St. Raphael Church

St Raphael Church was located on Hayden Bridge Road and Horrel Road. The area meets up with West Louisville to the west and Panther Creek to the north and east. The Vanover precinct borders to the south. The center is where St. Raphael’s church is located. It was the only church in that area. It had a great school joining the church.

Close by in the neighborhood was the Haydentown School. It was located on Hayden Bridge Road with Alvey Bridge Road to the north and the Myles School to the south on the Myles School road at Highway 279. The Wayne School was to the east and the Simmons school near West Louisville. All of these were one-room schools.

First Church Building

It is almost certain that the Hayden family was the first family to locate there. The first church was built at the Panther Creek station and was completed it 1844. A track of land that was donated in 1848 included St. Raphael’s church. It sat in the middle of the track. The congregation included the Blandfords, Sims, Cravens, Livers, Clayton, Mattinglys, Coomes, Knott, Russells, and a few others. In 1857 the log church burnt. In 1861 a new log church was built. That log church was abandoned and was moved to the top of the hill where in 1878 a new brick church was started.

Second Church Building

Along with the second brick church started in 1878, a school was built in 1882. This church suffered a great deal of damage from the tornado that passed through West Louisville on April 12, 1890. The school stood for 90 years. The church was a center of social life in the area and was known for it's yearly picnics until 1972. It was so popular that bus service from West Louisville School was provided on picnic day. In May 1977 the church was struck by fire, but was saved and repaired. The church officially closed when Bishop Soennecker announced that September 25, 1977 would be the last mass. It was torn down in 1983. The big 800 pound bell was moved to St. Mary Magdalene in Sorgho.

Coal Mining

The St. Raphael area had a big coal vein located beneath it. There were several underground mines in the area which included the O’Byran’s, Scharber’s and the Hancock’s. Posey Hancock’s Mine sold coal to the old OMU power plant in Owensboro as well as Murphy Chair Company for 10 cents a bushel. Claude Clark coal mine was just past the Bishop’s home in the early 1930’s.

Coal mining started in the St. Raphael area in the early 1900’s thru the 1950’s before Green Coal Company moved through the area strip mining coal. Most of that coal went to OMU as well as being loaded on barges headed to other places. Green Coal Company set up a nearby Tipple in Panther and stripped coal all around the St. Raphael area. It removed up to a thousand tons a day from the 4 foot vein. Several new homes have been built in the last 20 years in the area, most of which is farmland.