Lately, local history has been a topic of conversation in Calloway County because 2022 marks three important milestones: The establishment of the Murray Independent School District one hundred and fifty years ago; the founding of Murray State University one hundred years ago; and the county’s bicentennial.
In honor of the bicentennial, Calloway’s Fiscal Court is sponsoring a commemorative history book. Local author Bobbie Smith Bryant, with help from the Calloway County Genealogical and Historical Society, is the head writer and organizer of the project. Community members are encouraged to submit articles and pictures for publication by September 1.
(Photo from Creative Commons)
In a press conference announcing the project in March, County Judge Executive Imes described his vision for the publication. “We’re a community. That’s what I want this place to be: a community of people, not just buildings and structures,” he said. “I mean it should be regardless of color or orientation: we’re a community, and that’s what you need to preach rather than diversity. We are diverse but we don’t need to be divided.”
A specially created website — Celebrating Our Success, Envisioning our Future — provides guidelines for writers, background about the Bicentennial project, and historic resources that reflect past efforts to compile a history of Calloway.
The resources include links to community histories that were published in the past. They offer a limited view of people and their accomplishments, with white men given almost exclusive credit for the good things that have happened in Calloway County. Women are mentioned in passing and minorities are basically invisible.
The upcoming bicentennial is an opportunity to add to those incomplete histories by submitting stories about local people, places, and events that breathe life into the past. Two story-telling approaches are provided on the website.
“When the Bell Tolled Again,” by Randy Patterson, recounts the aftermath of a steamboat sinking in 1845 by New Concord. The bell was retrieved from the wreck and, over time, used for a church and a school. Patterson’s story describes the unique way the bell was tolled in a final tribute to Mr. Joe Montgomery, a patriarch of his small Calloway County community.
Bobbie Smith Bryant’s piece describes a shocking event that occurred when an acting troupe came to Murray. Ellen Bolen Schoonover, the company’s leading lady, wore skin-toned silk tights, both shocking and enthralling the audience. According to the 1931 History of Calloway County, “…it was the first time “the female form in all its enticement was ever revealed to a Murray audience.”
If, as according to writer Franz Kafka, “A book must be the ax for the frozen sea within us,” then Calloway Countians must rise to the occasion of the Bicentennial and contribute stories that go below the surface and truly represent the community in all its diversity.
Submission guidelines are spelled out at www.calloway2022.com, including a listing of possible categories to cover. Athletes, leaders of all sorts, outlaws, and villains are worthy topics. Timely events can also be covered. Whatever the subject, there should be a Calloway County connection, either by birth or residence. Whatever accomplishments are showcased, they should reveal the impact on the community. A key question to ask before submitting an article is, “Does it need to be in a Calloway County History Book as it celebrates its Bicentennial?”
Stories on topics of interest are limited to 500 words, with biographical sketches no more than 300 words.
There is still time to come forward with your ideas and submissions for the book. If you want to write something, you can. If you’d prefer not to write but you’ve got an idea for something to be included, please get in touch with Bobbie at bobbiebryant40@gmail.com.
