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In our current 24/7 world, it’s hard to imagine a time in which all businesses were shuttered on Sundays, let alone it being considered illegal to be open. and yet, in an article I found in the midst of the pages of 1967’s Commonwealth Journal, I found evidence that Kentucky’s so-called “Blue Laws” were taken seriously by at least some folks.

I used that article as a jumping-off point to provide readers of this week’s column a round-up of interesting business news from the spring and summer of 1967.

Sunday is deadline on Blue Law decree

Sunday is the deadline for all county businesses, operating in violation of the state’s “Blue Law,” to close their doors on Sundays, according to a decree issued last week by Pulaski Circuit Judge R. C. Tarter.

Judge Tarter said yesterday that peace officers will investigate all stores in the county Sunday to see that the law is being obeyed.

“Every person, both owners and employees (operating in violation of the law) will be arrested immediately and the place of business closed for the day,” the judge vowed.

He pointed out that the state legislature has given the circuit judge and the commonwealth’s attorney power to indict persons without action of the Grand Jury. He said that he will issue warrants for the arrest of persons in violation of the Sunday Closing Law.

“The Court and all officers hope that every businessman will obey the law and keep his store closed on Sunday,” Judge Tarter commented.

The circuit judge apparently issued the decree and set the deadline for Sunday closing after representatives of seven food stores in the county met with Commonwealth’s Attorney Homer Neikirk and agreed to close their businesses on Sunday if the Court would enforce the Sunday Closing Law on other businesses operating in violation of the statute.

In his announcement of his intention to crack down on “Blue Law” violators, Judge Tartar noted that filling and service stations can sell gasoline and oil only, and drug stores can sell drugs and medicines, nothing else.

The Sunday Closing Law, contained in KRS 436.160, excludes amateur sports, athletic games, operation of moving picture shows, chautauquas, filling stations and opera from being subject to the penalties of the law.

(Columnist’s note: If, like me, you are unfamiliar with what a chautauqua is, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it is “any of various traveling shows and local assemblies that flourished in the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that provided popular education combined with entertainment in the form of lectures, concerts, and plays, and that were modeled after activities at the Chautauqua Institution of western New York.” Much like the Blue Laws themselves, they were already out of style by 1967.)

New Drive-In Theatre under construction

A large, modern drive-in theatre is now under construction near Somerset and is scheduled to open the first of next month.

Harry Roaden, Burnside, and O. G. Roaden, Harlan, are the owners of the new theatre being built on U.S. Highway 27 some four and a half miles south of Somerset near the Somerset Boat Dock Road.

(Columnist’s note: It’s interesting that I ran across this now, seeing how just this past Tuesday Harry Roaden’s widow, Brenda Roaden, was awarded the 2022 Business Woman of the Year Award at the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce luncheon for her work in keeping the drive-in running all these years. The drive-in announced its closing this past spring.)

Two automotive firms to locate on South 27

Two more automotive businesses soon will be opening on South U.S. Highway 27 as a result of transactions conducted last week.

Alton Blakley, president of Alton Blakley Ford, plans to move his Ford-Mercury automobile agency from the corner of South Main and Spring Streets into a new building on South U.S. 27, adjacent to Morgan Hopper China Co.

Bob Kidd, owner of Southern Tire Distributors, has entered into an agreement with Eastern Baptist Institute to purchase the old Kidco property adjacent to Jerry’s Drive-In Restaurant to convert it into a modern full-service retail tire store.

Blakley said the new Ford garage would be located on a 90,000 square foot site, fronting on U.S. 27, which was purchased last week by Blakley and Killis Miller through Gene Gosser Real Estate. Construction is to start this month on a 15,000 square foot Butler steel building by Killis Miller Construction Co. of Somerset. It is to be completed in four months.

The land was purchased from Mrs. Mary Whitaker and Fritz Kruegar.

In addition to being a Ford-Mercury dealer, Blakley is adding the Lincoln Continental franchise and will be the only dealer in South Central Kentucky offering a full line of Ford Motor Company products.

Three sides of the front of the building will be enclosed in glass for a showroom of new cars and trucks. To the rear of the showroom will be a meeting room, offices and the parts department will be one of the most modern service and repair departments in the state.

Blakley said he will add engine diagnostic equipment and update his present machinery to better serve his customers in South Central Kentucky. He also plans to move his used car lot from its present location on U.S. 27 near Holiday Motel and Restaurant, down the highway to adjoin his new garage on the north side.

Blakley plans to vacate the present building on the corner of South Main and Spring Streets which has been known as “Ford Corner” since 1915. The building is owned by Mrs. Paul Dexheimer and Mrs. Charles Beaty.

Dr. Cross said Eastern Baptist Institute had been authorized by Kidco to negotiate sale of the building which has been used in recent years as a Baptist theological school. This spring the board of trustees of the school voted to move the school closer to a more populous area where it would be in a position to attract more students.

The president of EBI said the school is still negotiating for a location in Ohio and that its permanent location has not been definitely decided. “We will know soon, though,” Dr. Cross said, “and we will be moving at the close of school May 19.”

Kidd said his plans for use of the building are still not complete, but noted that it would be operated as a retail outlet for automobile and truck tires.

He said he plans to maintain his tire recapping plant at its present location on Monticello Street. He will take possession of the Kidco building May 19 and plans extensive remodeling.

The Kidco building, consisting of 12,000 square feet of production space and 1,900 square feet of office space, was built in 1952 of brick and steel construction. It has 400 feet of frontage on U.S. 27.

Donnie Fisher, left, sixth-grade student at Central Junior High School, and Hugh Crowell, third-grade pupil at Hopkins Elementary School, took advantage of the unusually warm spring weather and spring vacation from school to go into business with a Kool-Aid stand in the Fisher front yard at 102 Jasper Street. Purchasing a “cool swig” is Don Hampton, sports editor for The Commonwealth-Journal. Selling the drinks at 3 cents a cup, the youngsters had grossed 68 cents by mid-afternoon yesterday.

(Columnist’s note: I can’t help but notice that $0.68 is not divisible by 3. I have to assume either someone short-changed the kids or left them a tip.)

Jasper Produce Company Destroyed By Fire

Fire destroyed a major business in downtown Science Hill last night and seriously threatened the adjoining Peoples Bank and other neighboring buildings.

Considered a total loss was Jasper Produce Company, which dealt in poultry, eggs, cream, seed and fertilizer in a two-story brick and concrete block building located on the west side of Stanford Street just north of its intersection with Main in the center of Science Hill’s business district.

Considerable damage was caused to the roof and the second floor of the Peoples Bank building which adjoins Jasper Produce on the south. Joe Davidson, president of the bank, surveyed the damage last night and said all of the records of the bank were safely stored in two air and water-tight vaults.

Three other buildings in the area were threatened by the fire which was discovered at 7 p.m. The Science Hill Methodist Church, just south of the bank building, and the two-story home of Mrs. Ruby Jasper located some 50 feet north of the produce company building were slightly damaged when the intense heat blistered paint on the woodwork.

Tin siding on Arl Dick’s grocery across Stanford Street became so hot that it could not be touched, but the wall of the building apparently was not damaged.

Cause of the fire has not been determined, however, Barnett Eldridge, a member of Science Hill’s Town Board, was one of the first persons to get to the fire. He said when he went behind the Peoples Bank Building he saw a pile of trash and discarded lumber, piled against the rear addition of the Jasper Produce Company building, on fire and the flames were “shooting into an open window of the produce company.”

He theorized that the trash had caught fire, blazed up breaking the window and then set fire to the building.

A brisk westerly breeze fanned the flames and blew the dense, billowing smoke across Stanford Street.

The fire was discovered by Mrs. Ruby Jasper when she left her house next door to the produce company. She said it was 7 o’clock, “the hand on the clock was straight up,” when she started out of her house to go to the Methodist Church for music practice.

“I saw smoke seeping out between the bricks at the front of the building,” she said, “and I ran back inside and called the (Science Hill) Fire Department.

“When I came back out of the house, I could see flames coming out the roof,” Mrs. Jasper added.

Within minutes the Science Hill Fire Department arrived. “Flames were shooting out all over,” one of Science Hill’s 12 volunteer firemen said.

They called for assistance from the Somerset Fire Department at 7:10 and within eight minutes the Somerset pumper truck and 10 firemen were at the scene.

“I wouldn’t have given much for either building when I got there,” Somerset Fire Chief Gilbert Keeney said. “Flames were shooting out all over the buildings.”

The Science Hill firemen laid two one and a half-inch lines and an inch line while the Somerset department laid two one and a half inch lines.

Science Hill Chief Don Correll and his men attacked the blaze from the front and the rear while Somerset firemen took the roof and the sides.

By 8:30 o’clock the fire was contained in the Jasper Produce building and to one section of the second floor of the bank building. An hour later the flames had been extinguished and the Somerset department returned to the station. Science Hill firemen remained to prevent the fire from re-igniting.

Firemen were able to prevent the blaze from spreading to a storage building of Jasper Produce, located behind the main building, however, some damage was caused to wooden partitions and door sills.

The tin roof of the main building fell in and the north brick wall partially collapsed during the fire. Nothing was saved from the building.

O. V. Jasper, one of the partners in the produce business with his brother, Ned Jasper, estimated his loss at about $45,000. He said there were 500 cases of eggs in the building and about $20,000 in equipment.

In the bank building, considerable damage was caused to the roof and to the second floor which had been used as a Masonic Lodge hall until about three years ago. It had not been used since.

Damage to Peoples Bank’s main offices on the first floor consisted mostly of water seeping through the ceiling, however, all records and bank deposits were stored in two vaults which were not damaged.

The Rev. Allen Moran, pastor of the Science Hill Methodist Church, arrived at the fire about the time the Science Hill fire truck got there. He ran to the rear of the blazing buildings, along side his church building.

A two-ton International truck was parked beside the rear addition of the poultry company.

“I jumped in and was going to let it roll out of the way, but the keys were in it and I drove it away from the fire,” Rev. Moran explained. “Flames were coming out pretty close to it,” he added.

“The trash pile beside the building had almost burned up when I got there,” he said.

On the north side of the building, Mrs. Jasper was told to gather up her important belongings and to get out of her house. “All of the windows were closed and I took down the curtains on the south side of the house,” Mrs. Jasper said. “The glass windows were so hot I couldn’t touch them.”

She turned off all of her lights, gathered up her insurance papers and valuable belongings and got out. “It’s a funny feeling when you go out of your house and lock the door not knowing what’s going to happen to it,” she said. “you don’t know what to take with you,” she added as she stood on her porch holding a small bag filled with papers and valuables.

“Someone told me to move my car out of the driveway between the house and the produce building,” she said, “but when I got in it I was so scared I couldn’t get it started. Someone jumped in and moved it for me,” Mrs. Jasper added.

Firemen, property owners and spectators last night gave thanks that the water system had been installed in Science Hill two years ago.

“That saved the town,” J. D. Phelps, a member of the Science Hill Town Board, said.

“If it hadn’t been for the water system the whole block and maybe all of Science Hill would have burned,” Fire Chief Keeney added.

Phelps and other Science Hill officials expressed appreciation to the Somerset Fire Department for answering the call and complimented both the Somerset and Science Hill departments on the manner in which they fought the blaze.

Only one injury was reported. Somerset Fireman Harold Pitman received a burn on his left arm while battling the blaze on the roof of the bank building. He was given first aid treatment at the Somerset Fire Station.

No estimate of loss has been made, however, both buildings were insured. Adjustors for insurance companies were investigating the fire damage this morning.

The bank was open for business as usual this morning even though water was still dripping from the ceiling and puddles were standing on the floor.

Mrs. May L. Stroud, cashier of the bank, said when the two vaults were opened this morning there was some smoke inside and a little water had seeped in, but that all records had been preserved.

Some of the accounting machines and envelope supplies had been damaged by the moisture, but flames had not reached the banking offices.

The bank is moving into temporary quarters today in Miss Bertha Estes’ building across from the Science Hill Post Office. “If it rained now we would have water pouring in on us again,” Mrs. Stroud added.

“No plans have been made as to whether we will repair or rebuild the building,” she noted.

Guards were posted around the bank building throughout the night and will be maintained at the present time, Mrs. Stroud said.

Fire fails to halt business at Jasper Produce and bank

Fire last Thursday night dealt a crippling blow to Jasper Produce Company and the Peoples Bank in Science Hill, but neither was put out of operation.

The bank opened for business as usual Friday morning, although water was dripping from the ceiling and puddles were standing on the floor. Later in the day the bank moved some of its business machines and office supplies into temporary quarters in a building owned by Mrs. Bertha Estes located across from the Science Hill Post Office.

Temporary repairs are being made to the roof and the first floor offices of the bank, however, plans are being made to construct a new, modern building, Joe W. Davidson, president of the bank, announced today.

“Several sites are being considered and we hope to get started building as soon as possible,” he added.

Mrs. Mary Stroud, cashier of the bank, said temporary repairs to the building were about complete, but Tuesday’s rain created another flood in the north section of the bank.

Electricians had been working on the roof in that section and apparently did not get all of the roofing nailed back securely, she said. The roof was patched yesterday and the water stopped.

Monday morning the bank personnel worked in crash helmets while a false ceiling was installed. “Some of the old plaster was falling all around and the construction men thought we had better protect our heads,” Mrs. Stroud said.

“The bank looks fairly presentable inside now,” the cashier continued, “but it is inconvenient having our bookkeeping machines in a separate building. We have to stay with the vaults, though.”

Insurance adjustors and the state fire marshal have surveyed the damage and have indicated that it wouldn’t justify repairing. Servicemen and engineers have examined the banking machines and have found most of them to be in working condition, receiving little or no damage from the water and smoke, Mrs. Stroud said.

O. V. Jasper, one of the partners in Jasper Produce Co., said they met their delivery schedule Saturday by converting a storage building behind the burned-out store into an egg grading and packing plant.

The concrete block storage building, 40 x 60 feet, was saved from the blaze by the Science Hill and Somerset Fire Departments. It is located some 50 feet west of the building that burned and is comparatively new.

The main building, however, which fronted on Stanford Street, was destroyed.

Jasper said that even though they were cramped in their temporary quarters, they were managing to meet their delivery schedule. Jasper Produce produces and markets some 35,000 dozen eggs a week, shipping to towns and cities throughout Central, South Central and Southeastern Kentucky.

“Since the fire, the grading and packing have been done by hand, a pretty slow process,” the partner in business said. Most of the operations then will be done mechanically.

Jasper Produce plans to use the concrete block building for its egg packaging and retail sale of feed and seed at least for the present. “We can make out temporarily where we are,” Jasper explained, “We don’t know yet wether we will try to rebuild where the building burned, enlarge the building where we are now or build in another location. Our plans are very flexible.”

Jasper still has not been able to estimate the amount of loss from the fire. “I had all of my current records in my office at home, but I haven’t had a chance to check them and determine the amounts of merchandise and eggs lost,” he said. “A building contractor will have to estimate the monetary loss of the building.

“Insurance will cover part of the loss,” he pointed out, “but you never have enough insurance to cover all of it.

“We certainly appreciate all of the help we have received from our friends. We have received offers of help from Monticello, London and other towns around here,” he said. “In fact, we have been invited to locate in several other towns, but I don’t think we will leave the county.”

Carla Slavey can be reached at cslavey@somerset-kentucky.com

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