In the photo above archaeologists scour the area where an old plantation home was built in 1825 in Shoemakertown looking for artifacts.

The photo above is one that was taken in the late 1980s of the stately brick home. The home stood for many years abandoned. It was torn down shortly before the 1997 flood. Do you have an older photo of the house or have any identification of where the rooms were? Photos by D. Dennie.

Archaeologist find many artifacts from old plantation dig

By Debbie Dennie, Editor

Motorists passing the old Oldham plantation in Shoemakertown recently have wondered what is going on with people digging and yellow tape surrounding the place where the old home once stood. The men and women digging there are archaeologists, their mission is to find any artifacts from their digs to fill in a little of the history of the old plantation.

The Oldham Plantation house was on the National Register of Historic Places. The home had been abandoned for many years. Shortly before the 1997 flood the house was condemned and eventually torn down. The old home disappeared from Shoemakertown, but was not to be forgotten.

The Kentucky Department of Highways is going to build a new bridge crossing the Licking River in Shoemakertown. The highway department has hired AMEC to survey the area where the old house set to see if there are any remaining artifacts. Richard J. Stallings and Michael W. French, both senior archaeologist with AMEC and Susan Andrews, a senior archaeologist and historian researcher, have been working diligently, in the very humid one-hundred degree temperatures, for a couple of weeks at the site. First the archaeologist used a resistometer, an instrument used to send electrical charges in to the ground measuring the difference in the moisture of the soil, over the old home location. Limestone doesn't hold moisture and therefore appeared as a dark area on the resistometer paper or map of the area. Archaeologist then pinpoint the areas they want to do the hand digging to keep from causing any disturbance to the area.

By using this instrument archaeologist were able to dig out and find the exact area where the foundation of the home set.

For more of this story, see this week's Falmouth Outlook

Miss Butler 2007

The winner of the Miss Butler Pageant for 2007 was Miss Candace Lace Utz; daughter of Chet and Sheila Utz of Butler. Butler presented a wonderful City Festival for the year 2007. Part of that celebration was the Butler Baby Show and Beauty Pageant that took place on the August 10-11. Kurt Belcher was the event's Master of Ceremony and Brenda McElfresh was the Administrative Coordinator. Photos and information are by Roger McKinney, Reporter.

Eddie Wilson and Ernetta Turner are in the process of bringing a flea market to the wide open area in Shoemakertown. They have talked with vendors and will be open the weekend of August 18 and 19. Photo by D. Dennie.

Local residents have perfect area for a flea market

By Debbie Dennie, Editor

Ernetta Turner and Eddie Wilson have come up with the perfect thing to be operated in the beautiful area of Shoemakertown. "A flea market on the weekends," said Turner. "Why can't this area have a large turnout of vendors and residents to sell their wares," she said.

"I set up my booth to sell pumpkins in the fall here and that has went very good," she said. Ms. Turner has worked on a committee for a couple of years that is trying to bring vendors and crafters back to a Homecoming weekend in Falmouth.Eddie Wilson, and Ms. Turner, who are friends, got to talking about the Shoemakertown area and how much space was available for parking, big old trees for shade and they happened on the thought of a flea market. From there they have went on to contact many vendors, and crafters who share a big interest in coming down and setting up for the flea market every weekend. "I have got vendors calling me and they are not just local ones, there are out of town ones calling about this," Turner said.

For more of this story, see this week's Falmouth Outlook

No Pass/No Drive Law in affect for Pendleton students

The 2007 legislative session ended with the passage of several education-related bills, including the "No Pass/No Drive" bill (HB 32, amending KRS 159.051). This statute became law on June 26, 2007, with implementation August 1, 2007.

This statute applies to school districts as well as private schools in the Commonwealth. This bill is intended to support dropout prevention and to provide an incentive for students to stay in school and pass their courses.

The "No Pass/No Drive" statute results in the denial or revocation of a student's driver's license for academic deficiency, or dropping out of school as a result of excessive or unexcused absences. Academic deficiency is defined as a student who does not have passing grades in at least four courses, or the equivalent of four courses, in the preceding semester.

A student is deemed to have dropped out of school when he/she has nine or more unexcused absences in the preceding semester. Any absences due to suspension shall be unexcused absences.

For more of this story, see this week's Falmouth Outlook

Additional items include:

School bus schedules

Property owners can view taxes on-line

Cooper Funeral Home has beautiful new facility

Fiscal Court recognizes Ashley Brock

Arctic Cat of Falmouth celebrates with grand opening

Rotary Club welcomes newest member

Ladycats golf starts strong with a top 10 finish

Butler Festival photos and coverage

and more!!