National Park After Dark - The Book Women of Appalachia: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

Episode Date: March 18, 2024

In the midst of the worst economic disaster in US History hope was being carried through the rural communities tucked amongst the rugged mountains of eastern Kentucky. The Pack Horse Library Project sent women on horseback through the most remote regions of the Cumberland Mountains to deliver reading materials to isolated homes and communities. The project gave hundreds of women their first taste of independence and purpose, and provided thousands of Appalachians their first glimpses into the world beyond Kentucky through the pages of books.Grief retreat: the-giving-ground.comAdopt A GatoNPS San Juan Historical Site Environmental AssessmentFor the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials:Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdarkTikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdarkSupport the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!Thank you to this week’s partners!BetterHelp: National Park After Dark is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off.IQBAR: Text PARK to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products and free shipping.Quince: Use our link to get free shipping and 365-day returns.Naked Wines: Follow our link and use code and password NPAD to get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99 plus free shipping.For a full list of our sources, visit http://npadpodcast.com/episodes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Close your eyes. Listen to Monday.com. Feel the sensation of an AI work platform. So flexible and intuitive, it feels like it was built just for you. Now open your eyes, go to Monday.com. Start for free and finally, breathe. Girl, winter is so last season. And now Springs got you looking at pictures of tank tops with hungry eyes. Your algorithm is feeding you cutoffs.

You're thirsty for the sun on your shoulders. That perfect hang on the patio sundress. Those sandals you can wear all day and all night. And you've had enough of shopping from your couch. Done hoping it looks anything like the picture when you tear up on that envelope? It's time for a little in-person spring treat. It's time for a trip to Ross. Work your magic.

Let me take a moment to take you back in time. It's the late 1990s and you are getting ready for school. You pack your backpack with the essentials. Lisa Frank folders, jellyroll pens, Mr. Sketch, scented markers, and a lunchable. You hop aboard the bus, anxious for the day ahead, because today is no ordinary school day. Sure, you'll get to sit in a circle underneath the rainbow parachute and PE and practice hot cross buns on the recorder in music class, but today is extra special, because today is the scholastic book fair. No other day garners quite the amount of excitement as book fair day.

Table upon table awaits you full of books and magazines. The site of that big red dog mascot elicits a smile as you walk into the library or cafeteria or gym, whatever room has been converted to host this wonderful event as you clutch your paper scholastic catalog in your tiny hands. I spy, Guinness Book of World Records, Goose bumps, Harry Potter, and more lay across tables strewn with bookmarks, erasers, and journals for sale. Hundreds of books. Each opening doors to new worlds beyond your elementary school await you. What possibilities? This is a memory many of us today in the U.S. can recall. We were fortunate to be granted this type of day. But for many, books were a luxury, and the ability to read was not a required skill for children to learn. Books offer an escape, yes. But they also provide opportunity. When we go without them,

our worlds can become small. Access to reading materials is something that we take for granted. There are clickaway on Amazon, fill shelves of our local bookstores, and number in the thousands in a single local library. But for so many, getting their hands on just one book was a blessing. And for a time, the only reason they were able to do so was because someone was willing to risk their lives just to deliver them. Welcome to National Park After Dark.

You just put me through so many emotions talking about Lisa Frank. And then you mentioned Lisa Frank. I haven't heard her name in so long. And then the hot cross buns on the recorder, I didn't even know what's memory I had. And then in my head I'm like, hot cross buns, hot, hot, hot. And then I knew you were going to say the Scholastic Book Fair when you mentioned books. And I can, I can smell, I can still smell the Scholastic Book Fair. I remember like anxiously waiting because they used to do it by like like little wing or whatever in the elementary school.

So like classrooms one through three could go and then like four through six or whatever like in waves. And I just remember being so anxious to go and getting so stoked to go and like peruse. And then would you get the, I was trying to think when I was writing this. if you got the catalog beforehand and like would circle the things that you wanted or was that, did you get that there and then you could order things? I think you got it beforehand and you would circle the things that you wanted or you could shop for the things that you wanted and then you would show up with your little like paper newspaper magazine of all the things and you could be like these are what I want or you could just prepare because I think they gave you those magazines. those little pamphlets a week or two before because you could take them home and your parents would give you the money that you needed to buy what you wanted. Yep. So true. Yep. And the lunchables, like, take me back. Cheese and I would do the cheese cracker pepperoni or the nacho ones.

I was not a nacho fan. Ah, nachos were my, what was your go-to? I think the, I want to say the sandwiches. Or like the cracker with the little thing, you know, whatever. A little like piece of ham and the cheese. Yeah, I just don't think I liked the um, the nacho cheese. Fair. It was gross. I mean, luncheables are just down the street awaiting us right now at our local grocery store. They are and we don't buy them anymore.

But they're a good memory that will leave at that because they would probably give us diseases now. Yeah. That's true. Let's leave those in the past. But yeah. So, um, if you couldn't gather today is about books. And I am so excited for this episode because it's not at face value like any morbid or anything like that, like our usual content that has kind of a dark twist. I feel like this one is more kind of like a ray of hope. And it's kind of just like a piece of history that I personally never knew existed. I didn't know anything about this subject. So when I first started looking into it, I knew it wasn't going to be a super long or detailed and. dark sided

episode. Dark sadded. She said an accent. Yeah, I got that from morbid because they quote, have you ever seen that thing? She's dark sided. You ever heard that? No. Okay.

But anyway. So, yeah, this is going to be a fun one. It's about books. We all love a book. Good book. Sure do. But before we get going with it, two things. The first, super exciting, is if you did not listen to,

last week's Trail episode. I know some people out there are just like, trail tales aren't for me. That's fine. But there is a big announcement that I made at the beginning of the episode last week for the Trail Tales episode. So please go listen to that. I basically announced that I created a grief retreat and I'm hosting one this summer. And I would love for you to join me. So there's that. And then the other thing is an email that we got from a listener. His name is Maxwell. And it's about cats. They love cats. I know we shit on cats before. You should have a veterinary field. Yeah. But we actually, truly, I love, I love, I have brought home so many stray cats. Milkshake. Milkshake. Never forget milkshake. Yeah.

But, yeah, so we do what we do in all seriousness. Love all animals and cats are included in that. And Maxwell shared with us a couple of of links and basically just wanted to let us know that there was something going on down in Puerto Rico that was affecting cats. And it has a national park tie in. And that's hence why we're talking about it right now. So essentially there is a national historic site in Puerto Rico, the San Juan National Historic Site. I've been there. Yes, you have. Kind of recently. Yeah. This past like a year ago almost now. Yeah. Very true. Well, you can probably tell us firsthand is a place overrun, with cats. Did you see a lot of cats there? Not in particular. I'm a bad, I'm a bad reference of it. We were there really fast because we were late for our flight, but I wanted to

see it. So it was kind of like a, we were there for probably an hour, but I don't remember seeing any cats. Like a lot of stray cats. Well, apparently the national historic site has been having quite an issue with an overpopulation of stray cats that have been on the premises of the National Historic Site. And it's kind of gotten to the point that they're getting like a little overrun. People are feeding them. Obviously, very little to know of none of them are spayed or neutered. So they're just kind of having babies all over the place. And they're just having a problem with a big population of stray cats at the National Historic Site. And essentially Maxwell was just writing in to let us know that the National Park Service is in the works of removing those cats.

How that is done is they put out a statement a couple ways. They were talking about, like, rehoming them, moving them to a different area, doing different things. But there is the possibility that some of them will be euthanized. So essentially, he just wanted to give a shout out that there is a rescue organization down there called Seveagato that is helping trying to place some of these cats that are being removed from the area. And there are different U.S.-based shelters that work with them to keep.

get some of the kitties from there into homes in the United States. And the shelter that he works at in Massachusetts is one of them. And he just basically wanted to be like, hey, if you could talk about this, that would be great. Just let people know that this is happening. And if they want a kitty or if they work at a shelter or have connections with a shelter, that would be open to working with this Puerto Rican based shelter, that it would be cool. Yeah. So this is our call to all of you to adopt a cat from Puerto Rico right now. It's not going to be me. Don't be Danielle, but the rest of us, myself included. So they're going to take that whole journey for nothing.

Yeah. But otherwise, I think it would be cool. I, you know, we've at the clinic have seen a lot of people who have gone on vacation to different islands and different places and brought back stray dogs and cats. And, you know, they're coming for their first visits and things like that. And it's really cool to see when people obviously adopt. And this is obviously cool to us, especially because it has to do with the National Park site.

So if you're interested, you want to be. want a cat. We'll put some links. Strays make great pets a lot of times too, especially when you see these. I mean, of course, there's traumatic incidences with animals who are strays, but a lot of times they're desensitized to things. Like, loud noises don't scare them. Big animals aren't going to scare them. People aren't going to scare them. Like, they've seen it all, which makes them the perfect. Very chill. They're very chill. Not all of them. I'm not saying all of them. Some of them might be feral and you're looking for, and you might get a cat that doesn't want to, anything. thing to do with you, but to be fed and warm. But, you know, sometimes I think adopting, I think,

is always the best way. But keep in mind, strays are probably the coolest. The coolest out there. Yeah. So think about it. And we'll put some, we'll put the links to kind of like the National Park Service statement about what's going on there. And also a link to the Seve Gato organization that's functioning out of Puerto Rico. So if you're interested, there's that. Now, let's talk about books. And now, back to the show. Back to the show. This episode is brought to you by Prime.

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So today's story is going to take place during a really tough time in American history, and that's the Great Depression. The worst economic crisis on record lasting roughly 10 years from 1929 to 1939 was the hardest time in millions of people's lives. By 1932, one of every four workers in the United States was unemployed, although there are some estimates out there that gauge unemployment rates of up to four. 40%. So obviously, we all learned about the Great Depression in detail in school, so I'm not going to dive deeply into it. But that is the time frame. And it's pretty significant to the story.

At this point in time, obviously, banks failed and people's life savings were lost. Families lost their homes. They went hungry and faced extreme financial instability. Frugality became the new norm and motto such as use it, wear it out, make do, or without came into fashion. With rare exceptions, the majority of the country felt the squeeze in some way. And while some families saw their wages decrease, there were places in the country where conditions were aberrant and people lost almost everything. Children and adults alike were living in squalor, dying every week from starvation, and barely scraping by. Many people lived in shambles, sanitation measures were almost non-existent, and diseases ran rampant. It became clear that something had

to be done to alleviate not only the unemployment rates, but the standard of living and the suffering that was going on throughout America. And on a broad scale, this was done through President Franklin D. Roosevelt's relief program that we know today as the New Deal. And years later, it was expanded to add the WPA, which is the Work Projects Administration. And the goal of this program was multifaceted, there was a couple of different goals that they wish to achieve, but its main priority was to alleviate the suffering of the nation's large number of unemployed workers by providing jobs and income until the economy recovered. And the WPA employed mostly men to carry out various public works from like infrastructure to bridges, road systems, buildings like schools and hospitals, things like that. And so this is just like, let's build a bunch of stuff, give a lot of people. jobs was essentially the core of that. They even planted millions of trees to help mitigate the damage done to the top soil during the Dust Bowl. And another goal of the New Deal was to create group programs that employed musicians, actors, writers, creators, and artists with a goal to get them

back to work, obviously, but also on a larger scale to entertain and inspire the American people by creating an uplifting, hopeful view during such a difficult time. And this was done in a variety of different ways, including construction of monuments and art centers and putting on various public performances, music performances, and plays and things like that, basically lift the spirits of the American people. Like, not only are we going to provide jobs, we want people to feel, like, look at art and have something to look forward to. Do you know in particular, like, any of the monuments that were built?

I don't. I don't, actually. I was going to say, if they were spending millions of dollars on a monument, though, I would be pretty upset. It's like that could have fed a lot of people. But yeah, I don't know in particular. Much of the work, especially the projects pertaining to the infrastructure, like the building of roads and bridges and buildings, all those construction jobs were considered to be men's work. However, as 1935 approached, it was becoming clear that employment for women was needed as well. And First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was instrumental in reminding the people,

that women needed to work to. Jobs were created with women in mind, including housekeeping, caring for the elderly, working in school lunch programs, working as seamstresses, and as teachers. One of those jobs, though, is going to be the focal point of today's episode, and that is the role of librarians. The first American Lending Library was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1790. He donated a collection of books to the town of Franklin, Massachusetts,

which was named after him. And the donated books became freely available to the town residents to borrow, thus creating the nation's first public library. But I just had to put this in because I think this is so cool. The first totally tax-supported library was established in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Wait, really? Yeah, in 1833. For people who don't know, Peterborough, New Hampshire is very close to where we both grew up. Is it still in existence today?

Again, I don't know, but I would imagine. I mean, Peterborough is pretty small town. Yeah. I'm just trying to picture. I mean, I haven't been to their public library before. I haven't either. But I drove, so not only is it close to Cassie and I are hometowns growing up, but because I went to Keene State, I drove right through Pitaboro every time I went to school and back, you know? Yeah. For those four years. So Googling. Google it. I'm sure it's like been expanded and renovated and all that. But it's pretty cool. That's really cool. And what year was this? 1833. I just want to see if their website says when they... I feel like that's something you would really proudly tote and advertise, I guess.

Yeah, I feel like that too. Someone in the Peterborough Library system, reach out to us. Let us know. Date established. On April 9, 1833, at Peterborough's Town Meeting, a proposal was put forward to create a library to be owned and funded by the people through taxation. Well, that tracks. And this article says, the Peterborough Town Library is the oldest free public library in the world. Wow.

Mike drop. End of episode. Our claim to fame. Our claim to fame right there. You have a new trivia fact in case that ever comes up. It looks really old. The pictures, obviously. It is old.

Well, yes. Well, now I have an adventure next time I'm home, I guess. I've totally driven by this. I recognize the building. Well, there you go. Wow. chicken sandwich from 7-Eleven, people always call me loud. And I'm like, yeah, I know.

I'm crispy. Did you expect me to whisper? If you want quiet, go eat some soup and reflect. Like, I know I'm a handful. I'm bold, I'm juicy. Throw some pickles and barbecue sauce on me, and baby, I'm a whole meal. And with seven rewards, I'm just $4. Quiet, no.

Krispy, saucy, and $4? Very. Only at 7-Eleven. Valley 36-2326, participating stores only well supplies lastly out for full terms. By the time the New Deal was in place over a century later, public libraries were not a new concept. However, they were not accessible or in existence around areas of the country that were considered impoverished and rural. Without a road system, many places in America required creativity to get books into the hands of their residents. For example, deep in the bayous of Louisiana, librarians delivered books on small float boats that were navigated through the waterways with poles.

But it was Eastern Kentucky's Pack Horse Library initiative that proved to be one of the WPA's most unique plans of all. The project would send librarians through the rugged, craggy landscape, across rivers, up mountain slopes, and in all weather conditions, including sleet, snow, rain, and relentless sun, across the 10,000 square mile portion of eastern Kentucky to the rural communities tucked amongst the Cumberland Mountains, all alone and all on horseback. Wow. This is just, it's just such a cool story. Can I ask how you found this story? I'm going to say that someone recommended it. Okay. Because I would never even think to look up this topic. No. And I, I had it, you know, I have like a running list. We both have running list of just stories that we find while researching other stories or suggestions or things like that. And I was just scrolling through it and it caught my eye. So I don't know where exactly it came from, but it was tucked in my list. And I'm pretty sure someone must. have recommended it because I don't remember coming it across it on my own sure but yeah it's such a it's such a cool topic the great depression hit this area of the country especially hard kentucky was already ranked amongst the poorest states in the country during this time but the rocky mountainous eastern half of the state where coal was the main resource struggled even more nationwide shutdowns

of coal factories plus decreased demand for coal as natural gas heating demand increased equaled thousands of workers being laid off. In addition, the Ohio River flooded in 1930, killing over 100 people and making farming the area almost impossible in the flood's aftermath. Access to food, clean water, education, and economic opportunities were difficult to come by for many Americans during the Great Depression, but even more scarce for Appalachians. Eastern Kentuckians also struggled with literacy. During the Great Depression, it's estimated that over 30% of Eastern Kentuckians couldn't read. Wow, that's a lot. That's a big percentage. It's a huge percentage. But it wasn't for a lack of wanting, but rather a lack of resources and opportunity. In 1935, the state

circulated one book per capita in this area compared to the American Library Association's standard of five to ten per capita. So it's an area that is not only, like on a grand scale, everyone's affected, right? And then Kentucky is getting hit the hardest. And then this portion of Kentucky is getting hit even harder. So they're amongst the most affected, disproportionately so. I mean, they're already struggling in a lot of different ways. And then just to get hit even more and the fact that they're so at this point in time, it's the mid-1930s, there aren't roads out there. So to get access to kind of the rest of the quote unquote outside world is nearly impossible. So getting access to, you know, a library was not a thing there. Yeah. Let a lot.

alone access to a hospital or other types of resources. You can't even go out to get the education that you want or to learn to read or to find these jobs. You're just isolated to this small, condensed area. The small area and then there are smaller communities, you know, in the hills and haulers of the Cumberland Mountains and throughout this area of Appalachia. And you're in these tiny communities. And a lot of times, I mean, we'll kind of get into it a little bit. But children, if they had access to school, it was at like a classic one-room schoolhouse. A lot of times it was far away from your actual home. So to get there was a process. And then a lot of kids weren't required to go to school. If anything, they were encouraged to stay at home to help with chores

and work and things like that. So to get jobs too if they could find them. Exactly. So school wasn't a priority. So books on top of that was, yeah, no one really considered it a priority at this time. There was bigger fish to fry, essentially, in their world at this time. And several attempts to get books into the remote areas of Kentucky were made in the early 1900s. And both programs in the early 1900s had promise. Programs by Barrera College and May Stafford, both attempted to get books into the hands of the people of Appalachia, but were not widely successful. So they kind of like, you know, they did a little bit to some extent and then they kind of fizzled out. And many of the New Deal's WPA projects did not require help from locals,

but the PAC Horse Library did. The WPA established this program in Eastern Kentucky, but guess what Eastern Kentucky, by and large, did not have libraries. They had horses. I said horses, but obviously Kentucky has horses. So they didn't have libraries. This project essentially said, okay, we're going to get librarians out on horseback and we're going to have them deliver books into all these remote communities in the hills and haulers. I would never picture this as a librarian's job. So this is amazing to hear this. Well, it's like, okay, so that's great, but there's no library. So where are they going? And what librarians? There's no library. You know what I mean? It's like, this is a great concept, but we have some foundation work to do first. So as a result, the project,

set to establish makeshift libraries in each county to be used as that area's headquarters. And these makeshift libraries were not usually libraries. In many cases, they were facilities that volunteered to act as a library. So anything from somebody's home, post offices, churches, old mining infrastructure that wasn't used anymore. And the materials that these libraries carried, including books, magazines and textbooks, often came from donations given by more affluent areas of the state. And men were involved in the program. In some towns, buildings were converted into libraries by local businessmen, like they had a hand at converting the buildings or constructing little shacks to act as libraries. And there is reports of a very small percentage of the

librarians being men, but by and large, way over 90% of the packhorse librarians were women. And the head librarians and the people running the actual headquarter libraries were women as well. Once a library was constructed or a building was converted to become a library, a head librarian in charge of mapping out roots and keeping accounts of reading materials and tracking donations would be hired to kind of run the show. From there, pack horse librarians would be hired to pack books into saddlebags or sacks and ride off into the mountains to hand-deliver books to families and individuals on their particular roots. deep within the Cumberland Mountains of Eastern Kentucky. And guess what is in the Cumberland Mountains of Eastern Kentucky today? Libraries. The National Park Service.

Oh. Why do I keep getting this wrong? You're like, I don't test well. I don't test well. I never have. I clearly haven't changed. I was so confident in that too. I'm like, libraries.

I know this one. Yes, correct, actually. Yes, you're right. But what I was going for was the National Park Service. So because they're everywhere. It's like, what is? God, in Mean Girls, it's like, that's why her hair is so big. It's full of secrets.

It's like, National Park Service, they're everywhere. They really are. They really are. They have their hand in every state. Yep, every single one. And the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park is located in two Kentucky counties where the Packhorse Library Project serviced. So to be fair, the project serviced many places in East.

Kentucky that I could have focused on, including the Daniel Boone National Forest and a couple different state parks there. But I chose the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park because of a point of interest in the park that you can visit today that has some ties to this story. But first, let's talk about the park and a little bit of its history since we've never been to this area before in an episode. No. I think Mammoth Caves was the only... It's the closest to... Yeah. Yeah. This National Historic Park is located at the borders and intersections of three different states, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. It is named after the Cumberland Mountain Gap, which is a natural break in the Appalachian Mountains.

Amongst the oldest mountains on earth, the Appalachian range extends from Canada to central Alabama, is up to 100 miles wide in some points and runs for nearly 2,000 miles. The Cumberland Gap, also known as the first gateway to the west, is a natural V-Shiremberland. shaped break in the mountain chain, and it allows for an easy passage for wildlife and humans alike across the range. And it's actually only one of three natural passages throughout this whole mountain chain. So because of that, it is highly valued and especially was back before road systems were built. It was used for centuries before European presence by many native nations for travel, trade, and hunting. In the mid-1700s, Daniel Boone made his first passage

through the gap, later blazing a road in which upwards of 300,000 settlers would use on their own journeys into the Ohio Valley in the following three decades. So in 30 years after he constructed this road, over 300,000 pioneers used it to get into the west. Lewis and Clark traveled back

from their westward journey through this area and it was vied for between the union and Confederacy during the Civil War as it was considered a very strategic location and one that both sides wanted control of. It saw its fair share of strife as hundreds of pioneers lost their lives here, either due to the conditions on the journey, whether it be weather or disease, or altercations with indigenous peoples. As time went on, pioneers began settling the area, not just using it to pass through. What is now the park had small communities dotted throughout the hills, dozens of homes, a handful of

schools, churches, and burial grounds. In 1922, the first discussions of creating a national park in this area were held primarily to protect large swaths of forested land and due to its historical significance. That is kind of the basis of why they wanted to create a park in this particular area. And by the 1940s, the three states, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia started purchasing lands and accepting land donations for the establishment of this park. The park was given congressional approval in 1940 and the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park was officially dedicated in July of 1959. Today, the park is nearly 14,000 acres and features over 80 miles of hiking trails.

Roughly 730,000 visitors come every year to explore the history, geology, and wildlife that the park has to offer. Two of the most popular attractions and places to take Ranger-led tours in this park are the Gap Cave and the Hensley settlement. And thankfully for you, we're not talking about the cave. We're not going into a cave today, but rather the settlement. The Hensley settlement is the early 20th century homestead of the Hensley and Gibbons families, and it remains the most well-preserved community in the entire park. In the early 1900s, Burton Hensley acquired 200 acres of land and divided it amongst his children. Over time, the community grew to roughly 100 people, and over four decades, the families of the settlement farmed, raised animals, made moonshine, and traded with other communities in Appalachia.

The settlement included several family homes, a blacksmith shop, a schoolhouse, farmland, and its own cemetery. As time progressed, so too did advancements in the surrounding areas, but the Hensley settlement remained fairly isolated with no roads or electricity ever reaching that area. Members of the community died or slowly moved away, leaving Sherman Hensley, the last remaining resident, and he left in 1951. And I wanted to highlight that part of the park because this is the exact type of community that the pack horse librarians would ride out to visit. With no roads, no electricity, not a lot of people. Yep. Really isolated. And obviously, you know, they traded and, you know, had relations with other smaller communities in the area.

But they were pretty remote and isolated. And that's how a lot of these small communities were in this part of the state. So back to the pack horse project. So the librarians who are all women, with like I said, very few exceptions, would prepare for work well before dawn and ride off into the remote mountains to deliver materials to those not in reach of the libraries themselves. Women lined up to apply for these positions when the Packhorse Library was first announced, wanting to make a difference in the lives of their fellow Kentuckians and to earn a salary for themselves and their struggling families. However, the WPA only provided funds to hire the librarians, but the gig was of course a team effort. The packhorse librarian was nothing without her teammate, which was her horse or her mule. The women were paid a salary of $28 a month, equating to roughly $640 a month today.

So very small salary. Very small salary. And this meant that in order to become a pack horse librarian, the women would have already needed to own their own horse or mule. or they would rent one and there were a lot of places in eastern Kentucky that would rent out horses and mules to these librarians and any cost of keeping their horses or leasing them or renting them or whatever came out of their own paycheck. So then their small salary. Yes. They have fun to their own job. Yep. Feed veterinary care at anything that the horse need.

And horse people know that keeping a horse or a mule is not cheap. And obviously these animals aren't living in the lap of luxury or anything. It's probably pretty basic standards of care. But it's still something. And so that price, that's $640 compensation, you can slash that in half. Yeah. The rest of the money was used to care for themselves and their family. So that was like their take home pay. Hey, it's better than I'm sure not doing anything. That's right. Especially in the depression. Additionally, with no paved roads, the job was a job was a dangerous one. Mountain sides and creek beds were often used as travel corridors and many of them were named for the danger that they posed. For example, Troublesome Creek, Cutchin Creek, and Hell for Sarton were all-Hell for Sarton. It's going to be hell for sarton. So those are kind of just like some, that gives some insight into the terrain that they were having to navigate. And the women learn to trust their horses with their lives. Nine to ten hour days were standard, and their roots were about 18 miles per day on average.

And again, they were out in all sorts of weather conditions. There was no, you know, oh, it's snowing today. Like, no, they were out. Forest Cook, the son of a packhorse librarian, recalls that his father would often meet his mother outside after a long day's work in the winter, and he would have to chip away the ice that had cemented her feet in the stirrups locking them in. And again, so just like a visual, like these women were really committed in men. If their mule or horse died on the trail, which sometimes they did, they would have to

continue on foot carrying their sacks of books that could be well over 100 pounds. Thousands of people who lived in the hollows and haulers of Kentucky's mountains at this time were without telephones, newspapers, or radios. No paved or gravel roads connected the isolated small communities to one another. And on many occasions, a visit from the book lady offered the only connection that many of these families had to life outside of their tiny corner of the world. Initially, some of the residents of Kentucky were really hesitant about this program. Number one, it was government funded, at least in part. And right away, they're like, we're wary. Like, this is a time of the government of faith in the government right now.

So they were kind of right away skeptical. Some locals were also very skeptical about what the books and reading materials actually consisted of. Because by and large, the people of Eastern Kentucky were extremely conservative and very religious. And were particular about what types of messages that these books and magazines and reading materials may have offered. But soon, especially after seeing the types of materials, that were being offered, people really looked forward to their visits from the book toting women on horseback, especially as the librarians were locals. These weren't outsiders coming in and determining what was best for them and their communities. These were people that they knew, or at least knew lived there. So they were a little bit more welcoming. It wasn't like this government official that from, you know, the big city that came in and was like, you'll be reading this. It was someone that they could know and trust and was. part of the community. Yeah. And I will say that a lot of the materials were filtered through. So it wasn't

just like anything and everything that was being donated would get into the hands of people. There was a measure to kind of filter out some of the more scandalous type of materials that weren't really suited by their standards to the people. Which is funny in itself, just that you're in the Depression. No one has access to books and you're being picky about. what you do have access to. But yep. So these women, these packhorse librarians, were fellow Kentuckians and they wanted to encourage an expanded worldview and did so gently without tearing down the worlds that these community members knew. So they weren't, like you said, someone riding in and saying, this is now what you'll be reading. This is like, we just want you to open your eyes to

a couple, like a couple new things. We want you to have access to the outside world that's remote here. I feel like it would be something that was really exciting. You had someone coming in, bringing you these outside know of things that you don't necessarily know. Or just in this time, I feel reading a book would be a really cool escape and to learn about other places when you're stuck in such a small town. I feel like it would almost be like Christmas. Someone's showing up. It's like a book for everybody. Read a book.

Yeah. You know. And this is exactly what started to happen. as soon as that initial, like, hesitation was gotten over, a lot of people, especially the kids, were really, really excited. You know, people would run down, you know, the path to go see it. And, you know, a lot of the quotes were like, yonder comes to the book woman. Like, it's so excited people really looking forward to their visits. And it went beyond just delivering books. Many of the librarians would even stop to read to men, women, and children who were

unable to read. Because again, it's like, what's good is it to hand a book to an entire family of maybe two, three, four generations, and none of them can read the contents. So they would stop and, if needed, read to families. And the project really changed lives. Library materials were delivered by and large to people who otherwise would have never known a world outside of their small piece of land to children who would have otherwise may have never learn to read, to one-room schoolhouses where groups of children numbering in the dozens would have a single book to share amongst all of them. Most of the schools in Eastern Kentucky were one-room schoolhouses, like I mentioned, and the lucky few had a coal furnace. Not all children went to school, but for the ones who did, the majority of schoolhouses would only run part of the year from roughly July to February so that the children could help their families with planting, making money, and for running the household during the rest of the year. Books and magazines taught skills or told of far-off lands across the globe from Kentucky.

National Geographic and Tales from the American West found in the Western Story magazine were among the most popular, and classic authors like Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and Williams Shakespeare entered the log cabin, homes, and schoolhouses for the very first time. It was always children's books, however, that were in the highest demand, especially those with pictures. Often, these books would be requested by adults who had never been taught to read. And it was actually quite common at this time in this area for the children to be the first in their families to become literate. And they would then go on to teach their parents and their grandparents the skill of reading. So it's really, it is changing lives. You're fixing the economy like one family

at a time because you're giving people a chance to have bigger opportunities. Right. Like, yes, initially you're employing the librarians, which is remember like what I said the WPA is like all about is giving jobs to unemployed people. So yes, that's one part of it. But like you said, the effects are much larger than just individually funding individual people. And as books and materials were all donation based, many of them came to the Packhorse Library program in pretty bad condition. Add in being carried in saddlebags, pillowcases, and suitcases for transfer and then being heavily used going from home to home, they often didn't last very long before they started to deteriorate. To aid in reducing wear and tear, one librarian made bookmarks out of old Christmas

cards and would give them out to the children who return their books on time and in good condition as a way to deter the damage that they would do by dog earing the pages. And this simple act was a huge hit, especially as many of the kids had never seen a Christmas card before. So not only Only are you getting a prize for good behavior and doing good things by treating your materials well. You're also getting something that is just such a rarity. Like, it's such a good idea all around. It really is. You're giving a reward for something that is also going to save you a lot of time and effort in money in the long run.

Yeah. The women became innovative with deteriorating materials as well. They started making their own books, leaving nothing to waste by taking bits and pieces of what remained of different types of books and magazines, and they created scrapbooks, filling in the spaces with their own knowledge, recipes, or DIYs. Some of the recipes or quilt patterns came from people of the mountains themselves, who felt really uncomfortable by just like receiving a book for free with them not needing to do anything. So in turn, they would meet the bookwoman outside with a treasured family tradition or recipe when they came riding up to their homes.

That's so nice. So they used a lot of these donations of recipes and quilt patterns and just different tips and tricks and things about running homes. And the librarians would now put those into scrapbooks that they would disperse out as well. So it's aware to share knowledge and information amongst isolated communities. Yeah. These librarians are badass. Yeah, they are. Yeah, they're really cool.

Packhorse librarians also took care to hand out materials thoughtfully. For example, if they knew a young woman on the route was due to give birth to her first child, they would bring her information on childbirth and parenting. Or if a religious man was injured and unable to make the walk to church, they would provide books of hymns or religious pamphlets. Or if someone was ill, they would bring books on health care and first aid. Each library started with roughly 200 to 800 books. And estimates put each library serving between 5 and 10,000 people.

So doing the math on that, that equated to 1,000. one book per six to 12 people, meaning that shortages of reading materials was still a real problem, especially after the popularity of the program grew. And so did the demand for reading materials to be delivered. Yeah, that's not a lot of books for the amount of people, but it is better than one book per entire classroom. Yeah. So we're getting there, slowly. We're getting there. We're getting there slowly. Several people stood up and spoke out arguing the need for more financial support for the program. And one of those champions was a woman named Mrs. Lena Knopfier, who served as the chairman of the library services for the Kentucky PTA. She actually went around the entire state of Kentucky

to different PTAs, the parent-teacher associations, requesting donations and support with the firm argument that, quote, library service should be provided for all people. rural as well as urban, colored as well as white. Her fundraising efforts resulted in the most successful means of raising money and donations for the duration of this project. Word of the program and the women risking their lives to run it eventually reached well beyond the borders of the state. And soon, donations of books, magazines, and reading material of all kinds came by the crate full from all around the country from people eager to fill the shelves of the newly founded packhorse libraries of Kentucky. I love how passionate everyone is about this project. Like at first it started off as a

good idea and now people are like, we love this, get more funding, let's make this bigger. We're so excited for this. It's really cool to see or hear about because I've never heard this. Never known this at all. It's just so cool. And especially being book nerds, you know, obviously we're really into them. Yeah. Yeah. The program was a wild success, and the WPA actually regarded it as one of their crown jewels. Early into the program in 1936, the program began in two counties and employed eight packhorse librarians. Eventually, the program reached 30 counties in eastern Kentucky, serving hundreds of schools and served over 100,000 residents and employed roughly 200 librarians. The librarians delivered the books to everyone, as they felt everyone had the right to them. And this included people who were often discriminated against for various reasons, including people of color, sex workers, moonshiner's, and those with different religious beliefs.

For the women in Eastern Kentucky, who may have not ever held a job and who had starving families, the Packhorse Library Project was not only a way to provide money, but their employment was a great source of personal pride. they left their isolated log homes to gain independence and to pioneer a government program with the knowledge that they were contributing to their communities in which they loved dearly. The service they provided helped their community members cultivate a better life, gain more knowledge of the outside world, and dream of the possibilities that lay beyond the hollers of Eastern Kentucky. The program also played a huge part in increasing the literacy rate. As the WPA dismantled with a rebounding economy during World War II, the project was ended in 1943. The WPA did construct roads, which eventually gave rise to the bookmobile

in the late 1950s, which had a very similar. Have you never seen? I don't think so. I'm picturing the Wiener Mobile, but a giant book instead of a hot dog. Interesting. I feel like I've gotten a visit from the bookmobile, or the school did a couple of times. But yeah, it's literally just like a car that has like the or like the bed of a truck that has like shelving and it opens up and there's books in it. It's like a little traveling library or bookstore. I feel like I've never seen that before. Oh.

Maybe I haven't. It's just not in my memory anymore. Well, the Scholastic Book Fair was and that's a win. Yeah, that's important. So the Bookmobile had a similar mission. And according to data from the American Library Association, as of 2018, Kentucky has the most book mobiles of any state. They have 668. That 668? Bookmobiles. Still going strong. Still happening today. So they're going to schools and. Yep. They're like really took the history of getting books out there in different ways and just carried it through. I mean, it is their history. You might as well keep it going. That's so cool. That's amazing. However, the roads weren't constructed everywhere. And with the shutdown of the Packhorse Library program, the years that followed the Packhorse Program's,

closure and then the rise of the bookmobile, that kind of lull in years, left many Eastern Kentuckians with very little or no library services at all. The county libraries that remained open struggled financially and were not equipped to consider delivery or outreach as the pack horse program had been able to do. So now that the WPA program shut down, it kind of left a lot of places high and dry. You know, they weren't paying the librarians and they couldn't fund it themselves, that type of program themselves. In 1956, Congressman Carl D. Perkins sponsored the Library Services Act, the first federal-level Appropriations Act for library services. The Act helped provide funds to libraries across the nation to assist with construction of new

library buildings, library branches, hiring library staff, and more. It's no coincidence that Congressman Perkins was a young man in the 1930s, a teacher in eastern Kentucky's rural Not County in a schoolhouse that was serviced by one of the Kentucky's pack horse librarians. So he saw it firsthand and was like, you know what? I want to do something when I'm older. That has to do with books. And he did. I just love that so much. It came full circle. It sure did. And to conclude, I wanted to take a quote directly out of one of the books that I used for research. And it's called downcut, Creek, the pack horse librarians of Kentucky by Kathy Applet and Jenna Canella Schmitzer. And it's a really cool book. It's kind of, I wouldn't say it's like a, it's like, I think it's like less than 100 pages and it has a lot of photos. And it's not like a picture book with little information, but it's a good balance of a lot of historical photos of the pack horse librarians on their mules

and horses and going up mountains and through creeks and hand delivering to people in log cabins. And it's just really, really cool. So the quote is, quote, the Kentucky Packhorse Library Project and its bookwomen deserve credit for their services and acknowledgement for their part in library history. Indeed, the very history of our country. What they gave couldn't be measured in money for what they gave was no less than the keys to the world. And that is the story of the bookwomen of Kentucky and the Packhorse Library Project of the 1930s. Wow, I'm so happy you brought this to the podcast because I've never heard a peep, never a peep about this story. Nothing. Like a lot of stories, it's like, oh yeah, I've heard of that. Or like, I know something about that. And this one couldn't even dream of Googling it. Yeah. Well, I definitely encourage you to Google it because there are a lot of photos of the young women on horseback and handing out books and just seeing, you know, them. You can tell they just kind of radiate this pride. of make, number one, making a difference.

Number two, being independent. I mean, this is a time that women rarely had jobs, especially in this area of the country. And it was kind of a different, it was a different path that they were offered other than just like staying home and having children and doing the outdoors. They're explorers and adventures at this point. And they're being paid to do it. Mm-hmm. Exactly. And there are a couple of wrecks I have.

So obviously down Cutchen Creek, the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky, is that book that I just mentioned. But I'm also reading a book. I'm only halfway through. So maybe when this comes out, I'll be finished. But it is a fiction book, a historical fiction book that is based on this. And it's called The Book Woman of Troulesome Creek by Kim Michelle Richardson. And it is, it's so cool to read now after I just did all this research and put together. this episode because she literally, it's a, it's a, obviously it's a fictional storyline, but the details are all there. Everything is historically accurate. And she even goes into this subset of people in this area of Appalachia that were blue. And like literally their skin was blue because of some sort of genetic condition. And the main character in the story has this condition. Interesting. And so anyway,

so there's another piece of Kentucky history that's also woven into this. story. That's totally aside. But this young woman is a packhorse librarian. And it's just a really cool book to read now that I have this knowledge. Because before I'd be like, oh, it's a cool story. But now you know where she's getting all of this information from, even though it's not fully true. Yeah. And there is another one that it, you know, when I ordered it, it was like, you may also like. And it's called the giver of Stars by Jojo Moyers. And it's the same type of thing. It's about the pack horse library in Kentucky. So, yeah. So if you're. interested in the subject and maybe you don't want to read a history book about it, but you want

to hear more than pick up one of those and pack courses. Yeah. Do it up. Cool. This is a fun switch up. Because a lot of our stuff is dark. So it's fun to hear one, an uplifting and historical story, but also I'm a sucker for the badass women's stories. So thank you for bringing it to the podcast. You're welcome. Back to the dark stuff. Yeah. Next week we'll be morbid and sad and will ruin everyone's day. Yeah, but not today. today. So enjoy the break, enjoy the view, but watch are back. Bye, everyone. Bye. Thank you so much for joining us again this week. If you have a trail tale or story suggestion, send us an email at Stories at NPADPodcast.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at National

Park After Dark and on Twitter at NPAD podcast. Join our outsiders-only community on Patreon or Apple subscriptions to listen ad-free, unlock monthly bonus episodes and exclusive content. And remember, when you support our sponsors, you are supporting our show. For our exclusive discount codes and source information from today's episode, check out the show notes. For more information on our show, our book recommendations, merch updates, and more. Visit our website at npadpodcast.com. And please rate, review, and subscribe from wherever you listen to podcasts. You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind.

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