Bonnie Strassell - Owen County Historical Society

Sumac is a native plant of Kentucky. Some varieties grow ten feet in height, and although their berries are poisonous to humans, they are a delectable treat for birds and animals alike.
In early times there was a prolific growth of sumac along  Severn Creek (spelled Savern in old deeds). Some of the settlers referred to the stream as Sumac Creek, but it was more commonly called Severn. It is thought that the name most likely was to honor Ebenezer Severns who, along with Hancock Taylor and Jacob Drennon, surveyed the area in 1773.

In rural America, many of these vital people are perhaps best pictured as dressed in overalls and walking behind a plow or sitting atop a tractor.
Their eyes crinkle at the corners from years of squinting in the sun, and their strong, calloused hands speak of tireless devotion to the land.

American preacher and author James Freeman Clarke once said, “A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.”
In early America, elected officials were referred to as statesmen for they were more interested in the good of their country than of furthering their careers. Statesmen such as Patrick Henry, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and others devoted their lives in service to their country.

In early America, one didn’t pick a fight with the village blacksmith, for everyone knew his trade produced the muscular, sinewy arms of a prized fighter.
The blacksmith shop was at the heart of most communities in the early 1900s. Inside the dim interior of the building, a powerfully rugged blacksmith would shoe horses and make iron implements. He was often called upon to act as a dentist, doctor, undertaker and horse dealer; and many blacksmiths held the position of magistrate or churchwarden.