The Legend of Kate Shelley

Earlier this week, Rebekah and I read The Legend of Kate Shelley by Freeman H. Hubbard and were much inspired by it.

In 1881, this courageous fifteen year old Irish, Victorian girl, and the head of a household of a widowed, invalid mother and five children, alone braved a severe rainstorm with a lifesaving mission.

Kate and her mother had heard the sickening crash of flooded Honey Creek Bridge when it collapsed under the weight of a helper train that crossed it. Despite her mother’s heartfelt pleas to stay home, Kate took a lantern and walked to the C&NW depot to warn the employees there about the situation. For part of the way, Kate crawled across a railroad bridge. She thus saved the lives of the entire occupants of the C&NW train, just as they were about to cross the bridge. Shelley also found the helper train’s engineer and brakeman and led their rescue.

Although I could not find the Hubbard version online, here is a concise retelling of the Kate Shelley legend. http://iagenweb.org/boone/history/kateshelley.htm