Based on events in Hopkinsville during numerous past decades, I deeply regret to say that they are continuing to tear down my beloved hometown and to ignore the blessings of heritage and unique happy memories. I was born, reared, and educated in Hopkinsville and found both my vocation and avocation there, but now the schools and many other historical and influential landmarks have been destroyed.
The town no longer even has a complete main intersection or, to my current knowledge, a locally owned newspaper. What is left of that intersection tells much of the story. Gone are Charles Store, where shoppers shopped in the popular departments and I ate at the food counter between trips to the town’s three motion picture theaters; the Phoenix building, where my family had prescriptions filled, and I got hair cuts; and the nearby Wood’s, where the movie projectors, cameras, and films I bought as a kid of the 1940s helped to inspire me to become a film historian later in life. And now, there’s the Webber Building.
I also delivered the Kentucky New Era for years when I was a youngster, and that experience led me to go to the University of Kentucky to get a journalism degree and become a news reporter for the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Though I no longer live there, Hopkinsville is my hometown, and I still love it. I have kept up with what is happening there by numerous visits, donations to various causes, and information from my parents, other relatives, friends, and contacts. And so, I dearly hope that the citizens of Hopkinsville and Christian County can convince their magistrates how important restoration and our heritage are. Restoration projects can be financed not only by government funds partially but also by bonds, private donations, and fund-raising programs. I am ready to donate if that will help.
Merrill T. McCord
Bethesda, Maryland
