Laura Tuttle
Laura Harvey Riddell Tuttle was born in Irvine, Kentucky on May 2, 1907. She was the youngest of the four daughters of Hugh and Alice McDowell Shelby Riddell. Her mother Alice was a Lexington socialite and a great-granddaughter, of both Isaac Shelby and Ephraim McDowell. Her paternal grandfather, Robert Riddell was a Circuit Judge, a soldier for the Confederacy and a brother to one of John Hunt Morgan’s men. Laura’s father Hugh was a well-known Estill County Lawyer and was also a Circuit Judge in the 1920’s. Recalling her deep Estill County roots, Mrs. Tuttle stated in 1988 that “the Riddell family has lived in Irvine since early in the 1800’s when the first Robert Riddell came from Pennsylvania with other pioneers up the Wilderness Road.”
Laura Tuttle grew up in and around the old Estill Springs Resort on the north end of Irvine, as her father’s brother, Harvey Riddell, and his wife Laura owned it at one time. Her family lived for a time in one of the many private Estill Springs cottages and later on in the hotel itself. At the time the family lived in the hotel, she recalled that it was isolated and “woodsy” and that her mother was afraid because her father was gone a great deal as Circuit Judge. Laura also recalled that there were wide galleries, corridors and lounging decks and a huge kitchen. She and her sisters used the porches as a place to skate as there were no sidewalks or paved streets.
Laura graduated from Estill High School and Eastern Kentucky Teachers College. She did graduate work at the University of Kentucky and Harvard Summer School. While a student at Estill High in 1922 she was a member of the girl’s first basketball team. In an interview with Mrs. Tuttle in the 1980’s she related that the team only played for fun the first year and did not win a single game. Their games were played in the ballroom of the Estill Springs Resort. A man by the name of Troy Hardy would come to help the team.
On December 31, 1935 Laura married Samuel O. Tuttle in the house her father built and where the family then lived on Main Street in Irvine. They were married for almost fifty-three years when Sam died in August of 1988. Most of their married life was spent at Spout Springs where they lived for approximately fifty years. Sam Tuttle was a respected school teacher and the developer of the breed of horses known as Rocky Mountain saddle horses.
Laura taught school for thirty years in the Irvine School System, nine years in Ravenna and twenty one in Irvine. She dropped out of teaching for thirteen years when her children were small.
Sam and Laura Tuttle were the parents of a daughter, Laura Louise, born in 1938 and a son, Samuel Joseph born in 1941. Laura Louise never married and died of a heart attack at the age of 31; Joseph died in 1998 of cancer. Joe married Judy McCall in 1973. Their children are daughter Alice Louise Tuttle (Michael) Collins and son David Tuttle and granddaughter Kiersten lash Tuttle.
Laura Tuttle was a life long member of Irvine United Methodist Church, christened in 1907. She was active in many social and civic affairs in Irvine and Estill County, including: the 4-H Council, the Woman’s Club, the D.A.R., the Garden Club, the Hospital Auxiliary, the Retired Teachers Association, the Girl Scout Council, the A.S.C.S .County Committee, the West Irvine Cemetery Association, the Library Board, the Southern States Board and the Homemakers, serving that group as both county treasurer and county president.
Laura Harvey Riddell Tuttle died on April 30, 1994, having almost reached the age of 87. She had spent her life in Estill County, devoting her time to family, church, teaching and community. Her closing comments in a 1988 “Local Color of Estill County “article for the historical society newsletter were, “I love this place and all you people and I hope to be remembered wit a warm feeling of affection. May God bless you all.” Indeed, Estill County now says, “we do, and we were blessed in knowing you.”
Laura Tuttle grew up in and around the old Estill Springs Resort on the north end of Irvine, as her father’s brother, Harvey Riddell, and his wife Laura owned it at one time. Her family lived for a time in one of the many private Estill Springs cottages and later on in the hotel itself. At the time the family lived in the hotel, she recalled that it was isolated and “woodsy” and that her mother was afraid because her father was gone a great deal as Circuit Judge. Laura also recalled that there were wide galleries, corridors and lounging decks and a huge kitchen. She and her sisters used the porches as a place to skate as there were no sidewalks or paved streets.
Laura graduated from Estill High School and Eastern Kentucky Teachers College. She did graduate work at the University of Kentucky and Harvard Summer School. While a student at Estill High in 1922 she was a member of the girl’s first basketball team. In an interview with Mrs. Tuttle in the 1980’s she related that the team only played for fun the first year and did not win a single game. Their games were played in the ballroom of the Estill Springs Resort. A man by the name of Troy Hardy would come to help the team.
On December 31, 1935 Laura married Samuel O. Tuttle in the house her father built and where the family then lived on Main Street in Irvine. They were married for almost fifty-three years when Sam died in August of 1988. Most of their married life was spent at Spout Springs where they lived for approximately fifty years. Sam Tuttle was a respected school teacher and the developer of the breed of horses known as Rocky Mountain saddle horses.
Laura taught school for thirty years in the Irvine School System, nine years in Ravenna and twenty one in Irvine. She dropped out of teaching for thirteen years when her children were small.
Sam and Laura Tuttle were the parents of a daughter, Laura Louise, born in 1938 and a son, Samuel Joseph born in 1941. Laura Louise never married and died of a heart attack at the age of 31; Joseph died in 1998 of cancer. Joe married Judy McCall in 1973. Their children are daughter Alice Louise Tuttle (Michael) Collins and son David Tuttle and granddaughter Kiersten lash Tuttle.
Laura Tuttle was a life long member of Irvine United Methodist Church, christened in 1907. She was active in many social and civic affairs in Irvine and Estill County, including: the 4-H Council, the Woman’s Club, the D.A.R., the Garden Club, the Hospital Auxiliary, the Retired Teachers Association, the Girl Scout Council, the A.S.C.S .County Committee, the West Irvine Cemetery Association, the Library Board, the Southern States Board and the Homemakers, serving that group as both county treasurer and county president.
Laura Harvey Riddell Tuttle died on April 30, 1994, having almost reached the age of 87. She had spent her life in Estill County, devoting her time to family, church, teaching and community. Her closing comments in a 1988 “Local Color of Estill County “article for the historical society newsletter were, “I love this place and all you people and I hope to be remembered wit a warm feeling of affection. May God bless you all.” Indeed, Estill County now says, “we do, and we were blessed in knowing you.”