View source for Whalen, Kentucky

[[File:1886-Whalen.jpg|thumb|424x424px|1886 Directory Listing for Whalen]]
Whalen, otherwise known as Short’s Station, is located in the
eastern part of the county about four miles from Philpot. Whalen’s
post office was established in 1884, and was a thriving village
along the tracks of the Falls of Rough Railroad, and the former
site of a large clay mining operation. Whalen is situated around
Short’s Station Road and Jack Hinton Road. 

In 1886, Whalen had a school house run by Miss Lena Coots. It also had a post office in which
Joseph R. Whalen was the first post master, and also the community’s
namesake. Other early postmasters included, Ambrose
Cundiff, James S. Short, and Emily Whalen. James S. Short was
the namesake of the train station and synonymous with Whalen,
Short’s Station. At one point there was a dry-goods store, blacksmith’s
shop, the Short’s Station Depot, and of course many
farms. The post office was the central gathering place for men
of the neighborhood to discuss politics, world affairs, and have
a good time playing checkers and cards.
The railroad which ran
through Whalen carried passenger and freight trains and at one
time it carried up to eight trains a day. The small Short’s Station
Depot contained a waiting room for passengers, and a ticket and
freight office. The passenger line was discontinued in 1941 as
was the mail line in 1948. Around the 1940s and 1950s, business
began to close due to improved roads and increased opportunity
of transportation and availably of automobiles. The blacksmith
shop ran by Wallace Estes closed around 1930 and the General
Store in 1942. In part due to the decreased rail traffic and business’
closing, the post office closed April 15th, 1949, and until
1980, only freight was carried on the railroad through Whalen.

[[Category:Towns]]