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Phone Rates Actually Fell in 1919
A front page headline in the Register of October 4, 1919, stated "Phones Must Go Back to Old Rate." This surprising development was caused by an unusual set of circumstances.
In the early 1900's, the Cumberland Telephone Co. of Nashville, Tenn., a…
Business District Fire
Amid floods, epidemics and shoot-outs, it seems that once or twice every generation a large part of Richmond's business district would burn down. The block on the south side of West Main between Second and Third was largely destroyed by fire in the…
Double Disaster in 1909
In the first days of August, 1909, Richmond was dealt a double disaster which left it stunned for a while.
Dark clouds came up ominously about the time people were sitting down to their evening meal on Aug. 5. Before the supper dishes could be…
Dark clouds came up ominously about the time people were sitting down to their evening meal on Aug. 5. Before the supper dishes could be…
Early Richmond Businesses
Not much is known about the very early businesses in this city. We have some information about stories, stagecoaches, craftsmen and professional leaders from about 1850 on, but for the times earlier than that our knowledge is scant. A quite valuable…
Christmas Here in 1880
The weekly newspapers in Richmond during the Christmas season in 1880 had none of the large display ads for gifts and decorations that we find this season.
Judging from the space that the newspapers devoted to the various subjects, there was more…
Judging from the space that the newspapers devoted to the various subjects, there was more…
The Holiday Turkey Business
In the early 1900's, Madison County developed into one of the largest turkey raising and processing centers in this area of the country. On several hundred farms and in the backyards of many Richmond residences turkeys were hatched in large numbers…
Old Drugstores
Drugstores were apparently a part of the Richmond business scene from the early years following the incorporation of the city in 1809.
Perhaps the oldest known drugstore location in Richmond is the building on the corner of Main and Second St.,…
Perhaps the oldest known drugstore location in Richmond is the building on the corner of Main and Second St.,…
Where to Find a Doctor in Richmond in the 1880s
Before the Pattie A. Clay Infirmary was established in 1892, there was no hospital in Richmond. Most people who were seriously ill or injured were cared for at their own homes until they either got well or died in their own beds. From time to time…
Business at End of Civil War
In the months following the end of the Civil War in 1865, business in Richmond was more or less back to normal. With the exception of reports of nearby raids by John Hunt Morgan's men, there had been no military excitement here since the aftermath of…
The Berea Post Office
When the Berea College and community leaders returned from exile after the civil war, postal service was reestablished with Schyler Johnson as postmaster. People got their mail out of the "pigeon holes" in a roll-top desk at Johnson's blacksmith shop…
Updating the Fire Department
Our Richmond fire department with its several modern trucks and full-time firemen who have been trained in firefighting came from modest beginnings and has gone through several stages of reorganization.
One such occasion of reorganization was in…
One such occasion of reorganization was in…
Madison's Heritage (Ice Co.)
Before the invention of the electric refrigerator the people of Richmond and Madison County were able to have ice for summer use only through a rather difficult process.
In the coldest part of winter when the ice would form in a thick layer on…
In the coldest part of winter when the ice would form in a thick layer on…
Christmas at Turn of Century
A look at how Madisonians celebrated Christmas at the turn of the Century shows us some ways in which our customs have changed.
In the year 1900, there were no brightly colored electric lights on Christmas trees and on the streets and houses as we…
In the year 1900, there were no brightly colored electric lights on Christmas trees and on the streets and houses as we…
First Surgical Operation in Madison
Many of our students of Kentucky history could tell us that the first successful abdominal ovariotomy surgery in the world was performed by Dr. Ephraim McDowell in 1809, in his Danville, Ky. office. However; we suspect that few, if any, know of the…
Hello, Central
Its equipment was somewhat crude and unreliable, but when the first telephone company in Richmond began its operations in 1884, the local folks thought it was great to be able to stand in one's own home and talk in a normal voice to another person on…
Ferries Around Madison
About a dozen ferries operated on the Kentucky River and the creeks which constitute the county line for most of Madison. These ferries span the time from 1775 when the Boonesborough ferry was established on the Richmond-Winchester Road to the…
Night Gas Works Blew Up
At 2 a.m. on the morning of Saturday November 12, 1898, most of the residents of Richmond were awaken by a tremendously loud and frightening noise which, as one newspaper editor exclaimed, "Sounded as if ... a load of coal had been dumped down the…
Fire! Fire! Fire
The large fires which in recent years have destroyed buildings in the downtown business section of Richmond have caused some interest in major fires in the history of this city. During most of the 19th Century the ringing of the courthouse bell to…
History of the Kentucky Register
A vital part of the history of Madison County during the latter half of the 19th Century and also a great source of detailed local history data is the Kentucky Register, a newspaper published on Friday of each week at Richmond from 1866 until…
Richmond's First Merchant
In the year 1798, a young man arrived in this community to become an almost forgotten pioneer in Madison's heritage: the first permanent merchant and storekeeper in Richmond. Thomas Howard was born in what is now Woodford County about the time of the…
Municipal Services in '90s
In looking at the history of local government and public services, the mid-1890's were interesting years. Richmond, at that time, was governed by a mayor and six councilmen. As mayor, T.T. Covington received a salary of $450 a year, and each…
Richmond Electric Co.
In November, 1898, after the local gasworks blew up and was partly destroyed, the City Council of Richmond considered the lighting of the streets by electricity because many of the citizens had been complaining about the weak and uncertain gas…
Village of Valley View
About fourteen miles northwest of Richmond on Ky. 169 is a quiet little village at the mouth of Tates Creek where it enters the Kentucky River. As a person drives through the village he goes down to the river where one of the last ferryboats in the…
Azbill's Livery Stable
"Horse Men's Headquarters" in large letters across the top of a two-story red brick building at 123 East Main Street in Richmond back in the early 1900's served notice on persons passing by that they were in front of one of the biggest livery stables…
Richmond Post Office and Its Postmasters
After it was first established in July 1802, the U.S. Post Office in Richmond moved around frequently before it finally got a permanent home. According to the Kentucky Register, of August 6, 1897, the Richmond Post Office had been located in leased…
Clothing Prices in Richmond in 1875
When folks get ready to buy their new spring clothes, they usually do some "shopping around" at several stores, getting a notion of the quality and prices before they buy.
Residents of Richmond back in 1875 apparently were no different, judging…
Residents of Richmond back in 1875 apparently were no different, judging…
