Rockcastle History

ROCKCASTLE COUNTY HISTORY
By: Christina

In the late 1700’s to the early 1800’s, Stephen Langford
led several thousands of pioneers through the county. The pioneers traveled the Wilderness Road and Skaggs Trace. This area wasn’t particularly their destination, though a few families did settle here. It was until April 1, 1810 the establishment of Rockcastle County occurred.
Portions of Knox, Lincoln, Madison, and Pulaski counties formed Rockcastle County. The city of Mt.Vernon was named the county seat (also known as White Rock) and Stigall's Stand was established as the city of Brodhead, Ky.
It was one year before postal was established, meanwhile May 1882, Livingston Station changed to Livingston after James Livingston, one of the first settlers in the town. The first paper began in 1887.James Maret was the founder of this paper called the Mountain Signal, later changing to Mountain Eagle and is now the Mount Vernon Signal. Around the year 1909, the first public school, Brodhead High School was established. It wasn’t until Sept. 1937,before a fire station was put together and operating. Still one of the counties fire stations is named Brindle Ridge.
As the community grew bigger with schools, personal property, place of business, etc., the work industry wasn’t but a handful of jobs. The population grew fairly large over a ten-year period. Unfortunately, people began to move away or something during the 1940’s, which was a higher record of population than the year 2000. Most people moved up north to seek better jobs, but have always seemed to find their way back home.
Rockcastle County has many historical sites, which memorable events have occurred. For instance, The Battle Camp of Wildcat took place at the foot of Wildcat Mountain in 1861. Also in 1917-1919 Livingston operated a coal company with 25 employees.

Links- http://www.rootsweb.com/~Kyrockca/schools/rcc-schools7.html

http.//rockcastle county ky. Com/page-Our History Text.html

GEODES

Geodes are geological rock formations which occur in sedimentary and certain volcanic rocks. The exterior of most geode rocks is limestone, while the interior contains quarts crystal formations. Geodes can form in any cavity that is buried. These can be from gas bubbles, under tree roots, vesicles in lava from a volcanic eruption, or from animal’s burrows. Over a period of time the external wall hardens and dissolved silicates are deposited on the inside surface. This slow feed of mineral constituents from ground
water allows crystals to form inside the rocks.
Geodes are found in Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Utah, and Kentucky. Outside the United States they are found in Brazil, Namibia, and Mexico. Kentucky has many types of agates and they are usually nodular form. The Kentucky agates are a combination of yellow and blue banding with a banding of gray, brown, green, maroon, and pale red. The Kentucky agate nodules that contain red and black banding are very rare. The sizes of the agate range from less than one inch to more than five feet in diameter. The geodes of Rockcastle County can be found in most of the small creeks and rivers in the county. They can be used for many different things, some are made into lamps, used for fishponds, or water falls in flower gardens. I personally use mine for my flower gardens; some I keep whole and use as a boundary for the different shapes of my flowerbeds. I like to save the ones that are broken apart to put near the small colorful flowers. It helps to bring out the colors in the rocks and flowers.
Dina

Eubank, Kentucky

Diann
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Language Class

History Of Eubank, Kentucky

I live in a tiny town called Eubank, in the state of Kentucky. I haven’t lived here all my life. My family and I moved here when I was about 15 of 16 years old. We moved from Ohio; that is where my dad is from. My mothers’ family lives in Kentucky. I have been a citizen of Eubank about 30 years. It is a quit little town. In our little part of Kentucky there is not much excitement. You can stand at one end of town and throw a rock and you would reach the other end of town. I did explore the Internet and I found that we are on the map. I believe I found some history of people migrating to our little town. Some of these families seem to be landowners. There was a landowner who owned land at the time, and the town was named after him. There are a few points of interest that I didn’t know our little town had. Once upon a time there use to be an old mill in Eubank, of course it is no longer there, however I did find some history on that as well.
The town of Eubank was named after a man named Wesley Eubank, who was a landowner. I tried to find a little about the man, but I didn’t find anything. There was this site that I just stumbled on about a John Eubank. There might be a possibility that Wesley Eubank could be related. The Eubank name seen to have started with John Eubank, Sr. and Mary Bullard in King and Queen and Caroline counties in 18th century Virginia (5). They were landowners also. Wesley Eubank could possibly be a descendent of his family.
Population in our town isn’t huge by any means. In the year of 2000 the population of our little town was only 358 (4). “ The estimated population, in 2003, was 364 (3).” The city I know as Eubank hasn’t grown much in three years. I told you we were a small community. If you drive through our town and blink your eyes you might miss it (2).
I discovered that we have a historical site in Eubank. I found out that Isaac Elmer Payne built a mill in 1903. It was apparently three stories high. His main product was rolled oats. The flour sacks in which he used were labeled “Eubank Roller Mills.” The mill was destroyed by fire in 1989. I also discovered he had built a home in 1904. His home is on the National Register as well as his mill (1). (Below is a listing on the register). Payne had laid pipe from his well into a trough in the basement in which the cool underground water preserved meats and milk products in the summer. These landowners knew how to make do with what they had. The house is still there, of course the house has been renovated and it is a beautiful home.
We now have a plaza which is located on US 27 just south of Oran's Truck Stop. In the plaza there is a place to rent storage buildings and there is a pizza place called Eubank Pizza, (which my ex-brother-in-law is running now). There is also a video store in which you can rent videos. We also have a Family Dollar located in our plaza as well
In the heart of town we have Eubank post office, Belcher’s grocery , and Ed Buis’ furniture store, and we did have Sandiage’s grocery; however that store caught fire not long ago and was destroyed. When I first moved here, I attended Eubank High School. When I lived in Ohio the schools were modern and had electric typewriters and all the updated equipment. When I started Eubank High I thought I was back in the cave man era. The typewriters in this school were manual. I had to learn how to type all over again when I left Eubank High in 1977. The doors were shut not long after I left. The school is still there however the windows are all broken and the building is falling down and decaying. I do remember having a few good moments at Eubank High.
Eubank is a peaceful little town where everybody knows everybody and the neighbors do help when there is a need. It is a nice little town to live in.
1http://nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/KY/Pulaski/state.html

2http://www.earthaentrepreneur.com/default.asp
map of eubank Kentucky
3http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=3946
4http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/popInfo.php?locIndex=3946
Population
5http://www.ancestraljourneys.com/eubank_newman_18th.htm
I also found this little tidbit of information on migration of people coming to Eubank

Migration in Kentucky

From 1940 t0 1960 the population in Rockcastle County dropped by almost 5,000 people. Sheila is researching the history of this "out migration" from the county. Included are some web sites that help explain the po
http://www.kltprc.net/books/exploring/Chpt_3.htm
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/21/21203.html
http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21203.txt
http://www.kltprc.net/books/exploring/Chpt_3.htm
http://www.library.appstate.edu/appcoll/research_aids/rbaird.html

Log Cabins

It's hard to imagine, but my grandma raised twelve children in a cabin not much bigger than this one. This kinda gives an idea about the little home (cute aint it?). Just imagine a kitchen and a dining room. The dining room with a couple beds in it. They also had a couple beds in the kitchen. My mom told me she could remember a time when they even had a dirt floor. When I asked her, "how did they place everyone in the little house?", she said that about the "only time everyone was all together in the house was at suppertime and then they went to bed." They would get up have breakfast, go to work in the fields or on the farm. My grandpa always had a farm. There were six girls and six boys all together but at this particuliar time there was only five girls and two boys. One of the girls would stay home and take care of the house and the smaller children, while the others would go to work. When I asked her about closet space she laughed at me and said, "We had only three dresses a piece, one for church, one for doing their work, and the other for school. They hung those up on hangers in the corner on a rod and the boys clothes were put in a homemade dresser. I guess that was why they have always been such a close family. By Tressa

Colonel Sanders

http://www.answers.com/topic/harland-sanders?method=22

Battle of Wildcat Mountain

Battle of Wildcat Mountain
Located near Livingston, Kentucky
By Lisa
The Camp Wildcat Battlefield is located near the junction of the Wilderness Road and Winding Blade Road in the hills above the Rockcastle River in northern Laurel County, Kentucky. You can get there by driving accross the Rockcastle River near Livingston. The Battle of Wildcat Mountain was fought from the early afternoon of October 20, 1861 and ended on the night of October 21, 1861.

Brig.Gen. Zollicoffer’s men occupied Cumberland Gap and took position at Cumberland Ford. His move into Kentucky was designed to push from Cumberland Gap into central Kentucky and gain control of the state. Brig.Gen. George H. Thomas sent a detachment under Col.T.T. Garrad to secure the ford on the Rockcastle River, established camp at Wildcat Mountain, and obstruct the Wilderness Road passing through the area. Garrad told Thomas that if he did not receive reinforcements, he would have to retreat because he was outnumbered 7 to 1. Thomas sent Brig. Gen. Schoef with what amounted to a brigade of men to Garrad, bringing the total of force to about 7,000. Those troops stopped Zollicoffer at Wildcat Mountain before he could move into Kentucky.
On October 21, soon after Schoef arrived, some of his men moved forward and ran into Confederate forces. The two sides clashed into battle. The Federal repelled the Confederate attacks, in part due to fortifications, both man-made and natural. The Confederates withdrew during the night and continued their retreat to the Cumberland ford. A Union victory was welcomed countering the Confederate victory to Barbourville. The action on Wildcat Mountain was the earliest major battle of the Civil War in Kentucky. The battle inflected only a few casualties, but forced the Confederates to stop any plans to attack central Kentucky, and it forced them to retreat back toward Cumberland Gap. The Union army claimed one of its first victories of the Civil War.
http://www.state.ky.us/agencies/khc/wild.htm

Rockcastle Schools History

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kyrockca/schools I am trying to find the history of some old time schools. Here are some pictures.
From Melissa

Ginseng

5/4/2006 Teresa
A few web sites about ginseng

http://www.sandmountainherbs.com/ginseng_american.html
American ginseng.
http://www.hersheyintl.com/ginseng_wholesale.html
In 2003, 827 diggers in Pike County, which annually leads the state in ginseng harvests, sold 1,775 pounds of wild ginseng to dealers, a harvest with a market value of more than $700,000.
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050606/NEWS0104/506060393
Ginseng poaching.
http://www.wildgrown.com/
How to grow ginseng.
http://www.wildgrown.com/laws.htm
Ginseng laws for Kentucky

Holly Bay, Laurel River Lake

Holly Bay
Laurel River Lake
By Veronica
KyLakes.com - Laurel Lake
In the 1960’s congress authorized construction of a dam to be built on the laurel river. In December of 1964, the Army Corps of engineers began construction.The dam created a 5,600 acre lake, it was completed and began to produce electricity in 1977. Laurel River Lake has a 200 mile shoreline and is located in the Daniel Boone Forest.
Laurel River Lake has two class A camp grounds, Holly Bay and Grove.
I have been camping with my family at the Holly Bay campground. I thought it was a very clean and beautiful place ,we especially loved the water it was so crystal clear everyone was amazed by it. We stayed 3 nights and 4 days and it is a memory that we will all remember, Because as time moves forward your family moves forward also,my children are 22,20,17 now, and they are all three busy with school and work and their personal interests. It is a little trip to a beautiful place that we will remember.

Red River Gorge

Red River Gorge is located in east-central Kentucky. The Gorge is part of the Daniel Boone National Forest it covers and area of around 28,000 acres. The Gorge offers stone arches, caves, cliffs, ravines and water flows. The canyon has, one hundred sandstone arches, three of the largest arches include Gray's Arch, Sky Bridge and Natural Bridge which was donated to the state of Kentucky by the L&N Railroad in 1926. The Natural Bridge is 78 feet long and 65 feet in height. The Gorge offers more than just rock and cliffs it also offers a large variety of plant life, some of which is on the endangered list, such as the Canadian Yew, Canada Lily and Rhododendron is mostly the under growth. Trees consist of Redbuds, Dogwoods, Deciduous Hardwoods and different types of Pines. Expect to see several types of wildlife on your hikes through the park, these include and occasional white tail deer, squirrels, raccoons, bees and wasp which make their home among the rock and cliffs. And don't be surprised to see a rattlesnake or copperhead.
There are many choices for the person who wants a wilderness retreat vacation. The family can take a scenic drive; go hiking on the overlook trails with historic sites to see. After a day of hiking and rock climbing it is time for a picnic and camping overnight under the beautiful starry sky. The Gorge has become a place for experienced and inexperienced rock climbers but one statistic you should consider is, an average of one person dies each year from a fall at the Gorge.
In 1976 the Gorge was designated as a unique geologic area. We should always consider our selves lucky to have a wonderful place such as this to visit and respect the plants, animals and refrain from harming them. Although the Red River Gorge is a wonder of nature, it is only one of the wonderful places that Kentucky has to offer. Such as the Kentucky Derby one of the oldest held horserace. Fort Knox where the government stores 6 billion dollars, Cumberland Falls and Mammoth Cave located in the western part of Kentucky. http://www.turtlehill.org/ http://www.redrivergorge.org/ www.echofallscabin.com
By Brenda

Renfro Valley

MY EXPERIENCES AT RENFRO VALLEY ENTERTAINMENT CENTER
My earliest memories of Renfro Valley were of the radio station WLW in Cincinnatti, Ohio. The DJ always woke me up in the morning with this greeting, "WLW Cincinnatti. Ohio One, get out of there! " Then they would play the old country and Bluegrass favorites,and Old Time Gospel. I remember the first Chuckwagon Gang. Incidentally, I also know the last Chuckwagon Gang. I met them while working at Renfro Valley along with many famous Country, Bluegrass and Gospel singers and musicians. The Chuckwagon Gang gave me a CD of their latest hits. I have an artificial rose left in the room Loretta Lynn slept in. I kept it as a souvenir. I have met Charlie Pride, Randy Travis; I just about fainted when I heard and saw Randy practicing his numbers in the New Barn. No one knew I was there. I enjoyed seeing and hearing George Jones, Billy Ray Cyrus and Tanya Tucker. I particularly enjoyed the performance of Billy Royale. I have been close to the McCameys. The Perrys, Charles Johnson, not to mention the very talented Renfro Valley Singers and Band.Did I mention I was working there at that time? I have met the new owners, very nice people from Ohio, Don and Vera Evans. As was expected, they are making many changes and improvements to Renfro Valley. The one site they have promised not to change is the Old Barn Theater. They feel that it is the first main attraction and has aesthetic value. The Old Barn Theater is the site of the Renfro Valley Barn Dance, The Jamboree, Country Gospel and the Sunday Morning Gathering, as well as the Fiddler's Festival, and many special singers. Eddie Miles, the Elvis impersonator, appeared there numerous times during my employment. It is my own personal feeling that although the New Barn Theater is much larger and somewhat nicer, the Old Barn Theater is much more interesting and has a personality of its own. A step inside it is a step back in time, to a simpler era when one had the time to sit and enjoy the atmosphere and old time flavor of the Old Barn Theater.
By Sharon