Murray, Kentucky is one of the fastest-growing cities in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. With a US Census Bureau population estimate of 19,348 (2018), the city has experienced fast growth throughout it’s 175-year history.
Murray, Kentucky
Category Archives: Old Towns & Villages
Eddyville, Kentucky
Eddyville, Kentucky’s history is rather unique. Not many towns of 2,500 residents can claim as many milestones (both bad and good) as Eddyville.
The town is presently located along US 62 & US 641 just south of Interstates 24 & 69 in Lyon County, Kentucky. But today’s Eddyville wasn’t there 60 years ago.
Grand Rivers, Kentucky
Grand Rivers, Kentucky, known as the “village between the lakes”, is located between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley just north of Land Between The Lakes. Even though the town has only a few hundred residents, it is the premier resort town for the Kentucky Lake region.
Featuring two beautiful resorts, Lighthouse Landing and Green Turtle Bay, along with Pattis’ 1880’s Settlement, Grand Rivers is a popular vacation destination.
Dexter, Kentucky
Dexter is an unincorporated community in northern Calloway County. It is a “census-designated place” and has a population of 277 people as of 2010. The town features a few streets on a grid and was once incorporated.
History of Dexter
Similar to the nearby towns of Almo, Hardin and Hazel, Dexter was originally a railroad camp when the Paducah Tennessee and Alabama Railroad was building a line through Calloway County in 1890. Sam M. Jones, the landowner at the future site of Dexter, donated the right of way for the tracks and the site for the station on condition that he name it Dexter. He chose the name after Dexter, Mo, which at that time was a thriving railroad town. Several of Jones’ friends and neighbors were given employment in the Missouri town, so he decided to honor it by naming the station Dexter.
A post office was established on December 19, 1890 with General Buford Williams the first postmaster.
The railroad was abandoned with the tracks pulled in August 2009 (see photo below).
At some point after 1960, Dexter became unincorporated.
This photo shows the Dexter station and railroad from the early 20th century. Thanks to Michael Hale for sharing.
Location of Dexter
The community is located just to the east of US 641, about seven miles north of Murray. This map from 1936 shows Dexter.
Present day Dexter, Kentucky on Google Maps:
Dexter Population
1900: 221
1910: 260
1920: 278
1930: 185
1940: 243
1950: 277
1960: 250
In 2010, the US Census Bureau shows Dexter, an “census-designated place”, having a population of 277.
Dexter Contributions
If you have any information or photos you’d like to share about Dexter, please contact us. Some information was provided by the book Kentucky Place Names.
The Life & Death of Golden Pond, Kentucky
Let’s face it – moving can be painful. Chances are everyone reading this article has moved at least once in their lifetime. Kids move out and get married. Newlyweds move from apartment to apartment or to their first home. Sometimes folks will upgrade homes and move to a bigger house to accommodate their expanding family.
Exploring The Ruins Of Old Kuttawa
When Lake Barkley reaches winter pool each fall, the remains of Old Kuttawa, Kentucky emerge. A thriving town of several hundred in the early part of the 20th century, a good part of the old city is now buried under the waters of Lake Barkley.
Old Kuttawa called the Cumberland River its home, fixed on its northern shores. Founded right after the Civil War in 1866 by Ohio Governor Charles Anderson, who served a short five-month term as the head of the state, the origin of the town’s name is disputed.
All Roads Lead To… Wadesboro?
Tucked away in far northern Calloway County, Ky. about a mile west of Dexter lies the old town of Wadesboro. Chances are you’ve never driven through Wadesboro or perhaps have even heard of it. However, the story of Wadesboro is fascinating, given the designation of the first town in far western Kentucky, the area known as the Jackson Purchase. For a while, all roads in western Kentucky led to Wadesboro.
Ferguson Spring in Land Between The Lakes
Land Between The Lakes (LBL) has many well-kept secrets and hidden gems. We all know about the main attractions at LBL. However, some places aren’t well-known. One of those is Ferguson Spring, a beautiful and peaceful location that was once the former site of a farming community.
Danville, Tennessee
The creation of Kentucky Lake in the 1940s put a lot of things underwater. Farms, homes, businesses, roads, railroads, cemeteries and entire communities. Danville, Tennessee was one of the communities that permanently flooded when the Tennessee River was impounded to create Kentucky Lake.
The former site of Danville is located near present-day McKinnon. The story of Danville is unique with the fact that two large structures of the former town still remain – the abandoned and partially removed L&N Railroad bridge and the transfer elevator.
Model, Tennessee
Model, Tennessee was a small unincorporated town located in present day Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area. Although very little evidence of the town exists today, the Great Western Iron Furnace still stands as a monument of the area’s important iron ore industry in the mid-nineteenth century.
History of Model
The area was first known as Pryor’s Creek, named for the first settler who came in the area sometime around 1800. A post office was established in the area called Bass. The location was named after Jethro Bass, who was the first postmaster. The post office opened in July 1846 but closed in August 1850. Postmaster John Gardner reestablished the post office in 1857.
In 1854, the short-lived Great Western Iron Furnace was established and the community surrounding the company was known as Great Western. Slaves and white men were used for labor. The furnace only lasted until late 1856 when a panic caused by slave insurrection ensued throughout Stewart County.
In addition to the panic, a lack of reliable transportation, fuel, and available raw materials cause the demise of the furnace.
After the Civil War, the Cincinnati Cooperage Company decided to develop the area as a “model town” and that’s how the community got its name. William M. Boyd became the first postmaster of the new town on July 12, 1887.
Several people who came to work for the area furnaces decided to set roots around northern Stewart County. The area was attractive with its abundant timber and rich soil in the bottom lands. Many became farmers, timber men, or blacksmiths.
Over the years, the town and surrounding area began to lose population due to the depletion of timber. The land also became less productive for farming so people began to relocate.
The demise of the town was the creation of Land Between The Lakes in the 1960s.
Location of Model
The town was located on the Trace in LBL about three miles south of the Kentucky/Tennessee state line.
The GPS Coordinates of the former site are 36.641754, -87.976829.
Model Contributions
Four Rivers Explorer is always a work in progress, including this section. If you have any information you would like to share about Model, please contact us.