Coming up on Kentucky Life... A northern Wisconsin town celebrates its unique.

Kentuck heritage at an annual festival.

See how roller derby in Kentucky is building connections.

One hip check at a time.

Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen.

Landing in Louisville showcases the significant role.

The Ohio River has played in the development of the Bluegrass.

And remembering Appalachian healthcare pioneer, Eula Hall.

All that's next on Kentucky Life ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Hey, everybody, and welcome to Kentucky Life.

I'm your host, Chip Polston.

Well, it's a beautiful day here, next to the Ohio River.

We're in Southwest Jefferson County.

In Louisville at Riverside.

The Farnsley-Moremen Landing.

Built in 1837, the house stands as a living time capsule.

Of life in that era.

With ongoing archaeological work continuing to unearth.

Clues about life here back in the day.

This once abandoned structure.

Is now the centerpiece of a 300-acre historic site.

And we'll learn a little more about it later in our show.

But our first story takes us to a place.

Far beyond the borders of the Commonwealth.

While still being close in spirit.

A northern Wisconsin town celebrates.

Kentuck Days each year.

All thanks to a large migration of Kentuckians to the area.

That began more than 100 years ago.

Join us now on a Kentucky Life road trip to Crandon, Wisconsin.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ It's a beautiful summer Saturday in Crandon.

And Courthouse Square is abuzz with activity.

It's the annual Kentuck Days festival, now in its 52nd year.

It all started with a simple idea.

By a local homemaker's group to celebrate a common bond shared.

By many Forest Countians their Kentucky roots.

I'm proud of that heritage.

My grandsons, they were up here one day.

And as we're going, I said, it's Kentuck Day.

They said, well, what's Kentuck Day?

I said, it's like a major holiday up here.

Okay?

You get the Fourth of July The Kentucks, they have their own day.

UW█Extension Homemakers thought it would be a good idea.

To host an event.

Really highlighting the heritage of Kentucky.

And I think it was really based on the fact.

That the year prior 1970.

The State of Kentucky.

Was promoting Daniel Boone's bicentennial.

Some of the families here in Forest County.

You know, still had family members.

Cousins, or aunts, or uncles back in Kentucky.

So they were making that connection.

So, eventually they wanted to just make sure.

That their families were able to preserve that heritage.

And the traditions.

And they also knew that it would be a boost.

To the local economy as well.

And then also, I think they wanted to preserve.

The traditions of family, right?

And so, getting togethe and sharing those stories.

And preserving those stories essentially.

And for 52 years now that has been happening.

So, you're probably wondering how did so many Kentuckians.

End up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin?

We had big timber up here and the New England lumberjacks.

Came through and they took all the good stuff.

And then a lot of them moved on.

And there was a lot of cutover land.

There was a lot of hardwood timber.

There was a lot of stuff that those guys.

Didn't want to waste their time with.

And some lumber barons who saw some value in that.

Some of these guys already had operations.

That were down in lower Ohio and Kentucky.

So they recruited people down there.

Families would transition up here.

And then word would get back to Kentucky.

That there are jobs up here.

The violence of the South.

And the border states isn't the same as it is up here.

People that came from Kentucky weren't afraid of hard work.

so they jumped right in and they worked the sawmills.

They worked the lumber camps, and then there were farmers.

The Isons came here to log in 1903.

They came from Kentuck because the Page on Landick Sawmill.

On clear Lake was here.

And the people from Kentucky followed the mill up.

To Clear Lake to log.

That's why so many Kentucks came here.

And Crandon is kind of hilly.

It's not flat like the rest of northern Wisconsin.

When you come into Crandon, you see all these big hills.

And the people love that because it kind of reminded them.

Of home where they came from.

They came up, like, for the logging and stuff.

And they were mixed in with, you know, Scandinavians.

That moved in and stuff, and the lumber barons.

But when they logged the country off.

The lumber barons left, lot of the other people left.

But the Kentucks like, hey, this is like home up here.

Now, some of them left.

And went back because of the hard winters.

There's always a push-pull factor in terms of a migration.

And so for sure, the pull, right, was the jobs.

But the push was the feuds in southeastern Kentucky.

During that time.

And because the migration was very family oriented.

Entire families eventually came up.

There were some Kentucks that maybe were wanted down.

In Kentucky for crimes who escaped to northern Wisconsin.

It was a destination for maybe some people.

Who were on the wrong side of the law.

There was some, you know, overcrowding.

And poverty and some violence that made people.

Want to look elsewhere.

And that seems to be what started the migration.

People that were up here in maybe as early as 1880.

And then slowly more and more people came.

And by the 1910 census.

The census pages practically match up.

With some of the county census pages.

That are down in some of the Kentucky counties.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ It didn't take long for Forest County.

To become known as the home of the Kentucks.

A colloquial term given to these hardscrabble southerners.

That settled in and around Crandon.

So that term "Kentuck," that's a term.

That they've kind of used for us up here.

Not so much anymore.

But you know when I was a kid, that was very common.

So dang Crandon Kentucks Forest County.

I mean, used a lot of times, that's a derogatory term, right?

It's like a hillbilly type thing, right?

But our word is a badge of honor.

Man.

I don't care, I love it.

So, it just started when they moved up here.

There's some that they started calling, right?

And they were all Kentucks.

They all married Kentucks.

I call them Kentucks and you guys probably.

Don't like that phrase.

Well, that's what we call, everybody is called Kentuck.

You know.

A lot of them had big families so, like my wife.

I call her a double-barrel Kentuck.

So, she's Kentuck on both sides.

I'm just Kentuck on one side.

laughs Kentuck is very, from a clannish standpoint.

Get on the wrong side of them.

And you're gonna be an enemy for life, okay?

And when they say feuds.

Feuds don't end in this generation.

They just get passed on and on and on and on and on.

In the 1970s, when the UW█Extension Homemakers.

Started Kentuck Day.

They wanted it to be a positive thing.

They wanted to talk about and preserve the rich heritage.

That the Kentuck families did bring to Forest County.

So over time, there's been some, You know, poor connotation to the word Kentuck.

But we're trying to rebuild that.

They struggled, but they were proud.

They were very family-centric.

And they made it through.

My grandma, Thelma, told me that she had her first child.

And they were living at chicken coop with a dirt floor.

And that was their home at that time.

So that really stands out to me.

And my grandfather, her first born son.

Had to cut a hole out of the ice And stick a bucket down there to get water.

I understand how to be resourceful.

Be hard working.

And I think that really comes from those descendants.

From Kentucky.

I think that's something that we have in common.

With the people there.

Just that really deep loyalty of community.

And family, and where you come from.

And being able to depend on your neighbors.

And every summer, locals and visitors alike.

Will gather in Crandon to share stories.

Soup beans and cornbread, and maybe a little shine.

All in honor of their old Kentucky home far away.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ For many Kentuckians.

Derby is synonymous with horse racing.

But for some folks, derby means roller skates.

And elbows and jamming.

And full-on contact action on wheels.

Roller Derby of Central Kentucky or ROCK was pushed to the brink.

By the pandemic but has fought its way back to competition.

And in Covington, Black-n-Bluegrass teaches.

The sport of roller derby to a new generation.

Both teams represent what roller derby is all about.

Building community, empowering women.

And as you're about to see, bone crushing hits at wicked speed.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Roller derby is very empowering for women.

Because we don't have many outlets for aggression.

There's still this idea that women need to be demure.

And quiet and make themselves smaller to fit within the world.

It is the land of misfit toys.

People that don't like sports like roller derby.

People who feel like they don't have a place or don't belong.

Like, I think that's where a lot of people.

Why they're drawn to the roller derby because it's for everyone.

You can have blue hair or pink hair.

Doesn't matter what you look like or what you believe in.

They're gonna welcome you with open arms.

And they're going to teach you to be an athlete.

So, you know, just goes to show if you keep moving.

You stay up, and I love it.

How are you guys feeling with this?

You feeling good?

You want to do another round of it?

We are Roller Derby of Central Kentucky.

We have been Lexington's Women's Flat Track.

Derby league in Lexington since 2006.

Push, push, push, push, push!

Go, go, go, go!

We went 13 years without interruption.

And then it went away.

In 2020, we got to play one game before the world shut down.

We lost our practice space during the pandemic.

Which was kind of a heartbreaker.

And so, at that time.

We were without a practice space We were without a bout space.

We were down to 20 active skaters, And just trying to keep the organization together.

I had to grieve roller derby because it was a big sense.

Of like who I was and like my teammates.

And what I did for fun, what I did for self-care.

And it was like a significant loss during that time.

Just a lot of uncertainty, and so once spring hit.

And things really started rolling.

We got a lot of new membership.

And we started training really hard.

We have worked it out with a bout venue.

So we have a place that we can play again.

And show off all of our skills.

And how hard we've worked to Kentucky.

And in two weeks we get to do that.

So, obviously we really need to work on communication.

This is something...

So, Nuk'em is leading practice.

Because it's a full contact sport.

We use mostly our hips.

And our shoulders to take each other's space.

So they're currently working on using their hips.

To move the other player.

And take their space on the track in order to clear a hole.

That would then allow another skater to get through.

Five seconds!

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Whistle blows ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ The goal is to get your point scorer through.

While keeping the opposite team's point scorer.

From getting through.

So you're playing both offense and defense at the same time.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ There's nothing better than hitting somebody.

Bigger than you and making them fall.

Nothing better than that.

It's fantastic.

We started in May of 2006.

Black-n-Bluegrass Roller Girls.

We were probably the second, maybe third team in Kentucky.

To kind of start up and get going.

The Juniors is an offshoot.

Of the Black-n-Bluegrass Roller Girls.

So we do have a lot of the older ones.

That kind of get with the younger ones.

And they help them out and they teach them things.

The kids get a sense of community.

They get a sense of belonging.

They all look at the older team members.

Like, oh, I want to be like her, I wanna skate like her.

Sometimes you, like, don't have the confidence to do it.

But the more you do it, the more you get better.

Everybody needs to have a place where they feel that they belong And I've always felt like roller derby was one of those spaces.

Where people that typically don't feel accepted.

In other spaces feel accepted here.

Yeah.

So, we are actually having our first home bout since 2019.

We are almost set up.

We're ahead of schedule.

So we still have a half an hour.

Track is almost done being laid.

It has been incredibly rewarding I am so proud of all the work that everyone has done.

And I'm really excited for what happens tonight.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I don't think I've ever felt the energy.

That I felt in here tonight.

Like, it was a really good, positive, supportive, amazing.

Cheering from the audience.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ People come into derby for a variety of reasons.

They're looking for a community or they're looking for an outlet Or they're looking for aggression.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ They just need a place and people find a place in derby.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I mean, it's just another thing that Lexington has to offer.

It's community, like, you know, when people think of derby.

They're like horses and stuff.

But no, like, derby is roller skates.

Having a sport that is so inclusive like roller derby.

Anyone can join at any point.

I think it's something that Lexington really needed.

And I'm really happy that it's back.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ We've had a great time here today so far at Riverside.

The Farnsley-Moremen Landing.

This is Patti Linn.

She's the Historic Site Manager here.

Patti, thanks for letting us be a part of this today.

Sure.

So, it's interesting to me that the name.

Of this is not Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen House.

It's Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing.

Because the river played such an important part here.

Tell me about that.

The river is central to the significance of this site.

Obviously, it was a source for water, fertile land.

But more importantly, transportation and trade.

So throughout most of the 19th century.

There was an active riverboat landing here.

And they were trading goods with passing riverboats.

So, it was almost like having an interstate off ramp.

Here back in the day, right?

Absolutely.

I mean, we're about 13 miles.

Downriver from Downtown Louisville.

But this was a place where you could stop.

Take on fuel.

Steamboats would get wood for their boilers to power.

Those steam engines.

And then take on other provisions.

And supplies while they were here.

So, the history of the structure What has this place seen over the decades?

Oh, it's seen a lot.

I mean, it was completed in about 1837.

And it was occupied until the late 1980s.

Actually.

It's called the Farnsley-Moremen house for two different families So, we show the lives of the Farnsley family.

On the first floor.

And the Moremen family on the second floor.

So, it's the 1840s on the first floor.

1880s on the second floor.

So, it's about change over time.

And you all are very upfront about the fact.

That enslaved people played a role here.

Tell me how you address that.

Well, we deal with it.

Honestly.

I mean, it's a big part of our collective American story.

And we know that at least 47 enslaved.

People lived here over time.

Not at the same time.

But from the 1820s until about 1865.

And how do you really tell their story?

How is that captured?

Well, we incorporated it into every tour.

As we learn more information.

Through our historical research research and archaeology.

We see ourselves as a work in progress.

And a learning laboratory, so we have public archaeology.

And have been doing that here since the 1990s.

Right, and what are some things you found?

Well, we've found enough information to reconstruct.

A detached kitchen.

For one, and we continue to try to understand.

Where all the outbuildings were on the property.

But we're not just interested in the buildings.

We're interested in what they tell us.

About the people who used them.

Final question, this place didn't always look like this.

It really fell into disrepair at one point.

How did it go from really being in such bad shape.

To this really showplace it is now?

A lot of community work and support.

It was in serious disrepair in the late 1980s.

And it took from 1989-1993 to completely transform it.

And have what we have today.

This beautiful house museum.

Well, it's beautiful.

It really is.

You all have done a tremendous job.

And we've had a great time here today.

So, thank you for allowing us to be a part of it.

Again, Patti Linn, Historic Site Manager here at Riverside.

The Farnsley-Moremen Landing.

Thanks for letting us be here today.

Sure.

Some 50 years ago.

Eula Hall raised $1,400 and opened the doors.

To the Mud Creek Clinic in Grethel, Kentucky.

The clinic served all those who needed it.

Regardless of their ability to pay.

This Appalachian healthcare pioneer.

Who passed away in 2021.

Is remembered for her unwavering dedication.

To her patients and community.

And she leaves behind a legacy that continues to grow.

And provide much needed healthcare.

To eastern Kentuckians in a clinic that now bears her name.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Eula has been one of the most dedicated people.

That I have ever had known to try to bring services.

In this country.

She have the drive and the knowhow.

And was dedicated that everybody.

Should receive health services.

And stayed on the job and did not surrender to anybody.

Eula Hall was a revolutionary activist.

She fought for accessible healthcare.

For the people of of eastern Kentucky, And Appalachia as a whole.

But not only that, she was also an activist.

Just for the overall care of people.

Eula Hall was born in October 1927.

Growing up, Eula noticed in her home community of Greasy Creek.

Which was a [holler] around Pike County.

Kentucky, that even though her family didn't have a whole lot.

There were a lot of families who had even less.

She would notice on walks with her dad which homes.

Had smoke coming out of the chimneys.

Which indicated to her if there was smoke.

They were cooking supper, but if there was no smoke.

People didn't have food to cook.

So, she started stealing things away from their home.

To take to the neighbors.

So, she really became an advocate for her community.

Even as a child.

You know, a lot of people didn't care about hillbillies.

But Eula was one of them and that was her people.

And she just wanted to help everybody.

You know, that didn't have medical care.

Didn't have food, you know.

Didn't know how else to go about getting benefits.

They were entitled to.

I don't know of any better way to spend my time.

Than making sure that some sick person.

Gets the proper healthcare.

All my life I thought this is ridiculous that people.

Good people.

The best people on earth has to suffer and die.

For the lack of money.

Around the early 1970s.

She was able to start a clinic here in our community.

At that time, it was called the Mud Creek Clinic.

The original clinic was located in a four-room trailer.

Outside of Hall's home in the Teaberry community.

Of Floyd County.

The neighbor's just so great.

There's no one had any insurance at all.

We were doing sliding fees skill all day long, you know.

Like I said, and those that couldn't afford anything.

Eula you would pay for medicine, you know, herself.

Patients that live here at the time.

Had a lot of trouble traveling to Prestonsburg.

And Pikeville, so being able to build a clinic right here.

In their community gave them access.

They wouldn't have otherwise had.

Eula knew that without the resources they needed.

They couldn't get healthy.

She would drive their medications to them.

When they could not get out.

And she did that regularly from the beginning.

Because at the time a lot of people.

Didn't have transportation.

They didn't have cars, a lot of the roads were not paved.

The clinic also provides other services.

Including food and clothing.

Providing those basic needs were really important to her.

The way that Eula cared for communities.

With food, with clothing, with checking in.

She really revolutionized preventative care in the area.

By creating a whole person care system.

In the '70s, she did have a lot of attention being brought.

To Appalachia because of, you know.

This war on poverty with President Johnson.

And so we had an influx of social programs.

While those programs started with really great intentions.

A lot of people in the area.

Were distrustful of other people coming in.

They were distrustful of organizations.

That came from outside.

Which is one of the reasons that what Eula did ultimately.

Was so special because she was a person from the community.

Working for the community.

People used to think there's nothing you could do.

And they just sit back, you know especially women.

They thought they were just trapped for life.

And generation after generation st serve their purpose.

And went on out, you know, but it's different now.

And it's by organizing and working together.

The 1982, the clinic did burn.

And even though it was a major loss.

Eula did not miss a beat.

Patients started coming in, of course.

They didn't know it had burnt.

Eula got on the phone to the telephone captain and she said.

We got a willow tree up here to put a phone on.

And he said, you can't put a phone on a tree.

She said you do it all the time for these miners up.

In the mountains, you know.

So, they came that day and they put a phone up in the tree.

So the doctor could all in the medication.

It was truly a sad day, but you know, Eula.

She wouldn't want to be sad long about it.

We never missed the day.

After the fire, she had the opportunity to rebuild.

The stipulations of the grant was that she'd be able to match.

The funds.

And Eula set about raising money to match the funds.

In a very community-based way.

There were yard sales, there were bake sales.

There was even a roadblock at one point to take up money.

And she wound up matching the grant with an additional $40,000 This is beginning of a new era for the Mud Creek Clinic.

I wanna thank everybody that's helped in any way.

To make this day possible.

So, the clinic in itself is a legacy that will reach.

And touch the lives of many people.

I grew up here on Mud Creek.

As a kid, I would come here.

Around age 15, I started having some health problems.

They did some blood work and that blood work led to me.

Being diagnosed with leukemia.

If this clinic had not been here Would things have been a little worse in my scenario.

In my case, and would I have been more difficult to treat.

I always kind of felt like at some point.

I would end up here because this is my community.

This is my home, and every day you walk into the clinic.

You know that you're walking into a place.

That has history behind it.

And Eula is just the biggest part of it.

That's why they changed name of the clinic.

From Mud Creek Clinic to Eula Hall Health Center.

Eula passed away on May 8th, 2021.

It's just hard to remember all the awards that she received.

You know, I mean, she had all kinds of honors.

She knew that people were worthy of being cared for.

Regardless of their income.

And that's why she took such extreme measures.

We've had a great time here today at Riverside.

The Farnsley-Moremen Landing in Southwest Jefferson County.

Now, this one has really meant a lot to me personally.

Because this is the area where I grew up here in Kentucky.

And it's been so special to get to share this gem.

Right by the Ohio River with you Many, many thanks to everyone here today.

For their help and for their work to develop this location.

Where the building once stood in ruins into a real showplace.

Now, for more information about the Farnsley-Moremen Landing.

Be sure to like the Kentucky Life Facebook page.

Or subscribe to the KET YouTube channel.

For more Kentucky Life extras.

Where you'll learn more about this amazing facility.

And have access to lots of other great videos.

Until next time, I'll leave you with this moment.

I'm Chip Polston, cherishing this Kentucky Life.

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