Stanley, Kentucky

Stanley, Kentucky
Type	Unincorporated community
County	Daviess County
State	Kentucky
Named for	Nathaniel G. Stanley, early settler
Founded	1888
Incorporated	1897 (sixth class town)
Post office	1889–1997
Railroad	Louisville, St. Louis and Texas Railroad
Location	9 miles west of Owensboro on US Highway 60
Population	~350

Stanley is an unincorporated community in Daviess County, Kentucky, located approximately nine miles west of Owensboro on US Highway 60. Founded in 1888 with the arrival of the Louisville, St. Louis and Texas Railroad, Stanley grew from a railroad stop into a small but self-sufficient rural town that served the agricultural communities of the Ohio and Green River bottoms for more than a century.

Origins: Oakford Precinct

Before Stanley existed, the area was part of the Oakford precinct, which stretched from the Green River to the Henderson County line, north to the Ohio River, and east roughly to where Highway 279 runs today. The low-lying bottomland drained through the Katie Meadows slough and Rhodes Creek to the Green River.

According to an 1883 county history, most of the people along the Ohio River were described as rough and indolent, spending much of their time hunting and chopping cordwood to supply Ohio River steamboats. Two early communities formed within the precinct: Grissom's Landing and Birk City.

The Oakford Post Office — the earliest in the precinct — was established on October 22, 1858, with Gaye Holmes as Postmaster. Located ten miles west of Owensboro at the junction of present-day Kentucky 1554 and Oakford Road, it operated until August 1871. In all, nine post offices at various times served the northwest corner of Daviess County between the Ohio and Green Rivers: Oakford, Looper-Stanley, Birk City, Grissom's Landing, Dunbarton, Elfrieda, Gaw, Newman, and Griffith.

The first church in the area was a union church built in 1856, used principally by Methodists and Presbyterians, replaced by a new building in 1882. The Catholics were among the first religious denominations in the precinct. The first Catholic church in the area — St. Peter's — was proposed by John Gaw and N. M. Lancaster, constructed in 1873 at Bernard Hills about one mile east of present-day Stanley at a cost of $4,000, with a building committee of Thomas J. Monarch, John Gaw, N. M. Lancaster, J. C. Grant, and T. C. Hill.

Founding

In 1887 the Louisville, St. Louis and Texas Railroad began acquiring rights-of-way between Owensboro and Henderson, and the railroad bridge at Spottsville was completed in 1888. Nat G. Stanley was among the earliest settlers in the new railroad corridor, and in December 1888 a survey was completed by I. W. Sutherland laying off a new town on the railroad for Stanley. Thirty-five lots were initially platted on flat ground with broad streets and avenues. The Owensboro Messenger reported that it "would be something more than a paper village." Plans quickly materialized for a train depot, storehouse, large barn, and a blacksmith shop relocated from Birk City. Stanley and Miles Hagan of Oakford were constructing a large two-story storehouse, and tenement houses for railroad workers were already under construction.

A total of 70 lots were eventually offered — 55 north of the railroad tracks and 20 south — beginning at Grissom's Landing Road (now French Island Road) and extending past Sutherland Street (now Church Street). The Louisville, St. Louis and Texas Railroad purchased lots on what became the site of the Mulligan Feed Mill. Among the first residents were R. Miles Hagan, G. T. Vittitow, Frank Wimsatt, George Pendleton, T. E. Pate, Ralph Wimsatt, Mattie Lambert, Ellen Eberhart, L. T. Cox, Hiram Cambron, John Snyder, William Gordon, and James Brown.

1889 Oakford Fire

In May 1889, a fire nearly wiped out the neighboring village of Oakford. Starting from a defective flue at the Miles Hagan residence, the blaze spread on a breezy day to Hagan's adjoining store, then to the Hagan and Stanley Mill, the blacksmith shop of Talbott and Wimsatt, and a house belonging to William Gordon. The mill was a total loss. Dr. Conway's house was saved by neighbors fighting the fire. Hagan had already been preparing to move his stock to Stanley, where he was building a new store. Robert Miles Hagan became Postmaster of Stanley when the Looper Post Office closed in May 1889, transferring service from the old Looper community that had sat between Oakford and Stanley.

Town Government

In July 1897, on a petition of J. W. Smith and others, Stanley was established as a sixth-class town. Its boundaries ran from a point 345 feet south of the railroad and 75 feet east of Grissom's Landing Road, north 1,200 feet, then east 1,550 feet, then south 1,200 feet, then west 1,440 feet. The first officers were trustees A. D. Pike, P. W. Cooper, J. W. Snyder, T. C. Miles, and F. T. Washborne; Police Judge Thomas Scheffer; Marshal Joseph Moseley; and Assessor J. P. Hughart.

In May 1908, a petition was filed in Daviess Circuit Court to dissolve Stanley's incorporation. Petitioners complained that all tax revenues were consumed by town officials' salaries with nothing left for public improvements. The matter was contested into January 1909, when townsmen argued that Stanley should remain incorporated in the interest of the town. Nat G. Stanley, who resided near town, made an assignment of 460 acres at Stanley and several Henderson County tracts to Z. T. Robinson for the benefit of creditors.

Banking

In March 1904, the Bank of Stanley opened in a brick building next to the railroad. Principal stockholders included E. W. Neel, A. J. Wilson, James H. Parrish, A. L. Parrish, J. T. Griffith, H. B. Eagles, LaVega Clements, James Hill, S. R. Ewing, and Dr. G. W. Dawson of Owensboro, with a capital stock of $15,000. James Hill served as first President; cashier Estil Neal lived in an apartment above the bank. The bank closed on September 17, 1911, with John Hofendorfer as President and Mike Scherm as Vice President.

A separate Stanley Deposit Bank went into liquidation on December 27, 1907. All depositors were paid in full by the State Bank of Kentucky, an Owensboro institution.

Churches

The Stanley Baptist Church was originally organized at Birk City. In 1895 the congregation voted to move to Stanley, and in the fall of 1910 members razed the old building and constructed a new church, completed in 1911 at a final cost of $4,000 — described as one of the most conveniently and handsomely appointed churches in the Green River territory. The first service was led by Pastor M. J. Cox.

The Stanley Methodist Episcopal Church was moved from Birk City after that congregation's building was struck by lightning and destroyed. It was dedicated in January 1909 with Harry Purdy among those who helped construct it. A new and larger church was dedicated under Masonic rites in May 1913, with Col. Thomas Pettit of Owensboro, acting Grand Master of the State, leading the program.

St. Peter's Catholic Church had its roots in the 1873 Bernard Hills building east of Stanley. In 1912, when the south addition of Stanley was laid off, one of the first lots — a four-acre tract — became the site of a new St. Peter's church. In 1922, under Fr. John Higgins, the third and present church was built at a cost of $100,000. Its basement was divided into classrooms used until a four-room school and sisters' quarters were added in 1952. Four more rooms were added to the school in the early 1960s.

Schools

St. Peter's Catholic School was dedicated in October 1911 in a new frame building used as both a grade and high school, with an enrollment of nearly 100 students in its first year. The Ursuline Sisters were in charge of instruction. For many years St. Peter's operated both an elementary school and a high school, until it closed in 1989 and consolidated with Holy Angels School along with five other local elementary schools.

The surrounding countryside was served by one-room schoolhouses including those at French Island/Laketown (a two-room school taught by the Ward sisters — Alberta for grades one through four, Hallie for grades five through eight), Carrico, Stanley Station, Griffith, Grant, Newman, Sauer, and Laketown.

In September 1934, plans were approved for a new consolidated school — one story, brick and masonry, six classrooms, costing $15,000. The Stanley Consolidated School opened in 1935, bringing bus routes to the area and closing all the surrounding one-room schools. The Black school at Grissom was consolidated with Carver School in Owensboro at Seventh and Sycamore, replacing seven Black schools across the county. Stanley Consolidated School closed in 1992 with Billy Blaine as Principal; students were divided between Audubon Elementary and West Louisville Elementary based on family location.

Highway 60

In 1922–1923 Highway 60 was constructed through the area. The old road had followed farm boundaries with many turns; the new route straightened the corridor from Oakford Road to Stanley and then along the railroad tracks westward. All roads in the area were dirt at the time. By 1925 the road from Owensboro was graveled, though the stretch west of Stanley remained dirt and mud-filled in winter. In the early 1930s the levee along Highway 60 was raised, with area farmers including the Pendletons, Adkissons, and Raleys doing much of the work with teams and slip scrapers. The concrete slab on Highway 60 was finished by August 1933.

In April 1948, a section of the highway bridge and road on the levee, undermined by flood waters, collapsed and closed the road for several months. A year earlier, a Greyhound bus carrying 14 passengers had collided with a car at the same location, leaving the bus balanced precariously on the crest of the 14-foot levee. No one was hurt; a heavy-duty wrecker proved too light to remove the bus, and one was called from Lexington the following day.

1937 Flood

The most devastating event in Stanley's history was the flood of January 1937. Beginning with more than 21 inches of rain, the Ohio River crested at 53.75 feet — 5.4 feet above the previous record set in 1913 (48.4 feet at Evansville). Several houses built since 1913 had been raised 30 inches above the 1913 crest level, based on government assurances it would never be exceeded again; those assurances proved wrong.

The last passenger train passed through Stanley on January 21 before rising water cut rail service. Residents began moving to higher ground, hampered by the fact that most had no radio or newspaper and did not know the full scale of what was coming. Some were trapped with neighbors and brought livestock into their homes. W.P.A. workers helped build barges for rescue operations across the county. The rescue ship Kuttawa, with a barge owned by the Illinois Pipe Line Company, picked up 145 people from the Stanley, Newman, and Reed areas. The Wilson Ferry also arrived carrying refugees. On January 27, 250 people arrived from Stanley on rescue barges with only the clothes on their backs.

National Red Cross nurse Miss Elsa Odman was sent to Stanley, where about 150 people remained on 25 to 30 acres of dry ground. A hospital was established at the Sisters' home with six patients. Refugees were quartered at St. Peter's Church, the parsonage, the school, and Stanley Consolidated School. The church tower was fitted as a light station, kept burning nightly as a guide for patrol boats. About 200 head of work stock and cattle, 150 hogs, and approximately 50 dogs were stranded on that small island of dry ground.

After the waters receded, more than 1,000 men aided the U.S. Public Health Service in cleaning roads, purifying wells, disposing of dead livestock, and helping residents return home. Buildings had been knocked off foundations, windows broken, mud deposited throughout interiors, machinery and vehicles submerged, and corn rotted in the cribs. The 1937 flood was, in the words of those who lived through it, worse than the Depression.

Community Life

Stanley sustained a lively community life throughout much of the twentieth century. The town supported multiple grocery stores at a time — Fogle's, Hensley, Nantz, Millay's, Mitchell's, and others at various points, as well as a drug store operated by Dr. Early next to the post office. John Towery ran the pool hall. Ollie Miles served as telephone operator out of the exchange between two garages on the main block; she was said to know everyone and everything in the community, and every household shared a party line.

Community entertainment was largely self-organized. Dutch Culley played piano for all local activities and dances, including outdoor Saturday-night dances laid out at the intersection of Griffith Station Road and Church Street during summer. Don Culley and Lansing Adkisson developed a tennis team that played other area communities; their court stood where the Stanley Crop Service office is today. Leo Byrne had the first radio in Stanley and neighbors gathered at his house to hear world news and boxing matches; he also built one of the best croquet courts in Daviess County.

Stanley fielded a strong baseball team for many years called the "Kentucky Cardinals," with players including M. E. Coleman, Jake and Bill Smith, Buz and Dolby McKay, K. O. Towery, and pitcher Ruben Miles. A later team in 1937–1939 included Junius Jones, E. B. Wilson, Herman Russell, Junior Fogle, B. J. Foster, Sammy Saver, Wilbur Jones, and pitcher Rolla Hardesty, most of whom also played on the Daviess County High School team.

A roller skating rink was operated in a Quonset hut, at various times run by Jess Settles and Mrs. Oldham Wimsatt. The rink later became the "Funny Book Factory" (buying and selling used books and comic books), then a car repair shop and used car dealership. Del's Restaurant, a family inn, was operated by Jimmy Coomes and later Del Gilmore.

About a mile and a half from Stanley was Pendleton's Corner, which supported a two-story general store, mill, livery stable, and blacksmith shop. The store was torn down in the early 1940s, replaced a few years later by a restaurant and motel built by the Pendletons.

Jim and Alice Hill Funeral Home was located at French Island and Church Street from the 1930s through the 1940s. The Hill grocery on Short Street had a small mill that ground wheat and corn for area farmers and was the first building in Stanley with electric light, powered by the owner's own generator.

Notable Businesses

Mullican Feed Mill — William J. Mullican built a feed mill on the east side of Stanley spanning the railroad tracks on Griffith Station Road, relocating two small houses and the old jail to clear the site. Running initially on a stationary motor (electricity had not yet reached Stanley), the mill converted to electric power when the REA brought current to Stanley in 1938, paying extra to accommodate three-phase current. A new and larger mill was built on Church Street in 1961 by Bill and Marty Mullican, incorporating a hardware store and grain-buying operation. Charlie and brother Mike later operated the mill before it was sold.

Foster Angus Farm — William J. Foster built a herd of registered Angus cattle that became one of the largest in Kentucky. Annual auctions were held from 1960 to 1975 in a sales barn on French Island Road next to Scherer Cemetery. Foster served as President of the Western Kentucky Angus Association for approximately 15 years and later as a Director of the American Angus Association.

Kentucky Distillers — In 1961, Ben and Thomas A. Medley Jr. established a distillery in Stanley, originally called Old Stanley Distillery, Inc., later renamed Kentucky Distillers. The facility included a bottling house and warehouse.

Stanley Crop Service — A fertilizer and agricultural chemicals plant was opened in the early 1960s by Dick Cecil. Cecil later retired to open the "Smokehouse" Barbecue Restaurant in Owensboro. The plant was sold to Kenny Saalwaechter and became Stanley Crop Service; when Kenny retired it passed to Marty Mitchell, then to Monty Parrish.

Post Office

Robert Miles Hagan became Stanley's first Postmaster in May 1889 when the Looper Post Office transferred to Stanley. Maude Brown served as Postmaster from 1914 to 1948; Lena Wilhite held the position until 1955 and again from 1957 until her retirement in 1984. Mary Lou Hundley then served as Postmaster until the Stanley Post Office closed in October 1997. Jerry Carter subsequently operated a Contract Mail Station in his auto parts store for 15 years before it too closed.

Stanley Today

Stanley sits approximately four miles from the Kimberly-Clark paper mill on the Green River, generating substantial daily traffic through town. Much of the regional traffic between Owensboro and Henderson now bypasses Stanley via the Audubon Parkway near Sorgho. Approximately 350 people live in or near the community.