Howardstown, Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Howardstown, Kentucky is located in the extreme southern portion of Nelson County
.
It includes both the actual Howardstown community and the Stiles community.
Neither community contains a US post office
. Stiles became part of the Howardstown post in the 1950s and Howardstown part of the New Haven
post in the 1990s.
Howardstown is located on the Rolling Fork River and much of its lore and history are part of that association.
Howardstown was formed by mainly Roman Catholic settlers, who formed the St. Ann parish and School. Stiles was formed by the Stiles family from a Revolutionary land grant
to David Stiles from Morristown, New Jersey
. Stiles has been primarily protestant with the formation of the Beech Grove Methodist Church and the Union Band Baptist Church.
Traditionally the residents have been mainly farmer
s, but the advent of good roads and easy access to "public" work in the neighboring communities has changed the most common occupation to laborer
s or industrial worker
s.
The community has contained several commercial enterprises, mostly capitalizing on the proximity of Howardstown to dry county
of LaRue
. The Cecil family has operated a package liquor store
for many years from three locations. Cecil's presently have 2 package stores...the original store that was no more than about 200 square feet (18.6 m²) of concrete block still stands, but is no longer used.
There is a small "mini mart" containing fuel and basic needs, package beer, grilled and fried food and a deli
currently operated by Paul and Katie (Hornback) Wheatley, they recently purchased the store from Joe and Lois Hornback July 1, 2011.
The old FM Head store collapsed years ago, but is a part of the local lore. Frank L Boone operated a local bar near the county line in the exact location of one of the Cecil's modern stores for years before his death. There has also been a pool hall
and bar that has operated intermittently over the years, most notably by "young Boogie Howard".
The most notable history of Howardstown has been its association with illegal liquor during and after prohibition
. Many of the locals chose to earn part of their living by erecting moonshine
stills and marketing the illegal spirits made from corn and sugar. Probably the most famous was Archie Spalding, who by all accounts was quite a character. Others were "Soup" Boone, and Charlie Stiles. Local marijuana growing briefly returned the community to this spotlight in the '70s and '80s, but has died off as well. Regard for what is locally seen as silly or overbearing parts of the law have been light in Howardstown.
Probably the best feature of the Howardstown/Stiles communities is the closeness that isolation and large families bring. All folks, except the few brought-ins, are related some way or other and have known one anothers families for generations. Funeral
s, wedding
s, and parties, bring huge turnouts. Any attempt to mess with the local school brings out extreme passion. Family members that marry into the community quickly become part of the fabric and are accepted as locals. The community has been very stable for many years owing much to the stability of long-term land owners who seldom sold.
Men such as George Stiles, Stiles Perkins, David Stiles, the Harned Family and their descendants still held much of the original 5000-acre David Stiles grant as of the 80s. Their descendants largely still hold much of this ground. John Boone, Bobby Hughes, Leo Boone, Joe Whelan, and many others have held or their descendants are still holding large portions. Lots for building, small parcels, and subdivision
simply has not been much of a factor in the community, therefore outsiders have not had access to the community to any great extent until the 2000s.
Another factor keeping outsiders away beside the remoteness and lack of houses and land has been the easy availability of potable water which only came to the community in the early 2000s. Many locals had wells, cisterns, or hauled fresh water, many still do. However, for someone from Louisville
to move to Howardstown without city water, would have been too alien.
Locals love the view of the knobs, the smell of the river, the familiarity of the community, and the remoteness. Most are ambivalent about outsiders moving in, but are always friendly and accepting when they do.
Nelson County, Kentucky
Nelson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population was 43,437. Its county seat is Bardstown. The county is part of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY–IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
.
It includes both the actual Howardstown community and the Stiles community.
Neither community contains a US post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
. Stiles became part of the Howardstown post in the 1950s and Howardstown part of the New Haven
New Haven, Kentucky
New Haven is a city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 849 at the 2000 census.New Haven was founded as Pottinger's Landing in 1781 and later named New Haven by Samuel Pottinger after the Connecticut town...
post in the 1990s.
Howardstown is located on the Rolling Fork River and much of its lore and history are part of that association.
Howardstown was formed by mainly Roman Catholic settlers, who formed the St. Ann parish and School. Stiles was formed by the Stiles family from a Revolutionary land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
to David Stiles from Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
. Stiles has been primarily protestant with the formation of the Beech Grove Methodist Church and the Union Band Baptist Church.
Traditionally the residents have been mainly farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s, but the advent of good roads and easy access to "public" work in the neighboring communities has changed the most common occupation to laborer
Laborer
A Laborer or labourer - see variation in english spelling - is one of the construction trades, traditionally considered unskilled manual labor, as opposed to skilled labor. In the division of labor, laborers have all blasting, hand tools, power tools, air tools, and small heavy equipment, and act...
s or industrial worker
Industrial Worker
The Industrial Worker, "the voice of revolutionary industrial unionism," is the newspaper of the Industrial Workers of the World . It is currently released ten times a year, printed and edited by union labor, and is frequently distributed at radical bookstores, demonstrations, strikes and labor...
s.
The community has contained several commercial enterprises, mostly capitalizing on the proximity of Howardstown to dry county
Dry county
A dry county is a county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Hundreds of dry counties exist across the United States, almost all of them in the South...
of LaRue
LaRue County, Kentucky
LaRue County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is included in the Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 13,373. Its county seat is Hodgenville...
. The Cecil family has operated a package liquor store
Liquor store
In the United States, Australia and Canada, a liquor store is a type of store that specializes in the sale of alcoholic beverages. In South Africa and Namibia these stores are generally called bottle stores....
for many years from three locations. Cecil's presently have 2 package stores...the original store that was no more than about 200 square feet (18.6 m²) of concrete block still stands, but is no longer used.
There is a small "mini mart" containing fuel and basic needs, package beer, grilled and fried food and a deli
Deli
Deli may refer to:* Delicatessen, type of food - Delicacies; Fast food * Delhi, the capital of India* Deli, Eurovision Song Contest 2008 entry of Turkey* Deli , a previous sultanate at North Sumatra...
currently operated by Paul and Katie (Hornback) Wheatley, they recently purchased the store from Joe and Lois Hornback July 1, 2011.
The old FM Head store collapsed years ago, but is a part of the local lore. Frank L Boone operated a local bar near the county line in the exact location of one of the Cecil's modern stores for years before his death. There has also been a pool hall
Pool hall
A billiard/billiards, pool or snooker hall is a place where people get together for playing cue sports such as pool, snooker or carom billiards...
and bar that has operated intermittently over the years, most notably by "young Boogie Howard".
The most notable history of Howardstown has been its association with illegal liquor during and after prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
. Many of the locals chose to earn part of their living by erecting moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
stills and marketing the illegal spirits made from corn and sugar. Probably the most famous was Archie Spalding, who by all accounts was quite a character. Others were "Soup" Boone, and Charlie Stiles. Local marijuana growing briefly returned the community to this spotlight in the '70s and '80s, but has died off as well. Regard for what is locally seen as silly or overbearing parts of the law have been light in Howardstown.
Probably the best feature of the Howardstown/Stiles communities is the closeness that isolation and large families bring. All folks, except the few brought-ins, are related some way or other and have known one anothers families for generations. Funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
s, wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
s, and parties, bring huge turnouts. Any attempt to mess with the local school brings out extreme passion. Family members that marry into the community quickly become part of the fabric and are accepted as locals. The community has been very stable for many years owing much to the stability of long-term land owners who seldom sold.
Men such as George Stiles, Stiles Perkins, David Stiles, the Harned Family and their descendants still held much of the original 5000-acre David Stiles grant as of the 80s. Their descendants largely still hold much of this ground. John Boone, Bobby Hughes, Leo Boone, Joe Whelan, and many others have held or their descendants are still holding large portions. Lots for building, small parcels, and subdivision
Subdivision
Subdivision may refer to:* Country subdivision** Subdivision , a term for an urban or suburban area, especially if recently parceled up into smaller plots for new uses** Census geographic units of Canada , a term used in Canada...
simply has not been much of a factor in the community, therefore outsiders have not had access to the community to any great extent until the 2000s.
Another factor keeping outsiders away beside the remoteness and lack of houses and land has been the easy availability of potable water which only came to the community in the early 2000s. Many locals had wells, cisterns, or hauled fresh water, many still do. However, for someone from Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
to move to Howardstown without city water, would have been too alien.
Locals love the view of the knobs, the smell of the river, the familiarity of the community, and the remoteness. Most are ambivalent about outsiders moving in, but are always friendly and accepting when they do.