Published: July 29, 2009 10:42 pm      

Medal of Honor recipient featured speaker at event

WURTLAND — Best known as a Medal of Honor recipient, Ernest “Ernie” West is more interested in talking about the history of Wurtland than telling war stories.

West, one of only two surviving Kentuckians who have received the Medal of Honor, will be the featured speaker for an informal “Tales of Our Town” gathering Aug. 14 at the Wurtland Volunteer Fire Department.

A recently completed documentary about West will be presented as part of the program. The documentary has been years in the making, West said.

“It was a fun thing to do, but I really didn’t care if I did it or not,” West said, estimating he was first approached about the project nearly 15 years ago. “They tried for years and years and I wouldn’t talk to them.”

Now that filming is done, West said he is pleased with the results.

“I thought it was a good job they did,” he said, citing Frank DuPont, the man who worked with him to complete the documentary, as “one of the nicest men I’ve met.”

The documentary concentrates on West’s memories of growing up in a home for boys and later being drafted and serving in Korea, where his actions earned him the nation’s highest military recognition.

West is proud of his service for his country, although he hopes the gathering in Wurtland will focus more on local history.

“I hope they come to talk about Wurtland,” West said, adding he and his wife, Jane, have lived in the city for 55 years. “I might say a little about me, but I hope to talk about Wurtland.”

A free lunch will be provided for gathering, although the purpose is to raise money for the ongoing effort to preserve the Wurtland Union Church and Meeting House, a nonprofit 501(c) (3) corporation. The Wurtland Union Church and Meeting House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008 and remains the oldest, still standing, unaltered frame church in Greenup County.

The church served as a nondenominational house of worship and community meeting house from 1850 until the early to mid-1990s. It will be restored to its original design according to register restoration guidelines.

Event organizer Kim Harris said the old church will continue to serve as a place of worship and as a place for gatherings and events. Enough money has already been raised to pay for the church to be disassembled, she said, explaining the structure will be put back together using original materials and following the original architect’s plans.

Once reassembled, the church interior will be decorated with original fixtures and furniture removed from the church for restoration.

TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2651.