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.