SJWC Pulaski County History Walk

10/26/2024

Thanks to all who attended our Ghost walk tonight. Here are a few photos from Moriah Perry.

06/21/2024

We are looking for males to protray characters for our August Cemetery Walk. Message Melanie Reynolds King for more information.

03/19/2024

Day 18 of Women’s History Month…Somerset Junior Woman's Club remembers a fiesty lady who was a keeper of history! .

Alma Vinita Owens Tibbals on July 5th, 1874, to Dr. Samuel Richard Owens, Jr and Mary Jane Newell Owens. She had 4 brothers and was the youngest of her 4 sisters. Her father was also postmaster at Garden Cottage from 1867-1878. Garden Cottage is what is now known as the Pisgah Community. Her parents were charter members of the Presbyterian Church at Pisgah and are buried in the cemetery there.

Alma’s mother died in January of 1896 when w
her dress caught fire while burning dry leaves. Because of her mother’s death, Alma’s wedding date had to be postponed. My father died in 1901.

She married Frank Evans Tibbals on November 5, 1896. Frank (Evans as she called him) was the only son of Luther and Sarah Tibbals. His dad was a druggist and had come from Indiana to open the drug store some time before 1900 due to his ill health. When Evans was old enough, he took over the pharmacy. The pharmacy was located at Johnson’s Block and was large two-story business on the corner of South Main and Monticello Street. In addition to the drug store there where two general stores and a hardware and furniture store on the main level. The upstairs served many purposes including a opera house, staking rink and dance hall. That building burned in August of 1918. Evans was the first and only vet in Somerset and south eastern Kentucky for more than 50 years.

Alma and her husband had TEN children (2 boys and 8 girls) from 1901 to 1925 including a set of twin girls. During their marriage, they lived first in a log home at the top of Monticello Hill near the city limits. That house was covered with weatherboard and had been added on to several times, finally catching on fire and burning in 1926. Evans wanted to build back on the property but Alma wanted to move into town. They had great debates on the issue. Being the strong and independent woman she was, she decided she would move whether he wanted to or not. She had an inheritance from her father’s estate and found a house at 202 College Street. She paid $4000 for the house and moved to town. Her husband finally moved with her and ran his vet business from the basement. The house was never in HIS name. How cool that Alma was able to this at a time when women couldn’t even do much banking or business without a man in the family taking the lead!

In 1930, the stock market crash had a great effect on their lives. Money, that had never been an issue before, became tight, so since her children were grown and out of the house, Alma took in boarders. She would do whatever was needed to make sure she stayed financially stable.

Alma had taken care of her husband, her children and even boarders in her home since 1896 and she was a bit lost. Through her almost 80 years, she knew many people in Pulaski County and had for years been compiling what she knew about them AND stories from others in the area. She had a closet full of papers on the second floor with information she thought would someday be useful. In 1952, all that she had compiled was published as a book called “A History of Pulaski County Kentucky.” The book has been used to research many of the people you hear from during the SJWC Pulaski County History Walk.

Evans died in April 1954 and was buried in the Somerset Cemetery. After his death, Alma went to live with one of children in Rockcastle County. She followed Evans in death on June 18, 1957 at the age of 84 years and 13 days. After her death the house was sold outside the family. But, in 2006, her granddaughter Jane and her husband bought the house. The house was again on the market this year.

There are several stories of Alma looking in on the residents of her College Street home from time to time. To this end, her story has been part of the SJWC Ghost Walk and other History Walks. We often wonder if she is watching and listening to make sure we tell her story correctly!

So…Alma…thank you for YOUR story and for saving all the OTHER stories about Pulaski County’s earlier days! Keepers of history are extraordinary sentries of the past!

GFWC Kentucky, Inc.
GFWC

03/18/2024

03/17/2024

Day 16 of Women’s History Month…we just want to salute our amazing Somerset Junior Woman's Club members!!

These ladies (and one guy) work so hard to make a difference in Pulaski County! It is a pleasure to call one another FRIEND!!

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(Several members were not present at the time this photo was taken, but yet are just as loved and appreciated as this group!)

03/16/2024

On this 15th day of Women’s History Month…the Somerset Junior Woman's Club wants to recognize a young woman who makes special events even more special!

Viviana Hernández Ortiz came to Somerset from her hometown of Chicago Heights, IL. She graduated from Somerset High School in 2001 and she studied business management at Lindsey Wilson College and Spanish and Latin American Studies at Western Kentucky University. Vivi is a wife to José V. Hernández Canella, a mother to Elena and Elisa, active at St. Mildred Catholic Church, and one of Somerset’s successful “Boss Ladies!” She has created a beautiful business as the owner and operator of Elina Events, LLC. In fact, she was recently able to expand her store and move to her new location next to Mr. D’s Pizza in the former Treasure Chest Florist building.

Elina Events offers new dresses for all occasions! From wedding guest attire to bridal to prom and everything in between and for all ages! They also have shoes and accessories and offer tuxedo rentals! Viviana has been blessed with an eye for fashion and it shows with each customer she assists.

One of the most awesome things about Viviana is that she also knows EVERY SIZE and EVERY AGE girl wants to look beautiful for special events. She offers girls newborn to tween dresses, prom & pageant gowns in sizes XXS to 7XL, long and short formals from XS to 4XL, dressy casual attire from XS to 3XL, wedding gowns from XS to 5XL, and bridesmaids dresses from XS to 5XL. (See…there IS something that will fit you when you really need that perfect formal outfit!)

Viviana has been part of numerous celebrations…birthdays, proms, grand openings, baby showers, back to school, sports, Quinceañeras, etc.,…with her flair for event planning and making gorgeous balloon arches and arrangements. She has brought so much joy to so many with her decorating talents.

She always greets customers with a big smile and is generous with local charitable organizations. She truly has a heart of gold and shines with God’s light in all that she does.

SJWC is proud to call her our friend and we look forward to all sorts of special events we can share with her and her boutique.

GFWC Kentucky, Inc.
GFWC

03/15/2024

On this 13th day of Women’s History Month…we remember and honor Ann Haney!

Ann Riese Brand Haney was born November 5,1949 in the Oakwood section of Dayton, Ohio. She graduated from Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and attended the University of Kentucky where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority and a 1971 graduate. It was at UK that she met her husband Don Haney. She married him and began her adventures in Nancy, KY. Her marriage was blessed with three children and she was a devoted grandmother. Ann and Don had just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary when she passed away on September 16, 2021 following a short illness.

Don and Ann were co-owners of Haney's Appledale Farm in Nancy, along with her brother and sister-in-law, Mark and Marlene Haney. Her roles at the farm included hostess, pie maker, tour guide, counter help, apple expert, merchandise buyer, and community stakeholder. Ann always greeted guests with a huge smile and friends with a big hug.

Even though she grew up being a fan of Ohio State Buckeye football, she was a Wildcat through and through. In fact, Ann was a past president of the UK National Alumni Association and served a six-year term on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees.

Ann taught for five years at Nancy High School before she became a full-time mother. She worked in adult education, which led to 29 years with the Pulaski County Public Library as the community relations specialist. She retired in 2015, but that didn’t stop her involvement with literacy programs. She was the past president of the Pulaski County Dolly Parton Imagination Library and did much to raise funds to help provide local children with free high-quality, age-appropriate books

Her work at the library, her many years as a major part of Haney’s Appledale Farm’s ongoing success, and her lengthy list of freely giving support to her community led to her being named Businesswoman of the Year by the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Chamber in 2020.

Ann was also a board member of the Mill Springs Battlefield Association where she was involved in the preservation of the historic site and helping usher the battlefield into the National Park System.

Ann was a lifelong supporter of University of Kentucky Pi Beta Phi where she continued to serve on the Alumnae Advisory Committee until her passing. She loved Southwestern High School football, where her sons played and her daughter was an athletic trainer. And, she always cheered on the programs and projects of the Somerset Junior Woman's Club!

Nancy, KY meant the world to her, as did all of Pulaski County. Ann was a true ambassador for THIS community, UK, agritourism, and more organizations and groups than we can ever name

SJWC is proud to have known her and call her a friend. Our president, Wynona Padgett, was even more proud to be a Pi Phi sister to this lady she considered a TRUE ANGEL!

She is missed by so many, but her legacy lives on through all that she touched.

(Some information contained in this post came from an article in the Commonwealth Journal Somerset, Ky..)

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03/15/2024

Day 12 of Women’s History Month…the Somerset Junior Woman's Club salutes the wonderful and beautiful Elaine Wilson!

Elaine A. Wilson is the director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Somerset Community College. Previously, she served in various positions, including associate facility director and facility director at Oakwood Training Facility.

Elaine holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from the University of Kentucky College of Social Work and Case Western Reserve University, respectively. In May 2023, Elaine graduated with a Doctor of Social Work from the University of Kentucky College of Social Work.

Elaine is a leader in our community and beyond. She has served numerous professional and civic organizations in membership and leadership roles, including the Somerset Board of Education, as chair and vice chair, president of the University of Kentucky Alumni Association, member of the University of Kentucky Women and Philanthropy, a University of Kentucky Fellow, the Kentucky Association of Blacks in Higher Education, a member of the Kentucky School Boards Association Board of Directors, the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources, and the Judicial Campaign Conduct Committee. She received the Excellence in Education Award from the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce in 2016 and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Acts of Service Award from the City of Somerset in 2023.

Elaine is always willing to help groups and organizations that are looking for ways to celebrate diversity and she often finds amazing speakers for programs like the Unity Breakfast, MLK Day activities, and the SCC International Festival. She is also active with planning for the “Juneteenth Jubilee” in Somerset. Plus, she has a most beautiful singing voice!

She is such an enthusiastic supporter of righteousness and fairness and we KNOW that our community and Somerset Community College are blessed to have her here with us! What a fabulous role model for the young women of Pulaski County!

(Content for this post came from the University of Kentucky Alumini Association.)

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GFWC

03/15/2024

Day 11 of Women’s History Month…tbe Somerset Junior Woman's Club celebrates and honors Cornelia Dozier Cooper…a true “Angel of the Arts,” a philanthropist, and a continual force for good in Pulaski County.

Cornelia was born on September 9, 1924 and is a 1946 graduate of the University of Kentucky. She married Richard Ernst Cooper and moved to Somerset from Madisonville, KY in 1961. In the years following her wedding, she and Richard had two children, Neil Vaughn and Frank Cain. Those children led to four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Even after her husband’s passing in August of 2007, Cornelia never even thought of leaving Somerset.

She was president and a founding member of Lake Cumberland Performing Arts and was a featured artist for the University of Kentucky Art Museum “Art in Bloom” annual fundraiser. She is also a recipient of the Master Musicians Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, and has supported the Lake Cumberland Children’s Theatre Series, Master Musicians Festival, and visual and performing arts programs at Somerset Community College and The Center for Rural Development. Cornelia was also a member of the first ever Kentucky Arts Council board, following the agency’s creation in 1965. She was the 2021 recipient of Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Community Service Award, an honor recognizing outstanding individuals who have dedicated a lifetime of service to the community. And, The Center for Rural Development’s theater has recently been named the Cornelia Dozier Cooper Theater.

An accomplished watercolor artist (she studied English watercolor at Oxford University), she started the Cornelia Dozier Cooper Endowment Fund for the Arts. The endowment funds multiple $1,000 awards given each year to support the visual and performing arts in the Lake Cumberland area. The fund is supported, in part, by money generated by the sale of her own watercolor paintings. She has worked diligently to promote art exhibits, theater and music performances, and educational opportunities for artists.

A tribute in the Congressional Record written by Congressman Harold Rogers lists Cornelia’s many accomplishments to include: the only female member of the Governor’s Mansion Commission, McDowell Cancer Board, East Kentucky Leadership Foundation “Private Individual” Award, Past President of the Somerset Garden Club, Chair of the Fountain Square Foundation, original member of the Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, Past Member of the UK Museum Board, President of the Cornelia Dozier Cooper Endowment Fund, and a recipient of the prestigious 2018-2019 Milner Award, part of the Governor’s Awards in the Arts.

Cornelia spent decades keeping Somerset’s Fountain Square beautiful by planting flowers and leading renovation projects. Fountain Square was a pet project of hers and there is a rumor that when one county judge-executive did away with the trees on fountain square, she hired a landscaping company to replace them in the middle of the night with the cherry trees seen there today. She was also a consultant on the most recent fountain square beautification project and delivered the keynote address at its dedication in 2013.

She also led a door-to-door effort to rally support for the community’s first library after the Carnegie Library donated numerous books to her. The library commission’s first meeting was in 1967 and the library opened in the old post office building in 1972. Sen. John Sherman Cooper gave the keynote address. This accomplishment was the inspiration behind turning the old library facility into the Carnegie Community Arts Center after a new library building was built on South Main Street. The building was most recently named the John Sherman Cooper Community Arts Center to help carry on the Cooper name in Somerset.

Cornelia Dozier Cooper has been and continues to be a beautiful light and inspiration for women in the arts and women who know how to make things happen in our community. We are so thankful she is part of Pulaski County’s history, present and future. We all look forward to celebrating her 100th birthday in September!

(Most content for this post came directly from the Kentucky Arts Council and from a Commonwealth Journal Somerset, Ky. article written by Christopher Harris.)

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03/15/2024

Like get busy and we get behind. Pardon our catch up.