Keeping Memories Alive: Diane Mitchell’s quest to preserve Corbin history

Retired educator and local historian Diane Mitchell’s relationship with the town that she calls home goes back generations. Someone in her family lineage has resided in the Corbin area since its very inception, meaning she is uniquely suited to offer glimpses of what life has been like here through the years. For this reason, she is working hard to ensure that future generations will not forget important chapters in the storied history of this community.

“I was born in Corbin,” Mitchell said. “My aunt was a school teacher at the East Ward School, and I decided early on that was what I wanted to be too. I graduated from Corbin High School, where I was in the band, and then I went to Union College.”

Mitchell said that after receiving a college education at Union, and later at the University of Kentucky, she began her teaching career at the Fort Knox Army School. After working there for three years, an opening at her high school alma mater brought her back home to Corbin.

“My mother was sick at the time, so I really wanted to be back here to help her,” Mitchell explained. “So, that’s what I did. In 1965, I came back to Corbin and taught English, French and journalism for the rest of my career.”

In all, Mitchell taught for 34 years, retiring in 1996. Retirement didn’t slow her down, though, as she has stayed active in the community through service in different clubs and on various boards.

One area where Mitchell has grown to be particularly active is the collection and preservation of the history of her hometown. In recent months, she has been hosting special “memory meetings” at the Corbin Public Library where people can discuss local history, share historical documents, and engage in discussions about how best to make sure important historical information doesn’t end up getting lost to time.

“I have just been experimenting with the meetings to see how many people would be willing to come, and willing to help save history,” Mitchell said. “What Corbin needs is all of its history collected together into one place so that if people want to know something they will know where to go find it out.”

For now, Mitchell says that place is the Corbin Public Library.

“We’ve been working upstairs in the history room,” Mitchell explained. “The Friends of the Corbin Public Library (of which Mitchell is a member) has raised some money to help buy some equipment that was needed. We also bought two cabinets for the storage of things like old newspaper records and photographs.”

Mitchell also mentioned that several old photos and records have been digitized, and can be accessed electronically on computers at the library. Those digitization efforts are still in progress as new documents are procured.

Saving the Carnegie

For years, Mitchell has been at the forefront of the campaign to restore the old Carnegie Library, located on Roy Kidd Ave. She said that her original intention was to have that building serve as the hub of historical information pertaining to Corbin, but she admits that it has been a slow and arduous process to get the century-old structure back to a point where the general public can be welcomed back inside.

“I am just one member of a larger group who has been working to restore the building,” Mitchell said of the Carnegie restoration efforts. “It is one of the few historical buildings left standing, and I have worried about it for a long, long time.”

Although there is still much more work to be done, Mitchell and company have slowly but surely managed to make progress in restoring the old Carnegie Library. Through various fundraisers and grant applications, they have been able to secure the structure, and have made some upgrades to the façade.

“The building is pretty much stabilized now,” Mitchell said. “When restoration efforts first got underway, we were told that the building was in good shape to be 100 years old, but if we didn’t do something it would probably fall down within ten years. The architect told us when we did a grant-funded feasibility study how we needed to proceed. The first thing we had to do is actually buy the building, and then we did roof repairs. Then we made repairs to the brick walls.”

Most recently, the Carnegie, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is getting its windows replaced. Some have already been installed, and others should be arriving soon for installation.

What next?

So, what would Mitchell like to see happen in the ongoing fight to preserve the history of the town that her family has called home for generations? “We need a Corbin Historical Society,” she said.

“We need a group of people who are interested in preserving the history of Corbin, and who will help to get all of that together. We need to collect that history, because if you don’t collect it while people are still alive, then it gets gone and can be very hard to find later. That’s what I am trying to do.”

Along with aiding in the collection of various physical records, Mitchell has also interviewed several community members who have long histories in Corbin. She said that she thanks the people of her hometown, and she hopes to see more come forward in the near future to assist in this important work.

For more information on how to attend an upcoming meeting, how to contact Mitchell concerning the donation of historical records and data, or to learn how to contribute time and/or resources to projects at the Corbin Public Library and the former Carnegie Library, contact the CPL by calling 606.528.6366.