Bonnie Strassell - Owen County Historical Society

Today the scope of the landscape has changed. The few remaining large family farms stand as sentinels serenely as Canby grows, offering newcomers a chance to settle amid the rolling hills of Owen County.
Sylvia Perkins is a lot like Canby. She has lived in the community most of her life; and though age has slowed her a bit, her steadfast presence remains as an unmoving witness to the ageless nobility of land and people.

She knew her heart was weak, and that if she bore another child the stress of labor might prove fatal.
In June of 1925, this young Owen County woman’s heart gave out as she attempted  to deliver her fourth child; and Mattie Agnes Smith Karsner and her unborn baby were buried together on the gentle rolling slope of Monterey cemetery.

“Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.”
This was a common phrase used by folks in Kentucky. It referred to the belief that the Lord was in charge, and barring unforeseen circumstances such as rising creek waters, one would go ahead with their plans.
This adage was particularly applicable to early settlers in Owen County who made their homes near the numerous creeks in the area.
When heavy rains flooded the waterways, most folks were unable to cross at the creek fords and travel came to a standstill.

Franklin Roosevelt once said, “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”
•••••
When it comes to politics Kentuckians have always been vocal and involved.
During the 1900s, political issues dominated much of the talk at Owen County social gatherings and front porches of general stores or wood stumps at community picnics offered convenient stages for politicians to gather the support of voters.