History Behind County Map Names

 

Stories Behind County Map Names

Let’s take a drive around the county and see how some of our roads and places received there names. I find them interesting and important as they are part of our past history and actually help preserve it for the future. Most names are derived from local history, and early pioneer families.

Easley's Curve – Named for Al Easley that died from an automobile crash on the curve. Crittenden Press, Jan.26, 1934. Al Easley, fifty-five years of age and father of seventeen children, fifteen of them living, died at Welborn-Walker Hospital in Evansville Tuesday morning at 9:30 from injuries received in an automobile wreck the previous evening about 5: 30.

Mr. Easley was one of the most widely known farmers of Crittenden County and at the time of his death, owned and operated a large river-bottom farm just east of Cave-in-Rock landing.

He was returning home from Marion Monday afternoon in a Model A Ford roadster, and it is supposed he was traveling at a rate of speed that prevented him from making the curve going up Terry Hill on the Ollie James Highway, one quarter mile north of Forest Grove school house. He was found beneath the wrecked car by Clarence Terry a few minutes later, with one wheel through the steering wheel and the top bow across his neck. Mr. Terry summoned help to remove the unconscious man from the wrecked machine. He died from a crushed chest and concussion of the brain.

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Cochran Curve and Hill

The hill and curve on Ky. 91 two miles south of Marion, which Crittenden Countians have for years referred to as Cochran Hill, or Cochran Curve, has been registered under that name by the federal government. (Dec. 1983)

The U. S. Board on Geographic Names conferred the name to the hill earlier this year in honor of Herbert Lyle Cochran, a Crittenden County farmer and carpenter, who lived there from 1911 until his death in 1976.

John Parr Cochran of Charlotte, N. C., executor of his father's estate, said this week he began attempts to get the area officially named as Cochran Hill shortly after his father died. “I just wanted to get Dad some recognition,” he said.

The process involved documenting that the locale had no other official name and getting its certification from the national agency with headquarters at Reston Va.

Some states, Cochran said, have agencies which name geographic locations, but Kentucky does not so the jurisdiction fell to the national board, a division of the U. S. Geological Survey.

Cochran said he obtained letters of recommendation from then County Judge R. C. Hamilton, his mother Margaret Cochran, and other residents in the area.

The Cochran family has owned land in the area since the late 1700's. A log house was built there in 1879, he said and that was remodeled in 1802. That one stood just off Ky. 91 until it was replaced by the house presently there in the 1950's.

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Wilson Farm Road and Monument Ridge – Named for James W. Wilson an early pioneer family that came to Livingston (Crittenden) County in the early 1800's and settled on land on the Flynn's Ferry and Cave Spring Road.

James W. Wilson, owned the land and built the old two-story brick house that belonged to the late Eddie and Sherrie Hendrix. Mr. Wilson build the home from bricks that were made there, close to the house by his slaves, and the large stone steps and underpinning were made from sandstone rocks taken from the hill/ridge behind the house. That hill is now known as Monument Ridge on the topographical map of that area.

On that hill are the family grave monuments of James W. Wilson (1798-1865) and his wife, Rebecca (Bridges) Wilson, (1803-1856) and two of their children, John B. (1828-1846) and James J. Wilson (1832-1837). These monuments

 (I haven’t been there since 1997) were tall impressive monuments. I don’t know if the ice storm of 2009 damaged them or not. These monuments are where the name "Monument Ridge" originated from.

The Wilson Farm Road was also named for this Wilson family, as local history has told us over the years that Mr. Wilson was a religious man and wanted his farm workers to attend church, and they walked to Marion to attend the First Presbyterian Church on this road.

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Barnett's Chapel Rd – Named for P. C. Barnett The first Barnett School, a one room log building was built in the middle 1800's and was located in southwestern Crittenden County not too far from Tolu. It stood on the property of Phineas C. Barnett. Later Mr. Barnett gave the school trustees enough land to build a new school building. In 1913 a church was built on land deeded by Buckner Croft and it joined the Barnett School lot. The church was named Barnett Chapel due to the Barnett School being there and widely known in the nearby communities.

Mr. Barnett came to what is now Crittenden County in 1835 and settled near Tolu. At one time he owned about 2,000 acres land. He was interested in stock raising, and fine race horses, he operated a store on his farm, and engaged in burying and rehandling tobacco, and he served as a magistrate in the early days.

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Aunt Jane Tabernacle Road

As you drive down Highway 91 North towards the Ohio River, close to mile marker 6 and mile marker 9 you will see the road sign for Aunt Jane Tabernacle Road, have you ever wondered why it got that name?

Before the name was changed to Aunt Jane Tabernacle Road, it was the owner of two names. First, at the 6 mile marker, where you turn left off Hwy. 91 on Easley's Curve, it was named Beard's Mine Road, because of the spar mine that was located on the Beard property on this end of the road, farther down on 91, at the 9 mile marker, you could turn left again and it was called Ball Alvis Road, named for the Alvis family that owned the property on this end of the road.

When the 911 maps were printed for the county, the two road names were changed to one name, Aunt Jane Tabernacle Road, which in itself tells you there is some history located down this old country road.

To learn more about the Aunt Jane Tabernacle road, you will need to know about Jane Winders Underdown. Her husband was Robert Pleasant Lee Underdown. Aunt Jane started the tabernacle meetings in 1905. Everyone called her Aunt Jane, and that's how the tabernacle came to be called what it is.

Aunt Jane left the denominational church in 1905 after hearing a message of holiness from a Church of God minister. It wasn't long after that when Aunt Jane began inviting circuit riding Church of God ministers to hold services in her home. The camp meeting evolved out of that.

Every summer, Aunt Jane would arrange for traveling evangelists to come preach on her farm. She would house these evangelists for the meetings. She would get in her buggy and go to the surrounding farms for miles around to invite all the families to the meetings.

The Shed grew out of a need for the group to have a place to worship. The Shed was built about 1927, with hand-cut and hand-hewn posts, hand-sawed boards for pews, pulpit and platform with a tin roof. This shed represented hard work and sacrifice on the part of poor but dedicated people. John Fox hand hewed many of the pillars and helped lead the singing. Lanterns hung on posts, and shaded coal oil lamps sat on post stands and the pulpit. The shed didn't get electricity until the 1950's.

People came from miles around on foot, horseback, buggies and wagons. There was lots of singing, shouting and long services. The meetings were always held the last two weeks of July.

Aunt Jane Underdown passed away August 10, 1950, at 91 years of age. Funeral service was at Aunt Jane's shed. Interment was in the Underdown cemetery.

The History of the Crittenden Springs Hotel and Sulphur Spring

 

Crittenden Springs Hotel

The Crittenden Springs Hotel was build in 1887 by the Crittenden Sulphur Springs Company. From Deed Book U, age 326 in the Crittenden County Court House: Articles of Incorporation: The undersigned do hereby associate themselves together and become incorporated pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 56 of the General Statutes of Kentucky, under the corporate name of the Crittenden Sulphur Springs Company and do hereby adapt the following articles of Incorporation.

The names of the incorporators are Robert W. Wilson, John W. Blue, Sr., J. D. Leech, T. L. Leech Sr., B. F Crow, Robert E. Fowler, Alphus H. Cardin, Perry S. Maxwell, Wm. C. Carnahan, Samuel Garrett, J. H. Hillyard, A. E. Bigham, Wm. B. Terry, John G. Rochester, James P. Pierce, E. Palmer, W. M. Rawls, J. W. Blue, Jr., M. A. Cardin, Wm. Fowler, Philip H. Woodall, A. Wolff.

The name of the corporation shall be, and is The Crittenden Sulphur Springs Co., and the principal place of business shall be Marion, Crittenden County, Ky.

The business of said company shall be first, the purchase of the property known as the Crittenden Sulphur Springs and the improvement of the same, by the erection of hotels, dwelling houses, store houses, livery stables, and such other buildings and improvement as may be deemed necessary and expedient to fix up said springs and grounds, as a pleasure and health resort and to operate the same, and to construct wagon and carriage roads to and from the same, and to do any and all other things incident to similar places of resort.

The amount of the capital stock of the said cooperation shall be fifty thousand dollars to be divided into shares of fifty dollars each and the same shall be paid in such manner and as such times,, as the board of directors, shall require.

The said corporation shall commence on the 18th day of August 1887, and shall continue for the full term of 25 years unless sooner dissolved by a vote of the stockholders.

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For 25 years the hotel flourished as a mineral spring health resort, during an era when people felt drinking and bathing in various types of spring water was beneficial to one health.

In 1893 The Crittenden Press published an article about the Crittenden Springs Hotel getting ready to open for the season.

Mr. Mr. J. S. Smith, until recently a well-known traveling man, has been engaged as manager for the season of 1893, and he is now on the grounds "putting the house in order." The magnificent 125 room, three-storied, gingerbread trimmed hotel is being burnished up inside and out, and the beautiful grounds are being touched up with the skill of a landscape artist.

Every convenience known to the modern hotel will add to the comfort and pleasure of those who are so fortunate to choose Crittenden for their outing this year.

There are electric bells in every room, tasty bath rooms for hot or cold, fresh or sulphur water baths; a fine billiard hall with three superb tables, a handsome 10-pin alley, lawn-tennis courts plus fishing, frog shooting, and a good livery stable for fine riding and driving pleasure.

An admirable dancing hall is being arranged, and a splendid band has been engaged for the entire season. The parlors are magnificently furnished, the bedrooms are marvels of beauty and comfort.

A wine room is one of the new features that been constructed. A system of waterworks is being put in, and huge windmills will force the water to every floor in the building.

The culinary department of the huge establishment will be in the hands of skilled artisans, and in every appointment no pains and no means will be spared to make it reach as near perfection as possible.

The acres upon acres of woodlands with their great shade trees, merry hills, mossy banks, charming walks and lovely mountain views make the place one of the loveliest in the whole country.

While the $60,000 or $70,000 spent has added to the beauty of the place, nature has added the greatest bounty and it is mysteriously hidden in the wealth of health-giving waters. The sulphur water has no superior, the hundreds who have tested it are witnesses to this fact. Then there are a half dozen of as fine chalybeate springs as there is in the country. There is indeed a mine of health and wealth in these waters, which nature has so kindly brewed for man.

Visitors will also want to spend time at the pavilion that was built over the health giving sulphur spring. The spring bubbles up from under a pavilion, which is called "The Gum."

 (note: I always wondered why the sulphur spring and the pavilion was named “The Gum”, from an article found in the June 7, 1888 Crittenden Press, maybe the answer. “The Crittenden Quarry Co. has been hauling some fine rock to the Springs for the purpose of curbing the spring. The old “gum” has been taken out and one of stone put in. It is said that at least one-fourth of the water has heretofore escaped on account of the crevice in the rock at the bottom not being large enough to admit the passage of the water upward.” Another little item said the sulphurreted hydrogen still bubbles up through the truck of the old Gum tree.)

One can walk from the hotel to the pavilion on board walks that descent down the hill from the hotel, and were built for easy walking. There are nice benches in the pavilion you can sit on and relax and drink of the health giving water and exchange resort news.

The boiling sulfur spring was known and appreciated by settlers as far back as the beginning of the present century. For dysentery and complications arising from indigestion, it has no superior and the most obstinate cases have frequently yielded to the alleviating influences of the water after a week's use. For diseases of the urinary organs, chronic diseases of the skin, rheumatism in all its stages, this water is a standard specific. It is a speedy cure for nervous complications arising from overwork or anxiety. For many of the female diseases it affords a permanent remedy. It is also highly valued as a remedy for chronic erysipelas, blood poisoning and kindred afflictions.

The use of these waters, drinking and bathing, is a recuperative remedy for hundreds or more of the afflictions the human race is heir to. Its analysis, as well as its actual operation on the human system, is indispensable evidence that it ranks with the best mineral waters in the county.

The road from the railroad depot to the springs is being put in better condition than ever before, the distance has been shortened, and the rough places in the road eliminated. The drive this season will have none of the inconveniences usually found. A unformed porter will meet every train to take charge of and check baggage and look after the comfort of guests. Marion's livery stables have available horses and carriages for hire, and as the daily trains arrive a line of carriages will be on hand to transport guests to the resorts.

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Another piece of interesting information showed up in The Crittenden-Record Press, June 12, 1913. Mr. S. M. Jenkins, editor and publisher, had this to say. Our Crittenden Springs hotel of a hundred rooms or more, with every possible facility for caring for two hundred and fifty guests, as least was evidently constructed a few years to soon. With our present motor cars, well graded roads and the heavily foliaged trees along the drive, that old hollow blue gum would now be surrounded by eager devotees of the sulphur water habit, the spacious dancing floors of the big building would be alive with the youth and beauty of the city and countryside, and the air vibrant with the “salute all.”. Crittenden Springs Hotel, would be besieged for accommodations for all points of the compass. Why not restore, revamp, rejuvenate this once delightful summer resort. It's never to late to mend.

But alas, the once beautiful structure sitting atop the hill was already in it's last days of glory.

The Crittenden Sulphur Spring resort flourished until 1910 when people began to doubt the medicinal purposes of the sulphur water and the final demise came when nearby mining operation caused the water to disappear from the springs.

By 1912 the Sulphur Springs Company had started selling some of the land. In Deed Book 24, page 529, Jesse Ryan, on the 21st day of July 1909 bought 12 acres, and in March 1912, R. E. Moore bought 57 acres of the Sulphur Springs Company's land. In 1919, the hotel was sold to Ms. Evelyn Shelby Roberts and was torn down to provide lumber for a house built on the same location.

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In 1946 it was sold to Forrest Shewmaker and his family lived in the house built from the old hotel. It said the living room of the home was the former ballroom.

(Mary Shewmaker Tabor, and her sister, Martha Shewmaker Ingram, sold the Crittenden Springs farmland and home in 2019.. The family from Florida that purchased it finished tearing down the old house and built a new house in it’s place.