Miss Jakalyn Jackson is presented the Susan Arthur Historical Preservation Award at the annual Daniel Boone Festival Coronation hosted by the Barbourville Junior Woman’s Study Club.
Official announcement of the award:
Many of you know that our county suffered a tragic loss a little over a decade ago with the passing of Miss Susan Arthur. Miss Arthur spent many, many hours entertaining and educating students about the history of Knox County and our heritage. She annually came to our candidate picnic where she shared many lovely and interesting stories about Knox County’s early times. In her honor we have created an award to recognize one person from our great county who goes above and beyond to preserve and maintain Knox County’s history.
This year’s recipient has worked very hard during the last several years to preserve and promote Knox County’s heritage and history! She is a woman of many talents! At her grandmother’s knee, she learned the value of collecting stories and oral history. She has spent her entire life collecting and preserving family and local history.
In 1959 she graduated from Knox Central High School. She assisted with the Knox County bookmobile, worked for the Knox County School System and retired from the US Postal Service. She began her work as a genealogist in the Knox County Historical Society, the earlier embodiment of the Knox Historical Museum. As one of the founders of the museum, she has worked faithfully and diligently at the organization for many years as a writer, genealogist and researcher. She has been involved in exhibition design, document collection and record keeping as well as being a frequent contributor to the Knox Countian, a publication of the museum.
While working at the museum, she pioneered a first place, award winning, educational program that brought museum artifacts into the classrooms of Knox County students. She traveled with her Suitcase Museum filled with artifacts to nearly every local school. Her own personal collection of Indian arrowheads and artifacts has been displayed at many events throughout the county. The Suitcase Museum generated many questions from the children concerning the history of Knox County. Therefore, the dream was born to place a Knox County History Book in each school. Finally, in 1992, the Knox County History Book for Children, which she co-authored, was published. Her writing talents were also used in other publications. She co-authored three books of Knox County cemeteries, co-authored the Isaac Jones Family History Book, she assisted with Looking Back Part II with Michael Mills and the Knox County Historical Society, Inc. She researched and contributed to the History and Families of Knox County Kentucky as well. She has written many articles for the Barbourville Mountain Advocate and written extensively on local communities and their institutions, especially the Cannon community.
She has served on the Daniel Boone Festival committee, was a former member of the Tuesday Club and the Barbourville Garden Club as well as the Town and Country Homemakers Club. Since 1991, she has been an active member of the General Levi Casey Chapter of the America Daughters of the American Revolution.
In 2006 she persuaded her family members to write their first collection of family stories. She continues to be the major contributor for each yearly publication of family stories and this year marks the 10th volume.
This quiet natured, powerful woman has made her family proud. Her leadership, guidance and many talents have always been shining stars in her family crown. She is the queen of her family. Her story collecting that began as a child is still very much alive today. Her contributions will command the thanks of generations to come, and her family eagerly awaits the next story written by this year’s recipient of the Susan Arthur Historical Preservation Award…Miss Jakalyn Jackson.
