An Introduction to Huntsburg History
For those who may not know me, my name is Titan Pilarczyk. Everyone calls me Ty. I am the president of the recently formed Huntsburg Historical Society, and I have been invited to write a series of articles on the society and the history of my hometown.
For those that do know me, it is easy to deduce why I have such a love for Huntsburg. I have lived here most of my life. I am a history buff. I am a blend of families that have lived here for several decades, with one arriving way back in 1816. I grew up with an aunt who is very well-versed in all things Huntsburg, and shared it with me at every chance she could. I even have the weird coincidence of being born on the same day, 168 years later, that the town was officially settled. Huntsburg is just who I am. It’s in my blood.
Something else you may or may not know is that I work for our family business, and one of my responsibilities is sales. Of the many seminar speakers I have heard, one of the lessons that sticks with me is how to keep a customer interested in you and your product. You can bore them to death with company information that may mean a lot to you, but without conveying it all in relevance to them, they are left asking themselves:
SO WHAT?
By now, you may be asking that very question about this article.
The philosophy, I believe, is relevant to history in general, and much more so to local history. While I may have a passion for even the minute details of our little town, I am fully aware that most others do not share that same fervor. However, there still is a great interest in our heritage especially as it relates to our personal lives, homes, and experiences. I could write a few years’ worth of articles on all the events, and people, and places within this town, but unless I make it into something that is of interest to you, the reader, you will be bored with me very quick.
- Did you know that there was a suspected murder here in town?
- Do you know that when the first settler came to Huntsburg, there was someone already here?
- Have you heard that one local dreamer actually invented a version of a ‘horseless carriage’?
- Did you know that there used to be a ‘Hell Rd.’?
- What about the resident that was responsible for showing Kentucky to his good friend…….DANIEL BOONE?
I will try my very best to provide you with the stories, the events, and the anecdotes of Huntsburg, along with updates on our historical society and musuem, in a fresh and entertaining fashion. My hope is that, after reading a few sentences, you do not move on to something else. Instead of asking, “SO WHAT?”, you will hopefully be asking more questions about your town and family.
Do you have family that lives or lived in Huntsburg? Do you have any interesting stories, pictures, or artifacts that may be of interest? Make sure to contact us at huntsburghistory@gmail.com. We would love to talk with you!
Stay tuned for our next article on the historical society—our founding, our mission, our projects, and most importantly—SO WHAT?
Author: Ty Pilarczyk
Ty is the president of the Huntsburg Historical Society, and has lived in Huntsburg most of his life. When he is not designing, installing, and maintaining landscapes for the family construction business, Ty enjoys vegetable gardening, restoring and collecting old pressure lanterns, and spending time with his family.