Bonnie Strassell - Owen County Historical Society

The floor was dirt, packed tightly with the clay-laced soil of Owen County.
The one room cabin erected above the floor was constructed of logs, notched and joined together with wooden pegs. Long wooden benches filled the large room and guaranteed to be so uncomfortable that even the drowsiest parishoner would find it difficult to doze off during the sermon.
The Beech Grove Baptist Chruch, built in 1852, sat in the midst of a cemetery and it served the community not only as a church but also as a schoolhouse.

 The tiny-waisted dress cascades to the floor in sheer delightful layers of light blue. The mannequin which highlights this elegant piece stands on the second floor of the Owen County Historical Society Museum and displays this poignant reminder of love, courtship and marriage.

 In many ways these words serve as a poignant reminder of the life of former Owen County High School band director, Marvin Stewart. His love of music touched not only Owen county children but also made an impact on thousands of people he met both in this country and around the world.

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.