One of the longest serving board members for the Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County was recognized Sunday with an award that has been presented to just a few people in the past decade.
Diane Croney Turner, who recently stepped down after approximately 30 years on the museum board, received the Old Lamplighter Award during the Eighth of August Emancipation Celebration at the Pennyroyal Area Museum.
Alissa Keller, executive director for the museums, announced the award during the emancipation celebration program. Previously, Keller has described the award as recognition for “an individual who has demonstrated a dedication to and passion for local history, our museums, and this community.”
The award was created in 2015 in honor of local historian William T. Turner, and he was the first recipient.
As a storyteller, William Turner often refers to himself as an old lamplighter. It is a nod to a bygone tradition of a person who lights a path for others.
Diane Turner is just the fourth recipient of the Olde Lamplighter Award. Several of her relatives, representing four generations of the Croney family, were present because an oral history interview with her mother, Nannie Croney, was part of the museum’s program on Sunday.
The Human Rights Commission coordinated the emancipation celebration.
