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The Man Behind the Monument |
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by Robert Perry |
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The man who made the monument possible was James Hatcher (1859-1939), the Pikeville coal baron and hotel owner, known throughout the Big Sandy Valley as Uncle Jim Hatcher. In 1928, when land for the Mayo Trail was being acquired, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet approached Hatcher, who owned a chicken farm at the mouth of Ivy Creek, and asked him to donate right-of-way for the highway. Hatcher agreed on the condition that the agency build a memorial arch at the site commemorating the Battle of Ivy Mountain. The agency agreed to meet Hatcher's terms. A man of foresight, Hatcher made sure that the state's promise was included in the deed conveying the Ivy Mountain property to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. |
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A year after the deed was executed, the stock market crashed, sending the state's economy into a tailspin. As a result, the Highway Department decided to postpone the project until economic conditions improved. When Colonel Hatcher died in 1939, the project was dealt another setback. Local people didn't forget about it, though. In April, 1946, World War II veterans of Floyd County Post #129 of the American Legion publicly reminded the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet of their obligation to build the memorial arch. |
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Colonel James Hatcher (1859-1939), owner of the Hatcher Hotel in Pikeville and the Hatcher Coal Company at Big Shoal. Courtesy of Frank Hatcher of Pikeville. |
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Dr. Earl T. Arnett, post vice-commander, was quoted by the Floyd County Times as saying: "We feel that the highway department, even at this late date, will not attempt to evade its pledge, given in consideration for right-of-way that otherwise would have cost a lot of money." Unfortunately, the department did evade its pledge and chose to ignore the veterans' plea. |
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Seven or eight years ago, while I was doing the research which preceded the composition of Jack May's War, I ran across the Times article quoting Arnett about the unhonored promise. Curious about the deed, I made a trip to the Floyd County Courthouse and checked it out. Sure enough, its language was just as Dr. Arnett had said. The deed contained the state's promise that it would build a memorial arch at the Ivy Mountain site. I subsequently published "The Case of the Missing Memorial Arch," in the Floyd County Times. |
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My article reawakened interest in the project, and it wasn't long before I was contacted by Frank Hatcher of Pikeville, a direct descendant of Colonel Hatcher and custodian of the Hatcher and Trimble Trust. Frank and I began a letter-writing campaign designed to make the Kentucky Highway Department honor its promise. We were aided in our effort by State Senator Benny Ray Bailey, State Representative Hubert Collins, Paintsville historians John B. Wells III and John David Preston, State Representative Greg Stumbo, and Governor Paul Patton. |
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We were also aided by the Floyd County Post #129 of the American Legion, the American Veterans Post #27 of Martin, and the Floyd County Historical and Genealogical Society, whose president, Jim Daniels of Auxier, played an important role. All three organizations passed resolutions supporting the project, copies of which were subsequently forwarded to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. |
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A year or so after we initiated our campaign, I received a letter from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet informing me that the agency had decided to build a monument at the site, using its own architects and engineers. There was great rejoicing in Prestonsburg when this news was received. |
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By the way, the person who has supervised the development of the project is Tom Fugate of the Kentucky Heritage Council. Preservation Officer for Kentucky's Civil War battlefields, Tom was until a few years ago the Curator of the Kentucky Military Museum in Frankfort. For the last five years he has taken a keen personal interest in the development of Eastern Kentucky's Civil War battlefield sites. Thanks, Tom, for making the Ivy Mountain Battlefield Monument a reality. |
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The formal dedication of the monument was held on November 10th, 2001, two days after the 140th Anniversary of the Battle of Ivy Mountain. |
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More James Hatcher Photos |
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People Involved in the Project |
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The Case of the Missing Memorial Arch |
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Return to Main Page |
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Henry Scalf's History of Ivy Creek |
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Battle of Middle Creek |
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