The Jackson Purchase Historical Society will meet on Saturday June 13 at the Lloyd Tilghman House & Civil War Museum, 631 Kentucky Avenue in Paducah. The meeting will begin at 10:30 am. The program is free and all are welcome.
The program will focus on the life and times of Henry County, Tennessee native Pud Diggs who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War and was hung on the courthouse lawn in Murray in 1867 for murdering a sheriff. It was the last legal hanging in Calloway County. Diggs’ life and death offer a number of insights into life in the Jackson Purchase region during and immediately after the Civil War, especially the experience of those who fought in it.
Our speaker is well known to those interested in the history of western Kentucky. After nearly 30 years serving communities through the Kentucky League of Cities, Bobbie Smith Bryant embraced her deepest calling in retirement: sharing her faith and love for Kentucky history through storytelling. Her works have earned award recognition from the Acclaim Press, Bluegrass Literacy, Kentucky Farm Bureau, Kentucky Historical Society, and Kentucky Monthly magazine.
Her articles are featured regularly in a variety of statewide and regional publications including the Jackson Purchase Historical Society’s Journal. She has also published several books about her family, and served as editor for Calloway County, Kentucky: The First Two Hundred Years 1822-2022 and Bygone Churches of Calloway County.
Today, Bobbie continues to speak and share her interests in preserving Kentucky’s heritage. She currently serves as president of the Calloway County Genealogical and Historical Society, and is a board member of the Kentucky Historical Society. For more information and examples of her writing, please visit bobbiesmithbryant.com.
“I am delighted that Bobbie is sharing her research with us again,” said JPHS president Bill Mulligan. Her programs are always interesting and insightful and in Pud Diggs she has found a person whose life opens many windows into understanding our region during the Civil War. The Tilghman House will be a very appropriate venue for the meeting,” he concluded.
The Lloyd Tilghman House & Civil War Museum was the home of Lloyd Tilghman from 1852 until 1861 when he took command of Fort Henry for the Confederacy. He was a railroad engineer and a West Point graduate. The museum interprets the civil War in the Jackson Purchase with artifacts and exhibits. Those attending the meeting will be able to tour the museum after the program.
