IRVINGTON
George Bandy came to Breckinridge County in the
early 1800's, and settled on his land grant, a
few miles
west of the present site of Irvington. This land
grant lay from about where Highway 86 intersects
with U. S. 60 Highway
almost to the city limits of Irvington. Mr. Bandy
was one of the earliest residents of the
Irvington vicinity. It
could well have been he with whom James Audibon
spent the night when on his trip from Henderson
to Louisville. He told
in one of his books of spending the night in this
immediate vicinity near Sinking Creek, where he
saw the greatest concentrated
migration of passenger pidgeons that he had seen
anywhere. This was in the fall of the year and
these birds were
literally rolling over each other like a giant
tidal wave. It was frightening to see them coming
as they gleaned the beech
mass from the floor of the virgin beech forest.
It was at this place where he recorded having
seen them roost in the trees
in such numbers that the limbs were broken from
the trunks. Possibly never in the history of
mankind has species of
God's creatures been so wantonly ravaged and
destroyed to the point of complete annihilation
and extinction as was the
passenger pidgeons of America. Sometimes I am
made to think that, "If God doesn't punish
America for its sins, He
will have to apologize to Sodom and
Gomorrah."
At this period in Breckinridge County history,
homes were few and far between. The Bandy
settlement
was sandwiched between Bewleyville and Webster.
The old homestead was on the east side of Sinking
Creek about
one mile, where the old house still stands, and a
portion of the original land of George Bandy is
still in the family. At
present Ginger Wilson owns the old home place. He
is the son of Nancy Bandy Wilson, grandson of
Ginger Bandy,
great-grandson of Thomas Bandy,
great-great-grandson of Richard Bandy II and a
great-great-great-grandson of George,
who first settled there. It is Ginger in whom is
coagulated all the traits of the Bandy Clan. He
is one of our county's
best farmers at age 32. He is a graduate of the
University of Kentucky, teaches school in
Breckinridge County High
School, sells insurance, coaches basketball,
sings at funerals, weddings and other special
occasions, and can whip any two ordinary
men in a fair fight. He is a composite; and will
probably dip his oar in politics; and I think
Kentucky could not do better.
Soon after the trains had begun to make regular
runs, a Mr. Blanford from the Bewleyville area
had heard so
many wild tales concerning this Iron Horse, he
decided to make the trip over to Irvington to see
one. Mr. Blanford was
in his late eighties and eye sight was not too
good. When he arrived at the depot the train was
there. He rushed
feebly out on the platform to look her over. Mr.
McCracken got the old gentleman a chair and set
it on the platform where
Mr. Blanford sat. Several men were standing on
the flat car when the train pulled out. Somehow
Mr. Blanford got
the impression that he was on the train and when
the train began to go he yelled excitedly,
"Let 'er rip, son. I'll ride 'er to
Henderson, come hell or high water!". This
story shows something of the excitement the
railroad created.
The Louisville, Hardinsburg, and Western Railroad
known in this area as the Branch Line, ran from
Fordsville to
Askins, to Vanzant, to Rockvale, to Falls of
Rough, Glen Dean, McQuady, Kirk, Hardinsburg,
Harned, Garfield, and connected
with the main line at Irvington. This added to
the business and growth of the community. This
track was not built
to carry heavy loads so was never a paying
proposition. It was granted permission to
discontinue services and on June
15, 1941, the last train wobbled over the Branch
Line into Irvington.
One of the first essentials of any up-to-date
town, was a good mill. Recognizing this need, and
the lucrative
opportunity it afforded, Jessie and David Boyd,
from another part of the state began to locate a
building lot for this purpose.
They purchased the lot and the mill was built.
They operated it for a few years then sold out to
J. W. Piggott and
R. M. Jolly. These two men operated the mill for
years and served the country for miles around.
After Mr. Jolly died,
Mr. Piggott continued in the business for several
years, then sold out to Mr. John Cook. Mr. Cook
operated the mill for a
few years, until it was destroyed by fire. Later
on the present building was erected. Mr. Trent
and Simmons own
and operate a lumber business there at the
present. These country mills played an important
part in the development of our
county. Before the days of modern transportation,
it was almost necessary that there be a mill of
some sort within donkey
range, and we had them. Sinking Creek, North
Fork, Clover Creek, and Rough River, each aided
by the ingenuity of our
early settlers, provided the power for
manufacturing the staff of life right in the
community where it was produced and consumed.
This is an identifying feature which
characterizes the American people. Since the
settlement at Jamestown
in 1607, when the American people had to have
something&mdashsomebody made it. And to the
millers and blacksmiths-we
owe much to the inventive ingenuity of our
nation. These were men who did not exploit their
neighbors, but took pride in
their work, and offered a service to their
communities.
Prior to the coming of the railroad and before
Irvington was in existence, the mail service was
one of the major
problems. For years the mail was hauled by stage
coach from Hardinsburg to Muldrough through the
old covered "Dent's
Bridge" and by way of Bewleyville. There was
another mail route that went by horse back, from
Stephensport through
Webster and Hayesville, to Garrett. The trip
could be made in two days unless the creek got up
too high. There
were other routes at times but the post office at
Bewleyville, Webster, and Hayesville served the
public.
In the eastern end of Breckinridge County, about
half way between the two much older communities
of Bewleyville and
Webster, lies one of the most fertile and
beautiful valleys to be found anywhere in the
Commonwealth. The valley and hills
surrounding it were sparsely populated, with farm
dwellings located at intervals where sometimes
the nearest neighbor was more
than a mile away. The Jollys, Jordans, Bennetts,
Bandys, Adkissons, McCoys, Robertsons, and
Washingtons were
some of the early settlers of this section. These
were good and prosperous farmers, but from 1800,
up until the steam
boats began plying the waters of the Ohio River
near the middle of the eighteen hundreds, there
was never, in any county, a more
energetic, patriotic, or less tidy people to be
found. Isolation, was the most under statement
since Noah said, "It looks like
rain." There were no railroads, no highways,
and no river travel except one way, and
civilization lay 2000 miles down stream.
The only clothes or other comforts of
civilization to be had, must come over the
mountains by oxcart. It was not until
the coming of the steam boat that manufactured
items penetrated the wilderness to this section
of Kentucky. The spinning
wheel and loom, at the hands of the women folk
who labored endless hours was the source of
wearing apparel. It was from
this period the statement "A man's work was
from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never
done," originated. A truer statement
was never made. The husband could wear out his
clothes about as fast as his wife could make
them. The chore of rearing
the children, often eight or ten, and cooking
without Corning Ware, or doing the laundry on a
scrub board with water heated in iron
kettles in the back yard, using lye soap, which
they made themselves, made the women folk a
pretty busy schedule. Bridge
parties or Homemakers and other women&rsquos
clubs are modern inventions.
By the late eighteen hundreds, this community was
a great wheat producing region. Nearly every
farmer
grew wheat for both home consumption and money
crop. This wheat had to be transported to the
river for shipment to market
and the portion kept for home consumption was
taken to the water mills to be ground into flour.
Several of these water mills
were located near this community on Sinking
Creek. Tobacco was also taken to Brandenburg in
hogsheads to be shipped to
market. About this time, in the eighteen
eighties, talk of a railroad through the
community brought to the farmers great hope for
the future. Two men of the community saw the
necessity of having a modern town located where
it could serve the local needs.
These were R. M. Jolly and Ed Bennett. They
purchased two tracts of land, one from Thomas
McCoy, Sept. 20,
1887. Consisting of 144 acres for $2,837 and one
from James B. Robertson of 171 acres for $4, 013,
these two tracts
constituted the land where Irvington lies.
It is difficult for us, in 1966, to visualize the
importance of a railroad to the people of this
inland community in 1888.
The hilarity of the farmers over the coming of
the "Iron Horse" was a universal
jubilee, lost in history, save to one who might
have been hopelessly trapped; and saved by a
miracle.
When the Louisville, St. Louis, and Texas
Railroad finally became a reality, the town plot
of Irvington was lain out
and recorded in the Clerk&rsquos Office in
Hardinsburg, Kentucky in January, 1889. The
streets were named running south to north;
First, Second, Third, and Fourth. The streets
running east to west beginning at the south were:
Grand, Maple, Walnut and Arch
Avenues. The town north of the railroad was
almost altogether settled with Negroes.
The railroad
was built in 1887 and 1888. The first train ran
through the valley in 1888. This road was
a pet project of the McCracken brothers of New
York. W. V. McCracken was president; A. M.
McCracken the superintendent;
J. K. McCracken was general freight agent; H. M.
McCracken was road master, and C. W. McCracken
was chief engineer -- making it
largely a family affair.
The new school had an inside gymnasium and
Irvington has always been one hard team to beat.
One of the
healthiest rivalries to be found anywhere existed
between Irvington and Hardinsburg. When these two
teams met on the hardwood
during the season you could expect 32 minutes of
excitement equal to the "Gingham Dog and the
Calico Cat"; but when an invader from
some other part of the state came around they
were in each others corner.
In 1965, the academic pressure was so great and
because of poor facilities in both Hardinsburg
and Irvington, the two
schools were disbanded and a new million dollar
high school was built at Harned and the two
former high schools consolidated into one.
A better or more modern school may not be found
anywhere in Kentucky and no longer will we have
to send our children to college
unprepared.
The religious life is one of the first thoughts
and a dire necessity to any community. Before the
town of Irvington
sprang up, these country people worshiped in
near-by communities. There was a Baptist Church
at Sandy Hill; a Methodist Church
at Webster; both Baptist and Methodist at
Bewleyville, and a Catholic Church at Mount
Merino.
The Baptists built a church in town in 1892, and
replaced it with the present one in 1918. The
Methodist Church
was built in town in 1898, and was dedicated July
2nd, of the same year by the Rev. Sam
Jones. The present Methodist Church was
built in 1938. The Catholic Church at Mount
Merino was first built in 1854. This was replaced
by a new building in 1899,
in the same place. In 1933, the old Mt. Merino
church was discontinued and the congregation
moved to the new church which was
built in Irvington. Prior to the church at Mt.
Merino, a boy's school was in operation from
1840-1846. The Negro population
of Irvington have maintained through the years,
both a Baptist and a Methodist Church.
The town, in general, has always maintained a
high religious and social standard.
In 1902, the Spotsville Iron and Gravel Co.
opened up a rock quarry near Webster. This
Company was composed,
mainly, of men from Cloverport. All work was done
by hand labor which required the employ of a lot
of men, usually around 50 to 75.
In 1910, the Webster Stone Co. was opened up
nearer to Irvington. This was by the same company
as the other.
After a few years several business men of
Irvington bought and ran the quarry. Later the
business was sold to the Kentucky
Stone Company which has continued to operate
until the present time. Most of the roads in our
county were built, and the L and N
Railroad bed has been maintained, from this
quarry. Throughout the years this business has
had a large payroll and contributed much
to the town and surrounding community.
Until 1917, the old kerosene lamps could be seen
flickering in the windows. To those of us who
remember cleaning
the chimneys and trimming the wicks in such a
fashion as to give the desired shape and amount
of light, there is a sentimental sort of sadness
about their having to go. A wick trimmed to give
a rounded, oval-shaped flame created more light
if one wished to read or study his
lessons; but, the young lady expecting a suitor
trimmed the wick in a sort of V shape so that
there was a long spire of a soft, flickering, dim
light
that left the room largely in shadows. Ever since
Delilah took Sampson to the barber shop, the
fairer sex of every generation have
invented ways of trapping their victims. In 1917,
C. L. Winn secured a franchise to install a
lighting system. When the demand
became greater for more electricity other than
lights, a Utility Company bought the Winn
franchise in 1927, and installed larger power
units to
meet the needs of the town. In 1939, the R. E. A.
took over the control of all electricity in the
county and power was made available to
both town and country people alike.
Prior to 1887, livestock had to be driven to
Brandenburg or Stephensport to be shipped to
market. During this period
there were stock traders or buyers who visited
the farms and bought the livestock and made these
drives to market their business. Some
of these men were Dan Brooks and Alex and Dick
Hardaway. Later these men became associated with
the Bourbon Stock Yard in
Louisville, Kentucky. One of the last of these
men who traveled through the country to buy
cattle was Felix Carden. The coming
of good roads and the trucks, that could go right
to the barn and pick up the livestock, and the
radio as a means of keeping in constant touch
with the stock market in Louisville, put these
men out of business.
Immediately after the town lots were sold,
businesses began to spring up. Within a few years
there were stores, shops of different kids,
a drug store, and even the saloon with the
proverbial swinging doors. The town's business,
as well as the farmers, now needed a place to
take care of their finances. In 1898, Mr. E. H.
Shellman organized a bank. He and Miss Mary
Cromwell, who was his "Board of
Directors"
operated the bank and served the people well for
over fifty years. Sound business practices and
good management helped him to ride
out the great Depression of the thirties without
suffering the fate of thousands of similar
institutions all over the United States.
This, too, is a tribute to the Irvington
community, becausesound business on the part of
the banker is to a greater or lesser degree,
dependent upon the quality of people with whom he
does business.
In 1903, the First State Bank was organized with
W. J. Piggott as president and John R. Wimp
vice-president. This bank, like
Mr. Shellman's, has been reliable throughout the
years, and has made satisfactory growth. The
First State Bank is now well over a million
dollar institution.
On August 15, 1906, the first R. F. D. Mail Route
out of Irvington was established. Mr. Oscar
Dowell was carrier on
this route; and in 1913, it became ultra modern
when Mr. Dowell started carrying the U. S. Mail
in a Model T Ford. When the children
and grown ups alike, who lived along Mr. Dowell's
route heard his Model T coming they would drop
their hoes or whatever tools
with which they might be working, and run like
rabbits to the road to see him whiz by, leaving a
cloud of dust behind. He was a dare
devil, and often traveled at break-neck speed, up
to 20 and sometimes 25 miles per hour.
One of the earliest schools in the community was
located on the ridge north of Highway 60 near
Sinking Creek. It was
known as the Bandy School and was constructed of
logs. The first school house in Irvington was a
one-room affair which was soon
outgrown and a more adequate, three-room one was
erected on the east end of town. There was no
high school, as we know them now;
but a Normal School was held where they offered
preparatory courses for prospective teachers. The
community saw the need for a better
educational opportunity for its children and a
drive was made for funds to help build a high
school. It was erected on the present school
ground, but burned down in 1937. The present
school was built in 1938 and the Agricultural
Building was added in 1941.
Since 1917, the Irvington Herald has been serving
the people of Breckinridge County. This paper
made its first
publication Feb. 8, 1917. It was started by Paul
McNull, who after two months sold out to Mr. J.
W. Willis. The paper was
under his management for twenty-eight years. In
1945, it was sold to its present owner, Mr.
George M. Wilson.
For a little town that came into being at a late
date, Irvington has had its part of the
politicians. Mr. R. M. Jolly was
elected to the state senate from this district;
and our legislature has been represented by E. H.
Shellman, Dr. S. P. Parks, C. A. Van Lahr, and
J. W. Simmons. Breckinridge County and the state
at large may well be proud of these men.
A few years ago Highway U. S. 60 was straightened
out from Irvington to Grey Hampton, leaving
Brandenburg several
miles to the north. This brought Irvington much
closer to Louisville and Fort Knox. Since the new
road was built several new
businesses have been built on the south side of
town to be on the new road. The Green Valley
Restaurant and Motel are as nice as
may be found. Across the highway to the south is
a new housing section. All of these homes are
either brick or Bedford stone
and are in the class that would categorize the
upper middle class of society.
Mr. Trent is largely responsible for this
beautiful subdivision which is of the type that
would catch the eye or any tourist and
cause him to remember and comment on it after his
vacation is ended. The large lighted cross which
one cannot help seeing as he passes
through town after dark, is a monument to Mr.
Trent. It was built by his sons and is lighted
and maintained by the city of Irvington.
At present, other than the Rough River area,
Irvington is the fastest growing section of our
county.
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