More About Boats on Little River

After doing some intensive research both on the internet and in my own collection of books, I have some things to add to what I wrote earlier this week about boats on Little River in Christian County, Kentucky.

First of all, I found out that the Little River clipping I quoted in my previous post had a few words left out of it. The 1811 act that declared Little River a navigable stream of Christian County, KY, actually said that it could not be obstructed from its mouth to "the mouth of sinking fork of said river." The Sinking Fork comes into Little River a few miles southeast of Cadiz (about 15 miles west of Hopkinsville).

Also, I came to realize that in 1811, Trigg County had not yet been created. It was still part of Christian County. So, what the legislature was calling Christian County in 1811 is not the same as what we call Christian County, today.

An 1815 act of the Kentucky legislature established Steel's Mill as the terminus of the portion of Little River that was reserved for navigation. I haven't been able to learn the location of Steel's Mill, but I think it might have been somewhere near the confluence of the Sinking Fork and Little River. Smaller boats could still have been used above that point; however, the river could be obstructed by foot bridges, mill dams, and the like. (I read about one family who drowned while crossing Little River in a flatboat. Their boat was carried over a mill dam.)

One fellow, a Mr. Samuel Alexander who moved into the Newstead or Julien area of Christian County (south of Gracey) in 1808, shipped farm goods regularly by flatboat, presumably taking the Little River to the Cumberland. William Henry Perrin's 1884 History of Christian County, Kentucky says that Alexander "made frequent trips to New Orleans with flat-boat loads of tobacco and other produce. On one occasion, he extended his trip as far as Santa Fe, New Mexico, taking out goods on pack-mules, which he bartered for mules and mustang ponies."

Cadiz (about 20 miles west of Hopkinsville on a rough and muddy stagecoach road that started as an Indian trail) was a river-shipping center until the railroad came to Hopkinsville. Perrin wrote in the 1884 History of Trigg County, Kentucky that: "[Little River] is the crookedest stream perhaps in the world, and flows to every point of the compass sometimes within the distance of a mile. At one time it was considered a navigable stream, and small boats came up as far as Cadiz. Efforts have been made to obtain an appropriation from the National Government for its improvement, but the fact of its location south of Mason and Dixon's line has so far defeated the laudable undertaking."

Perrin also wrote, "Mr. Robert Baker had a rudely constructed warehouse [in or near Cadiz] which he kept for storing tobacco, and himself and brother and Silas Alexander usually shipped the entire lot in flat-boats up to about 1837 to 1841, their principal market being New Orleans. About this time the tobacco business attracted the attention of gentlemen possessed of means, better credit and a more comprehensive business capacity. and the old shipping system was compelled to give way to the buyers and professional tobacconists."

According to Gail King's entry about flatboats in the Kentucky Encyclopedia, they were sometimes as small as 12 feet wide and 20 feet long. Other sources mention flatboats 10 feet in width in use on smaller streams. When Little River's waters were high, I believe the stream's width and depth would have been more than adequate for small flatboats, even above the Sinking Fork confluence.

An 1891 report on Christian County by the Kentucky Dept of Agriculture noted, "Excellent water-power for mills, or other manufacturing purposes, is afforded by Little river, West Fork, Pond river and other streams. None, however, are navigable for steamboats. If cleaned out, some of them might be available for rafts and flat-boats."

I don't know how many early settlers tried to sail flatboats or other watercraft down the narrower, shallower  stretches of Little River and other Christian County streams. However, those pioneers who settled near the rivers saw them as a means of transportation in a wilderness without roads. If they didn't go downriver themselves with their goods, they commissioned or sold to someone who was making a river trip. That's how interstate commerce operated in Kentucky at that time.

Many flatboats ended up in New Orleans, but it was also common to stop along the shore to sell to Southern plantations along the way. The residents of the Deep South were happy to buy Kentucky goods like sorghum, potatoes, corn, whiskey, flour, pork, and of course, tobacco. Even the flatboat was sold at the end of the journey; the lumber brought a good price in New Orleans. The return trip to Kentucky was often made overland, over the Natchez Trace, or sometimes the rivermen returned to Kentucky by steamboat. (Steamboats were running the Mississippi before 1820.)

The importance of the rivers to the early settlers of Christian County is demonstrated by the tax records of 1800. Each taxpayer's record includes the name of the stream on which he lives.

In this drawing, a large flatboat occupies the foreground. 

It's riding the river current, headed downstream. Its crew 

is steering it away from sandbars and other obstructions.

In the background, men are poling a keelboat upstream.

Antiques in Cadiz, KY

Fun on the 4th

We had company over the 4th of July weekend -- Roger and Joy Hennen. We first met them in Berlin, Germany, about 20 years ago. They now live in Oklahoma, but they occasionally pass through Kentucky on their way home from visiting Roger's family in West Virginia.

On the 4th, we visited the antique shops on Main Street in Cadiz, KY. Roger was looking for old license plates, and he found quite a few that he liked.

Cadiz has at least five antique stores on Main Street and some of them have several floors. We breezed through them in less than three hours, but it wouldn't have been difficult to spend more time.

I saw a sign in one of the stores that said something like "If you want it, buy it! It may not be here tomorrow." Maybe I should have done that. I saw a copy of the Family History Book, Christian County, Kentucky, the second volume of the most recent Christian County history books.  It had a price tag of $60. I would like to have it but I was reluctant to pay that price. 

I did buy a couple of interesting old books and a sturdy ice cream scoop. Together, they added up to about $10. I've been surviving without the family histories book for quite a while, and I'll continue living without it, I guess.

Roger and Joy left early this morning, so the holiday is over and life is mostly back to normal. Back to work, tomorrow.

Broadbent Seedhouse Near Cadiz, KY

Built by Austrian POWs during World War II

This structure, known in my family as the "Broadbent Building" stands along Highway 68/80, just east of the I-24 junction, near Cadiz, KY. I wrote about it several weeks ago, saying that I'd heard from several people that it was built by German POWs during World War II.

A local Prairie Bluestem reader, John, asked his dad about the building's history. John's dad grew up in that area and he personally remembered POW laborers on their farm and the Broadbent farm during World War II. John's dad also volunteered to ask the Broadbent family about the building's history.

Thanks to John and his dad, I can report with confidence that the Broadbent seedhouse was built by Austrian POWs (not by Germans.) The building's architects were Americans, however. I've updated the original post with all the details. Here's a link:

The Broadbent Building Near Cadiz, KY

Tornado Damage Reports, Crofton, KY, Area, 2-5-08

Tornado and thunderstorm damage, Trigg and Christian Counties, KY\

WKDZ radio station in Cadiz has posted several dozen photographs of damage in Trigg and Christian Counties that occurred during the tornadoes and thunderstorms on February 5, 2008. The areas where damage was photographed include:

Dawson Springs
Dawson Springs Road
Palestine Road
Highway 800
Pools Mill Road, Crofton
Bainbridge Road
South Road, Cadiz
Highway 139 North
Tanyard Road, Cadiz
S. Tanyard Road, Cadiz

Another WKDZ storm damage report states that one injury was reported from the storm in Christian County.

In Muhlenberg County, just northeast of Christian County, three people were killed and 20,000 people still had no electricity as of the following afternoon, according to a WKDZ report on tornado and storm damage in Muhlenberg County.

The Kentucky New Era reports that more than 20 homes were damaged or destroyed in northern Christian County. The article includes a slide show of some of the property damage -- in some cases, terrible losses. UPDATE: By February 7, 2008, the second morning after the tornado, the estimated number of damaged or destroyed homes was changed to over 40 homes.

Some local comments on the night's weather were posted on the Hoptown Hall Forum.

I was in Crofton today, and I can report that everything appeared intact in the downtown area. I also didn't note any damage to the homes and businesses along Highway 41 south of the 41/800 intersection within Crofton. However, along Highway 41 between Crofton and Hopkinsville, we saw damage to a barn roof and some uprooted and broken trees.

UPDATE:

On Feb. 7, 2008, the Kentucky New Era reported that a National Weather Service investigator had visited the storm-damaged area in northern Christian County. The storm was declared an F-2 tornado with winds in excess of 130 mph.

In addition, the National Weather Service released a statement regarding two F-1 tornadoes in Trigg County. One hit a few miles south of Canton in the Barkeley Shores community. It went about a tenth of a mile with a width of 25 to 50 feet maximum, and its winds were up to 87 mph. Most of the damage was uprooted and broken trees.

The second tornado touchdown occurred from 2.5 miles north of Maple Grove to 1.8 miles southeast of Cadiz. The tornado traveled on the ground for 5.1 miles and its maximum width was 150 yards wide. A barn was shifted on its foundation, several houses suffered roof damage, and trees were uprooted and broken.

Some photographs of the tornado damage in Muhlenberg County and other vicinities have been posted by the National Weather Service (Paducah, KY.) The tornado that hit near Greenville and Central City was an F-3 that ran for 10 miles with an average width of 325 yards. Three people lost their lives and there was extensive property damage.

A radar animation on the National Weather Service (Paducah, KY) website shows severe weather hitting Christian County simultaneously with the tornado that hit Jackson, Tennessee, and destroyed Union University.

Related post: "Tornado Damage at Crofton, KY, Tonight."

The Broadbent Building Near Cadiz, KY

German and Austrian POWs in Trigg County, Kentucky, during World War II

UPDATED February 13, 2008

We've been told by several people that this large building along Highway 68/80 east of Cadiz, KY, was built by German prisoners of war during World War II. The building's rounded corners are cited as evidence that the construction crew was German.

I assumed this to be true because I knew the government had programs that provided POW laborers to American farmers and other industries. With so many men gone to the war, America was desperate for laborers. Without support behind the lines, the war effort would fail.

I thought it likely that the prisoners came from Camp Campbell, just 20 miles southeast of the Broadbent Farm (or possibly from Camp Breckenridge, near Morganfield, KY.)

As it turns out, the story we heard and my speculations were partially correct, but several details were wrong. After I originally wrote this post, a Prairie Bluestem reader researched the story of the building with someone who remembered its construction. John wrote:

My dad says he remembers going down with the Broadbents to "Camp Campbell" and picking up those German soldiers. His dad also used German POW's on his farm. He did not remember [Mr.] Smith Jr. [Broadbent] using Germans to build the "seed house" as they called it. Mainly they worked in the fields. Most of the POW's were farmers back home and were glad to work instead of being in the stockades. They weren't allowed to pay them much; they mostly paid them in cigarettes and fed them really well. The Germans may have had something to do with the construction, but my dad didn't think they did.

John's father checked with some of the Broadbent family, and this week, John wrote again:

I finally got the scoop on the old seed house. It was built by 19 WWII POWS. They weren't German though. They were Austrian. [Mr.] Smith Jr. [Broadbent] went to Camp Campbell and picked up 40 originally, and kept 20 to work on the building. All were working out except for one of them. He happened to be the only German among those 19 Austrians, so I am sure there was a conflict there. As for the architects, they were out of Des Moines, IA. So it was definitely built by POW's, just of the Austrian persuasion rather than German.

The sign over the building's door says "Broadbent's B&B Food Products." Apparently the building was once used in the production of Broadbent Farm's famous, prize-winning hams, sausage, and bacon. Broadbent Hams was sold to new owners in 1999, but I don't think this building was included in the deal.

In our family, this building is associated forever with an unfortunate highway breakdown. A couple years after we moved here, we were coming home from a long trip to Missouri and Kansas. When we turned off I-24 onto Highway 68/80, our little VW Fox lost its ability to change gears. You can't go anywhere when your car is stuck in neutral!

We had to push the Fox off the highway into the parking lot of the old Broadbent building. Then we called our pastor. He is a kind soul; he came in his van, armed with automotive fluids and tools. When the breakdown proved too serious for a roadside remedy, he drove us home. It was a bad ending to a long, hard day of driving and a long week of traveling.

When I showed these photos to Isaac, he immediately identified it as the place where we pushed the Fox off the highway. As an afterthought, he mentioned that it was built by POWs.

UPDATED December 5, 2018
Continental Drone Aerial Photography's video on Facebook about the Broadbent Seed House

 

Interesting links:
German POWS in North America
German POWs in Alabama
Story of a German artist and sculptor who was a POW at Camp Breckenridge

Country Ham Festival in Cadiz, KY

Big crowd in Cadiz for 2007 Ham Fest

Saturday was a busy day for the Netz family. Isaac went to Nashville and Dennis spent the day with the Boy Scouts in Clarksville. I played the piano for a women's service group's district meeting at our church, and then drove over to Cadiz, KY, to meet Keely and her boyfriend at the Trigg County Country Ham Festival.

The Kentucky New Era (KNE) had reported that Cadiz was expecting up to 60,000 visitors over the weekend, and there was definitely a huge crowd there when I arrived at about 4:00 p.m.

I found a parking place right away at the First Baptist Church lot, just east of the festival area. I walked down the hill and with the help of the cell phone, found Keely and her group.

Dozens of booths (over 200, according to the KNE) lined the sidewalks, and the air was full of the aroma of food. Vendors were selling country ham biscuits, as well as the usual corn dogs, popcorn, etc. Other booths had all sorts of merchandise. "Ms. Triggy" was posing for pictures with children, and clowns were making balloon animals. Keely said there were carnival rides in the area where she had parked.

The hog-calling contest was in progress. Several ladies called first. The winner was decided after a "call-off" between the top two contenders, and she received a $50 savings bond. Then the men competed. One fellow embellished his hog call with his interpretation of hog snuffling. Another fellow gave an "Ozark hog call," and another contestant declined the microphone because he had plenty of natural volume. The winner was decided by applause, and another $50 savings bond was awarded.

We went in several of the antique stores. Keely tried on some old hats and I bought 8 old snapshots at the bargain price of 4/$1.00 and an accompanist's edition of the 1966 Methodist Hymnal. Here's a yo-yo quilt I saw in one of the stores. (I've written about the nice antique stores in Cadiz before.)

Cadiz has many concrete pigs on the sidewalks in front of the stores and even in front of some of the houses. I think they are probably a Chamber of Commerce project or something similar. Each one has a unique paint job. They're very cute. A few samples:

• Tole-painted pig
• Very pink pig
• Hamlet pig outside a bookstore
• A pig can be a chair

I had to get home so I could get food ready for a church potluck dinner, so I left at about 6:30 p.m. A country singer was entertaining a big crowd as I walked back to my car, and the streets were still packed with people. When I stopped at the gas station on the way out of town, a beautiful sunset was lighting the sky.

Technorati tags: Cadiz Kentucky, Cadiz KY, Trigg County Country Ham Festival, Cadiz Ham Fest

Amazing Antiques

Cadiz, KY's antique shops

Cadiz, KY Main Street

Antiques, collectibles, and junk

When my brother Dwight was here last weekend, we did some sightseeing, including a visit to Cadiz, KY. Cadiz is the county seat of Trigg County, just west of Christian County where I live.

Cadiz was a great place to take Dwight because he and I enjoy antique stores, second-hand shops, flea markets, pawnshops, etc. (My sister likes them too. I don't know if it's our genes or our upbringing.)

Cadiz has at least half a dozen antique stores on Main Street in the old store buildings. Many tourists pass through Cadiz because it is near the Land Between the Lakes, and that extra traffic helps support the antique business, I imagine.

Collectible soda bottles

Paint-by-number, nicely done

We spent several hours wandering through an amazing assortment of stuff -- old furniture, dishes, books, clothing, tools, knickknacks, gadgets, everything you can imagine, and more. Several of the stores in Cadiz have three floors that extend across adjoining buildings.

I note that antique stores are, more and more, a museum of my time, as well as times before me. Things from not-so-long-ago --like the soda bottles pictured above -- are displayed right along with the true antiques.

I think the Mountain Dew bottles in the photo might be from the 1980's. They don't have the picture of the hillbilly which was on earlier bottles. Also, the early Mountain Dew bottles were smaller.

My brother bought a pocket knife at one of the stores and I bought an old book and a few postcards. All that entertainment didn't cost us much.

My new old book is a world geography from 1920. I'll probably be posting a few things from it.

Old "Log Cabin" quilt

This quilt pattern probably has a name, but I don't know it.

I remember in the mid-1960s, my dad brought home a 6-pack of Mountain Dew in bottles from Iowa. We all liked it, but it wasn't sold in Nebraska.

Technorati tags: antiques, antique stores, collectibles, Mountain Dew, Cadiz KY, Cadiz Kentucky