Griffith Station, Kentucky

In 1876 Daniel M. Griffith owned over 300 acres in the area that was located on what is now Hwy 279 Griffith Station Road. The road starts on River road and goes all the way to Stanley next to railroad tracks. When the Louisville, St. Louis and Texas Railroad were being built in 1888, the road next to it was built alongside. Griffith had the land that the track would run through and the train would build a depot. It was called Griffith Station. In 1886, when postal authorities rejected John Gaw’s proposed name, Plum Grove, for a Post Office, one mile south of the Ohio River and near (or on) the anticipated railroad coming through, he was instructed to find another location. He chose his own name. The Gaw Post Office operated from June 1886 to October 1891 some six miles northwest of Owensboro. It only had two different Postmasters, John Gaw and John Saalwaechter. The last Post Office established on the Louisville, St. Louis, and Texas Railway and the nearest to Owensboro was Griffith. It was 1.7 miles east of Stanley. It was named for site owner Daniel M. Griffith and operated from March 1893 to August 1906. The Postmasters were Gun Vittitow, Hilary A. Wimsatt, Francis Clark, Albert Williams, and Robert G. Head. It was discontinued and moved to Stanley. After the Griffith family sold a right away to the Louisville, St. Louis and Texas Railroad for $1650, sixty feet wide, and the town was laid off. It started at Walnut Street, went 355 feet south to Little Avenue and then 700 feet west to the land of J. L. Moreland. It originally contained just over one acre. It was signed in August 1888. Griffith had a one room school. It also had a Baptist Church which was built about 1915. The building was originally a house and was remodeled to make it a church. It was finally organized in 1922. Some of its first members were: Boss Arnold, Nettie Keeton, Irene Quinn, Ora Young, Chester Gray, F.C. Quinn, Charles Young, Daisy Young, Henry Keeton, Ernest Quinn, George Young, and George Kirk. George Birk was elected as the first Moderator of the church. The church purchased the building from B. F. Gray who also was one of the finest trustees along with Cleve Quinn and Ernest Quinn. The church never was very strong in numbers or financially stable. It was located in a limited territory and was close to Stanley, Pleasant Grove and other churches. It ceased in 1966. Most of its remaining members went to Stanley Baptist Church. Another part of Griffith Station was located in the picnic woods, where the original St. Peter’s Catholic Church picnic grounds were located. After several years of having the picnic on the church lot on Oakford Road, it was moved to S. B. Berry woods near Griffith Station. The move made it easier for the people to get from the train stop. Special rates were obtained from the railroad company for $.25 round trip from Union Station. Rates from Henderson and Cloverport were $.60. The St. Peters picnic was one of the biggest picnics along the railroad in Daviess County. The Owensboro Messenger reported that the picnic had a large and elaborate line of amusements and had the largest dancing platform in the county. Large numbers of sheep, chickens and beef were barbequed for nearly 5000 every year. When the school and church were built in Stanley, the picnic moved there as well from Griffith. Charlie McKay ran a store in Griffith. G. W. Dawson was the physician in 1894. When the Stanley Consolidated School opened in Stanley in 1935, the Griffith School was one of the one room schoolhouses to close down.