Tag: Johnson

World War I Memorial – Paintsville, Ky.

This Memorial Day, we remember those who have fallen in service to our country. Kentuckians have served nobly since the days of the Revolution and they continue to do so today.

World War I Memorial – Paintsville, Ky.

In county seats across Kentucky, memorials are dedicated to those who valiantly gave their lives to defend America. Many are simple markers or tableaus, while others are ornate works of art. I have always been particularly fond of the memorial to the World War I memorial on the Johnson County courthouse lawn in Paintsville.

Solemnly with love, honor and respect, do we hereby dedicate this memorial to the memory of the soldiers, sailors, marines and nurses who gave their lives in the cause of this great Nation. To them there is no death, they live forever in the memory of their glorious achievement.

 The beautiful memorial is unique – I have seen no other like it. Unfortunately, I can find little history on this gem. From a central column emerges the bust of an upward looking doughboy, holding a downward-pointing sword, which rests atop a simple Celtic cross. Perhaps the soldier is in prayer for his fallen comrades? Below, etched into the sides of a two tiered platform are the names of the battles from the Great War: Chateau Thierry. Argonne Forest. Belleau Wood. Soissons. St. Mihiel.

What was once the Great War has become the Forgotten War. On NPR’s Fresh Air, I heard an interview (listen here) this weekend of Richard Rubin, the author of The Last of the Doughboys. In the interview, Rubin was asked why World War I is largely forgotten from the American conscience. His response:

You know, that’s a very interesting question because once upon a time, that was not so. If you walk around with your eyes open, you’ll quickly discover that there are more monuments and memorials in this country to World War I than to any other war. But the war was also a terribly traumatic experience for this country. You have to remember that Americans were in that war for only about 19 months, and yet in that time, we lost 117,000 men. It was a terribly traumatic experience, and afterwards, America withdrew into itself. And then, of course, the Great Depression came along and World War II, and the Great War got pushed further back in our national consciousness.

May we never forget.

The Old Post Office – Paintsville, Ky.

If you walk down Paintsville’s Second Street, you can not help but notice the seven-bay Colonial Revival post office at the intersection with College Street. The impressive building, its front door at the building’s center, dates to 1931. One of Paintsville’s oldest commercial structures, the old post office features a brick and concrete parapet with balustrade below the Mansard roof.  It was built two years after the start of the depression-era and three years before the Works Progress Administration started bringing jobs and construction to communities across the country. And although many WPA projects occurred in Paintsville, but the post office predated them all.

Inside, the old post office featured many luxurious features which must have been quite foreign to both rural Paintsville and the Depression period. Terra cotta floors, pink granite walls, and marble baseboards all would have been evidence in the early 1930s of a federal government attempting to show strength and power despite the weakening economy. The year after ground broke on this post office, President Roosevelt would be swept into office and in his first 100 days, the New Deal.

Outside the post office, nearer the corner of Second and College streets, is a blue mailbox. It is the only part of the property still in use by the federal government. For the house is an amazing tale of adaptive use since its conversion to residential use several years ago. The house has been featured in This Old House and on NPR’s All Things Considered. 

One can easily see the changes done to the old Paintsville post office by comparing the original floor plan of the main building’s first floor with the adaptive reuse floor plan:

Original Floor plan (Courtesy: Kentucky Heritage Council)

Adaptive Reuse Floor plan (Illustration: Michael Luppino)

On the building’s rear, a mailing vestibule and mailing platform has been converted into a gardening room, sunroom, and verandah.

The postmaster’s office, with its pebble-glass door and stenciled Postmaster, remains as the owner’s home office. The old money order office, a dining room; its safe, silver. Originally divided between a public front and a large mail sorting facility, the owner has redesigned the interior while incorporating original design features to create a usable living space. A number of interior photographs are available on the This Old House website.

Sources: Hooked on Houses; Kentucky Heritage Council; NRHP; NPR; This Old House

Lodge #288 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows –  Paintsville, Ky.

Following the Civil War and until FDR’s New Deal, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows grew in numbers during an era known as the “Golden Age of Fraternalism.” Over time, however, these numbers withered away. Today, Freemasonry is the best known of the active, classic fraternal orders, but the Odd Fellows were at one time, the largest fraternity in the world. The organization is based on the three principles of Friendship, Love and Truth symbolized always by three interlocking rings. This symbol is visible on the headstones of deceased Odd Fellows and on the IOOF lodges.

Across America, beautiful lodges were constructed in large cities and small towns alike during the heyday of IOOF fraternalism. We’ve already profiled the beautiful lodge in Lexington that was designed by Cincinnatus Shryock – a lodge that closed many years ago. And though the presence of the Odd Fellow has waned from central Kentucky, it remains present in a few pockets of the Commonwealth.

According to the IOOF.org website, only five lodges remain active in the Commonwealth fulfilling the mission of the organization. These five lodges are, in addition to the pictured Paintsville lodge, located in Frankfort, Madisonville, Inez, and Bowling Green. (An internet search also reveals an active lodge in Pikeville.) The Odd Fellow’s traditional mission is to “visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead, and educate the orphan,” though the organization’s role in the community has shifted over the years as needs vary.

Thomas Wildey brought the organization across the pond from Britain in 1819, but its name “odd fellow” is more uncertain. Some believe their desire to aide the downtrodden made them “odd,” but a more likely version finds tradesman organizing in various trade guilds. Those with insufficient number to organize could come together as “common laboring men” to “associate themselves together and form a fraternity for social unity and fellowship and for mutual help.” This was unique for the times, and so the men were known to be “odd.” The name stuck. Today, the Odd Fellow valediction echoes the mission:

I AM AN ODD FELLOW: I believe in the Fatherhood of God, and the Brotherhood of man. I believe in Friendship, Love and Truth as basic guides to the ultimate destiny of all mankind.I believe my home, my church or temple, my lodge, and my community deserve my best work, my modest pride, my earnest faith, and my deepest loyalty, as I perform my duty “to visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan” and as I work with others to build a better world, because, in spirit and in truth, I am and must always be, grateful to my Creator, faithful to my country and fraternal to my fellow-man; I AM AN ODD FELLOW!

Of the Paintsville Lodge specifically, I can find little information, though genealogical records online do record attorneys, the local postmaster, and local businessmen as members. As for the present, the bench bearing the “Odd Fellows” name – immediately across from the old Johnson County Courthouse – caught my eye because I recognized just how much rarer today is the Odd Fellow.

Sources: Freemasons for Dummies; IOOF; Wikipedia