Photographer and author Lynn Bartlett will speak to members and guests of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society. Her topic is the subject of her book Tobacco Barns of Western Kentucky and Things Along the Way. The quarterly meeting of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society begins at 10:30 AM Saturday, April 9th, at the Marshall County Public Library, 1003 Poplar Street in Benton, Kentucky. The meeting is open to the public and free of charge, but seating is limited.
“Anyone who travels the highways and back roads of Western Kentucky knows that tobacco farming was once (and still is) one of the biggest agriculture crops in the Commonwealth, a fact proven by the hundreds of old tobacco barns that dot the landscape,” Bartlett said. “These old barns are a lasting tribute to a way of life that goes back generations—many are still being used to cure tobacco for market, while others have been abandoned to time and the elements.” Her book includes more than 50 photographs taken over a period of three years driving through the countryside of the Jackson Purchase and the “Black Patch” of west Kentucky.
Originally from Belleville, Illinois, Lynn Bartlett spent 32 years in Tucson, Arizona. In 2008, she and her husband moved to west Kentucky where they could enjoy the relaxed, charming lifestyle of small town living. Once here, she decided to focus her attention and creativity on photography. When she is not combing the rural back roads in search of great photo opportunities, she enjoys fishing on Kentucky Lake and participating in classic car shows with her husband. They reside in Benton, Kentucky.
The Jackson Purchase Historical Society was founded in 1958 to promote interest, study, and preservation of the regional history of the territory encompassed in the Chickasaw Purchase of 1818. It publishes the award-winning Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal annually. The Society is especially interested in the history of all Kentucky counties west of the Tennessee River as well as Lake, Obion, Weakley, and Henry counties in Tennessee. Meetings are held four times per year at locations throughout the region. Membership is open to the public. Information about the Society, future events, and membership is available at the meetings, on Facebook at Jackson Purchase Historical Society, or online at http://jacksonpurchasehistory.org/.
