Arlena Fluridy Collins Francis was born November 14,1881, as the daughter of Francis and Martha (Nickles) Collins, somewhere in the vicinity of Dirk (Carr Creek) Later in life she married Marion Francis and to this union was born ten children: Erma Jean, Daphne, Ophelia, Wallace, Audrey, Martin, Paul Gene, William (Bill), John  Forrest (Perry) and Raymond (died as an infant). It was for these children and the other children that Ms. Francis devoted her life and worked long and hard to see that the Carr Creek Center was started and that it survived. Her work was not in vain, for coming out of Carr Creek Grade School and High School have been numerous young men and women that have made a great impact on Knott  County, the U.S. and beyond.

William Henry Young, in the introduction to "Knott My Beloved", had the following to say of Arlena Francis, "It was the best of time, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of  foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch if incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us-"Dickens begins his novel, "The Tale of  Two Cities" with these words, and in an open letter to you the offspring
of Arlena Collins Francis, I assure you on the spring morning as she stood and observed the site which was to become Carr Creek Community Center, she faced the same set of general conditions which Dickens understood were the common inheritance of modern man.                 

In relation to what she wrote, I would like to express these feelings to you in terms of the set of conditions she faced as a strong, forceful, mother of a growing family of children whom she felt must be educated, so, they might reap the wisdom, belief and light of the world. At one period of her life, this seemed to be a hopeless goal. Her concern extended beyond a concern for her family to the children of the community where she was born, raised and lived most of her life. These children needed a school which would prepare them for their tomorrows.

Mrs. Francis turned to Miss Alice Lloyd of Caney Community Center and the women at Hindman Settlement School for assistance. When that assistance was non-existent or limited at the very most, she never gave up. With the help of her devoted husband, Marion, a friend Henry Blair, and a few other believers, finally, Carr Creek Community Center became reality. It was built with sweat, labor and love of a man and a   woman who would not give up on a promise that their children and other children who would come to this community center would receive an education necessary to seek wisdom, belief and light which she knew    
with certainty existed in our universe. Because of their struggle, many of us were given a chance to avoid ignorance, doubt, and darkness with  which we are so confronted.                                                             

This was a woman who knew her time and place was Carr's Fork, Knott County, Kentucky, and what she and her husband made of their and their children's lives must be in that time and place. Today, like other dreams, that time and place has faded into a past which she held dear.  What she recorded for you in her own words is a gift which you and your kin should always value. The debt of gratitude owed her by many of us was something which was unknown to us as we passed through the doors of Carr Creek High School. Often, this is the way gifts are given, but those of us who know of this labor of love should hold it in our hearts as
an inheritance beyond price". [Introduction to Knott My Beloved -William Henry Young]

Late in the 1960's word reached Arlena that the Carr Fork Dam was in the works. Even though she was in her 80's, Arlena sat about compiling her last contribution to the people of Carr Creek and Knott County. The finished product was "Knott My Beloved" in which she told in print the story of the Carr Creek area from pioneer days to the building the Carr   Fork Dam. To complete this final task, Arlena traveled many miles up and down the hollows of Smith Branch, Flax Patch, Defeated Creek, and many others that were populated with the people of Carr. As she traveled she talked with any and all, and recorded as much information as she could about the land and the people.

For the most part her beloved Carr Creek lies buried under acres of water today, but because of her efforts this area that was home to so many will never be forgotten.  Arlena passed from this life on November 12, 1984,making her stay here in Knott County just two days short of 103 years. Her craftsmanship is representative of the spirit of so many early Knott County settlers that
took from nature and created things that were both beautiful and useful.

Submitted by Corbett Mullins
March 2003