MOULDEN HILL —
At a Civil War Union artillery position smack dab on the Pulaski-Wayne County line southwest of Nancy another war is brewing.
Daniel Fleagle, a U.S. Army veteran who traces his ancestry through the Seneca tribe of the Iroquois Nation, has seen little peace since moving to picturesque Moulden’s Hill on Mill Springs Road nestled between rolling farmland off KY 235 and the emerald waters of Lake Cumberland just down the road from his house.
“About two years ago, a house we were renting right next to the one we now own was peppered with BBs one night while my finance was there alone. Since then I have had gravel removed from the right of way next to my driveway, I’ve seen fires lit by vandals in neighboring properties, witnessed repeat signs of marijuana harvests and drug activity, have had to contend with mean dogs paraded by my house and other harassment, and witnessed other acts of vandalism including the theft of highway signs,” Fleagle, who speaks the Seneca language and has adopted his ancestors' culture, said during an interview yesterday.
But the latest insult—a racial slur painted in the middle of the roadway near his house—was the last straw.
“911 Indian” accompanied by the universal sign of disrespect hand with the long middle finger extended—drawn in Kentucky blue—was emblazoned on the road near his house. (About a quarter mile eastbound written in neat block letters by what appears to be the same hand is a second, somewhat less threatening message: Go Cats.”)
While the exact meaning of rude message is somewhat obscure, it may refer to the times Fleagle has pointed an accusing finger at alleged harasses in complaints to local law enforcement agencies, the Kentucky State Police—even the FBI.
“Leave my ancestors alone,” Fleagle intoned in righteous indignation as he knelt in the roadway by the obscene message. "I just want to live my semi-retirement in peace and enjoy nature as my people have for generations."
Pulaski County Sheriff Todd Wood indicated he peripherally aware of the situation but said that any action would fall under the jurisdiction of Wayne County authorities. Indeed, Fleagle confirmed that his house lies a half mile past the Pulaski County line. It is less certain whether the epiteth painted on Mill Springs Road was in Pulaski or Wayne County.
“I will say that any kind of racial profiling would fall under the hate crime statute,” Sheriff Wood said, noting he had not personally seen the offensive drawing.
Neal Shoemaker, District 8 Engineer for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet headquartered in Somerset, said a crew would dispatched today to see that the obscenity was painted over.
“We own the road and if we wanted something painted on it, we would paint it,” Shoemaker said. “If our crews determine that either Pulaski or Wayne county owns that section of road, we will notify the respective judge-executive. This area is popular with tourists and we certainly don’t want them taking home a negative impression.”
“I used to be a bridge inspector and we’ve seen everything. I remember the time we were inspecting a bridge at Burnside and underneath it we found all kinds of Satanic graffiti. And written in huge letters was the word “S A T I N.” They claimed to worship the Devil, but didn’t know how to spell his name!”
Shoemaker acknowledged that vandalism has become an increasing problem for this generation.
“When people shoot at, vandalize or steal a stop sign, it costs $120 to replace. But usually we just repair the damage. I guess in a case like this a person could be charged with harassment, but usually we keep busy just repairing the damage."
Coincidentally, Shoemaker’s brother, Barry, is a Wayne County deputy sheriff who patrols that area. The small community was isolated from the rest of Wayne County when Lake Cumberland was impounded. Before that, a ford across the Cumberland River allowed easy access to what is now Mill Springs Park outside Monticello. Today, a trip that took a few minutes across the old river ford, now takes about 40 minutes by car. It also leaves that tiny section of Wayne County with less than ideal law enforcement leaving residents to sometimes fend for themselves—as Fleagle has discovered.
Local News
Related Photos
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Daniel Fleagle, a Seneca of the Iroquois Nation, kneels by an obscene racial slur painted on Mill Springs Road near the Pulaski-Wayne county line southwest of Nancy. He says the insult is retaliation for his efforts to get greater law enforcement presence in the isolated community. Photo by Ken Shmidheiser
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Big Bang Theory
Pulaski County is not at war. The booming you may hear at dusk is mock cannon fire to scare away birds.
Stuart Spillman, environmental director for the Lake Cumberland Health Department, said at least three cannons are on loan from the department to residents who want to scare away swarms of starlings and blackbirds settling in to roost.
He said a cannon is being used by a resident on Laura Lane off Ky. 39; another is in the Oak Hill Road area and a third is on Ashurst Street in the eastern part of Somerset.
Spillman said a timer on each cannon allows it to “fire” at whatever frequency is desired. The cannons must be used as the birds circle before going to roost. “After they settle in, nothing will chase them out,” Spillman said.
The Health Department doesn’t operate the cannons unless there is a specific complaint in an area where there are lots of birds, Spillman noted. He said so far this year the birds are not as bad as in the past. -
Boil water advisory is lifted countywide
The water controversy that Pulaski County has been boiling over — so to speak — for the last week is finally over.
At 10 minutes after noon Wednesday, the “boil water” advisory for the Western Pulaski Water District was lifted — almost a full week after the problems began around 1 p.m. last Thursday.
Prior to that, the Somerset Water Service — along with the other water providers in its system, including Science Hill Water, Southeastern Water, and Eubank Water — lifted their advisories, with Somerset on Saturday afternoon and the last, Southeastern, by Monday morning. Western Pulaski was the last in the system to complete sample testing for potential contaminants, due to not being able to access its Pikeville-based testing lab until Monday.
Somerset Mayor Eddie Girdler thanked the public for its patience and understanding during the duration of the boil water advisory — put in place to keep citizens from drinking water that could have been contaminated after an accident last Thursday at the water plant site — and also thanked all the city employees for their hard work during this time.
“The boil water advisory went about as well as would be expected,” said Girdler.
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