An 1886 Visit to Fairview, KY

Fairview, birthplace of Jefferson Davis

The following passage is transcribed from the Kentucky New Era, July 23, 1886 (page 3). I have preserved the original punctuation, but divided the long paragraphs to make them easier to read. Jefferson Davis (1808-1889), mentioned in the article, was elected the President of the Confederate States of America on February 9, 1861, and served until the end of the Civil War in 1865.

Saturday morning two NEW ERA men hired a buggy and went to the speaking at Fairview. The drive was delightful amid the sloping hills and rich fields of grain. The country never looked more beautiful and the magnificent crops give promise of a bright and prosperous future for the planters.

We arrived at the pretty little village just in time to partake of a good dinner at the hospitable board of Esquire Richard Vaughan.

After dinner Mr. G. S. Brown very kindly assumed the duty of showing us the town. He conducted us to the spot where the great Jefferson Davis was born. The old house with its many memories has been torn away and over the historic spot is being erected a Baptist church.

The church when completed will be one of the handsomest in the county. Rev. E. N. Dicken who served the old Bethel church so long, is the pastor. He is one of the best pastors in the land and as a preacher is second to none. He lives in the parsonage half a mile east of the church. The church will probably be dedicated in October and Mr. Davis will be present on that occasion.

Fairview lies in two counties. The county line runs through the store of Mr. W. B. Brewer, who can stand behind his counter in Todd, and sell goods to his friends in Christian.

About 2 o'clock the candidates began the oratorical contest. Judge Winfree led off and the other fellows said their pieces in order. The boys gave the Todd county candidates some of their time. Col. Milt. Brown made a short address and Mr. D. S. Watson was shaking hands with the boys who do their voting in Todd.

Fairview is a thrifty village. The residences are handsome and the stores are well kept. Mr. John Yancey will soon build a fine brick store house at a cost of $2000.

Jefferson Davis in 1853

We were presented with a walking cane, made out of the flooring of the room in which Mr. Davis was born, by Mr. Brewer. Most of the candidates got one of these sticks to hobble through the campaign on.

The New Era representatives were kindly treated by the generous citizens of Fairview and after half a day of pleasant commingling with these good people, they turned their faces toward Hopkinsville. The drive home through the moonlight was delightful and the pleasure of a day at Fairview will be the chief object of interest in our minds for many days.

- - - - - - - - - -

Check the Prairie Bluestem posts tagged "Fairview KY" for some modern-day images of Fairview.

Quilt and Craft Auction at Fairview, KY

Second annual consignment

Grandmother's Flower Bed
by art_es_anna
 

Fairview Produce Auction

According to a postcard I received in the mail today, the Second Annual Quilt and Craft Auction will be held at the Fairview Produce Auction on June 5, 2010.  The sale will start at 9:00 AM and will include (quoting from the postcard):

• Quilts
• Wall hangers
• Pillows
• Wide assortment of crafts

If you are consigning and you want your quilt to be included in the catalog, it must be received by 12:00 noon on Friday, June 4. The consignment fee is $2.00 plus 10% of the selling price for each item listed.

The Fairview Produce Auction is located at the intersection of Highway 1843 and Highway 68/80 at Fairview, KY. The entrance to the auction grounds is on Highway 1843, about 100 yards from the intersection.

The produce auction is a (largely) Mennonite-owned-and-operated enterprise. The vast majority of the quilts and other sale items at this auction will be consigned by the Mennonites and Amish of eastern Christian and western Todd counties. ¹  It promises to be an interesting event.

Call the Fairview Produce Auction at 270-887-0053 for further information.

_______________

¹ This area (eastern Christian and western Todd counties) is often called "Greater Fairview" -- haha, just kidding!

No Man Is an Island

A blogging experience

I stopped at the Pennysaver Market in Fairview yesterday on my way home from the dentist. I had a yen for some of their hickory smoked cheddar cheese.

I was the only customer at the time. The proprietor, a Mennonite lady about my age, cut the cheese for me, and then waited at the cash register as I gathered a few more items from the bulk goods section -- a bag of milled flax seed, a bag of oatmeal, a little tub of cinnamon.

At the register as I prepared to write a check for my purchases, I discovered I had left my wallet in the car. "Do you know me?" I asked. "Should I go get my ID?"

"Let me see your check," she said. I showed it to her, and told her where I live and whom my nearest Mennonite neighbors are. "Oh, it's OK," she declared. "I remember who you are now."

As I picked up my bags and prepared to leave, she asked, "Have you written anything on the internet about us lately?"

I'm sure I looked very surprised. "Umm, no. No, I haven't" I answered, trying to remember exactly what I had written about the Pennysaver Market in the past.

She seemed amused at my bewilderment. "Oh, our family in Pennsylvania printed it out and brought it when they came to visit."

"And that picture you took of the horse and buggy outside? We knew whose horse and buggy that was, so when they were in the store, I showed them the picture. And when your neighbor Willis was in here, he told us all about you."

"Well, well," I said weakly. "No, I don't think I've written anything about the Pennysaver for quite a while."

The reach of the internet should never be underestimated.

Related posts:
Pennysaver Market at Fairview, Kentucky
Horse and Buggy Country
Jefferson Davis and the Mennonites

Greenhouse at Fairview, KY

Flower shopping at Fairview

The Country Barn, with the Jefferson Davis Monument in the background.

I bought some flowers and tomato plants at the Mennonite greenhouse on the outskirts of Fairview, KY a couple of weeks ago. It's a pleasant place to visit, even when you really don't need any plants.

It was late in the season when I finally planted my garden. At the greenhouse, I bought two flats of marigolds that were past their first bloom. They were already marked down, and Mrs. Weaver agreed to take an even  lower price for a full flat. The flowers are putting on new blooms, now that they've been planted in the ground.

Fairview is a small town, but it might be possible to miss the greenhouse somehow, so I will give directions. The Country Barn is located at 112 Britmart Road on the north side of Fairview. From Highway 68/80, take the exit for Highway 1801 (Britmart Road) and turn toward the Jefferson Davis Monument.

The easy-to-find location of the greenhouse has made it popular with many people who ordinarily would hesitate to venture out into the countryside. It's quite apparent that The Country Barn's business is flourishing. The ability of the Mennonites to make a living with hard work and a small acreage is being demonstrated again.

See more information about The Country Barn at the Kentucky Dept. of Agriculture website.

Related post:
Jeff Davis and the Mennonites
Pennysaver Market at Fairview KY

Dr. Edward S. Stuart, Hospital Founder

How Jennie Stuart Memorial Hospital began

Edward Shanklin Stuart was born in 1828, near the Antioch Church in the northeastern part of Christian County, Kentucky. His father, Samuel Stuart, died at the young age of 33, leaving his mother, Elizabeth Shanklin Stuart, to raise little Edward who was only five and his brother William.

Early settlers

Edward's paternal grandparents, William and Janet Stuart, were early settlers in the Antioch community, arriving in 1806 from North Carolina. His maternal grandparents, Edward and Mary Shanklin, came from Shenadoah County, Virginia, at about the same time and settled in Todd County, east of present-day Fairview.

Mary Shanklin, was a midwife. It is noteworthy that, in 1808, she attended the birth of Jefferson Davis, future president of the Confederacy, in a little cabin near the site of the present-day Jefferson Davis Memorial in Fairview.

Young Edward Stuart becomes a doctor

Perhaps his grandmother's work as a midwife sparked Edward's interest in medicine. In 1848, at the age of 20, Edward began a year of medical study under Dr. H. W. Darnell of Fairview. Then he attended the St. Louis Medical College for two years and graduated as a Medical Doctor.

Dr. Stuart returned to Christian County and set up practice in Crofton. A few years later, his mentor, Dr. Darnell, offered him a partnership, and Dr. Stuart accepted and moved back to Fairview.

Dr. Stuart's life in Fairview

1858 was a year of life changes for the doctor. Dr. Darnell retired, leaving Dr. Stuart to carry on the practice alone. And Dr. Stuart married a girl from Fairview, Miss Jane E. Vaughn, whom people called "Jennie".

Dr. Stuart and Miss Jennie had two children: May born in 1871 and Willie born in 1877 who died as an infant. (It is interesting that the Stuarts were married for 13 years before having children, but it is quite possible that there were miscarriages.) They also took a foster child, Sally Vaughn, into their home and raised her as their own.

William H. Perrin's History of Christian County, Kentucky, published in 1884, reports that Dr. Stuart owned about 900 acres of land in the Fairview area. It also notes that the doctor was well-respected as a medical practitioner and as a gentleman, that he was a Democrat who had steadfastly refused public office, and that he had been the high priest of the Masons in Fairview for fifteen years.

"Dr. Ed" and Miss Jennie enjoyed a marriage of over fifty years. In 1912, Miss Jennie fell in Hopkinsville while shopping and broke her hip. She was taken to the only nursing facility that Hopkinsville had at the time, an infirmary that a group of doctors had opened in an old house on the northwest corner of Fifth and Clay streets. She passed away there, about three weeks later.

The Jennie Stuart Memorial Hospital

After Miss Jennie's death, Dr. Stuart found around $25,000 that she had saved and hidden throughout their Fairview home. Dr. Stuart donated that money and additional funds to build a proper hospital in Hopkinsville. The brick building was constructed on West 17th Street by the Forbes Brothers and opened in 1914 as the Jennie Stuart Memorial Hospital. In addition to the funds he had already donated, Dr. Stuart willed his estate to the hospital.

The September 1, 1917, issue of the Kentucky Medical Journal included a few words about Dr. Stuart:

Dr E.S. Stuart, the venerable Fairview physician whose beneficience is responsible for Jennie Stuart Memorial hospital at Hopkinsville, on July 21st quietly celebrated his eighty ninth birthday today at his home. Dr Stuart is showing plainly the weight of his years but still enjoying good health and able to walk downtown in Fairview. The hospital which Dr Stuart has given Hopkinsville has proven to he one of the greatest gifts possible to suffering humanity. The splendid service it makes possible has been the mean of saving many lives.

The Jefferson Davis Memorial was built in Fairview just a block or two east of the doctor's home over a period of years beginning in 1917, and Dr. Stuart enjoyed watching its construction. This was the reason for many of his walks to downtown Fairview.

Dr. Stuart spent his last days in an apartment created for him at the Jennie Stuart Memorial Hospital and passed away there in 1922 at the age of 94. Today, Hopkinsville's Jennie Stuart Medical Center still honors the frugal Miss Jennie Stuart and the generous Dr. Edward Stuart in its name.

The Dr. Edward S. Stuart House

The Stuart house can still be seen in Fairview, KY. It is located about a block west of the Jefferson Davis Memorial on old Highway 68. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. If I am interpreting the Register correctly, the dates of construction were 1850 and 1870. The back part of the house, a story and a half, was built first. Notice the recessed entry.

It seems likely that someone else built the house, and Dr. Ed and Miss Jennie bought it sometime after their marriage in 1858. The two-story front section of the house was added in a second construction, probably by the Stuarts. The east end of the addition contains the halls and stairways and the west end contains the living areas. Heat was not needed in the passageways, so only the west end has a chimney.

- - - - - - - - - -
Read more on the web:
Todd County, KY, Family History Book, see page 294.
Who was Jennie Stuart?
Jennie Stuart Hospital

Related articles on Prairie Bluestem
Jefferson Davis Memorial Park photos
The Fairview School, built in the early 1900s

Jefferson Davis and the Mennonites

Seen in Fairview, KY

Old Highway 68, west of Fairview, KY

Jefferson Davis Monument in background

Horse-drawn vehicles are a common sight in Fairview, KY. The area around this rural village has been heavily settled by Mennonites. Two Mennonite churches and several Mennonite schools (that I know of) are located within a five mile radius -- evidence of the large population.

Mennonite commerce at Fairview

The Fairview Produce Auction (a Mennonite cooperative) brings heavy Mennonite and Amish traffic to Fairview in spring, summer, and fall. Most of the produce growers are Mennonite and Amish farm families. Many of the farmers come to the auction in horse-drawn wagons loaded with boxes of tomatoes, bags of sweet corn, and heaps of melons. Others pull a trailer behind a tractor or hire a pickup truck.

Across from the auction grounds, a Mennonite lady has opened a discount grocery. She sells dented cans and out-of-date goods, but she also has a small selection of bulk goods -- several types of flour, common spices, yeast, etc. In the back of the store, she has a little deli counter. I'm not sure if she has more Deutsch customers or English; the two worlds overlap at the Pennysaver Market.

On the northern edge of Fairview, at the intersection of Britmart Road and Highway 68, an enterprising Mennonite family has opened a nursery. It's popular with folks from neighboring towns because it's on a major highway. They enjoy driving out in the country and visiting a Mennonite nursery without fear of getting lost.

Jefferson Davis Monument at Fairview

And then there's Fairview's other big attraction -- the Jefferson Davis Monument, a 351-foot concrete obelisk that commemorates the birthplace of the President of the Confederate States of America. It was a project of the Daughters of the Confederacy. Construction began in 1917, and the monument was finally completed in 1924.

Jefferson Davis was born in Fairview in 1808, in a log cabin near the present site of the monument. The actual site of the cabin has been occupied by the Bethel Baptist Church for many years. In fact, Jefferson Davis visited the church in 1886 and presented it with a solid silver communion salver and chalice. 

The Jefferson Davis State Historic Site occupies about 19 acres in the middle of Fairview. Visitors can ride the elevator to the top of the monument, see an interpretive video and exhibits, and visit the gift shop. The park has beautiful mature shade trees, two large picnic shelters and a nice playground. It's a popular site for family reunions on summer weekends.

On the first weekend of June each year, the birthday of Jefferson Davis is celebrated with Civil War reenactments at the monument. The participants (and a significant number of observers) wear garb of the mid-19th century, especially hoop skirts and Civil War military uniforms. Southern belles can enter the Miss Confederacy contest.

Jefferson Davis Days is a curious event in a curious little town, and the tourists who stumble upon it and also encounter the Mennonites must think Fairview a very curious place indeed.

Related posts:
The Glory of Fairview, KY
Jefferson Davis Monument, Fairview, KY
Seen at Fairview, KY
Pennysaver Market at Fairview, KY
Mennonites and Amish in Christian County, KY

The Glory of Fairview, KY

Life in Christian County, Kentucky... Life in The Upper South... History and Old Stuff...

Jefferson Davis Monument in the sunshine of a winter morning

I suppose every town in the world seeks a claim to fame -- a famous person or event that has some connection to that place. In Bassett, Nebraska, the nearest town to the place where I grew up, the best they could do was a horse thief, Kid Wade, who was hung by vigilantes on a big hill at the edge of town.

The village of Fairview, Kentucky, can claim a truly famous American in its history. The President of the Confederate States of America (CSA), Jefferson Davis, was born there.

Note: For my readers outside the USA, let me briefly explain that the United States had a civil war from 1860 to 1865, in which the South formed the CSA and attempted to leave the Union, but the North refused to let them go. The great underlying issue and primary cause of the Civil War was slavery and it was abolished after the war, but many people in the South felt they were fighting for states' rights (that is, their state's right to secede from the Union.)

Kentucky was a border state during the Civil War. Though the CSA claimed Kentucky and gave it a star on their flag, Kentucky did not secede from the Union. Some Kentuckians fought for the CSA, but others fought for the USA. That being said, it is certainly true that Christian County had many slaveowners who raised tobacco and other crops with slave labor, and many soldiers from here probably fought for the CSA.

After the war ended and slavery was abolished, a new era began in the South. The thorough defeat left a spirit of defiant resentment that was nurtured and cherished in some hearts. Reconstruction abuses created more ill feelings. Out of the worst, soul-consuming, twisted hatred, the Ku Klux Klan was born.

The Daughters of the Confederacy expressed themselves in non-violent, public ways. They honored the service and sacrifice of their fathers by building many monuments to Confederate soldiers across the South. The monument they built to Jefferson Davis at Fairview, Kentucky, was the largest of these. There's plenty of defiance expressed in it, I think, but in a less malignant way.

I don't really know what other people in Christian County think about Jefferson Davis, but his monument is certainly an element in the landscape here. It can be seen for miles around, towering above the fields, houses and trees.

As for me, I am thankful that I was born in the (Mid)West, not in a state from the Civil War's North or South. My birth state, Nebraska, joined the Union in 1865, the year that the Civil War ended. Some of my ancestors on both sides of the family hadn't even come over from Europe yet, and others were living west of most of the action. If there are any family stories about the Civil War, I don't know them.

Since we live just five miles from the Jefferson Davis park in Fairview, we took the kids there frequently to play on the swings and slides when they were little. The monument and the visitor's center are conveniently-located historic curiosities to show any non-local visitors we have. This is the meaning of the monument to me.



Related posts:
Jefferson Davis Monument, Fairview, KY
Seen at Fairview, Kentucky .

Technorati tags:

Jefferson Davis Monument
Jefferson Davis State Park
Fairview Kentucky

Jefferson Davis Monument, Fairview, KY

Life in Christian County, Kentucky...

Early this morning, the Jefferson Davis Monument was beautifully silhouetted against a clear December sky. For more photos of the Jefferson Davis Monument and State Park, please visit the post I made last summer: Seen at Fairview, Kentucky .

Technorati tags:

Jefferson Davis Monument
Jefferson Davis State Park
Fairview Kentucky

Pennysaver Market at Fairview, KY

Life in Christian County, Kentucky...

Pennysaver Market at Fairview, KY

We've seen a lot of growth in the Mennonite community of eastern Christian County in the 15 years we've lived here.

A Mennonite church and a second school have been built near us. The Fairview Produce Auction was founded about eight years ago, and it sells bulk produce five or six days a week during the growing season.

Numerous home businesses have opened -- two harness shops, a bicycle shop, sawmills, a book store, a quilt shop, a cabinet shop, several greenhouses, and repair shops for tractors, farm equipment, lawn mowers, and chainsaws. This list is just a sampler of of the many local Mennonite enterprises, not a complete directory!

The Mennonite-owned Pennysaver Market (above photo) at Fairview has opened just this week. Located across the highway from the Produce Market, it has excellent potential of getting a lot of local "English" business as well as Mennonite.

Dennis and I drove over there this morning to see what they had. I was hoping for lots of bulk foods, like the Amish store at Guthrie, but I was disappointed They do have a few items in bulk, such as oatmeal, flour and some baking ingredients, but not nearly as much variety as I wanted to find. When I get a chance, I'm going to tell the store's owner.

Their inventory is similar to what you might see in any small grocery store -- canned goods, bread, soap powders, trash bags, etc. In the back of the store, there are several coolers, including one with big cheeses. They'll cut off a chunk in any size you want.

I think that possibly this store is concentrating more on the conventional grocery items because there's a bulk food store all ready in the neighborhood. It's been built on the back side of a large old house where a Mennonite couple lives, and it's not advertised at all. In fact, I know about it only because a Mennonite neighbor recommended it to me.

I used to go over there sometimes to buy flour, pastas, and other stuff in bulk. The lady who keeps the store was always gracious to me, but I felt a little out-of-place because very few "English" people go there. I haven't been over there for several years now.

The Pennysaver is clearly open for all comers, and that's why I was hoping it would stock more bulk items. But even if it doesn't, I'm glad it's there. At a little less than five miles from our house, it's our nearest grocery store.

Technorati tags:

Fairview KY
entrepreneur
Mennonites

Seen at Fairview, Kentucky

Life in Christian County, Kentucky... History and Old Stuff...

The Jefferson Davis Monument State Historic Site is located at Fairview, Kentucky, a few miles from where we live.

Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederate States of America, and he was born in Fairview, just a few hundred feet from the monument. A Baptist church stands on the site where the cabin in which he was born once stood.

The building of the monument started shortly before World War I. Funds for the construction were raised by the Orphans Brigade (Kentuckians who fought for the Confederacy) and by the Daughters of the Confederacy. The Kentucky State Legislature provided financial assistance to finally finish the construction in 1924.

I think most local white folks would say this is not a monument to slavery or racism but rather to history and heritage. I think many local black folks would see it differently. To me, the place is a reminder that I don't hold and will never fully understand the deep personal feelings some people still cherish about the Civil War.




Stone pillars mark a gateway to the park for walkers. A low stone wall surrounds much of the park. Deep shade, spacious picnic pavilions, and plentiful playground equipment make the grounds a popular site for summer family reunions.






Though the tower can be seen for miles, one doesn't fully realize its size until it's seen at close range.





An elevator runs to the top of the tower, and for $4.00 per person, visitors can ride to the top, enjoy the view, and visit the museum in the visitor center. The photos above were taken from the observation windows at the top of the monument.



These metal plates at the base of the tower give a little information about its construction (left) and some advice from Jefferson Davis about the future (right.)

- - - - - - - - - -

This photo is unrelated to the Jefferson Davis Monument. This is the Fairview Produce Market just outside the little village of Fairview. Many Mennonite and Amish farmers bring fresh garden fruits and vegetables here to sell in bulk to stores and peddlers. The green wagons behind the tractor are full of sweet corn, and watermelons can be seen in the horse-drawn trailers. During the summer, auctions are held five or six days a week.

- - - - - - - - - -

My brother left this morning. I've got a lot of errands to run and chores to do, but I'll get back to normal blogging sooner or later.

Technorati tags:

Fairview, Kentucky
Fairview, KY
Jefferson Davis