The Histories of Several Communities in Pendleton Co.

"The First 200 Years of Pendleton County"
 by Mildred Bowen Belew
Thanks Millie for letting me post this wonderful data!

Some of the first settlements in Pendleton County were: Falmouth, settled by the Wallers, Cook, Montjoy, Sternes, Sinks and others. Grassy Creek, settled by Thrasher, Belew, Mann, Morris, Hensley, Daugherty, Vastine, and others. Unity or Jag, settled by Lightfoot, Crain, Brown, Barton, Johns, Arnold, Conrads and others. Fork Lick, settled by Collins, Ewing, Fogle, Henry, Conyer, Thompson, Thomas, Dance, Hand, Draper and others. Snake Creek, settled by Hardin, Edwards, Stone and others. Blanket Creek, settled by Wallers, Bonor, Williams, Watson, Clark and Forsythes. Willow Creek, settled by Vaughn, Griffin and Brownings. Flour Creek, settled by Taylor, Wheeler, Barton, Beckett and others. Main Licking, (Boston Station area) settled by Griffin, Bucker, Ellis, Shoemaker, Taylor, Mullins, Kirby, Webb, Bonar, Duckers and others. South Licking Grove, settled by Wycoff, Turner, Sanders, Bryan, Routt, Fugate, Clarkson, Griffin, McCandless, Ewings and others. Ash Run/Mt. Hope, settled by Burlew/Belew, Ellis, Pribbles and others. Garnersville, settled by Gardner, Caldwell, Beiglie, Linder, Irvin, Middleton, Tomlin and Bowens.

Some of the other areas in the county were called - Wyatts Bend, Wagners Ferry (southeast of Falmouth), Modoc, Gum Lick (southwest of Falmouth), Blind Buck, Tail Point, Elizabethville (Turner's Ridge), Worlds Mill, Double Cabins, Purdy's Fork, Holmes Corner, Sander's Ferry, Walker's Ridge, Dutch Ridge, Clayton (Butler), Lynn (Boston Station), Irvin Station (Minzie Bottoms), Levingood (Hayes Station), Stowers (Morgan), Callensville (across the river from Morgan), Caldwell's Station (on the river between DeMossville and Butler), Sins Crossing (north of Falmouth), Uma Station (two miles north of Falmouth), Catawaba, Schuler (Portland), Dividing Ridge (Center Ridge), Penhurst (Concord), Pea Ridge (Mt. Moriah), Demossville (Hell's Half Acre).


BOSTON STATION

Boston Station was originally known as Lynn. It was founded by the Licking River Lumber and Mining Company, whose stockholders resided at Boston, Mass. The company bought large tracts of timber lands on the headwaters of the Licking River and floated the logs down the river loose. They caught the logs at Boston by a series of booms in the river, connecting one with the other in a line at an angle with the thread of the stream and landed the logs on the west side of the river at the mill lot of some 30 acres. The logging and milling was operated by men from Maine, who settled and raised their families at Boston Station and inter-married with local Kentuckians. The post office for this area was Merediana until Boston Station was started, then the Merediana office was discontinued. Gabrial Mullins, a Revolutionary Soldier, resided here, when he came from Virginia to Kentucky in 1790. He had a family of ten sons and daughters, all who settled in Pendleton County and raised their families here. His grave in the Bonar Cemetery was marked by the Daughter's of the American Revolution in 1937.


CONCORD

Concord was the little town of Penhurst, located four miles east of Falmouth on Highway 159. It was a very small town, but consisted of several businesses, a post office, saw mill, telephone switch board service, blacksmith shop and church. Raymond Fields was the postmaster. The post office later became a general store because the post office in Falmouth started making rural deliveries and this post office was not needed. After this change the town became known as Concord and is still know as Concord to this day. The general store was owned by several different people, but the last to own it was Richard M. Fields. When he died he gave it to his son. They would trade candy for arrow heads which made the children happy. During the Depression the store had to close. In Concord there was a sulfur spring well. Everyone always said it smelled like rotten eggs. It is over 200 years old and over 100 feet deep. (A new bridge was put over the creek in 1982 and the well was capped.) The blacksmith shop had a great deal of business as in its day there were only horses. Sometimes there were as many as ten to twenty horses waiting to be shod. They also made wagon wheels and cutter plows. The business closed in 1934, but the building still stands. The saw mill dated back about 200 years. It started with a sash saw pulled by water power. The Concord Telephone exchange was one of the first in this part of the county. It had twenty-four plugs. The people rang the operator and she in turn rang the party you wanted to talk to. It operated for approximately forty years, when a fire burned it down in 1944. Two small Field girls, Barbara and Velma burned to death in that fire. After the fire the Bell system took over. The Concord Methodist Church here is over 75 years old. What once seemed to be a growing town is now only a church and a few houses. Penhurst could not withstand the change. With the decrease of business activity and the change of name to Concord. (Written by Rebecca Ann Fields, 1981)


CALDWELL STATION

Caldwell Station was between Demossville and Butler along the Licking River and the railroad. It was named for William Caldwell on whose land it was located, mainly for Mr. Caldwell's convenience.


CALLENSVILLE

Callensville was across the South Licking River from Morgan, a site of a village named after Jonathan Callen, a merchant and inn keeper. It was once known as Littell's Station, after William Littell who lived there. In this town were several stores, inns or taverns and a race track where Kentucky thoroughbreds were trained for racing circuits in Philadelphia, Baltimore and other eastern cities. Many men were recruited here for the Confederate Army. It was still a town at the turn of the century. There were six houses, two barns one large building that housed a saloon, a toll gate, a dance hall, a post office and a general store being run by a Mr. Makemson, a grain mill and a slave cemetery. Some of the residents that once lived there were Mr. C. M. Hardin, the Hand brothers, Harry, b. 1809, a school teacher and James, born 1801, owned the race track. Dr. Minturn, a well known doctor was raised there and his son Fred. The village was located at the foot of the hill near the mouth of Fork Lick Creek. The toll-gate was located at the land fill and was kept by Mrs. Nee Bryone Fugate, a widow with two daughters. Roger Ewing ran the postoffice. John Callen ran a hog slaughtering house and the tavern where he lived. It is believed he had two daughters, Martha who married W. Brann, Margaret married B. F. Hume and Catherine who married Joseph Moore. Other residents were; Pierce Hand, Hayne and John Newman, Fred Day and Charlie Weaver. In 1923 there were but six houses remaining in Callensville. Three of the six were condemned and one burned. In 1940 there were two houses left and the last one burned 29 February, 1952.


CATAWABA

Catawaba was organized by R. B. Bowler, President of "Kentucky Central Railroad Company", Leslie Combs of Lexington, Kentucky, Thomas L. Garrand and Charles R. Ilif. about fifty acres of land was laid out for the town site, with streets, a city park and grounds for a college. In 1860 there was a Baptist Church, two warehouses, two stores dealing in dry goods, groceries, clothing, furniture, harness and general merchandise; School #20, and seventeen residents. In 1870 it was still a thriving town. I. N. Walker ran a general store as did William Hobbs Company. The school was still there behind the store and was taught by Professor T. M. Barton. Mr. Walker built for the Gribbles, a store and depot during the Civil War days. Besides his general store he was an agent for the Kentucky Central Railroad and Postmaster at that time. He also erected a large warehouse on the hill back of his store for the purpose of buying and selling tobacco. After he made his stake in Catawaba, he sold his store and warehouse to Henry Morton and Son, who later sold to Charley Peoples and Jasper Yelton Company, partners. During Peoples time the roller skating struck Catawaba and the rear of his building was used for a skating rink. Peoples sold to Titus Wright and Charley Rude, who conducted a general store with the aide of Jim Heizer and Thomas Hamilton. Wright and Rude moved from Catawaba and Henry Martin was once again the merchant there. Lawrence Dickerson, Sr. managed the store for him. John Moss succeeded Dickerson. When Catawaba's shining star started to grow dim, Marton's stock was sold at auction in 1894 and the store was framed to be used as a barn.


DEMOSSVILLE
By Roy Ackman, 1961, as told to the Kentucky Historical Society

This town is one hundred and one years old this year. By an act of the General Assembly in 1860, DeMossville was incorporated. The trustees appointed at this time were Aaron Thrasher, H. Hightower, El Mullins, William Clark and B. F. Cumins. Much detail legislation follows as the officers of the two to be appointed and elected as well as their duties. There the records stop and we have no record of who was therefore appointed officers. An amendment to the Charter was enacted in 1871, prohibiting the sale of spirituous liquors of malt beverages within two miles of DeMossville, Campbell County exempt. But why it was exempt and not Kenton County, no ones knows. However by an act of the Legislature in 1867, two inspection stations were established in Pendleton County. They were for inspecting hemp, tobacco and flour. One station was in Falmouth and the other on the north side of Wolfe Pen Branch, which empties into Grassy Creek on the lands of Archibald Hutcherson.

The Grassy Creek Precinct was established in 1835. The meetings were held in the house of Richard Mullins on Grassy Creek Hill. Much history of the community finds its origin around this house. DeMossville had two saloons, dating from 1850 to 1871. The operators were Pat Collins and James Oldhouse.

In 1790, Mr. Gabrial Mullins came from Virginia and settled at Boston Station. His son, Richard Mullins who died in 1860, owned land on the waters of Grassy Creek consisting of 6,000 acres. In the early 1800's Richard erected a large brick house on the spot where the present brick house now stands [Mildred Belew notes that the brick house was torn down in 1973 and a new brick parsonage built for Grassy Creek Christian Church, bs] at the junction of State Route 17 and the DeMossville Road. These bricks were made on the farm and most of the work done by Negro slaves. The large brick house was razed about 1875 and the present one erected at the same location, but much smaller.

In 1851, the Masonic Lodge was chartered as DeMoss Lodge, No. 220, at Grassy Creek community, Pendleton County. The lodge membership marched to the Grassy Creek Christian Church [Mildred Belew notes that [the church] then sat near the spot where State Route 17 now crosses the creek, bs] where Thomas DeMoss delivered the address, then back to the house of Richard Mullins, where an excellent banquet was served. The first officers were: C. F. Violette, W. M.; G. B. Mullins, W. S.; S. Belew, J. W.; A. Thatcher, Sec.; S. Cornelius, Tres.; C. F. Snyder, S. D.; and G. Mullins, J. D. Other charter members were: J. C. Bonar, John Wheeler, B. B. Mullins, R. D. Mullins, Matthew Mullins, William Bonar, Stephen Mullins, B. S. Hensley, Robert McNay, L. T. Record, R. Mullins, L. S. Shoemaker and L. Cornelius. The period of 1854 to 1861 was spent in helping defray funeral expenses of destitute brothers and helping widows and orphans. From 1861 to 1864 the lodge was dormant. The lodge agreed to repair and to re-roof two upper rooms for a meeting place at Richard Mullins house, which was proof the that the large house was in need of repair in 1851. On the 1st. of January 1853, the lodge moved to Mr. Kendall's building at Lock 4, Butler, Kentucky and agreed to build a hall. Jonathan Belew donated a lot in DeMossville and a hall was erected on the south side of the L & N Railroad by Mr. Golden. The first meeting was held 16 April, 1853 in the new hall. However the minutes of 20 August, 1853 is the first time the name of DeMossville was used on the Masonic Records. Therefore we are led to believe that the lodge and the town are named after Mr. DeMoss. A second lodge was built by Thomas McMillian in 1913, which the lodge now occupies.

Referring to an early Mill, "One of the life lines of the early settlers was a mill on which to grind grain for meal and flour." The rapid flow on the waters of Grassy Creek made a perfect setting for grist mills. One famous mill was located about 300 yards north of the old Grassy Creek Church and 125 yards from the creek. The mill-race started at the location of the East Fork of Grassy Creek.

This once noted grist mill contained a large wooden dam, so constructed at this junction, to channel the water into the mill-race and the deep channel on the south side of the church was the starting point if the mill-race. From there it flowed through the flat lands to the mills, but this land is now farm land and the race is not exactly visible except at the church edifice. This mill was constructed very early in the 1800's, very likely about 1820. It was operated by several different families, namely; Seymour Race, William Carr and Samuel Cain. Owing to flood waters and more modern mills being constructed elsewhere it was discontinued and raised about 1905.

Another mill built by a Mr. Kanapke was located on the east prong of Grassy Creek, on the land now owned by Frank Bell [Mrs. Belew's note: Thomas Kelly, bs]. This mill was operated by Hampton Knight in 1864. A mill on the Middle Fork of Grassy Creek about three fourths of a mile from the church was operated by James Mullins. This mill fell into disuse many years earlier than the first one mentioned.

These mills used stone burrs to grind meal or flour. These stones were hard sandstone, some of which were quarried in the Kentucky mountains. They range in size from twenty to thirty inches. The grain was ground by running it through the burrs, one of which was stationary and the other revolving, thus crushing and grinding the grain.

I have the records of several police sessions of 1880 and after that date the town ceased to be incorporated. W. S. Clark was the last police judge. In 1884 the population of the town was 141 and 1900 it was 113. Today it is 88. During the last twenty years a small village has developed in Campbell County across the river from DeMossville.

There are now 13 dwellings at this place. They are served by the Butler post office and the rural mail carrier comes to the Licking River. Also they have the Campbell County School bus daily. However, the village is not counted in the population of DeMossville. It is sometimes referred to as "Bowlingsville."

The tobacco warehouses were located, one at the railroad station, which was destroyed by fire about 1925, when it was full of tobacco purchased by George Oetzel and was on the lot now owned by Ray Reid. Another on the site of my own dwelling, on the hill above the little iron bridge. These two are now garages and barns on my farm and that of Alvin Mullins.

DeMossville was named for a family by the name of DeMoss. Peter DeMoss was a French emigrant and a soldier of the Revolutionary War. It is thought that he may have come to America with LaFayette.

Among many other handy shops was a millinery shop, which was about fifty five yards from the railroad and had every king of hat you could ever imagine.

Near the warehouse above the bridge was a blacksmith shop owned by Jim Welsher, which is now a large barn. There was another just above this one owned by Kelly Likener which was torn down in the middle 1900's.

Only on school was built in DeMossville. It was a one room school house which had primary and high school grades. Two of the first teachers were John Gosney and Mr. Pfanstiel.

Mr. W. S. Clark owned the depot which contained a post office telegraph office and a store. The store was burned from a spark from a train.

The first church in Demossville was burned and replaced by a new one in 1935. A family by the name of Moore lived behind the church, known as the "Old Moore Homestead."

There was a toll gate at the iron bridge going into DeMossville. The bridge still stands but the toll gate is no longer there.

The post office was once in a large house owned by Wilbur Barre McGill, the postmaster and later moved to a house Mr. Daniel Mann, which he converted to a post office in 1954, when he was postmaster. It was once a hotel. This is still used as the post office today. Rural mail was first carried by horse and buggy.

DeMossville is surrounded by hills, one river and one creek. Before the railroad was built over 200 people inhabited the town. They had everything they needed and were very content. Most of them moved away as the trains came into use.


FALMOUTH

Falmouth got its charter, 23rd. June 1792 in the First Legislature, before Pendleton County was organized. However there were citizens living at the "Forks of the Licking" long before the city was chartered. John Waller, a Kentucky pioneer man and founder of Falmouth was representing this area in the Legislature and came home with the charter. The town is part of 1,000 acres patented to Col. Holt Richardson for military service in the Revolutionary War as a Virginia soldier.

Falmouth was established December 10, 1973, in Woodford County. At the time of establishment the property was owned by John Cook, William McDowell, John Waller and possibly others. By virtue of this act, vested in Noterly Conn, John Hughes, John Cook, John Vance, Samuel Cook, Joseph Humes, William Monroe, John Little and George Stanford, trustees, to be laid out by them into lots of 1/4 acre each with convenient streets and establish a town by the name of "Falmouth". The trustees to sell the lots for credit or real money as shall best suit the proprietors. The purchasers were to hold such lots subject to the conditions of building a dwelling house, 16 by 16 feet square, with a brick or stone chimney, to be finished fit for habitation within seven years from the day of sale. If the purchaser of any lot failed to build on it within the time limit, the trustees may enter into such lot and sell it again and apply the money to the use and benefit of the town.

John Waller was a native of Stafford County, Virginia. Perhaps John Cook and William McDowell were from there also. Falmouth, Virginia was located in Stafford County, on the left bank of the Rappahannock River at the foot of the falls, about one mile above the town of Fredricksburg. It is assumed this is where the name Falmouth came from.

The trustees held their first meeting, Saturday the 12th. of April, 1794 at the house of John Humes. He and his family were from Culpepper County, Virginia. At this time it is believed he was living at Morgan on 100 acres of land on the South Fork of the Licking River, that he had purchased from John Cook, Jr. and his wife, Winifred. The following trustees were present for the first meeting: George Humes, Samuel Cook, John Vance, William Monroe, John Cook and John Waller.

Notley Conn,John Hughes and James Littell who had been appointed by the General Assembly refused to act so John Hume, John Sanders and John Ewing were appointed in their stead.

Some of the streets in town have retained their original names, but many have changed. Shelby Street was once known as Main Cross Street. Other sections of town were known as Beech Woods, Best Mills, Mount Joy Branch, which flowed under the "Little Iron Bridge" at the east end of town, Licks Branch, Happy Hollow, Murphy's Island, Mullins Pond at the northwest end of town, known as the skating rink, Balsers Corner northeast corner of Main and Shelby Streets and the Jockey Ring between Main Street and the Main Licking River bridge. Little Egypt has been applied to the extreme south eastern section of town and Coleman's Springs.

On the 12th. of December, 1794 an act was approved by the General Assembly to open the Main Licking River for navigation as far up as Slade Creek. Any person who had a claim, interest or any other obstruction on the river was to remove them by the first of May, 1775.

John Sanders had a permit to keep a ferry from his land on the South Fork of the Licking River to the lands of Alvin Montjoy on the opposite shore. Alvin Montjoy was granted a leave to keep a ferry across the Main Licking River in lots number 72 and 73. William Anderson acknowledged bond that he be allowed to keep a ferry from the point at the Forks of the Licking across the Main Fork and the South Fork to the opposite shore and named Squire Grant as security.


GARDNERSVILLE


Gardnersville is a small village in the northwestern part of Pendleton County, located on Highway 491 and Center Ridge - Gardnersville Rd. It was a booming village in the late 1800's and early 1900's. In the last century, at one time or another there were two stores - one being possibly the largest in Pendleton County at the time, You could buy anything from fiddle strings to a buggy or jolt wagon. There was a millinery shop, sewing machine dealer, postoffice, Johnnie Straub bought the Community Hall where the Odd Fellows and Junior Lodge met every Tuesday and Friday nights. There were three blacksmith shops, which gave way to probably the largest farm machinery dealership in Pendleton County, now Bowens Farm Implements. In the late 1800's there was a saloon back of the present store, where you could bring your own bottle and have it filled with whiskey directly from the barrel. It was later made into a barber shop and run by Mr. Tungate. There was a buggy shop run by Mr. F. E. Linder, where they manufactured, sold and repaired buggies. In the early 1900's this shop became an automobile garage and upholstery shop where you could bring your Model T and other cars and have a complete new top and side curtains installed with complete glass windows. At one time there were two doctors, an undertaker business in a two story house operated by Mr. Helmick. The first floor was a general store and undertaking business, with the second floor used for Odd Fellows and Junior Lodge. There is a cemetery and two churches, Baptist and Christian. There were four tobacco warehouses, Jim Ervin had one at the corner of Hwy. 491 and Center Ridge Road. A three story building, Equity Warehouse on the Gardnersville - Knoxville Road and on e on Hwy. 491 where the Baptist Church now stands. Also one on Center Ridge Road across from Linders Warehouse. Most of the tobacco and wool in this area was brought to Gardnersville and sold. The buyers would buy tobacco in the county, hang and re-dry and price the following summer for resale. There were several wool buyers. About 1890 a school was built on Center Ridge Road called Simpson School. It was two and one half miles from Gardnersville, on the old Greenwell place. In 1911 a new school, across the road from the Christian Church was built to replace the old Simpson School. It was started as a one room and grew to four rooms with two years of high school. This school was abandoned when the Portland Junior High School was built on the other end of Center Ridge Road. This school was built in the late 1930's and later burned in 1963. Also there were the Boone and Caldwell Schools located at Caldwell Ridge, on Hwy. 491. Later there were two automobile garages and at one time or another four gasoline dealers. Modern times has changed this village and at the present time there is the two churches and cemetery, one General Store, and Bowens Farm Machinery. The oldest present member is Mr. Charles Sherman Beighle, born 24 January 1893 at Gardnersville, son of Edward and Margaret Calwell Beighle. He was married to Dora Elliot and Flora Mills. They lived at the edge of town going toward Crittenden. He is a life time Republican and the oldest member of the Gardenersville Baptist Church. He is the retired owner of the General Store in the heart of town. Several owners have come and gone since he retired in 1947. The Beighle family came from Germany. George Beighle was killed during the Civil War. He lived in Illinois at the time. His son, Edward and wife Margaret came to Gardnersville shortly after they were married. Leonard (Brooker) Bowen was another prominent citizen of this community, living there or near, all his life. At one time he owned the General Store and ran a milk hauling and trucking route. He started the Bowen Farm Machinery Company.


HAYES STATION

Hayes Station was originally Levingood, named after an old settler. He was Timothy Hays, a Cincinnati distiller and inventor of an improved distiller's yeast, which made him a millionaire. He bought the South Licking bottom land between the railroad and the river and located his family there. He built the largest distillery ever in the county.


KNOXVILLE

Knoxville was a thriving little town in 1889. There were about thirty some residents in which lived Dr. J. T. Scott, Charles Morris, S. J. Ashcraft, A. C. Morris, G. N. Clark. George Stephens, Joseph Webb, William Hedger, J. H. Johns, Lewis Helmick, Mrs. L. Shady, Mrs. Armilda Cram, T. Middleton, James Vastine, Lawson Race, James Worster, George Race, R. Hanks, I. Hahn, Mrs. M. J. Edwards, J. Landrum, Mrs. E. Ashcraft, T. Ashcraft, L. Pendleton, J. Ashcraft and T. R. C. Schafer. Mrs. L. Shady ran a hotel known as Knoxville House. There were four general stores, a postoffice, a school, cemetery, Baptist Church, tobacco warehouse, a doctor - Dr. J. T. Scott, a physician/surgeon, a blacksmith - S. J. Ashcraft, stream grist and saw mill operated by A. C. Morris and a shoe shop operated by H. Dalenburg.


MENZIE STATION

Menzie Station or Bottoms was originally name Irvine Station after Elisha Irvine and his wife, Sallie (Bonar) Irvine. The first school in that area was called Irvine School. It was changed to Menzie Station after Honorable John W. Menzie, for years Chancery Judge of Kenton, Pendleton and Harrison Counties Circuit Courts. He made his home there. One of its early residents was Reuben Mullins and his wife, Betsy (Love) Mullins, a son of Gaberial Mullins. He is buried there in a family plot on the farm he owned at the time of his death. Menzie Bottoms is about one or two miles south of Boston Station off Highway 27 in Pendleton County.


MERDINIA STATION

Merdinia Station was a local place for supplying wood for wood burning locomotives. A thriving store was conducted there at one time and a post office.


MORGAN

Morgan was known in the early days as Fork Lick, after a long creek that enters the river there. The settlement was on the west side of the Licking River at the mouth of the creek. There were several stores, a saw mill, grist mill, a tavern, a large tannery, operated mainly by Thomas L. Garrad and Jonathan Callen. A good race track was maintained there where local owners and breeders raised Kentucky thoroughbreds. Morgan was once called Stowers Station or Stowersville in honor of Mr. Richard Stowers who lived there and was one of the directors of the old Kentucky Central Railroad Company. One of the oldest houses in this community was built of stone by John Myers. Fork Lick, a large creek originating in Grant County empties into South Licking River at Morgan. The word Lick was used to designate a place where salt was available for wild game. Several miles up Fork Lick is such a site. In an early day Tyree Oldham, father of Thomas J. Oldham, leased or purchased the right to bore a well to make salt at the lick. He bored a hole for some depth, but abandoned the project because of a disagreement with his partner. Robert Taylor, from Virginia, came along and purchased the well. He also purchased a considerable body of land adjoining and established a health resort called "Gum Lick Springs." It was located near the creek just west of what is now known as the John Denny Road.


SHORT CREEK/GOFORTH

Short Creek was a thriving community in the mid 1800's. There was a general store, a blacksmith shop, a tobacco warehouse, an ice storage house, where in the winter ice was cut from ponds and stored in saw dust for use in the coming summer, a school, a strong Baptist Church, around which the social as well as religious life centered. There were two practicing physicians, Dr. Bethel and Dr. N. B. Chipman, who later moved to Falmouth in 1890. He was also an extensive dealer in tobacco and operated the Old Tub Fowler Distillery at Falmouth. After Dr. Chipman left Short Creek, Dr. George W. McMillian and Dr. N. H. Ellis practiced there. Dr. McMillian went to Covington and Dr. Ellis to Williamstown. In 1880, a post office was established there. Couriers on horse back generally carried the mail between these community post offices which were usually in a general store, as there was no Rural Free Delivery until the turn of the century. The mail department in Washington discovered there was another Short Creek, Kentucky, so at the suggestion of Dr. Chipman they changed the name to Goforth, thus the two names for the community. The first postmaster was Clarence E. Quick. In the later teens and early 1920's came the general shift from the horse and buggy tot he automobile for the mode of travel and one of the first autos in this community was owned by J. T. McNay and Frank W. Conrad. These early cars had solid rubber tires which made pretty rough riding over the rock and gravel roads.

One of the outstanding houses at Short Creek was a huge log house built prior to 1859. It was the home of John R. Wadsworth. At that time some of this area was almost a wilderness. In 1924 this home was owned by James Mitchell Ballinger, when the logs when the logs were sold and moved to Kenton County. It was reconstructed and is still standing near Pleasure Island on U. S. 17, south of Covington and used as a restaurant.

Some of the early residents in the early and mid 1800's were: Barton, Monroe, Arnold, Polk, Love, Wadsworth, Conroy, McMillian, Ballinger, Cooper, Simpson, Fletcher, Fogle, Sheitz, Ammerman, Highfill, Race, McNay, Justice, Daugherty, Godman, Conrad, Marquett, Sutton, Berger and Rosentiel.


UMA STATION

Uma Station was located about two miles north of Morgan, established for the convenience of a few local farmers, one of whom was J. C. Monroe, owner of the adjacent land. This station was used for shipping livestock to market by Monroe, Henry Hetterman and others.


WAMPUM

Wampum is located on the Falmouth and Lenoxburg Road about seven miles southeast of Falmouth. It is situated on Kincaid Creek which is now a part of Kincaid Lake State Park. A saw grist and flour mill was operated there by several men. Among the men who operated the mills were: Roush Rogers, C. L. Myers, D. C. (Col) Grims and John Wilson. John Wilson and his wife Elizabeth, operated the mill when their son Harry Wilson was born in 1893. Harry contracted polio in childhood and was an invalid for most of his life. He married Alice Curry and had two sons. The blacksmith shop was last operated by a Mr. Kennedy. In later years Mr. Myers added a flour mill and at the last moved it to Caddo on Highway #10. The mill was powered by a sixty foot long steam boiler which had been purchased in Cincinnati, Ohio, having been used in some manner to ferry passengers across the Ohio River while the Suspension Bridge was being built. This boiler was brought to Falmouth by railroad and then taken overland to Wampum by eight yoke of oxen, driven by Kirk Hitch, who was a former slave of Robert Hitch. Among those who operated the store and post offices were Grant Willis, B. B. Thornberry and John Smith. Prominent families who resided at Wampum were: Roushes, Westbrook, Rogers, Kavanaugh, Jacob, Myers, Cahill, Harcum, Sharp, Askren, Newkirk, Cookendorfer, Redmond, Bush, McClanahan, Hurd and Gotharns. Today there is no business at Wampum and there is fifteen feet of water over the site where the old mill was located. The salt well has long since filled up.