News from Sept. 11, 2003 issue


Cabin has haunted memories
BY CRAIG TEXTOR
SPECIAL TO THE PRESS
Becky Fornear greets visitors at the door of a cabin built in the early 1800s appropriately attired in a period skirt, blouse and apron.
The setting is beautiful, breath-taking even, high on a hill overlooking the old Chickasaw Trail (now Ky. 654). You can look down and around at the beautiful Kentucky landscape and the oldest road in Crittenden County.
This marvelous restoration is just seven, maybe eight miles from Marion off U.S. 60 near Mattoon. Notice the historical marker at the roadside at the old school as you turn right onto the Chickasaw Trail. Travel about a mile and you'll see the impressive two-story log cabin high on a hill.
Are you ready to party, have a wedding, a family get-together or club meeting? This is the place, available for a modest fee. Elaborate niceties are planned for the future.
But first, let me tell you a little bit about the rich history of this Crittenden County cabin. It was built in the early 1800s by Albert Moore. The Moore family inhabited the property for many years and their home provided hospitality for stagecoach stops. There could be a sign there that says, "The Marquis de Lafayette Slept Here" ­ because he did when he was on a triumphant tour of the United States well after the Revolutionary War.
Fornear, who is the director of the Clement Mineral Museum in Marion, tells us her father bought the cabin in the late 1970s and refurbished it. It now has central air conditioning and heat, an added-on kitchen and bath area, and a microwave oven. It also is richly furnished. Some of the furnishings are original, some are functional reproductions.
Now, the cabin comes complete with a ghost story. A descendant of the original builder, Robert Moore, and his family lived there. His daughter, Flora, committed suicide in the front parlor. It seems that at the time of World War I, Flora was in love with a soldier of whom her father disapproved. Since Robert Moore was the postmaster, he was in a position to intercept and destroy letters sent to and received from the young soldier.
In addition to her "lost" love, Flora Moore's brother had died in the military, her mother had dropped dead on her way from the barn to the cabin, and a sister had died in the flu epidemic. Flora Moore was depressed. She also was handy with a double-barreled shotgun and used it for her own demise. A photo in the cabin shows Flora and her father, Robert, ready for hunting in happier days.
Now here's the ghost part: Becky tells us that the door of an antique wardrobe, which is in the cabin, sometimes mysteriously opens. When Fornear says, "Quit it, Flo," it stops. Well, Flora's an accommodating ghost.
Today, the cabin overlooks 71 acres of woods and hills. It has been the scene of many gatherings ­ Christmas and anniversary parties, card parties, and, at least once, a murder-mystery party. You can bet the Moore ghost story was told then.
Big plans are afoot to bring the rest of the grounds into a "little park-like town," according to Fornear. A small white chapel is planned. A pond will be constructed and paddle boats will be available. There will be a pavilion for wedding and graduation receptions; also senior citizen dances will be held as will card parties. RV hook-ups are planned for hunters. In the ancient past, Chickasaws roamed the land and hunted the prey; but there's lots of game left over!
If you want to rent the log cabin for any occasion, call Becky Fornear at 965-5700, her home phone number. Tuesdays through Thursdays she can be found at the Clement Mineral Museum in Marion.
Note: Certainly most helpful in research for this article was Brenda Underdown, the "Forgotten Passages" columnist for The Crittenden Press, and Mrs. Moroney of the Bob Wheeler Historical Museum in Marion.

School board raises property taxes
The Crittenden County Board of Education Tuesday night approved a 1.2-cent tax hike ­ the third largest annual increase since the inception of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990. Greater local expenses and decreased financial support from the state were reasons cited by school officials for the increase.
Board members Bill Asbridge and Phyllis Orr became emotional when talking about the tax just prior to the vote. Each said they talked with a number of local residents and had a hard time deciding whether to support an increase.
"Forty different people talked to me. One said raise it, one said they didn't care and the rest didn't want (it increased)," Orr said. "I would never vote to hurt children or the teaching/learning process.
Orr, a retired teacher, cast the only dissenting vote.
The new property tax rate of 40.2 cents per $100 of assessed value will generate almost $1.6 million, or about $100,000 more than last year.
Property owners with a $50,000 home will pay $201 this year for school taxes, about $6 more than last year.