Dear Santa,
I am writing on behalf of the Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. We are 48 years old, and we work hard every year to tell the stories of our community and its people. One way that we do this is by acquiring artifacts from our collective past that can help us to tell these stories. Items purchased from local businesses make great additions to our collection — especially things that were bought long ago from places that may not be around anymore.
I promise that we have been extra good this year, Santa. Do you think that you and your elves might dig through attics and cobwebs to find us a few memories from Hopkinsville’s past?
We are so fortunate to have so much already! Here are just a few things from our Christmas lists that we have been gifted over the years:
For Dad: a necktie and gloves
This fancy red necktie featuring tiny green horns and a white and dark green stripe was purchased at Tom Wade’s Men’s Store. Located at Ninth and Virginia streets, Wade’s opened in September 1962 and offered the best in clothing to men in Christian County and beyond. The store was always booming this time of year and employed young people as gift-wrappers for shoppers. Known for carrying quality merchandise and well-known brands, Tom Wade’s served as an anchor business until its closing in 2000.
Every man needs a nice pair of leather gloves! This deerskin pair was bought at Metzler’s Men’s Store and came to us in a box bearing the business’s name. A native of Louisville, Dan Metzler moved to Hopkinsville around 1920 and opened a men’s store at 804 S. Main St. by 1922. After his death in 1948, his son, Dan Jr., operated the store until the mid-1960s. Recently, Dan Metzler’s name reappeared on Main Street when its former sign was uncovered during the demolition process of its neighboring building.
For Mom: a blouse and skirt
This cream blouse and navy skirt both feature a tulle fabric with polka dots as an overlay. The deep V-neck of the blouse is accented by a tightly-pleated ruffle. This same ruffle also serves as a short peplum and as a shoulder detail over short mesh sleeves. The floor-length skirt is full and voluminous. Both pieces are a size 4 and barely fit on our junior-size mannequin.
This stunning set was purchased by the Pennyroyal Area Museum from Arnold’s in 1988. The longstanding business was in its final years at the Pennyrile Mall, and these pieces were likely acquired so that the museum would have a bit of its history in our collection. Arnold’s Shoppe, as it was first known, opened at 909 S. Main St. just in time for the holiday season in 1935.
Owners Sarah and Frances Myers and their brothers brought high society fashion to Hopkinsville. Often described as having Saks Fifth Avenue on Main Street in Hoptown, the sisters traveled to New York City multiple times a year to purchase and bring the best of the best to Hopkinsville. Our blouse and skirt both bear tags from Jeri’s New York and Lord & Taylor — both high-end retailers.
Rebranded as Arnold’s House of Fashion, the business expanded to include Arnold’s Junior, Arnold’s Suburban, and Arnold’s Too. The main store moved to the Pennyrile Mall in the early 1970s, where it maintained a prime spot until its closing in 1990.
The museum is also lucky to have a Gant Gaither scarf that was also purchased at Arnold’s.
For older sister: a jewelry box
But not just any jewelry box — a Lane Cedar Chest jewelry box from Jordan Furniture Co. Produced by Lane out of Altavista, Virginia, these miniature versions of cedar chests were given as a promotional gift as early as 1930 with the purchase of a full-size model. Commonly known as “hope chests,” these large pieces of furniture were given to young women when they graduated from high school. Janice (Harper) Allen received this jewelry box when her parents bought her a cedar chest in celebration of her graduation from Sinking Fork High School in 1957.
Jordan Furniture stood on the southeast corner Main and Eighth streets. Opened by William D. Jordan around 1922, the furniture store was known for its show windows — and the stunts that were pulled in these to draw in customers.
In a 1980 interview for Joe Dorris’s “Watching the Parade” column in the Kentucky New Era, longtime store manager Bill Schmidt described two of these promotions from the 1930s. One involved a woman who slept on a Beauty Rest mattress in the store window for days on end. The gimmick was that if anyone caught her awake or not on the bed, they would win $100. Another involved a man dressed as a robot. Passers-by tried to get him to break and smile. If they succeeded, they won a cash prize. No one caught the sleeping beauty awake, but a few made some money off of a giggling robot.
The store suffered a devastating fire on Feb. 25, 1959. The following day, the newspaper ran an ad that the store’s offices had moved to its warehouse on Virginia Street. Hardly missing a beat, the store continued to operate into the 1970s.
For little brother: a train set
Every little boy wanted a train set! And the museum has more than one in our collection. This model may have been purchased at Cayce-Yost Co. in the early 1950 … but we can’t be sure. We do know that it came from the estate of Frank A. Yost, so we’re thinking that there is a good chance that this train set — like so many — was bought from the toy department of the major downtown retailer.
This Lionel set includes the locomotive, two cars, a caboose, and a freight station. We also have a box of tracks and other pieces that didn’t make it into our picture. The locomotive is a 1110 model produced by Lionel from 1949 until 1952. The Operating Freight Station (model 356) was an accessory for train layouts that moved baggage carts using a vibrating base. We have the carts, too. This piece was made from 1952 until 1957.
During its peak years in the mid-1950s, the Lionel Corp. sold more than $25 million worth of trains per year. Imagine how many of those ended up under a lucky little boy’s Christmas tree right here in Hopkinsville?
We have clearly been a very good museum over the years to receive such great gifts from our community! These are just a few examples. We truly have something for everyone.
This year, we would love to get more things for dad, mom, and the rest of the family that help us to bring the stories of our community to life. A piece of China from Gordon Cayce’s, a pair of blue jeans from Union 1776, a piece of jewelry from Clayton’s or Joy’s Jewelers or J. Schrecker’s, a pair of shoes from Burnette’s or Dollar Brothers — these are just a few ideas for our Christmas list. If you or your elves can think of others, we are always open to suggestions!
Thank you, Santa, for sharing so many wonderful items from Hopkinsville and Christian County’s past with us. We so appreciate your local elves for donating their precious memories into our care. Many simple things mean so much more to us when they are connected to who we are and who we always have been as a community. We hope you’ll share this letter and conspire with your Hoptown elves to get us a few things this year, too.
We’ll leave a plate of cookies and a cold glass of boiled custard out for you on Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas!
Alissa
Alissa Keller is the executive director of the Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County. She’s a graduate of Centre College with degrees in history and English and of Clemson University/College of Charleston with a master’s degree in historic preservation. She serves on the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Museum and Heritage Alliance boards.
