The Davis County Agriculture Hall of Fame’s first 15 inductee plaques have been touring the region since being unveiled in January.
But they will eventually settle at the Owensboro Museum of Science and History.
No date has been set for the Davis County Agricultural Hall of Fame to open at OMSH, but Kathy Olson, the museum’s chief executive officer, said the museum will be part of the 7,000-square-foot second museum’s permanent history gallery. He said it would be. floor.
“That gallery will have a section dedicated to our local and regional agriculture,” Olson said. “There are a lot of crafts related to agriculture.”
For example, an original 1883 tobacco press salvaged from a Knottsville barn will be one of the gallery’s pieces telling Davis County’s agricultural history.
“It was used to pack tobacco into large barrels called hogsheads,” Olson said. “…We have quite a few artifacts that help support the story of the Hall of Fame.”
A variety of agencies and businesses have displayed plaques until they are ready to be installed in the gallery, including Davis County Extension, Farm Credit, Independent Bank, Trust Bank, and Wright Implement.
The plaque is currently on display at Rice Agrimarketing, 720 US 431 in Livermore.
“We’ve been moving them so people in the community can see them,” said Lee Ann Kugel, a member of the Hall of Fame committee.
The committee, made up of Davis County Extension, Davis County Farm Bureau and local agricultural leaders, was launched in 2022 with an initial 15 members. The name was also divided into three categories: business, service and production innovation.
Commissioner Clint Hardy, Davis County’s agriculture and natural resources extension agent, said the ongoing goal is to invite one person from each category to the annual agricultural fair in January. He said that there is.
“We were approached by some leadership about identifying people in the past who contributed unique initiatives that truly contributed to the advancement of agriculture today,” Hardy said.
- Business — People involved in successful agricultural operations/ownership that have contributed to improving the lives and opportunities of local farmers. The inductees were Charles Field, the Foers Family, the Miles Family, the O’Brien Family, and William Rapier.
- Service – People who have built successful careers in the agricultural services sector and whose efforts have improved the lives and opportunities of farmers in their communities.
The inductees were Frank Cox, Tom Kurtsinger, Paul Irish, Charles Royal, and Jack McClure.
• Production innovations—those who have experienced risk in the acceptance and demonstration of new agricultural production operations and technologies that have led to widespread adoption and improved livelihoods and opportunities for local farmers.
The inductees were William Crabtree, J.C. Ellis III, William Foster, Murray Hagan, and Charles William Hayden.
On Nov. 2, the plaque will be on display at the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce’s Rooster Booster Breakfast at the Owensboro Convention Center.
Hardy said it makes sense for the Downtown Museum to become a permanent home for current and future inductees of the Davis County Agricultural Hall of Fame.
“There was some discussion about displaying the plaque in an extension office or business, but we wanted to display it somewhere, like a museum, where the public passing by could learn about our history in this region. ” Hardy said. “That way they could see the people who played an important role in our (agricultural) community.”
