Interview with Frank Marcum

Partial Transcript: What are your earliest memories of things that happened on the river?

Segment Synopsis: Marcum describes log rafts and how they were locked through. He describes a lockage which was when logs were connected to lock through as one.

Keywords: Lock 12; Lockage; Log rafts

Subjects: Kentucky River (Ky.) Locks (Hydraulic engineering)--Kentucky River (Ky.) Timber rafting

Partial Transcript: When did you first start working on the river?

Segment Synopsis: Marcum describes the work that he did on the locks. He also names several men that he worked with during that time.

Keywords: Ashcraft; Bush; Combs; Frost

Subjects: Kentucky River (Ky.) Locks (Hydraulic engineering)--Kentucky River (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Do you remember seeing steamboats come up the river?

Segment Synopsis: Marcum describes working on an oil barge called the Ada.

Keywords: Ada; Steamboat

Subjects: Barges--Kentucky Boats and boating--Kentucky River (Ky.) River Steamers--Kentucky River (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: When I was a boy, about fourteen years old, I run a ferry above the lock.

Segment Synopsis: Marcum briefly describes running a ferry above a nearby lock. He also mentions a man named Ed Hawkins who was hung nearby for several murders.

Keywords: Hawkins, Ed; Murder

Subjects: Ferries--Kentucky River (Ky.) Kentucky River (Ky.) Locks (Hydraulic engineering)--Kentucky River (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: What was the river like before the locks went through?

Segment Synopsis: Marcum talks about how dangerous the river was before the locks were put in. He says that many men drowned or were killed. His uncle sold the land for the lock to the government for $1,000.

Keywords: The Armstrong; The Dixie; The Kentucky

Subjects: Boating Accidents--Kentucky River (Ky.) Kentucky River (Ky.) Locks (Hydraulic engineering)--Kentucky River (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: I saved two men from going over the lock.

Segment Synopsis: Marcum describes how he saved two men who almost went over the lock. He also says that he almost drowned twice.

Keywords:

Subjects: Boating accidents--Kentucky River (Ky.) Drowning victims--Kentucky River (Ky.) Kentucky River (Ky.) Locks (Hydraulic engineering)--Kentucky River (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Do you remember any of the early floods?

Segment Synopsis: Marcum talks about the flood of 1937. He says that it was the largest flood but he remembers a few others.

Keywords: 1937

Subjects: Floods--Kentucky Kentucky River (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: When did you go to work for the railroad?

Segment Synopsis: Marcum describes working on the railroad. He says that he worked seven days a week but preferred it to work on the river because he was home more.

Keywords: Railroad

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: They used to, uh, to raise the water in this river they had what they called needles.

Segment Synopsis: Marcum describes lock needles.

Keywords: Lock needle

Subjects: Kentucky River (Ky.) Locks (Hydraulic engineering)--Kentucky River (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Did droughts ever cause a problem?

Segment Synopsis: Marcum says that his family raised blue potatoes for sixty years but a drought during the Great Depression killed them.

Keywords: Blue potatoes

Subjects: Agriculture--Kentucky Droughts--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Did your grandfather or any of your family work on the river?

Segment Synopsis: Marcum says that he had nine sisters. He then describes where they all live and how many are still alive.

Keywords:

Subjects: