History Knox
Mark Sebastian Jordan authors a column each Saturday reflecting on the history of the community.
FREDERICKTOWN — Being the bookish type, sports metaphors are not often the first thing I reach for, but when it’s right, it’s right.
Sometimes you masterfully drive down the field and blazingly score a goal with a writing project.
Other times, you just can’t quite get the ball over the line, and you are forced to punt, in hopes of scoring on the next drive.
This is a punt.
Here’s a dramatic vintage postcard image of the devastating fire that blazed in downtown Fredericktown in 1913, which we’ve written about here previously. The fire took out numerous old buildings, reshaping the historical town’s appearance drastically.
The postcard is one of several that have circulated around which were taken by local photographers capitalizing on the drama which could be captured with the then-new technology of photography.
But, to be honest, I’m mainly offering it as a stop-gap for this weekend while I work on one of those stories that has proven a little more elusive than it first seemed. I started researching the story of an 1882 Knox County cow theft, which should have been fairly straightforward, but has proven a tangle of slippery names.
Between given names, middle names, and possible nicknames, I have once again become lost in the thicket of historical documentation.
It happens.
I’ll continue to work on the cow drama (it’s very mooving), and hope to bring it to you next weekend. Please try to contain your palpable excitement. Perhaps all I need is the thrill of the stadium.
If you would like to help, please try to start The Wave in your various homes and places of employment this coming week. A big score is sure to follow.
Either that, or I’ll compare writing to a baseball game next week.