Bonnie Strassell - Owen County Historical Society

Images of Owen countians were captured in photographs, their daily lives recorded in letters, diaries and family histories, and stories of their undaunted spirit were shared by one generation to the next.

It is these vital pieces of long ago that bind the past to the present and give us insight into our history.

In a 1950 News-Herald insert, articles written by several Owen countians created a nostalgic journey to bygone days.

For centuries blisters, bunions and boils were treated with home remedies, as were more serious illnesses. From purging to blood letting to herbal poultices, folks treated themselves, their families and their neighbors, using remedies passed down through generations.
With the advent of antibiotics, many old remedies went out of vogue. Although leeches and maggots were used since ancient times, by the 20th century they became a treatment of the past. That is, until recently.

 The early 1900s saw events and advances that changed the face of America.
In 1900 a Small Pox epidemic raged in Kentucky with the state experiencing a 20 percent death rate. Health authorities were demanding everyone in the state receive a vaccination.
In 1901 Marconi sent the first wireless transmission over 2,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, and wireless communication was born.
In September of the same year William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States was assassinated.

Many sprang up along streams, creeks, and rivers. Others were established where gentle rolling hills cradled rich fertile soil. Their names varied, and over the decades many completely vanished. Yet, their stories serve as a reminder of the vital impact communities have on the culture, traditions, and history of a nation.
A hundred years ago Owen County boasted over 70 communities, many of which are gone. Yet, a glimpse of a once thriving village might be captured on an early deed, in a diary or family story, or happen upon in an old newspaper article.