next fiscal year, we can use three old windows from the Edgewood porch added during the Sedley era to display home photos from the historic districts. The recommendations for 2016 are at the bottom of the agenda.
- Status Report on Beeches State Historic Marker: Becky Riddle with the Kentucky State Historical Society says that as of September 1, they finished the state procurement process for the marker manufacturer and awarded the contract to a new foundry they’ve never worked with before. The marker will not be ready until January or February. We are looking at a dedication event in March 2017. Nancy Theiss at the Oldham County Historical is in charge of planning the event.
- Kentucky Oral History Commission Grant: We are going to submit our grant for Carl Haunz and Charlie Thompson in the next grant cycle, which will be due in March.
- Small Museum Grant Application: Donna Russell and Jonathan Noffke are working on the grant for Kentucky Confederate Home signage in Central Park.
- Up-to-Date Photos of all Historic Homes in Pewee Valley: Our new City Councilwoman, Dr. Michele Pisano, along with her husband, Bob, has volunteered to help with this project and take photos of the National Register properties. We still need volunteers for grave sites in Floydsburg and Cave Hill.
- Mail by Rail Event: Media release attached.
Dedication Draft Program:
Town Hall Bell Peals 12 Times at Noon
Posting of the Colors by Boy Scout Troop (St. Al’s Unit)
Patriotic Song by St. Al’s Choral Group
Master of Ceremonies, Mayor Bob Rogers:
Pledge of Allegiance
Welcoming Remarks
Recognition of Descendants of Matthews Fletcher
Recognition of Past Mayors
Recognition of Other Dignitaries
Recognition of Allgeier Welding
Introduction of Town Historian
Town Historian, Donna Russell:
The Role Trains Played in Pewee Valley's Mail Delivery from 1856-1968
Postmaster Andrea L. Braden:
Recognition of Past and Present Post Office Employees
Explanation of Special Cancellation and Post Card
Recognition of Pewee Valley Artist Shelley Schippert
Railroad Song by St. Al’s Choral Group
Master of Ceremonies: Thank-you for Attending and Plug for Pewee Valley Arts & Crafts Day
2016 Photo Recommendations for Museum
- Annie Fellows Johnston, three images, 1 sign
- The Old Mill (in deference to gift of millstone from Herdt family)
- Pewee Valley Hospital Post Card 1
- Confederate Vet with WW1 Soldier on Motorcycle Outside Foleys Store (to go with the rest of the Kentucky Confederate Home images on West Wall – in deference to Sis Marker, who donated the photo)
- Jennie Casseday Rest Cottage Post Card in Color326
- Burge House Delacoosha to be combined with images of Mt. Mercy Camp & Boarding School
- Kentucky College for Young Ladies Building
- Henry S. Smith, City Founder
- Kate Matthews, two images, 1 sign
- Little Colonel with Fritz
- Blacksmith with Circus Poster and Blacksmith’s Wife (in deference to Herdt Family)
- Mt Mercy Drive in Pewee Valley 1977 (the Mayor likes this one)
- Downtown Pewee Valley Post Card 1910
- Train Depot, 2 images, 1 sign (train depot & train station Ross Collection)
- Interurban Station
- Little Colonel Playhouse/Jurey’s Store and Million’s Grocery Store, 2 images, 1 sign
- Sweet Shop
- Pewee Valley Presbyterian Church Interior & Exterior
- St. James Episcopal Church Interior & Exterior
- St. Aloysius Golden Jubilee
Pewee Valley Historical Society Meeting Minutes
September 7, 2016 at Town Hall
NEXT MEETING SET FOR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 6 P.M., TOWN HALL
September 7, 2016 at Town Hall
NEXT MEETING SET FOR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 6 P.M., TOWN HALL
Attending: Pat Palmer, June Kramer, Bob Ernst, Sally Tanselle, Norman Schippert, Shelley Schippert, Suzanne Schimpeler, Donna Russell
Old Business
Website Progress Report:
www.littlecolonel.com: Norman Schippert reported that he has set up a beta site for converting littlecolonel.com from FrontPage to Drupal, which is very similar to WordPress. The site has thousands of pages and will take some time to convert. The new site will be hosted at Bluegrass.net.
Museum Photos: Final recommendations in Dropbox. Cost per each 2-ft. by 2-ft. sign, printed on vinyl, mounted on black Sintra and laminated to protect from UV fade is estimated at $30.74 by Signarama Northeast off Collins Lane. We have 70+ photos and need to cull them down to 20 for this fiscal year. The mayor has asked that the signs be posted in the museum in time for the Yule Log in December. We will make final recommendations at our next meeting in October and Donna Russell will prepare the captions.
Tours: Offering regular tours will be difficult, given the small number of volunteers in the Historical Society. House tours offer their own special set of problems, including what to do with family members while the tour is going on. The group recommended that we consider a Halloween Cemetery Tour in 2017. For this year, as a fundraiser, we could sell a calendar highlighting some of our historic images and request pre-orders. That way, we would be assured of making money on it.
Metal Signage: Shelley Schippert reported that metal signs for individual homes can be very expensive. Cast aluminum signs run about $1,149, while bronze signs run $1,649, plus an additional $175 for a wooden post. A less expensive alternative would be metal signs like the one on Ash Avenue marking the Washburne-Swan house. Those are printed both sides and can be mounted in a variety of ways. Shelley would like to create an attractive design for the signs that harmonizes with the town’s rural feel and with existing signage such as the wooden “Land of the Little Colonel” signs on Hwy. 146. The Historical Society could then make them available to homeowners willing to pay for them. Mayor Bob Rogers is interested in looking into the signage currently being used in Anchorage to mark their historic districts.
Status Report on Beeches State Historic Marker: Nothing to report at this time.
STILL NEED A COPY OF THE 1970 CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION VIDEO FOR DIGITIZING: We already ran a request in the Call of the Pewee, but probably need to do it again.
New Business
Mail by Rail Event: Mike Thompson, grandson of Mackey Fletcher, former PV Postmaster, donated the 19th century cast iron mail crane from the Pewee Valley Train Depot to the City. It is now at Allgeier Welding in Crestwood for sandblasting, repair and painting at an estimated cost of $495. Mike also donated a vintage catcher pouch from Pewee (the mail bag used with the crane in the mail by rail system) and it is now at the museum. The crane, when completed, will be erected near the caboose in town square.
A special 15-20 minute dedication event in conjunction with the Pewee Valley Post Office is being planned for Saturday, October 22 at noon during the Arts & Crafts Fair. Bob Rogers, Andrea Braden and possibly Greg Rose to speak. Mackey Fletcher’s descendants to be recognized. Invitations to past and present post office employees (including Doris Stoess and Sis Marker who were both working at the P.O. when the mail was still being delivered by train), political dignitaries, Ekstrom Library (Kate Matthews Collection people), Oldham County Historical Society, local train enthusiast groups, Steve Lock (creator of littlecolonel.com), the Allgeiers who are restoring the crane, CSX representatives, local media, etc. Media releases to local TV stations, Courier-Journal neighborhoods, Oldham Era, Roundabout, Filson Historical Society, brokensidewalk.com, Oldham County Public Schools, Louisville Historic League. More specifics at our next meeting.
After the dedication, Andrea Braden and her staff will sell Shirley Temple stamps, a special Mail by Rail Station cancellation mark designed by our own Shelley Schippert, and a commemorative post card (also designed by Shelley). The special cancellation will be available in the Museum after the dedication. The museum will be open that day from 11 a.m.-2p.m. (closing briefly for the dedication ceremony). Andrea will also make the special cancellation available at the Pewee Valley Post Office for up to 30 days after the event.
A page about Mail by Rail is being added to the website, and although far from finished, includes a video from the Library of Congress, showing how the crane and catcher pouch worked: http://www.peweevalleyhistory.org/mail-by-rail.html
Kentucky Oral History Commission Grant: Draft applications for grants are due Sept. 30. Suzanne has requested assistance with writing the grant from Laura Eichenberger, and Bethany Major has agreed to ask Mayor Bob Rogers when it will be convenient for Suzanne to work with her. Suzanne suggested interviewing Carl Haunz, because of the old historic sites on his property (Rock Springs Hotel, stage coach road and the Wesley Chapel, where Peweeans went to school at one time), plus his role in developing the Pewee Valley Fire Department; and Charlie Thompson, who knows the story of the raid on the Town and Country Diner once located on Hwy. 146. Long-term, other potential people to interview include Bert and Doris Stoess, David Gleason (grew up and still lives in Tanglewood), Patti Beth Parrish Miller (grew up in Confederate Home Laundry), Virginia Turner, one of the Hinkles in Rollington, Suzy or Joanie Walser (Oaklea).
Transcription: WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS WHO CAN WORK INDEPENDENTLY AND TRANSCRIBE THE ORAL HISTORIES CURRENTLY POSTED ON THE WEBSITE. This work can be done at home on your own schedule. Professional transcription services are extremely expensive.
Small Museum Grant Application: We are going to request interpretative signage about the Kentucky Confederate Home for erection in Central Park on the old drive to the Home. Donna Russell will work with Jonathan Noffke on vendor/cost estimate. The grant application must be turned in on Friday, Oct. 14, 2016.
Up-to-Date Photos of all Historic Homes in Pewee Valley: With the weather improving, now is the time to try to photograph our National Register district buildings and homes. Many of them have not been photographed since the National Register applications were submitted in 1989. Our new City Councilwoman, Dr. Michele Pisano, along with her husband, Bob, has volunteered to help with this project and take photos of the National Register properties and other specific locations. We still need volunteers for grave sites in Floydsburg and Cave Hill.
Old Business
Website Progress Report:
- Reference Materials Added: Antiquitates Peweeji; Town Incorporation 1870 and amendments in 1872 and 1890; 1970 Centennial materials; Pewee Valley Cemetery East records 1872-1913; 35 Landmark Homes of Pewee Valley; PV Presbyterian 100th Anniversary; Mrs. Annie Fellows Johnston’s Real People picture folio; Historic Pewee Valley; Pewee Valley Growing Strong. Suzanne Schimpeler is still trying to get permission from Jack Smith (son of Katie S. Smith) and his brother to publish her copyrighted 1974 Bicentennial fundraiser, “Pewee Valley: Land of the Little Colonel”; Town Clerk Laura Eichenberger will email Henry with a reminder about allowing the Historical Society to scan his copy of the “Beautiful Pewee Valley” book, which includes many more homes than what is currently posted to the website.
- Maps – subdivision maps (with dates) have been added, starting with Tuliphurst subdivision in 1955
- Call of the Pewee: 1969-1991 scanned; digital uploads of 2013-2015 completed. Thanks to Angela Lasseigne, Ann Kyser and Donna Russell for their work over the summer. Pat Palmer, Jana Brizendine, June Kramer, Ann and Donna volunteered to help get this project completed over the next few months.
- New Pages: Town Hall; Post Office; Schuler House; Sweet Shop; Villa Ridge School; Caboose; Judge Peter B. Muir, Edwin Bryant, all National Register properties have at least pictures posted; lots of additional information on PV Cemetery, including the grave of the notorious Monte Guess, and on The Locust
www.littlecolonel.com: Norman Schippert reported that he has set up a beta site for converting littlecolonel.com from FrontPage to Drupal, which is very similar to WordPress. The site has thousands of pages and will take some time to convert. The new site will be hosted at Bluegrass.net.
Museum Photos: Final recommendations in Dropbox. Cost per each 2-ft. by 2-ft. sign, printed on vinyl, mounted on black Sintra and laminated to protect from UV fade is estimated at $30.74 by Signarama Northeast off Collins Lane. We have 70+ photos and need to cull them down to 20 for this fiscal year. The mayor has asked that the signs be posted in the museum in time for the Yule Log in December. We will make final recommendations at our next meeting in October and Donna Russell will prepare the captions.
Tours: Offering regular tours will be difficult, given the small number of volunteers in the Historical Society. House tours offer their own special set of problems, including what to do with family members while the tour is going on. The group recommended that we consider a Halloween Cemetery Tour in 2017. For this year, as a fundraiser, we could sell a calendar highlighting some of our historic images and request pre-orders. That way, we would be assured of making money on it.
Metal Signage: Shelley Schippert reported that metal signs for individual homes can be very expensive. Cast aluminum signs run about $1,149, while bronze signs run $1,649, plus an additional $175 for a wooden post. A less expensive alternative would be metal signs like the one on Ash Avenue marking the Washburne-Swan house. Those are printed both sides and can be mounted in a variety of ways. Shelley would like to create an attractive design for the signs that harmonizes with the town’s rural feel and with existing signage such as the wooden “Land of the Little Colonel” signs on Hwy. 146. The Historical Society could then make them available to homeowners willing to pay for them. Mayor Bob Rogers is interested in looking into the signage currently being used in Anchorage to mark their historic districts.
Status Report on Beeches State Historic Marker: Nothing to report at this time.
STILL NEED A COPY OF THE 1970 CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION VIDEO FOR DIGITIZING: We already ran a request in the Call of the Pewee, but probably need to do it again.
New Business
Mail by Rail Event: Mike Thompson, grandson of Mackey Fletcher, former PV Postmaster, donated the 19th century cast iron mail crane from the Pewee Valley Train Depot to the City. It is now at Allgeier Welding in Crestwood for sandblasting, repair and painting at an estimated cost of $495. Mike also donated a vintage catcher pouch from Pewee (the mail bag used with the crane in the mail by rail system) and it is now at the museum. The crane, when completed, will be erected near the caboose in town square.
A special 15-20 minute dedication event in conjunction with the Pewee Valley Post Office is being planned for Saturday, October 22 at noon during the Arts & Crafts Fair. Bob Rogers, Andrea Braden and possibly Greg Rose to speak. Mackey Fletcher’s descendants to be recognized. Invitations to past and present post office employees (including Doris Stoess and Sis Marker who were both working at the P.O. when the mail was still being delivered by train), political dignitaries, Ekstrom Library (Kate Matthews Collection people), Oldham County Historical Society, local train enthusiast groups, Steve Lock (creator of littlecolonel.com), the Allgeiers who are restoring the crane, CSX representatives, local media, etc. Media releases to local TV stations, Courier-Journal neighborhoods, Oldham Era, Roundabout, Filson Historical Society, brokensidewalk.com, Oldham County Public Schools, Louisville Historic League. More specifics at our next meeting.
After the dedication, Andrea Braden and her staff will sell Shirley Temple stamps, a special Mail by Rail Station cancellation mark designed by our own Shelley Schippert, and a commemorative post card (also designed by Shelley). The special cancellation will be available in the Museum after the dedication. The museum will be open that day from 11 a.m.-2p.m. (closing briefly for the dedication ceremony). Andrea will also make the special cancellation available at the Pewee Valley Post Office for up to 30 days after the event.
A page about Mail by Rail is being added to the website, and although far from finished, includes a video from the Library of Congress, showing how the crane and catcher pouch worked: http://www.peweevalleyhistory.org/mail-by-rail.html
Kentucky Oral History Commission Grant: Draft applications for grants are due Sept. 30. Suzanne has requested assistance with writing the grant from Laura Eichenberger, and Bethany Major has agreed to ask Mayor Bob Rogers when it will be convenient for Suzanne to work with her. Suzanne suggested interviewing Carl Haunz, because of the old historic sites on his property (Rock Springs Hotel, stage coach road and the Wesley Chapel, where Peweeans went to school at one time), plus his role in developing the Pewee Valley Fire Department; and Charlie Thompson, who knows the story of the raid on the Town and Country Diner once located on Hwy. 146. Long-term, other potential people to interview include Bert and Doris Stoess, David Gleason (grew up and still lives in Tanglewood), Patti Beth Parrish Miller (grew up in Confederate Home Laundry), Virginia Turner, one of the Hinkles in Rollington, Suzy or Joanie Walser (Oaklea).
Transcription: WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS WHO CAN WORK INDEPENDENTLY AND TRANSCRIBE THE ORAL HISTORIES CURRENTLY POSTED ON THE WEBSITE. This work can be done at home on your own schedule. Professional transcription services are extremely expensive.
Small Museum Grant Application: We are going to request interpretative signage about the Kentucky Confederate Home for erection in Central Park on the old drive to the Home. Donna Russell will work with Jonathan Noffke on vendor/cost estimate. The grant application must be turned in on Friday, Oct. 14, 2016.
Up-to-Date Photos of all Historic Homes in Pewee Valley: With the weather improving, now is the time to try to photograph our National Register district buildings and homes. Many of them have not been photographed since the National Register applications were submitted in 1989. Our new City Councilwoman, Dr. Michele Pisano, along with her husband, Bob, has volunteered to help with this project and take photos of the National Register properties and other specific locations. We still need volunteers for grave sites in Floydsburg and Cave Hill.
Pewee Valley Historical Society Meeting Minutes
May 2, 2016, 6:00 p.m., Town Hall
May 2, 2016, 6:00 p.m., Town Hall
Attending: Suzanne Schimpeler, Donna Russell, Jana Brizendine Ornstein, Joanie Walser, Sally Tanselle, Angela Lasseigne, Shelley Schippert, Bob and Teresa Ernst, Bethany Major, Pat Palmer, Ann Kyser
Pewee Valley Cemetery East: Suzanne Schimpeler gave a report on the cemetery restoration project. A $60,000 grant application was submitted to the Gheens Foundation last year to fund the work Corn Island Archeology Group needs to accomplish to locate the graves in the cemetery. It was turned down in favor of other projects more in keeping with the foundation’s humanitarian mission; however, we were invited to submit the grant again in the future. Suzanne stated that they are rethinking the grant application process and looking for an African-American foundation, such as the NAACP, that would have the money to finance both the pre-project work (archeology/grave location) and the restoration work that would follow it.
Oldham County History Center Plans: Donna Russell reported that the Oldham County History Center renovation is well underway and plans for the museum include a first-floor Pewee Valley exhibit on the South Staircase Wall. The exhibit will focus on the Little Colonel and the Kentucky Confederate Home. Little Colonel books will be on display. There will be paper dolls from the Little Colonel Doll Book for children to manipulate. There will be an enlarged copy of the Little Colonel Driving Guide showing who the characters in the book were in real life, a graphic of Annie Fellows Johnston, the original letter to Fox Film from the Little Colonel Movie Scrapbook, a large graphic of the library at the Confederate Home and a desk where visitors can read the home’s newsletter, The Confederate Messenger. Donna is working with Nancy to supply some of the background materials and graphics for the exhibit.
Little Colonel Tours offered through the Oldham County Tourism: Donna Russell reported that Nancy Theiss at the Oldham County History Center has been offering several different types of historical tours through Oldham County Tourism, including one of the Confederate Burying Ground at Pewee Valley Cemetery. These tours are a way to raise money. The group voted unanimously to work with Tourism on developing a Little Colonel Tour of Pewee Valley. Donna will contact Kim Buckler at OC Tourism to learn what this will entail and will develop the draft tour for consideration by the PV Historical Society. PV Historical Society members will serve as docents after they receive appropriate training.
State Historical Society Marker at The Beeches: Donna Russell erroneously reported that the marker will be placed on June 6 at The Beeches. It will actually be placed at noon on Wednesday, July 6. The marker was funded by OC Tourism and its location was selected by the Oldham County Historical Society. Tourism funds placement of one marker per year in the county at a cost per each of about $2,400. Nancy Theiss is still working on the event and is meeting with an Annie Fellows Johnston re-enactor and expert from Western Kentucky University, Sue Lynn McDaniel, in May to finalize the day’s events. A luncheon celebration is planned after the ceremony at the 314 Exchange. Her best guestimate of the cost at present is $20 per person.
Historic House Signage Maintenance: Bethany Major discussed maintenance of the wooden historic signs that were part of the 2007 Little Colonel Tour Event. Suzanne Schimpeler stated that the signs were paid for by the Oldham County Historical Society and she has a list of the signs that were placed. No maintenance plans were established for them. Jana Ornstein said she spraypainted hers and it looks great. However, in some locations, the signs are gone, rotten or placed where they cannot be seen (e.g. behind a fence). Bethany will head up a group to include Pat Palmer and Suzanne Schimpeler to explore more permanent, maintenance-free metal signage and to expand the signage project to other National Historic Register properties not associated with the Little Colonel stories. The group will also explore the cost of placing an explanatory sign, with photos, in Central Park about the Kentucky Confederate Home.
Website Update: Donna Russell reported that work on the PV Historical Society website is proceeding and a lot of new information has been posted with much more to come. She is working this week at the Oldham County History Center on scanning images from their collection to add to the site, including the Fox Film Movie Scrapbook, images from their 1996 book “History & Families of Oldham County; The First Century 1824-1924; and images from the 1991 Historic Pewee Valley book. She recently procured the notes from historian Carolyn Brooks, who wrote the nominations for the National Register of Historic Places historic districts in the mid-1980s. The notes included a partial photocopy of “Beautiful Pewee Valley,” published ca. 1910 by Powhatan Wooldridge and George R. Washburne. Joanie Walser stated that the book as posted now is missing some pages and that Henry has a complete photocopy. She will work with him to procure it for scanning. Donna could use assistance with the following:
Anyone who wants to volunteer to help with either of these projects? Call her at 741-1007.
Potential Relationship with Steve Lock, www.littlecolonel.com: The group voted to investigate what resources will be required to take over the littlecolonel.com domain. Shelley Schippert suggested working with Norman Schippert of Bluegrass.Net to see what he would recommend and if any assistance with the project would be available through his company. The site is written in FrontPage and ideally should be converted to weebly, so all city websites are on the same platform. The group also wants to pursue displaying Steve Lock’s collection of Little Colonel artifacts at the museum, as a semi-permanent loan.
Selecting Images for the Museum: The entire group would like to be involved with selecting images to display at the museum. Donna Russell stated she needs to buy a new 5 TB external hard drive and finish scanning the images available right now. (There are color slides and B&W prints in Carolyn Brooks’s materials, as well.) As soon as that is done, a meeting will be held and Bethany Major will supply a laptop with projector so the images can be evaluated by the group.
ONE LAST THING: Nancy Theiss is looking for historic videos to digitize. There was a video made of Pewee Valley’s Centennial Celebration in 1970. Anyone with a copy of the video, who would be willing to share it for this project, should call Nancy at 502-222-0826.
Pewee Valley Cemetery East: Suzanne Schimpeler gave a report on the cemetery restoration project. A $60,000 grant application was submitted to the Gheens Foundation last year to fund the work Corn Island Archeology Group needs to accomplish to locate the graves in the cemetery. It was turned down in favor of other projects more in keeping with the foundation’s humanitarian mission; however, we were invited to submit the grant again in the future. Suzanne stated that they are rethinking the grant application process and looking for an African-American foundation, such as the NAACP, that would have the money to finance both the pre-project work (archeology/grave location) and the restoration work that would follow it.
Oldham County History Center Plans: Donna Russell reported that the Oldham County History Center renovation is well underway and plans for the museum include a first-floor Pewee Valley exhibit on the South Staircase Wall. The exhibit will focus on the Little Colonel and the Kentucky Confederate Home. Little Colonel books will be on display. There will be paper dolls from the Little Colonel Doll Book for children to manipulate. There will be an enlarged copy of the Little Colonel Driving Guide showing who the characters in the book were in real life, a graphic of Annie Fellows Johnston, the original letter to Fox Film from the Little Colonel Movie Scrapbook, a large graphic of the library at the Confederate Home and a desk where visitors can read the home’s newsletter, The Confederate Messenger. Donna is working with Nancy to supply some of the background materials and graphics for the exhibit.
Little Colonel Tours offered through the Oldham County Tourism: Donna Russell reported that Nancy Theiss at the Oldham County History Center has been offering several different types of historical tours through Oldham County Tourism, including one of the Confederate Burying Ground at Pewee Valley Cemetery. These tours are a way to raise money. The group voted unanimously to work with Tourism on developing a Little Colonel Tour of Pewee Valley. Donna will contact Kim Buckler at OC Tourism to learn what this will entail and will develop the draft tour for consideration by the PV Historical Society. PV Historical Society members will serve as docents after they receive appropriate training.
State Historical Society Marker at The Beeches: Donna Russell erroneously reported that the marker will be placed on June 6 at The Beeches. It will actually be placed at noon on Wednesday, July 6. The marker was funded by OC Tourism and its location was selected by the Oldham County Historical Society. Tourism funds placement of one marker per year in the county at a cost per each of about $2,400. Nancy Theiss is still working on the event and is meeting with an Annie Fellows Johnston re-enactor and expert from Western Kentucky University, Sue Lynn McDaniel, in May to finalize the day’s events. A luncheon celebration is planned after the ceremony at the 314 Exchange. Her best guestimate of the cost at present is $20 per person.
Historic House Signage Maintenance: Bethany Major discussed maintenance of the wooden historic signs that were part of the 2007 Little Colonel Tour Event. Suzanne Schimpeler stated that the signs were paid for by the Oldham County Historical Society and she has a list of the signs that were placed. No maintenance plans were established for them. Jana Ornstein said she spraypainted hers and it looks great. However, in some locations, the signs are gone, rotten or placed where they cannot be seen (e.g. behind a fence). Bethany will head up a group to include Pat Palmer and Suzanne Schimpeler to explore more permanent, maintenance-free metal signage and to expand the signage project to other National Historic Register properties not associated with the Little Colonel stories. The group will also explore the cost of placing an explanatory sign, with photos, in Central Park about the Kentucky Confederate Home.
Website Update: Donna Russell reported that work on the PV Historical Society website is proceeding and a lot of new information has been posted with much more to come. She is working this week at the Oldham County History Center on scanning images from their collection to add to the site, including the Fox Film Movie Scrapbook, images from their 1996 book “History & Families of Oldham County; The First Century 1824-1924; and images from the 1991 Historic Pewee Valley book. She recently procured the notes from historian Carolyn Brooks, who wrote the nominations for the National Register of Historic Places historic districts in the mid-1980s. The notes included a partial photocopy of “Beautiful Pewee Valley,” published ca. 1910 by Powhatan Wooldridge and George R. Washburne. Joanie Walser stated that the book as posted now is missing some pages and that Henry has a complete photocopy. She will work with him to procure it for scanning. Donna could use assistance with the following:
- Scanning PDFs of all issues of the Call of the Pewee, since the city began publishing it in 1969.
- Taking new photos of all the homes/churches/buildings/locales that will be featured on the site. (The most recent photos of many of these properties were taken in 1990-91 by Historic Pewee Valley)
Anyone who wants to volunteer to help with either of these projects? Call her at 741-1007.
Potential Relationship with Steve Lock, www.littlecolonel.com: The group voted to investigate what resources will be required to take over the littlecolonel.com domain. Shelley Schippert suggested working with Norman Schippert of Bluegrass.Net to see what he would recommend and if any assistance with the project would be available through his company. The site is written in FrontPage and ideally should be converted to weebly, so all city websites are on the same platform. The group also wants to pursue displaying Steve Lock’s collection of Little Colonel artifacts at the museum, as a semi-permanent loan.
Selecting Images for the Museum: The entire group would like to be involved with selecting images to display at the museum. Donna Russell stated she needs to buy a new 5 TB external hard drive and finish scanning the images available right now. (There are color slides and B&W prints in Carolyn Brooks’s materials, as well.) As soon as that is done, a meeting will be held and Bethany Major will supply a laptop with projector so the images can be evaluated by the group.
ONE LAST THING: Nancy Theiss is looking for historic videos to digitize. There was a video made of Pewee Valley’s Centennial Celebration in 1970. Anyone with a copy of the video, who would be willing to share it for this project, should call Nancy at 502-222-0826.