By: Charles Romans
Carter County Times
Local resident and business owner Pam Howard said that Carter County, and the cities of Grayson and Olive Hill, have a rich history that can’t be allowed to slip into obscurity. Howard, who owns the businesses Bit ‘O Time and Walking on Sunshine, has always had a passion for local history. But many of the groups involved in preserving that history have unfortunately fallen by the wayside due to lack of support and, as is often the case, a lack of younger volunteers to continue what was established by the older founders of those organizations.
As something of a first step to encourage the preservation of local Carter County history, Howard will be hosting the Kentucky Appalachia Herb, Handcraft, and Heritage Festival. The festival began as the popular Lavendar Fest in downtown Grayson, then became the Appalachia Herb and Handcraft Festival, Howard said.
“But Appalachia is a really big region,” she said.
So, for this year, the festival will be focusing on the Appalachian region in Kentucky, and highlighting Kentucky heritage, she said.
“We want to bring all of the history of our culture into the festival this year,” Howard said. “And what sets it apart this year is that we have people from the Carter County Historical Society that will be setting up a table to showcase the things they have uncovered and have to offer the community. We also have a gentleman who will be presenting rocks and fossils he has found in Carter County.”
Along with these presenters, Howard said, there will also be someone discussing what Native American life was like in the earliest days of the county and even before Carter County was founded.
“There will also be someone there to talk about the EK Railway that used to go through the area,” Howard said. “There will also be discussion by Marvin McKinney about the old brick yard in Hitchins, Kentucky. At one time it was the largest brick manufacturer in the world.”
With all of the amazing history that Carter County has moved through, it is little wonder that Howard is so excited to be able to bring knowledgeable people to the festival to discuss it with current Carter County residents, many of whom share at least distant kinship to those who lived through such notable times.
Professor Gerald Dyson, acting President of the Carter County Historical Society, who helped found the society with Don Combs in 2022, said the society’s goals are to preserve and share all the information available about Carter County to its residents and others who might be interested in learning about the region. The society’s predecessor organization, Dyson said, had ceased to be an organization back in the 1990’s. But the new society, he said, hopes to not only fill that void but expand upon what is currently common knowledge about the county’s rich history.
Dyson said that for the last 25 years since the older society ceased to be functional, and for many years before that iteration came into existence, the preservation of Carter County history was lacking. That is one of the many reasons, he said, that the upcoming festival is a positive step forward for those who are interested in all the things that occurred to move Carter County forward to where it is today.
Dyson said he is of the opinion that there is a dire need for historical and cultural advocacy in Carter County. Such advocacy, he said, would aid in recognizing the historical significance of buildings, for instance, in the area and assist in their possible preservation.
“And we need a home for historical documents as well,” Dyson said. “It’s very easy for things to get flooded, or molded, or thrown away.”
“We have already lost a great deal of what we had,” he said. “And we need to work to preserve what is left, possibly even digitizing that information, and having another form of preservation.”
Both Howard and Dyson agree that the first step to preserving history is helping residents awaken or reawaken interest in what occurred in their home county long before not only themselves, but also their parents and grandparents, were born. Many of the skills showcased at the upcoming festival are skills that have been handed down through generations, or relearned as interest in their historical significance has been reawakened.
The Appalachia Kentucky Herb, Handcraft, and Heritage Festival will be held on Saturday, May 2, centered at Grayson City Park, from 9 am until 7 pm. There will be a variety of vendors offering handmade, homegrown, and handcrafted goods. Herbal products, natural remedies, and woodworking will be well represented as well. There will also be craft and skills demonstrations, workshops, and various classes (45-minute sessions), from educators and craftspeople. Everyone is invited to attend the event and learn about Carter County history and have a great time.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
