September 20, 1895

Helen Martin King was born in Powhatan (Lawrence County). A highly educated woman, she studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the Ohio Mechanical Institute, the Cincinnati Art Museum, and the Sophie Newcomb College in New Orleans, Louisiana. She developed the almost-forgotten craft of rug hooking and became a designer, teacher, and businesswoman, creating thousands of original designs. In 1940, an article appeared about her in Life magazine, and she was featured in National Geographic magazine in 1946.