The record., 1912-07-04
An Outsider on Muhienbsrg.

spots in old Muhlcnbcrs. There
were in the party Mr.. Rich
ard /. Martin. Who has devoted
much of his leisure 10 writing de
ligh;ful sketches of early times
about Grecnvil!c, ot:o y. Rothert,
who has devoted the past six years
10 writing a history of the county
and its people, and Young +. Ali
son, whose ancestors were born in
the upper Pond Creek country, and
who was looking over the scenes
and landmarks where the "Adam
and Eve" of his family found their
first garden. Then there was VIII O
1--we the personal aspects OF history
and the story of resolutc and
strong men building up new
land.
1t was fortunate company Tor
me, because | was seeing the detail
of preparing history. Mr.. Rothert's
rHistory of Muhlenberg County"
will probably go to press next spring.
Having read much OF his manuscript
and examined his remarkable col
lection of pictures of carly persons,
relics and documents, can say
there is no doubt'that there will fall
to Muhlcnbers the honor of having
the most thorough, interesting and
valuable county history of any
of the one hundred and twenty
counties of the state. 1t is fortu-
nate that the task fell 10 Mr.. Roth
eri by his own choice. y compare
tive stranger in the county, Interes-
ted in lis industrial development,
he was better able to appreciate the
picturesque aspects of its history
tn an if he had been born and rear
ed in Muhlcnberg and has come TO
regard its story as commonplace
"A thing TO be familiar with and
forg otteE-or to look upon it only
from the fond attitude of personal
and aftectionate sentiment, as Mr..
NJ ar Tin has viewed it in his frequent
Itimate "reminiscences of families,
persons and events. Mr.. Rothert
has seen and appreciated it from all
standpoints.
Mr.. Rothcrt is preparing 4 gen.
uine history of the people of the
county, the masses, the individuali-
ties that sprang up among them,
their environments, their early
struggles and achievements, their
palisfsssaii ~ tllyne-e4ssd Industrial
movements. He has collected a
mass of documentary material that
will throw food of light upon all
these aspects and will put into the
hands of the man from Muhlenberg
wherever he may be-thc story
of his ancestors and their homes,
and how they carved out the found
alton stones of their families.
1T was curiously strong an | res
olute people that settled Mullen
berg and It's surrounding counties
The dominating quantity and quality
of them were the Scotch Irish, who
moved out of North Carolina in the
migratory upheaval of 1899 ga and
followed the Western line into Ten
nessee and Kentucky, finding lodg-
meut at Russellville, Hopkinsville,
Greenville, HENDERSON, Owensboro
and Smithland, in sturdy commun =
ties that were sanglonic nerve centcrs
of the Western Kentucky civiliza-
ton of today. Among these rude
but religious and resolutc Calls
came also some families of shrcwd
and adventurous Germans, some
Nirginians and larger admixture Of
pure Scotch. But the Irish blood
was in the ascendant, as the genial,
original and often eccentric charac-
ters of tie eaIlY dals prove. There
10 no section Of kenucky where the
history Is so completely of its own
making, without regard to ancestral
influence OF family, as herc. West
ern Kentucky has made itself and
dictate 1 its own future more than
any other part of the state.
In going over the Pond Creek
country We visited Friendship, the
site of Hickory Wi,hCr school and
church, Sh. ron, Mr.. Pisgah, ar
finally void Liberty" the cradle o;
,ts reli ,ioqs an sci ii ,ieve' 'ppn mt
The log bgrch at Old Liberty is
being torn down! .'.fty years hence
the county would gladly pay $50,
900 to have It's rains standing pre-
served. Mr. K ,'hrrt took Last
photograph of the ruins.
A., NJ. LIt.. I'm =. - a.