History buffs tour landmarks in Fleming County
Included in the Bridges and Beyond Tour was a visit to Goddard where the group learned the history of the church and the bridge. Pictures courtesy of Crystal Ruark.
Fleming County native, Dwayne Price shares the story of his uncle PFC Franklin R. Sousley during the groups visit to the Elizaville Cemetery.
A group of local and out of town history buffs enjoyed a visit to some of Fleming County’s most cherished landmarks during the Bridges and Beyond Tour last Saturday afternoon.
The Tour was hosted by the Fleming County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Committee.
Crystal Ruark, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, along with Chamber Office Administrative Assistant, Melanie Jones, guided the afternoon tours.
Transportation was provided by Harry Applegate with the Mays Lick Baptist Church and Loretta Ramey with Flemingsburg Baptist Church.
The day began with a visit to Abner’s Mill Fellowship Chapel, a log cabin church built by Johnny Jett and crew members from the Barnwood Builders.
“The group really appreciated the remarkable craftmanship of the log chapel and they all loved the stained-glass windows that were salvaged from an abandoned church in Ewing,” Jones said.
Next on the stop was the Elizaville Cemetery where the group was greeted by Dwayne Price who shared the life of his uncle, Franklin Runyon Sousley.
Private First Class Sousley was born on Sept. 19, 1925 in Hilltop, Ky. After he graduated from Fleming County High School in 1945 he chose to enlist in the United States Marin Corps. He is known world wide as one of the six flag raisers during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
While at the Elizaville cemetery, the group also stopped by the final resting place of KSP Trooper Blake Tribby to pay their respects.
At the Grange City and Ringo’s Mill covered bridges, the group learned the history of those two timbered tunnels then traveled to the Goddard Covered White Bridge where Ginny Reeves and Brenda Plummer shared the history of the bridge as well as the Goddard Church.
After soaking up the rich history at Goddard, the group journeyed down KY-559 where they took a step back in time at the Poston one-room school in Wallingford and enjoyed a picnic lunch.
Charles Berry was on hand to tell the story of how he and his agriculture students adopted the Poston Schoolhouse to renovate and preserve the schools history as a class project several years ago.
The final stop on the tour was at the Fleming County Covered Bridge Museum.
Brenda Plummer, President of the Museum Society, greeted the group to share more history that can be discovered by visiting the museum.
Despite the threat of heavy rain and thunderstorms, the Bridges and Beyond Tour was a delightful and interesting day trip.
“We would like to extend a special thank you to our guest who signed up for the tour, Loretta Ramey, and Harry Applegate for providing transportation, Michael Toy with Kentucky Travels for his coverage of the event, the Dinner Bell for preparing a delicious lunch and Fleming County Tourism for organizing such a wonderful tour. We appreciate each of you for helping us make the tour such a success,” Crystal Ruark and Melanie Jones said.
A side view showcases the log structure and windows of the little log church built by Fleming County native Johnny Jett and his crew members from the television show Barnwood Builder’s.
The beautiful stain-glassed windows that now adorn Abner’s Mill Fellowship Chapel are over 100 years old and were salvaged from an abandoned church in Ewing.
Charles Berry enjoyed sharing the history of the Poston one-room school with members of the Bridges and Beyond Tour group. Front row, from left, are Randy and Shirley Johnson from Clark County, Loretta Ramey, and Ginny Reeves. Back row, l-r are Harry Applegate, Chuck Hurst Johnathan Wright, Woodie Reeves, Michael Toy and Charles Berry.
