Subject: KFY: Mt Vernon Signal Newspapers, 1905 - Rockcastle Co 

FROM LONG AGO 
Submitted By: Ray E_v_a_n_s 
ray.evans@worldnet.att.net 

Mount Vernon Signal
December 8, 1905

(Note: This information has been re-typed from the microfilm.  The re-typed 
material has been subjected to a computerized spelling check.  However, an 
effort has been made to preserve the English usage and spelling of that period.)

BRODHEAD NEWS

Your regular correspondent at Brodhead, Fred L. Durham, is just a 320 pound kid 
and does not take time to indulge in reminiscences, but I will attend to that 
part of it for him a few minutes today.

	In a conversation with Mr. J.G. Woodyard, he told many interesting things 
about Brodhead when he first came here 55 years ago (1850).  Near where he now 
lives stood what was known as a "drover's stable" where large droves of horses, 
mules, cattle, hogs, etc, used to be 'put.up" for the night prior to being 
driven to the Sunny Southland.  He made many such trips himself on foot driving 
hogs down South at $10 per month.  From 300 to 700 hogs would be in a drove, and 
they would move along at the rate of 6 to 12 miles per day, according to the 
road, traveling very slowly on rocks.  Sometimes when they would reach the 
Cumberland or Kentucky river the streams would be too swollen to tackle and they 
would have to camp sometimes for several days.  "But we would have a good time," 
he said;  "We always had two or three good fiddlers in the crowd and plenty of 
whiskey.  There was always ladies in the neighborhood and each fellow would take 
his girl to a dance and we would swing partners all night long and not go home 
til morning.  The girls liked to dance and drink as well as the men folks and we 
had a time of it"  Mr. Woodyard says it would take 52 days to drive through, but 
coming back they averaged walking 35 miles a day.  Hogs sold then at about $2 
per hundred weight.

	The two old buildings just across the river here, are owned by T.S. Frith, 
the other by John Conn, are the only buildings now standing that were here when 
Mr. Woodyard first moved here.  The oldest business house is that of T.S. Frith.  

	The people then worshipped at Boone's Fork and the first pastor that he 
remembers was Rev. Jas. Asbell.  Mr Woodyard married Miss Jane Vanhook in 1850 
and in addition to seeing their children grown up around them, they have 
witnessed the growth of Brodhead.

N O T E

Elizabeth Francisco Mullins (!908 - 1994) clarifies in her memoirs some details 
of the Boone's Fork church.  She indicates that the church was adjacent to 
Brodhead's first school.  Both were built of squared logs located on a north 
rocky bank about a 100 yards from the present (1988) Boone's Fork bridge.  She 
goes on to say that the one-way lower bridge was in use in 1890 and that the 
present two-way steel reinforced concrete bridge was built in 1988.

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