A Look Back at Fords Ferry, KY

Once a busy bustling little river community located near the mouth of Crooked Creek where it flows into the Ohio River.  

In it's early days it was associated with the river pirates and evil doings that was part of our history during those years in the early 1800's. 

 There was a ferry here that carried pioneer folk from the Kentucky side over to the southern Illinois side.  

James Ford owned the ferry and had a ferry house here.  Thus the name was born for the town of Ford's Ferry.

By the 1900's Fords Ferry was a nice quiet village with several businesses located there and families that  called it home.

This picture shows how the town looked in the 1920's.  The first building on the right is a dwelling, middle building was the village store, post office and living quarters.  The last building was a millinery shop.  Picture shared by Patsy Ledbetter of Cave-In-Rock, Il.  Her mother grew up at Fords Ferry.  

There was even a hotel located here.  It was advertised in the local paper as the Bell City House, Fords Ferry, Ky.  M. D. Coffield, Prop.  Good rooms.  Dining room supplied with everything the market affords.  Special accommodation for commercial travelers.  Wish there had been a picture of it made and preserved for us to see today.

The Fords Ferry Post Office.  Sitting on the steps are: Virgie Price, with her daughters, Gertie and Elsie.  

Being so close to the river, the town got flooded several times.  It finally was the end to it after the 1937 flood.  Most folks moved away and didn't rebuild. 

Today there isn't anything left of the once busy river town of Fords Ferry.  A part of our forgotten passages.