American Printing House for the Blind

Founded in 1858 in Louisville, Kentucky, American Printing House for the Blind is the oldest organization of its kind in the United States. From 1858 until the Civil War began, APH organized its operation and raised funds to create embossed books. After the war, APH resumed operations and produced its first tactile books. By the early 1870s, APH was operating on a national scale.

APH received a federal mandate in 1879 when the Congress of the United States passed the Act to Promote the Education of the Blind. This act designates APH as the official supplier of educational materials to all students in the U.S. who meet the definition of blindness and are working at less than college level. (APH website)

When I was working, first with the Ohio Resource Center for the Visually Handicapped and then with the Ohio Resource Center for Low Incidence and Severely Handicapped, I drove to Louisville 3-4 times a year for meetings. I served on a number of committees throughout the years and, along with our staff, coordinated the expenditure of Federal funds for materials for students with visual impairments. 

 At the APH museum - bottom right is a picture of the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind. Established in 1837, it was the first public school for the blind in the United States.

Helen Keller's desk from her 44 years at the American Foundation for the Blind

The desk went on display at the APH museum the day before my visit.

During my visit I went on a fascinating tour. We saw people recording books for the free national talking book program. Then we saw various items being printed. The product line has greatly expanded since I was working with them - many more technology products. 

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See the green tree to the left of the entrance in the top picture? It's a holly tree. It's probably the same one I saw decades ago when I first visited APH. That's the first time I saw holly growing as a tree. 

The current building surrounds the original structure built in 1883. On the tour, we could sometimes see parts of the original building. Click here for a picture of the original structure. 

Engagement & Wedding

Lexington Herald, Lexington, Kentucky

September 16, 1917

"The engagement of Miss Celia Cathcart, of Sibbell, [sic] Ills, and Mr. Caryl Holton, second lieutenant in the Officers’ Reserve Corps, of Fort Leavenworth, Kan, has been announced. No date has been set for the wedding. 

Miss Cathcart has been connected with the Pine Mountain Settlement School for a number of years and is well known throughout the State in connection with her work to secure funds for the building of a road over the mountain to the school."

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Lexington Leader, Lexington, Kentucky

January 14, 1918

Invitations 

            Are Received

Invitations as follows have been received here. The lovely bride-elect made many friends in Lexington during her visits last year in the interest of the raising of a fund for the Pine Mountain road. Mrs. Clifton B. English was expecting to attend the wedding, but on account of the weather had to forego the trip to Illinois:

            Mr. and Mrs. William G. Cathcart 

Request the honour of your presence 

At the marriage of their daughter

Celia Sconce

to

Lieutenant Caryl A. Holton

On the evening of Wednesday, the sixteenth of January

at half after seven o’clock

at the Methodist Church

Sidell, Illinois.

Enclosed are cards:

Reception

Immediately after the ceremony

at home.

Celia Cathcart & Caryl Holton were married January 16, 1918 in Sidell, Illinois

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Comments by JHT - I think it's interesting they were married on a Wednesday evening. Was that common or did it have to do with the war and Caryl's military commitment?

Hadley Pottery - Part of Our Brand

Hadley Pottery came into our lives sometime in the 1980s. Several times a year I was Ohio’s representative at meetings at the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky. I don’t recall if someone told me about the pottery or if I saw it in a hotel gift shop. 

However it happened, I fell in love with the stoneware and the fact that you could buy almost perfectly good seconds at the factory in Louisville. I looked over the various patterns and it became my mission to collect a full set of Hadley Pottery’s “Country Collection.” Every time I went to Louisville, I’d go to the factory and buy more seconds, usually 3 or 4 pieces at a time. It took me years but I eventually amassed a set of plates and bowls of various sizes as well as mugs. I don't think I bought anything at full price. I was very patient. 

We like the animal designs in the Country Collection - cat, dog, pig, horse, chicken, cow, lamb, and duck. It’s been fun to watch grandchildren’s reactions to the pottery over the years. Some children insist that each of their pieces match – can’t have a pig mug and lamb bowl. Others like to mix things up. 

The stoneware is amazingly durable. I’m sure something has broken over the last 20+ years but I can’t remember what it was or when it happened. 

Interestingly, my friend uses this same Hadley stoneware and pattern. We weren’t aware of each other’s love of the dishes until years after we’d each started accumulating it. 

Here’s more about Hadley Pottery from their website – 

“Mary Alice Hadley was born into a family of clay tile makers where her knowledge of working with clay first developed. Exhibiting an early interest in art and design, she ultimately became a widely recognized painter, winning numerous awards and acclaim from New York to Los Angeles. By the late 1930’s Mary Alice Hadley began melding her artistic talent with her knowledge of clay ware. In 1939, Mrs. Hadley made dishes for her houseboat on the Ohio River. The creative result was a set of a custom dishes that caused such a stir among her friends and acquaintances that the idea for a business was born. Supplying those early requests provided wide circulation for her hand-crafted pottery and soon orders began to arrive from across the country. With the help of her husband, George, the Hadley Pottery Company was formed early in 1940." Source

Hadley pottery is made from clay from a pit in Indiana. The clay is found sandwiched between two 3 foot layers of coal. Each piece is hand painted. Each piece is signed "M. A. Hadley" on the bottom. Click here to read more about how Hadley Pottery is made.

Our pieces are from the Country Collection. These are the first designs used by Mary Alice Hadley for the dishes for her Ohio River houseboat.  

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Additional pieces - additional stories 

I was part of a group of people who administered state resource centers to distribute braille and large print books to blind and visually impaired students. We formed a national organization to deal with state and national issues connected with resources needed by these students. I served in the organization for quite a few years, one year as president. When I left my job to go on our mission, my colleagues presented me with a special plate from Hadley Pottery - they all knew of my love of the pottery and trips to the factory whenever I was in Louisville.

Another story - 

T & J gave us salt and pepper shakers and a bowl. It was a thank you gift for letting J live with us one summer. J and T met at college in Utah. J lived in California. He drove out to Ohio to work for the summer because he didn't want to be apart from T. He stayed with us.

Another piece -  

One of Mary Alice Hadley's designs was a beautiful rearing horse. You can see her painting it here. I had a wall plaque of that horse hanging in the kitchen at North Street. I liked the colors and the spirit of the horse. Here's a platter with the rearing horse. 

Another story - 

This platter has a recipe for Hot Browns. The Hot Brown is a specialty sandwich created by the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. As a teenager Joe's mother, Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Neely, attended dances at the Brown Hotel and ate Hot Browns. 

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We love this pottery. When I asked Joe to review this post, he commented that Hadley Pottery is part of our "brand." "It's something people will always associate with us," he said. 

Singing Grace

One of my vivid memories of holiday family dinners is singing grace (image November 1953). 

Father we thank thee for the food we eat.

We thank thee for fellowship sweet.

We thank thee for memories here that cling. 

We thank thee Lord for everything. 

Amen. 

For years I thought we were singing “We thank thee for memories here that clean” and I couldn’t figure out how memories cleaned!

I asked Dad about the origin of the singing grace. He said his mother Celia probably learned it when she taught at Pine Mountain Settlement School in Kentucky. I found a reference to singing grace at Pine Mountain here. 

After Dad's death, we occasionally sing this at family gatherings. It brings tears to our eyes and people from the other side are very close. 

Precious, precious memory

Author in the Family - Sweet as Cane

Stephanie McCoy, wife of our cousin Tim Holton, recently published her second book.

From her website: "Twenty-three year old photographer Cane Walker specializes in infant-post mortems. In Marrow, North Carolina in the fifties, such practices are still prized and sought out. Cane’s is a tale of a young disfigured woman growing up in a small town that oozes with despair, hope and desire. The story unfolds through the eyes of various Marrow inhabitants familiar with and foreign to one another. 

Cane works next door to her mother, the town mortician. She steals from the infant bodies she photographs; yet she sings lullabies to them at the cemetery where they are buried. Hiding behind the camera, she uncovers love and heartache while longing to be included in the community around her. 

In this haunting tale, the slow force of nature, folklore and grief lead the reader to its unsettling and powerful conclusion."

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Click here to hear Stephanie interviewed about the book. She gives very interesting information about the book, its setting and people.

One of my favorite phrases reminded me of walking to school on chilly mornings watching my "breath speak ahead of my words." 

Everyone has a story. Each chapter is told by a different character. All the stories together tell of life in this small Southern town. As I read the book, I was reminded of “Olive Kitteridge” by Elizabeth Strout and the “Little Giant of Aberdeen County” by Tiffany Baker. Each book deals with people in small towns and their secrets, gossip, and interactions – and people whose outward appearances mask the human emotions and needs all of us have. Cane Walker’s scars are visible. The scars of others in the town aren’t quite as apparent. 

Stephanie's note to me said, "It's a tough read." And that it was - because the lives of the people are tough. This is not a feel-good story. 

Click here for another summary of the book.

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It's interesting how the Internet can help us with family connections. I send birthday cards to our cousins but don't have much communication with them other than that. I was aware that Stephanie had published a book. On a whim I did a search before sealing up her birthday card. Found out she now has published this second book. I included a congratulatory note along with the birthday greetings. We've had some nice exchanges since then. Over the years another cousin and I have encouraged Stephanie to write about Celia Cathcart Holton, our grandmother, and the other women involved in the Pine Mountain School in Kentucky. It would be great if she'd take on that project.