Written by Brenda S. Bear (brendasbear@gmail.com). Please do not copy or share my writing without my permission. Thank you for reading my stories. On May 3rd of this year, two of the Lewis County artists featured on the City of Vanceburg’s new mural were Charley and Noah Kinney. These unforgettable brothers, who spent their entire lives in Toller Holler are remembered fondly by many, especially the older generation who either knew them personally or grew up hearing tales of t

Written by Brenda S. Bear (brendasbear@gmail.com). Please do not copy or share my writing without my permission. Thank you for reading my stories. A few months ago, I read an article by Bill Tom Stone titled “Where Are All the Volunteers?” It made me think of someone many of us should already know. Let me introduce you to Mrs. Janey Clark. Every Friday and Saturday, you can find her at 39 Market Street in downtown Vanceburg, the same place she has faithfully volunteered si

Written by Brenda S. Bear (brendasbear@gmail.com). Please do not copy or share my writing without my permission. Thank you for reading my stories. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Denise Kirk (“Kirkie”) Ash, who came to share stories of her ancestor, William Kelly Hampton, a man whose legacy has resonated deeply within her family for generations. Hampton was married to Margaret McCann, the first cousin of Kirkie’s great-grandmother, Hattie McCann Kirkendall. Hat

Written by Brenda S. Bear (brendasbear@gmail.com). Please do not copy or share my writing without my permission. Thank you for reading my stories. “I wouldn’t trade a single yesterday for a million tomorrows.” —Donnie Carver Rock Creek is a small holler in Quincy, Kentucky, stretching about eight miles from one end to the other. It’s where the roots of sister and brother Judy and Donnie Carver first took hold. You can’t tell their story without hearing their music, because m

Written by Brenda S. Bear ( brendasbear@gmail.com ). Please do not copy or share my writing without my permission. Thank you for reading my stories. Wanda is one of 5 children of Senior Master Sergeant James Rival Reis, a Lewis County Veteran with a Military Hero Banner hanging in downtown Vanceburg. Reis graduated from Lewis County High School in 1942 and was drafted a couple months later. The Senior Master Sergeant served in 3 wars that spanned over 30 years (1943-1973): Wo

Written by Brenda S. Bear ( brendasbear@gmail.com ). Please do not copy or share my writing without my permission. Thank you for reading my stories. One of my most cherished childhood memories growing up in Lewis County is of a small, country store called Bentley Brothers Grocery. It was late fall, tobacco stripping season, and my parents would go to Bentley’s and pick up a big roll of Kahn’s bologna, the kind wrapped in the bright red plastic sleeve, along with a couple loa

Written by Brenda S. Bear ( brendasbear@gmail.com ). Please do not copy or share my writing without my permission. Thank you for reading my stories. Dennis and I talked about writing stories that preserve the history of our people in Lewis County, stories that are slowly fading away with each passing generation. I decided to start with a story about my grandmother, Ruth Agnes (Stone) Ervin, who raised her children on Spy Run Hollow in Garrison. Grandma Ruth grew up in a fam

Written by Brenda S. Bear ( brendasbear@gmail.com ). Please do not copy or share my writing without my permission. Thank you for reading my stories. Leaders are remembered not just for what they build, but for how they lift the people around them. George Plummer is one of those rare individuals whose life has been defined by a deep commitment to his community. In 1795, George’s ancestors floated down the Ohio River by flatboat. His great grandfather, Martin Luther Plummer and

Written by Brenda S. Bear ( brendasbear@gmail.com ). Please do not copy or share my writing without my permission. Thank you for reading my stories. Lewis County Veteran, Douglas E. Applegate’s story doesn’t begin with medals or fanfare, it begins on a Greyhound bus leaving downtown Vanceburg in 1955. A recent college graduate with a Business Degree and no job prospects, he made the decision to enlist in the U.S. Army rather than wait to be drafted. That decision, he said, ch

Written by Brenda S. Bear ( brendasbear@gmail.com ). Please do not copy or share my writing without my permission. Thank you for reading my stories. My very first memory of Clara Kamer takes me back to a hot summer day when I was about 12 years old. My dad had leased the land next to her house to plant tobacco. Dad was on the tractor, and I was walking close behind, clearing away buried plants and pulling weeds he’d missed. As we got closer to her house, Clara stepped outsid

Written by Brenda S. Bear ( brendasbear@gmail.com ). Please do not copy or share my writing without my permission. Thank you for reading my stories. When I asked Ben Pugh if he had any information about his father’s military service, he said he did. A few days later, he visited Vanceburg and left behind three photo albums filled with newspaper clippings, awards- an extraordinary record of his father’s time in the U.S. Navy. Known to family and friends as Tom, Lieutenant Com

Written by Brenda S. Bear ( brendasbear@gmail.com ). Please do not copy or share my writing without my permission. Thank you for reading my stories. I reached out to Roger over the phone, eager to discuss a project that had been brewing in my mind. Strangely enough, we had never met before, and I hadn’t even known he existed until a couple of weeks prior to our call. To my surprise, he agreed to meet with me. As soon as we sat down, I was struck by the quiet strength of Roger