Athertonville, Kentucky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Athertonville, Kentucky
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 Athertonville, Kentucky
Location in Kentucky
Athertonville, Kentucky
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | LaRue |
| Elevation | 472 ft (144 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 486117 |
Athertonville is a small, unincorporated community in LaRue County, Kentucky, United States. This means it's a place where people live together, but it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. It was first called Medcalf in April 1884, but its name was changed to Athertonville just one month later.
Contents
History of Athertonville
Athertonville's story began with the making of spirits. Wattie Boone, a distant relative of the famous Daniel Boone, built one of the first places to make spirits at Knob Creek. Historians believe Boone was one of the first people to be recorded making a type of American spirit called bourbon in Kentucky, back in 1776.
Abraham Lincoln's Connection
According to local stories, Abraham Lincoln's father worked at the Boone Distillery in 1814. Abraham Lincoln himself started his schooling at a special type of school called a subscription school near where Athertonville is today. In a subscription school, families paid a fee for their children to attend.
Growth of the Town
In 1866, the J. M. Atherton Company built a large place to make spirits. This company was started by John McDougal Atherton. In less than 10 years, more than 200 people worked at the Athertonville facility. This made it the biggest employer in LaRue County.
More businesses came to Athertonville after a special train track, called a rail spur, was built. This track connected the town to the main railway lines. A general store and The Atherton Hotel opened, helping Athertonville become a "boom town." This means it grew very quickly and became busy. Churches, a courthouse, a post office, and a school were also built to support the people living there.
Soon after, the town was named Athertonville. People aren't completely sure if it was named after John McDougal Atherton, his son Peter Lee Atherton, or the whole Atherton family.
Spirit Production in Athertonville (1867–1972)
John McDougal Atherton (1841–1932) owned two places for making spirits in Athertonville: Mayfield and Atherton. They were on opposite sides of Knob Creek, not far from Knob Creek Farm, where Abraham Lincoln was born. His son, Peter Lee Atherton (1862–1939), later joined the family business.
Around 1883, the J. M. Atherton Company moved its main office to Whiskey Row, Louisville. However, the facility in Athertonville stayed owned by the Atherton family until 1899. When the company moved, Peter Lee Atherton became a Vice President and general manager. John McDougal Atherton sold the Athertonville facility in 1899 to focus on other businesses like real estate.
The Prohibition Era and Decline
Making spirits stopped during a time called Prohibition. This was a period when it was illegal to make or sell alcoholic drinks in the United States. However, production started again in 1933 after Prohibition ended.
The Athertonville facility was sold to Seagram in 1946. It continued to make spirits for Seagram's products. On February 19, 1972, a big fire destroyed the main part of the facility. This fire put more than 50 employees out of work. Firefighters battled the blaze for four hours, keeping it from spreading to other buildings where the spirits were stored. After this fire, all operations at the Athertonville facility stopped. Seagram sold the property in 1987.
Athertonville was once the second largest town in LaRue County. But after Prohibition and the fire, the town quickly became smaller.
Athertonville Today
Today, Athertonville is still part of LaRue County. In 1937, LaRue County voted to become a "dry county." This means that the sale of alcoholic beverages is generally not allowed there. Athertonville has not been included in recent population counts, so there isn't current information about how many people live in the community.
Notable people
- James Kendrick Williams, a Roman Catholic bishop
- John McDougal Atherton, who owned a spirit-making business
- Peter Lee Atherton, also involved in the spirit-making business
- Wattie Boone, an early spirit maker
