I am really proud of this project and thrilled to share it with you.
As I mentioned back in September, Bryan and I were hired to do an art/archive project for the Todd County Justice Center. The thought of a six month to year long project scared me a little, but with some planning and adventure – we finished! We both learned a lot and really enjoyed it. We met some really incredible people along the way and were sad to wrap it up.
We took a little trip to see the photos on the walls and hang the captions with Ryan and Karissa a couple weeks ago.
These are from the second floor courtroom and waiting area. There is an identical set up on the first floor with a different set of photos.
All in all there are 19 poster size photos and 3 smaller prints. All of the photos were shot by Bryan. My job and title (which changed daily) was usually art director or production manager. We planned shots based on what people in town told us made Todd County special. While we traveled from place to place, we made frequent stops to photography things that caught our eye. Here are the images that made it into the courthouse:
September 12, 2013 – Morning fog rolls in over a barn in Allensville on highway 102. 
September 12, 2013 – Tobacco leaves hang in a barn off of highway 102 in Allensville. Hanging the burly leaves allows the plant to be cured while moisture escapes. In 2006, Todd County produced over 1 million pounds of dark, fire-cured tobacco. 
September 12, 2013 – Home in Allensville built by merchant Charles W. Haddox (1842-1882) shortly after the Civil War. Haddox became a Confederate soldier at 17 years old and served under Col. Hutchinson and General Morgan. He was captured and became a prisoner of war for eighteen months. Upon his return, he reentered the army remaining out until the close of the war. He built this brick home so that it would be large enough to entertain all of the Confederate soldiers who came to Allensville.
[History from articles by Mildred C. Standard] The home is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Danny Dew.
September 12, 2013 – Railroad tracks in Allensville originally laid in 1867. 
September 12, 2013 – Morning light shines through the trees on Highway 79 near Allensville. 
September 12, 2013 – Robert Penn Warren’s home stands in Guthrie. Penn Warren became the first Poet Laureate of the United States in 1986. He won a Pulitzer Prize for All the King’s Men and two more for his poetry. 
September 12, 2013 – The Jefferson Davis Monument rises in the September sky in Fairview. The 351-foot obelisk was built to mark the birthplace of Jefferson Davis. “Kentucky, my own, my native land, God grant that peace and plenty may ever run throughout your borders. God grant that your sons and daughters may ever rise to illustrate that fame of their dead fathers and that wherever the name of Kentucky is mentioned, every hand shall be lifted and every head bowed for all that is grand, all that is glorious, all that is virtuous, and all that is honorable and manly,” said Davis during his salute to Kentucky in November 1886 on his last visit to his birthplace. 
September 12, 2013 – The Jefferson Davis Monument rises in the September sky in Fairview. Construction started in 1917, but stopped in 1918 at 175 feet due to the lack of building materials during World War I. Building resumed in 1922 and was finished in 1924. The total cost was $200,000. 
September 18, 2013 – Johnny Yoder repairs a strap from a saddle at the Penchem Tack Store. The store was established in the 1960s by Yoder’s grandfather. 
September 18, 2013 – The western face of Pilot Rock. It borders Todd and Christian Counties and is the highest point in both counties. 
September 18, 2013 – A tobacco barn in northern Todd County viewed from Pilot Rock. 
September 18, 2013 – The Jefferson Davis Monument as seen from Pilot Rock. The distance to the monument is about 8 miles. The solid Kentucky limestone structure was the fifth tallest monument in the United States. 
September 18, 2013 – The main intersection in Kirkmansville gives directions to some of Todd County’s other towns. Kirkmansville is in the northwestern corner of Todd County and is home to a local favorite dining spot, Helen’s Place. 
September 18, 2013 – The Harvest Moon rises in Clifty. The Harvest Moon signifies the end of harvest season and the yielding of crops. 
October 4, 2013 – The old courthouse stands in the center square of Elkton during the Harvest Fest on Friday afternoon. Union forces occupied the courthouse during the Civil War. The cupola, an iconic symbol of Todd County, was added during renovations in 1871. 
September 12, 2013 – The Guthrie Feed Mill sits just off the railroad tracks in Guthrie. Originally a stage coach stop known as Pondy Woods, Guthrie was renamed for John James Guthrie, the President of L&N Railroad, in 1867. Guthrie placed a major switch track in town where five railroad lines met and the area became a boomtown of commerce. 
October 3, 2013 – Marlyon, a 16-year-old Mennonite farmer, rests with his horses during a corn harvest in Fairview. Mennonites came to the area in 1970s because farm land was readily available. 
October 4, 2013 – Clouds move over a field of soybeans outside of Trenton off of Kentucky route 1753. Planting usually takes place in late April to June and harvest is from late September to November. 
October 4, 2013 – The old courthouse in Elkton during Harvest Fest on Friday afternoon. The courthouse was built in 1835-1836 and served Todd County for 140 years.
*All images by Bryan Lemon.
Tags: Allensville, Kentucky, Todd County, Todd County Justice Center, Todd County Kentucky
We ran in the Color Run on the morning of the 4th of July. The Go Pro came in handy once again! I loved all my dad’s selfies.
My family went back a day earlier than us to see Gray when he got home. Ryan and I enjoyed a day to ourselves and had a date night in Seaside at the Great Southern Cafe. It was my second time there and won’t be my last. The food is so delicious! 
Holmes fixed us some delish waffles the first morning:
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