The Derringer – History of Legion Park and James H. Hickman
by Courtney Hatley
Legion Park, the oldest city park in Owensboro (with the exception of Smothers Park which was set aside as public grounds in the 1816 plat of Rossboro), was acquired as a shady picnic area in 1894. At the time, the location of Legion Park was outside the city limits and patrons paid a fare of 5 cents to ride a streetcar the 1 and a half miles to and from the park, which was operated by the Owensboro Railway Company and ran every 20 minutes. James Hardin Hickman (1852-1931), “tall, handsome, ram-rod straight” and Mayor of Owensboro at the time, purchased the land from Camden Riley, Sr. for a total of $4,000.
Hickman was one of the most well-loved and admired Mayors of Owensboro; he was elected five more times and is considered the Father of Owensboro’s parks movement. Hickman’s titles included pharmacist, tobacco merchant, doctor, bank director and manufacturer of Owensboro Wagons. An extremely influential man, he also served as a school board member and city councilman, and successfully argued for the development of paved streets. Hickman regarded nature as something to be cultivated and treasured; in an editorial for the Owensboro Inquirer, Hickman wrote, “He is not a normal man who is not in love with woods and trees and shrubbery and flowers; for they are among God’s best gifts to the world.” Providing the city with beautiful places and parks became an obsession of Hickman’s and it is largely due to his initiative that we have such splendid ones today. Eminently popular among Owensboro’s citizens, Hickman’s wealth was generously used to advance the prosperity of the city. However, Hickman’s fortune was largely dissipated with the Hickman-Ebbert Wagon Company venture and he ultimately committed suicide after a long period of ill-health and despondency.
Originally called Hickman Park, the name was changed in 1923 to American Legion after Hickman encouraged the commissioners to honor the Owensboro men who fought in World War I. The large trees and natural setting, as well as winding walkways, picnic shelters, fish ponds, a bandstand, concession stand and a fountain enhanced the already exceptionally beautiful park. A monkey house was eventually added which featured two monkeys, white rabbits, foxes, coons and an assortment of birds.
“The parks we have are a sacred trust for the benefit alike of the normal, wholesome and merry folk, who may find recreation and relief from life’s toils, but to the sick, the weary and the care-worn, they offer a place where the cooling shadows kiss the tired brow and invite surcease from suffering and give a nature’s failing forces a chance to live again.” – James Hardin Hickman
Sources:
Mayors of Owensboro, Kentucky by Jerry Long
History Owensboro Parks and Recreation 1815-1990 by Evan Ray Russell
Owensboro Messenger
Owensboro Inquirer
Echoes of Elmwood
For the Derringer
By Leslie McCarty
One was an aviation pioneer.
She led others, yet she was blind.
No mob was going to lynch his prisoner.
This Civil War hero made a fatal decision.
Why the Colonel went into the lion’s den, day after day.
Each of us has a story to tell; so do they. Come and here these voices speak for themselves at Echoes of Elmwood.
Have you missed some stories from years past of Voices of Elmwood? If you have, then this is your chance get caught up. Echoes of Elmwood is revisiting ten stories from Year One.
Performances will be under a tent at Elmwood Cemetery May 17 & 18 at 7 & 9 p.m.
To get your tickets, please call the Owensboro Museum of Science and History at 270-687-2732, or visit www.owensboromuseum.org
This event is proudly hosted by Rosehill-Elmwood Cemetery
The Derringer Presents: The mystery of the stray balloon.
By Leslie McCarty
While looking at the current issue of the Kentucky Explorer Magazine, there was listed a newspaper clipping about a stray balloon that had flew over Daviess County and mysteriously crashed. The only date given for this was December 1887. I checked our archives of the Owensboro Messenger and found three articles that cover this strange incident. The first article was listed on Sunday December 11, 1887.
According to the article, “the citizens of the eastern portion of the city yesterday discovered a balloon to the northward, passing slowly from east to west. It was an immense affair and was sailing at a great height. After being in sight for some time it began wavering in the wind and finally began to descend, falling slowly at first and at last taking a desperate plunge earthward and passing out of sight. Nothing has been heard of a balloon ascension, and it is not known where it came from, or whether or not an aeronaut was in charge of it. It will probably be heard from within a day or two.”
According to two follow-up articles in the Owensboro Messenger on Tuesday December 13, 1887, “late Saturday evening an immense balloon was seen on the opposite side of the river and some distance back in Kentucky. It was sailing slowly at an immense height from west to east and after being in sight for some time, it began wavering in the wind, and finally commenced falling. It plunged toward the earth below the timber tops. This morning a search party went out from Hawesville to look for the balloon, and after a search of several hours they found, and to their horror, also the remains of a man a few feet away from the basket, which was partially torn from the balloon. No papers or evidence were found to indicate the identity of the unfortunate aeronaut. No balloon ascension has been heard of and the affair is a mystery. The general accepted theory is that he was dead before the balloon hit the earth and that he died in the upper regions of the atmosphere.”
Who was the man and where did he come from? Was he flying for pleasure or other purposes? Does ownership of the balloon indicate that he may have been wealthy? Our questions to this mystery may never be answered.
The Derringer- Rosa Burwell Todd: A Profile
By Leslie Byrne
If you aren’t aware, Owensboro is home to many interesting people, including but not limited to celebrities, athletes, aviation pioneers and soldiers. Profile, a soon-to-be regular Derringer segment, shows how these not-so-ordinary folks left their legacy imprinted on Owensboro history. One of these folks is Rosa Burwell Todd.
Rosa Burwell Todd was born January 14, 1849 and was the daughter of Colonel William M. Burwell and granddaughter of William A. Burwell, who was a private secretary to Thomas Jefferson. She married Dr. Charles Henry Todd on February 15, 1865. He was born in Shelby County on Nov. 6, 1838 and was the son of Colonel Charles S. Todd. At the beginning of the Civil War, he resigned his position as assistant physician of the insane asylum at Bayou Sara, Louisiana and went to Virginia and as assistant surgeon of the 6th Louisiana Regiment. In 1862 he was later promoted to regimental surgeon of Stonewall Jackson’s division of General Lee’s army, and remained with them until final surrender at Appomattox Court House. Mrs. Todd was a writer for several well-known magazines, including a series in the Taylor-Trotwood Magazine of Louisville, which include reminiscences of distinguished guests that been in her girlhood home. Her daughter, Rosa Shelby, organized the Daughters of the Daviess County Confederate Association in 1893, which later became the John C. Breckinridge Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. On October 26, 1897, Mrs. Todd became the organizing regent for the Owensboro Gen. Evan Shelby Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the chapter was organized in her home. Mrs. Todd also became the Kentucky State Regent to the NSDAR. Rosa Burwell Todd died November 9, 1911, in Owensboro, KY and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery. She was survived by her husband, Charles H. Todd, a son, Charles Stewart Todd, and a daughter Rosa S. & Frances S. Todd.
Sources
A History of the John C. Breckinridge Chapter 306 United Daughters of the Confederacy, Owensboro, Kentucky by Edna Shrewcraft Macon, July 2012
1883 History of Daviess County, Kentucky
Lost Treasures
by Alicia Harrington, Web Services Librarian
My daughter and her new husband purchased their first home at an estate auction. The children had cleaned out everything they wanted by closing. They found boxes months after they had moved into their new home. They found some hair and a newspaper clipping, hidden in the far back corner of the attic in a box. Clothing, shoes and a baby book were among the items carefully tucked away with a mother’s love. The newspaper gave way to the death of the child, Maryland Upchurch. She had been gone since 1947.
Questions arise. Why the hair? Why leave the items that were so lovingly preserved? Did someone want the family heirlooms? How does one find those people? Start with the Library.
A quick conversation with people from the Kentucky Room got us started. Hair and locks of hair have been kept in baby books, lockets, given as tokens of affection and kept for mourning. According to the website, Curious Expeditions, mourning jewelry was a symbol of dignity and social status. Today the practice of making hair jewelry is almost nonexistent. But I did locate several websites with history and photos.
Now that the hair mystery is solved we needed to find the rightful owners of the items. We had the name of the estate from purchase of the home. The library has the Owensboro Area Obituary Index. Through that we were able to search the name on the estate. Mrs. Dorothy Martin Upchurch had passed away in 2010. She was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery and her sons no longer lived in Daviess County.
The Kentucky Room staff helped through searching of death certificates. The death certificate revealed Marilyn (second spelling) had died as a result of an accident. She was buried in Elmwood Cemetery. This cemetery is located across from where her mother was laid to rest. Other leads came from the obituaries. The death certificate leads to other clues about the family. Martin Funeral Home of Whitesville was in charge of the service. This was Mrs. Upchurch’s maiden name. Whitesville, being small and a close knit community, the funeral home was as much a staple to that area as the churches. It was also where my grandmother had attended church.
The search was really getting close to home. After sharing the story with family members, my mother declared that she had known Mrs. Upchurch and had attended the funeral. My grandmother, Mrs. Bernice Hood, had lived down the road from the Martins. My mom offered to contact Mr. Byron Martin as he was a family friend. It became known that the owner of the house was actually a good friend of Mrs. Hood, my grandmother and my daughter’s great-grandmother.
Through Mr. Martin and ReferenceUSA (an online telephone directory) the names and residences of the sons were gathered. The goal in contacting the descendants was to be respectful to family and Mrs. Upchurch’s treasures. The lost items have been taken care of with respect and love. Something I am sure Mrs. Upchurch wanted as a grieving mother.
Many obstacles were in the way to locate family. The child’s name was spelled differently on documents. Direct descendants of Mrs. Upchurch no longer lived in Daviess County. These obstacles were overcome by old fashioned ingenuity, hard work and sharing of the story.
Connections with families need to be made while everyone is living. Talk to your grandparents. Family history is becoming a big hobby and it is much easier talking to people. But when the people you need to talk with are gone, you can come to our KY Room and they will help you with the research.