This story first appeared in the Sept. 9 issue of the Community Voice. To get your subscription, call 270-384-9454 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Mary Ann Loy and other local volunteers have been diligently working over the past month to get ready for the 200th anniversary celebration of the Trabue Russell House on Jamestown Road. The home of Daniel Trabue and Mary Haskins, well-known pioneers and patriots, was built in 1821 to house themselves and five of their nine children.
The celebration is slated for Friday, Sept. 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“It is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., but some of the Lindsey Wilson College Chamber Singers will be here around 10 a.m. singing vintage songs from that time period,” Loy said. “There will also be a violinist and a guitarist moving throughout the property.”
Loy said Richard Phelps will portray Daniel Trabue in one room in the house, talking about his life, and Russell County author Mel Hankla will be there to talk about and sign copies of his new book.
Don and Betty Knifley will provide white beans and cornbread for visitors, Robert Flowers will make burgoo, and there will be fried pies with cider to drink.
Admission is free and visitors will be able to freely walk the property.
“Trabue was one of the three men, along with Creed Haskins and William Caldwell, that owned the land that would eventually become Columbia. They bought the land that is now the public square and the land immediately surrounding it,” Loy said. “All three men were leaders and prominent business men, and had leadership roles in county government.”
Trabue built the house in 1821, but owned it for only eight or nine years. Several other owners had the house before James Montgomery Russell bought it in 1873.
The Adair Heritage Association eventually took ownership before the city of Columbia took possession of the property in 2001.
Loy said credit for getting the property ready for the anniversary celebration goes to several people, but a big thank you goes to Vonny Kolbenschlag.
Loy said she turned the house into more than just a house, but “a history museum for the county.”
“I have an appreciation for the people that started the county,” Loy said, “and I think history needs to be local. You need to know your local history.”
By Scott Wilson
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