Bonnie Strassell - Owen County Historical Society

BY BONNIE STRASSELL
Owen County Historical Society

They were designated Agee, Beech Grove, Buck’s Run, Clark Ridge, Fortner, Hawkins, Little Hope, Mint Springs, Slab Lick, Panther Lick and White Chapel. They dotted the hillsides and backroads of Owen county, and according to the July 4, 1974 Bicentennial issue of the News-Herald, at one time there were more than 70 of them in the area.

They made a farmer’s work easier, or more difficult, depending on their disposition on any given day.
Some declared they are quite ornery, though it has been said they are not as obstinate as donkeys. Perhaps that is a matter of debate, yet most Owen County farmers agree that the mule was an indispensable addition to life on the family farm.
The mule’s contrariness has been expounded upon in stories, poems and songs, and there is no denying patience can wear thin when trying to convince a mule of his duties.

If age determined manhood, perhaps they didn’t qualify. Many were eighteen or nineteen, some younger. Yet, that fact was insignificant in battle. In all the wars which our country fought, young men served as a testimony that age is not a qualifying factor that determines honor, sacrifice, or heroism.
The Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 tested the mettle of our nation, as a new breed of Americans fought and won their independence.

“Held for a moment. Loved for a lifetime.”
These words, etched into the tiny white tombstone, had been been pulmetted by the elements and passage of time. Yet, they whispered across the years and told the story of a heart-rendering loss.
A small cast angel lay upon the ground in front of the small marker, its outspread wings somehow giving the impression of a protective covering for its tiny charge.