The following events occurred during the week of Oct. 14-20 in Bell County:

1889: The Firsts Christian Church was organized by nine charter members.

1889: Middlesborough’s Opera House was complete and the season opened with the comedy “Culpepper.”

1890: Fred Futzleb opened a fresh fish and oyster market o 19th between Cumberland Ave. and Lothbury.

1911: Alexander A. Arthur, the founder of Middlesborough, returned to the city to live out his last days. He had moved away after the “bust” in 1892-3.

1915: The large jitney bus from Bell County overturned as it was going over the mountain to Cumberland Gap. No one was injured.

1921: Plans were made for the laying of the cornerstone of the Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. Rev. Miller, pastor of the church, was in charge of the activities.

1921: Union Tannery was attempting to avoid the pollution of Yellow Creek by installing 48 vats to purify its discharge water.

1930: Middlesboro High School was one of the 1000 schools selected as being outstanding from all those in the U.S. by Phi Beta Kappa, the college honorary society.

1934: A Community Roundtable was organized to act as an intermediary between the various civic clubs for general city betterment. Dr. Brummett was the president.

1937: Miss Louisa Hoe of Bell County presented her debut recital at Kimball Hall in Chicago. She was to appear within the week with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra as guest soprano.

1942: Purchase of Pinnacle Park for inclusion in the proposed Cumberland Gap National Historical Park was approved by the National Park Commission. $51,000 was paid for the 261 acres including the paved road to the Pinnacle. Middlesboro had already donated its 80 acre Bartlett Park to the project.

1947: The last frame business building on Cumberland Avenue was being dismantled. It was built in 1890 and had been used as a drug store, a restaurant and a grocery.

1960: As a service project, the Middlesboro Boy Scouts planted 2000 trees at the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.

To learn more about local history, visit the Bell County Museum, located just north of the Middlesboro Post Office, Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.