Bonnie Strassell - Owen County Historical Society

In the 1830s the Second Great Awakening spread like wildfire across frontier Kentucky planting deep religious roots along the way.
During the same decade, the hero of the Battle of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson, was reelected president, the Oregon Trail beckoned the out to the western frontier and staunch American patriots were slaughtered at the Battle of the Alamo.

Some seem to be made up of all angles and sharp turns, and they never forget good manners. Others are pillow-soft, whose laps are wide and inviting and whose deep laughter somersaults from one end of a room to the other.

They are known as grandmother, grandma, granny, mamaw, nana or some other term of endearment, and they fill our bellies with treats, our hearts with joy and our lives with a touch of magic.

After the Revolutionary War until well into the 19th century, a group of dedicated stalwart men traveled the wilderness of America to spread the Gospel throughout the newly formed republic.

With Bible in pocket and gun in hand, early circuit riding preachers left an indelible mark upon America and the American people; and through their untiring efforts they fanned the flames of religious fervor that spread across the land like a wildfire.

In the 1900s it was a common sight in most backyards. During the summer it gleefully skipped through the air, wrapping its ends around sturdy trees or poles secured in the ground.

Clothespins provided a solid anchor on its expanse, and for many years the lowly clothesline seemed to bask in the attention of the American family.

A long, forked wooden pole propped in the middle of the line would lift the laundered clothes to just the right height for youngsters to duck under as they galloped about in their pretend world.