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History of Glensfork, KY aka Glenville, Glens Fork, & Hardscratch In this first of three installments of the history of Glensfork, KY
By Welcome Hamon, Glensfork, KY from the Adair County Review; edited by Mike Watson (This article appeared in several issues of the Adair County Review in 1992 and 1993. Mr. Hamon was a very prominent member of the Society and wrote this for them. He also wrote articles for the local newspapers from time to time. Mr. Hamon was an elementary school teacher. -LILA FORD) Part I The first installment of the history of Glensfork, Adair County, Kentucky as originally written by Mr. Welcome Hamon in 1971 appears here with only minor corrections in punctuation and grammar to clarify the original text and some rearrangement of text as he wrote it as he discovered new data. (AC Review editor Mike Watson, 1992-1993)The community has been Glens Fork, Glenville and Hardscratch. It was named for a man named Glen, of who we know nothing. (Mrs. Allie Garnett Cundiff, Columbia, stated he was an early land owner in the Zion community, now Adair County, and was buried near the old Zion Church and School, about three miles from the town of Glensfork - editor) So far as I know the post office has always been Glens Fork. Following is a list of postmasters of Glens Fork. Postal records in the National Archives and Records Service indicate the date of appointment but do not indicate the date of postmaster's tenure. Post Office records prior to 1930 are located in the National Archives. Post Master / Date of Appointment
The first post office was near Glens Fork Creek in a field now owned by Henry Garnett. Later it was moved into or near Blair graveyard. When Howard Webb was postmaster, the post office was in a building near where Mrs. Cittie Kelley now lives (1971). When Conda Blair was postmaster, the office was in a store building that he built in 1909. This store was torn down in 1966. Mr. Bennett had the office in the downstairs part of the Masonic Building and later in a room he added to Mont Darnell's garage. When Herbert Furkin became postmaster, be bought some land and built a building that is still being used as a post office building. (The same building, alongside highway 55 south in Glensfork, is still being used at present, in 1992--editor) Town incorporated The Town of Glenville was incorporated by an Act of the General Assembly on March 25, 1872. Z. T. Williams was a member of the legislature then and was responsible for this act. The boundary was one-quarter of a mile in every direction from the northeast corner of the Masonic Hall which shall be the center of the town. J. C. A. Strange, Jos. Grant, Matthew Walkup, Winston A. Strange and M. W. Cartwright were appointed trustees until successors were elected and qualified. I don't know how long the town government was kept up, but wasn't long as H. K. Taylor , who was born in 1872, knew nothing about a town government. Mrs. Froscia Bennett Hoover said Mr. David Willian said that some Civil War soldiers camped in the vicinity of the K. Taylor house. The soldiers said you had to do hard scratching there, hence the nickname of Hardscratch. The first owner of the land where the little village of Glenville is now situated was in what is known as the Kelsay survey. Peter Kelsay owned 1,000 acres from Glenville down Glens Fork Creek to Zion church, across the Cedar Creek, up to Grant Collins' place, back to the Kelsay place. This record is in Greensburg Courthouse. Many of these old surveys were grants of 1,000 acres, more or less, to Revolutionary War soldiers. (Mr. Hamon evidentially made a mistake common to researchers in early county records, this Kelsay was most likely Kelso/Kelsoe, which was eventually corrupted into Kelsay by some--editor) I don't know when settlers first came to Glens Fork community. The first deed in Adair County Court Clerk's office states on June 29, 1802 Andrew Kelsoe and wife Nancy deeded William Burbridge, for 300 pounds, 170 acres on the East Fork of Glenn's Fork. The second deed states Andrew Kelsoe and wife Nancy sold to Benjamin Burbridge, for 500 pounds, 264 acres on the East Fork of Glenn's Fork (on same date) Glens Fork is located in the region of the limestone strata of Kentucky. Its land is perforated by a multitude of sinkholes and small caves. Merchants Samuel Aaron & Co. Samuel Aaron & Co. had a store in the downstairs part of the Masonic Building from about 1926 until 1940. The Aarons built a store in 1940 and had a store there until they sold it to David Mann in 1971. Also, John Pendleton and Sam Collins, Annanias Bennett, Joe Dudley and Buford Helm have sold goods in the downstairs part of the Masonic Building. Dr. Will Taylor drug store Dr. Will Taylor had a drug store where Mont Darnell had a garage. Also, L. C. Blair had a drug and grocery store there. Herbert Furkin had a store in a room added to this garage. Joe Zack Collins owned the building when Taylor and Blair had a store there. Collins bought the building from Elijah Rosenbaum. W.A. Garnett and L.C. Blair In 1909 W. A. Garnett and L. C. Blair built a two-story building and moved into a new store in 1910. They were partners a short while. Mr. Blair had a store in this building until he died in 1938. Others who have operated a store in this building are Robert Marshall, David Arnold, Virgil Wesley, Otha Chapman, Sam Brummett and Hugh Wesley. This building was torn down in 1966 and a garage was built there. Ores Bennett now owns it. Robert Marshall store Robert Marshall had a store in the building where Mr. Etheridge Bennett had a post office at the time of his death. 1932 new post office built About 1932 Herbert Furkin built the present post office building. He also had a store for a few months in this building. Mr. Jim Jones had a store in this building from 1933 until 1943. Theron and Pauline Taylor also had a few goods here awhile after Mr. Jones' death. Mrs. Martha Collins operated a store in a building that once stood at the junction of the Fairplay and Creelsboro Road at the Cemetery. This was from about 1825 until 1931. Tobacco house where tobacco processed for shipping There was once a tobacco house just above where the store of W. H. Hamon stood. Prized tobacco was put in hogsheads. This was the first store in Glens Fork that shipped tobacco. Other notable merchants of Glensfork, KY Some merchants who operated the big two-story building that once stood a few feet south of where the Aaron store stood are: Z. T. Williams and Cyrus Wheat, John W. Grider and Washington Grider, John Chapman and Charlie Walkup, John Chapman and Jim Kelsay, John Chapman and Basil Chapman. John Chapman owned the store two or three years with no goods in it. A. Kelsay sold the store to W. H. Hamon in 1919 or 1920. W. H. Hamon had a store there until about 1924. G. W. Collins bought goods and sold there for a short while. Bryan Muller bought the building about 1924 and had goods there after Collins and until about 1941. He sold to Samuel Aaron & Co. Some merchants who have run a store in the old building on the northwest corner of the village are: John Chapman and Charlie Walkup, Billie Brockman, Lewis Wilkinson, Marcus Antle, _______Isaacs, Aaron Brothers who sold used goods, Joe Zack Collins and later his widow Martha Ellen Collins' heirs. This building was not used for several years at different periods. Some notable citizens of Glensfork, KY
The county poor farm was once on the farm where Mr. and Mrs. Johnnie Collins were living when they moved to Columbia. A few paupers are buried by the county road a few rods west of where you turn off on the county road to go to the Helm Cemetery. Also, some paupers are buried in the Taylor-Wesley Cemetery. The poor farm was also, at one time, where Iven Loy was living at the time of his death. Glensfork's great medical heritage Dr. S. W. Strange built the home where Mr. David Willian lived. Four other medical doctors and one dentist, Dr. Butler Kelsay, lived in that house after Dr. Strange moved to another home in Glenville. Dr. Frank Winfrey lived there a short time, then Dr. Will Taylor, then Dr. Jim Hammond and Dr. B. J. Bolin roomed there for awhile. Dr. Sam Taylor lived at the Willis Loy house. Dr. S. P. "Tink" Miller also lived in this same house and had a coffin ship in the corner of the yard. Otis Wilborn was Miller's partner, Dr. Otha Miller lived at Bob Taylor's place. Six floaters in Glens Fork precinct A poll taken of Glens Fork precinct by W. L. Taylor on October 25, 1900 shows 167 Democrats, 114 Republicans and 6 floaters. Earl Settlers The prominent Burbridge family William Burbridge, a Baptist Minister, was one of the early settlers. He married Susan Hurt (a daughter of pioneer William Hurt, Sr. and Sarah White Field Hurt--editor). He lived where Welcome Hamon now lives (1971). The house is about 2/3 brick. The brick part was new in 1831. Two rooms are logs, a room downstairs and a room upstairs. A room was added to it later and was torn down in 1952 and a new room added. They raised a niece and namesake of Mrs. Burbridge, Susie, a daughter of her brother, Akerbury Hurt (Archberry--editor). She married Jospeh McClain. One of their daughters, Mary Susan McClain was the second wife of Paschal "Pack" Willis. Thomas Burbridge was an early settler. His wife was Easter Zachary. They lived in a brick house that stood a few rods down the road from where Mr. Loren Guthrie did. Their children were William, Benjamin, Elijah, Jeremiah, John, Millie who married a Creel, and Polly who married Benjamin Bowmar. Thomas Burbridge and wife are probably buried in an old abandoned cemetery across the road from where they lived. Their son, William, and wife Susan are buried in the Willis Cemetery on the Zeno Hamon farm. William had no children. Rev. William Blair; Helm Caves; 'Petrified Woman' Rev. William Blair, a United Brethen preacher, and family owned the Helm Cave area. There are about three large and rather noted caves known as the helm Caves for the Helm family, who for many years owned the farm where they are located. One of these caves has been explored for several miles and within a short distance of the mouth is a stalagmite--stalactite formation from roof to floor, a distance of ten feet and about two feet in diameter, called by the residents "The Petrified Woman" because of the resemblance to a tall woman wearing a large white dress. The mouth or entrances to these three caves are within a short distance of each other. The one on the top of the level, flat topped hill is large enough in which to turn a rather large wagon and team a short distance from its entrance. For some distance surrounding the mouth of this cave, the soil is as dark as charcoal, produced by campfires of Indians and of pioneer white hunters. Numerous arrowheads, skinning knives, hominy beaters, broken Indian pipes, tomahawks, and pottery are in evidence. The Bardin Cave In addition to the Helm Caves, there is a large cave n the farm of Elmore Wilkinson known as the Bardin Cave. Joe Bardin and his wife, Penelope Workman Bardin, were early settlers on this farm. This cave is what is called a dry cave and as all caves are warm in winter; it was used by the owners as a place for storing fruit and vegetables during weather, from the time of the first settlers to modern times. The unusual drainage of the land In the Glens Fork section is a considerable area of farm land that has no direct drainage to any stream, the rainfall only going into sinkholes. To read all three installments of The History of Glensfork by Welcome Hamon:The Adair County Review is a quarterly publication of the Adair County Genealogical Society, it is received by all members of the Society. It is published in the Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Membership is open to anyone interested in the preservation of history of Adair County and the surrounding counties of Casey, Cumberland, Green, Metcalfe, Russell and Taylor. Annual dues are $15.00. Membership renewal is due in January of each year. Meetings are held at the Adair County Public Library, 307 Greensburg St. Columbia, KY., and are held on the first Monday night of each month. Meetings begin at 6:00pmCT. For more information about the Genealogical Society you can call the Adair County Public Library at (270) 384-2472 or contact Lila Ford at lila607@yahoo.com. This story was posted on 2009-04-04 09:08:25
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Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. (AD) - Many Reunion organizing efforts are also advertised in our REUNIONS category in our CM Classifeds. These are posted at a very low cost. See RATES & TERMS More articles from topic Local History:
Lila Ford is working on two installments for Glensfork, KY Cane Valley History: In memory of historian Randy Hood Flowers Wanted: Photo, memories of two room Pickett's Chapel School Great Wooded South II: Potato Chip Bag Ball More on Cane Valley, KY settlers after reading Cyrus story Letter: Background information on Bomar Heights name Letter: Wants information on naming of Bomar Heights Letter: Scary Tree on TRAYLOR, not Trailer, Hill History: Tragic deaths at Sulphur Well changed everything Genealogical Society has high praise for Gaither portrayals View even more articles in topic Local History |
 
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