From the Berea Citizen, Berea, Ky..... Town and Gown Oct. 17, 1929 In this week’s column of the “Town and Gown” we wish to present to you a man who may well be listed with the old timers of Berea. He was born and raised in Rockcastle County about eight miles from Berea on the Scaffold Cane Pike; he is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Ogg. Mr. C. I. Ogg, whose picture appears below, stated in a recent interview, that if he lives to see next June, (actually September), he will be 74 years old and will have completed 50 years in the photography business. While a young fellow, ill health developed, and being unable to continue farm work he purchased a tent and started into the picture business, hoping that the out-of-doorlife would help him gain back his strength. His trips took him all through the mountain counties. Finally he came to Berea where he established a photographer’s shop on a truck which was located on the spot where the Boone Marker now stands, just opposite the present College Post office. Mr. Ogg says that he has taken pictures of all the old timers of Berea, including Messrs. Fee, Rogers, Hanson , and many others. When Mr. Ogg first came to Berea there was only one store in Berea and a very few houses. He recalls that the boys composed a song, the chorus of which had words as follows: “Emery’s Store, Macullins Street, Wheeler’s Tavern and nothing to eat”. Emery’s store was the only one in town; the Macullins’ lived nearby and the Wheeler ran a rooming house which was then located where the ladies hall now stands. Many times has he played croquet for hours in front of the present Berea Bank and trust without the interference of traffic. It was nothing unusual to see cows and hogs around the street, and the first board sidewalk was quite a treat and improvement in the growth of Berea. Mr. Ogg says that in his younger days he was very fond of hunting and that he has hunted all around on the ridge, which is now Jackson Street, and that the college garden was an unusually good hunting ground. Mr. Ogg states that in those days he trained many a good dog for hunting. In 1887 (1889), Mr. Ogg was married to Miss Nora Marett, the daughter of Captain and Mrs. Granville Marett, to whom three children were born; a son, A. M. Ogg, now in Cincinnati as a civil engineer with the Big Four Railroad, two daughters, Elizabeth (Mrs. E. F. Fortner) and Doppie, deceased (formerly Mrs. Lewis Hart). Mrs. Ogg died in 1914. Mr. Ogg is a member of the Union Church. He is also a member of the Maccabee Lodge. Before we close this article we would like to mention one other incident in Mr. Ogg’s life that will no doubt bring to mind similar experiences in your own life, when you first ran away from home. Mr. Ogg says that the nearest railroad at that time was at Lexington. One day he had the opportunity of going to that “great” city in a buggy and he was going to remain in the city. But after a short stay he decided there was no place like home in the country, so he started for home on foot. Not getting started until the afternoon, he was unable to make the trip before dark; in fact he thought he would be able to secure lodging along the way. This plan, however, proved unsuccessful and his weary feet caused him to find rest beside a large hay stack. The rats almost ate him up and when he decided to arise early the next morning the rats had eaten the leather shoe laces from his home-made shoes. Daylight found him in Richmond and he entered his first restaurant. Among some of the things he had to eat was bakery bread, the like of which he had never seen. He decided it would be well to take some along for nourishment on the balance of his trip home. He was asked how much he wanted and he replied, “A quarter’s worth” He says when the man returned with his bread all wrapped up he could hardly get the large package under his arm. That quarter’s worth of bread was equal to about ten loaves of our bread now. Not being able to handle this excess baggage, he left most of the bread in a dry goods box in the street and continued his journey. He arrived home after a wearisome trip and from that time on no one could run him away from home.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 00:27:27 +0000