Did Community Good
"She did more good for the community even with the handicap than any one person I can think of," was the sentiment of one of her pupils. Miss Osborne could not play"drop the handkerchief" at recess with the girls. Many of them preferred to remain in the room and comb and braid Miss Osborne's long hair. "We would fix her leg of mutton sleeves and puff them up nice and straight," one of ther girls recalled. At Christmas time Miss Osborne saw to it that even the poorest child received "his pretty" from the tree. She dressed china dolls and hung them on the tree for the girls. In the early days it was a hardship for some of the children to go to school. They had very little money to spend. Miss Osborne provided odd jobs for the girls at the dormitory. Some of them hemmed napkins with their fingers. A dollar a day from 8 a.m., until 4 p.m., was considered good pay.
Waited For Miss Osborne
Early in the morning when she came from the dormitory to the school, more than a half a dozen girls waited for Miss Osborne just to walk over to the school with her. Never did she tell one of them to go away. In her crippled condition she walked along with several holding to each arm. This very popular school teacher was very sensitive about her shoes. The shoemaker was always very considerate when he halfsoled her shoes. He knew that she didn't want her shoes to be seen out in the shoe shop. If a customer came in the shoemaker put them aside to finish later. Saturday the children went chesnut and paw-paw hunting. Yes, you guessed the answer. Every child enjoyed carrying them to his teacher Monday morning. An old timer recollected buying a bonnett for her as a gift. He had a relative to make it and starch all the frilly ruffles. She was very proud of it.
Cawood Was Teacher
Miss Marsh, Miss Campbell and Carlo Cawood, now president of the Bank of Harlan and co-owner of Harlan Jewelry and Hardware, were teachers at the school. Their work in Harlan County meant much to the community. W.W. Choate was a preacher as well as a teacher. He possessed a camera mounted on a tri-pod in the early days and enjoyed nothing more than picture taking. On the bank of the river near the old mill which stood at the end of Main Street bridge, half of the population of Harlan gathered there to do the family wash. They had wash places, boards and big black boiling kettles placed along the river bank. The women folk crossed the rocks or waded over to their wash places. The small children played in the sand.
Pictures For The Show
Mr. Choate put his camera in use one day and took a few pictures of the women at their weekly task. One day, years later, France Harris was walking along the street in California, the year of the great earthquake, when he happened to notice a theatre sign which read, "Wash Day on the Cumberlands." Being a native Harlan Countian the word Cumberland came quickly to his attention. He walked inside to view the slides. There they were, doing the wash down by the old mill in Harlan. He inquired about the pictures and was told that they were produced by W.W. Choate. Harris was very indignate about the matter. These women were honest, hard -working, upright citizens of Harlan County and Harris was ready to go to bat for them at the drop of a hat. Down through the years the early-day settlers have been woven very close. They shared their joys and sorrows together. An ill neighbor, miles away, was never along. Friends saddled their horses, lit their lanterns and carried food to the sick. Friendliness and hospitality were two outstanding traits of the early residents of Harlan County.
Sunday December 28, 1952
Volume 51 Number 303
Pages 1 & 8
