A military unit of some kind has been in Olive Hill since at least 1921, when they were Company E of the 149th Infantry. In 1927, the company moved to Salt Lick, Kentucky, but then returned to Olive Hill in February of 1928. [Editor's Note: The first unit was recognized as a part of the 149th Infantry on 8 November 1921. "Kentucky Guardsman Armory Edition" January 1956]
The unit remained Infantry through World War II, when they were mobilized for active duty overseas. Units from Ashland and Olive Hill were both part of the 38th Division of the 149th Infantry, serving in the Pacific Theater. Ed Gee, a retired National Guardsman who fought in World War II, remembers that "...we trained at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, and Camp Carabelle, Louisiana before leaving the Jackson Barracks to go overseas." The men were overseas from January 1944 to October 1945. While there, they saw action in Leyte, Luzon, New Guinea, and the Philippines. Mr. Gee remembers that:
. "...while we were in Leyte, we were attacked by a Kamikaze unit, and the unit suffered many casualties as a result. The main mission of the 149th was to secure the Zig Zag Pass in Luzon. We accomplished that mission and became known as the "Avengers of Bataan.""
Even after the war ended in April, 1945, some of the men stayed overseas to patrol the area. Upon returning home, the Olive Hill unit was disbanded, as were all Kentucky National Guard units. The National Guard from Olive Hill has not seen Federal duty since World War II, although a few men volunteered for service in Desert Storm.
Since World War II, the unit has gone through several reorganizations. They have been infantry, armor, and the 201st Engineers since 1975, when a detachment was first organized there. In the 1980s, the unit was reorganized as Company B, 201st Engineers, with Headquarters in Ashland.
In addition to active military duty, the National Guard in Olive Hill has participated in many state active duty missions. In 1931, the unit was called up to handle a coal mining disturbance in Harlan County and remained there for two months. In 1937, the unit was activated again for flood duty in Russell, Maysville, Vanceburg, Greenup, and Winchester. Other state active duties have included the Prestonsburg bus crash in 1957, floods in southeastern Kentucky in 1977, snow duty in Carter County and surrounding counties in 1985 and 1994, forest fires around Hazard and Jackson in 1995, and more recently, flood duty in March of 1997.
Company B has completed many projects around the state for both military and civilian use. In the early and mid-1990s, the Olive Hill unit built rifle ranges, roads, wash racks, and a bivouac site at the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center (Western Kentucky Training Site). In 1991, they built a running track at Boone Center in Frankfort, and in 1994, they helped with the new hangar project at Boone Center.
In Carter County, the unit built soccer fields for East Carter High School, and cleared land and cut trees for a Girl Scout camp in Olive Hill. In neighboring Rowan County, the Guard has graded land for recreational facilities, and in Boyd County they have graded land for baseball fields. The Guard has also used their equipment to clear creeks and move equipment. In 1996 the unit erected a Bailey bridge ( a temporary bridge that can be used until a permanent one is built), in Morgan County.
The armory was built as both a community and military facility when it was completed in 1959. The original plans called for a rifle range and a concrete-floored drill hall. In order to accommodate Olive Hill High School (now West Carter High School), which did not have a gymnasium at the time, the Guard forfeited their rifle range and a wooden drill hall floor was installed so that the high school could use it for basketball games. Along with the wooden floor, basketball goals, a scoreboard and wooden bleachers were erected also. A room which functioned as the locker room is now used for storage. The armory's drill hall was used as the school's home court until the 1970s, when a new school with a gymnasium was built. The wooden floor, like other older armories with similar floors, has a spring system underneath which allows the floor to expand. The original hardwood floor is still in place.
Other community activities which have taken place in the armory include dances, wedding receptions, meetings, and benefits for charity. The American Legion and the Jaycees also used to hold functions at the armory.
Besides the current armory, the Guard has been housed in five separate places around Olive Hill since its beginnings in the 1920s. Past locations of the Guard include: a store that was located near the Rite Aid (now demolished), the second floor of the Mama Joe's Pizza place (subsequently burned), the building that houses Gene's Plumbing (remodeled 4-5 times), the second floor of Parker's Carpet store, and a two-story stone building which is presently a residence. The stone building was used from 1947 to 1959. The first floor served as storage for military vehicles such as tanks, and the second floor was used as the drill area.
Construction on the current building began in 1957 and it was completed in 1959. The Olive Hill armory is similar in plan to the National Guard armory at Carrollton, and before it was altered, shared the exact same plan as the current Jackson OMS.
Photos and information courtesy Kentucky Heritage Council -- Report No. 25" Inventory and Evaluation of National Guard Armories in the State of Kentucky" - 1999 by Kate Carothers.