Mays Lick, Kentucky facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mays Lick, Kentucky
Census-designated place
Mays Lick, Kentucky Location in Kentucky Show map of Kentucky Mays Lick, Kentucky Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Mason
Established	1788
Area
• Total	0.64 sq mi (1.66 km2)
• Land	0.64 sq mi (1.65 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation	869 ft (265 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	252
• Density	394.98/sq mi (152.42/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	41055
Area code(s)	606
FIPS code	21-51006
GNIS feature ID	2629649
Other names	Mayslick Mays Spring New Jersey Colony William Mays Settlement

Mays Lick (also known as Mayslick, and originally called May's Lick) is a small community in Mason County, Kentucky, United States. It is a census-designated place, which means it's a special area defined by the government for counting people. In 2020, 252 people lived there.

History of Mays Lick

Mays Lick was started in 1788 by six families who moved from Scotch Plains, New Jersey. They were looking for a new home.

• Abraham Drake (1751–1805)
• Cornelius Drake (1754–1833)
• Isaac Drake (1756–1832), who was the father of two famous people:
  • Daniel Drake (1785–1852), an American doctor and writer.
  • Benjamin Drake (1795–1841), an American historian and writer.
    • Daniel Drake's son, Charles Daniel Drake (1811–1892), became a United States Senator from Missouri. He was known for being against slavery.
• David Morris (1746–1798) and his wife, Mary Shotwell (1748–1806)
• John Shotwell (1753–1826) and his wife, Abigail Shipman (1754–1835)

Abraham, Cornelius, and Isaac Drake were brothers. John and Mary Shotwell were also brother and sister.

This group bought about 1,400 acres of land from William May. The community was named after him. They settled near a "salt lick," which is a place where animals come to lick salt from the ground. The Mays Lick Post Office opened in 1800. Mays Lick was also home to Kentucky's first school that combined different grades, and it had the state's first school bus (a horse and wagon!).

When Mays Lick was founded in 1788, Kentucky was actually part of Virginia. That same year, Virginia created Mason County. The town was first called May's Spring before it became May's Lick.

Geography of Mays Lick

Mays Lick is located in the southern part of Mason County. It is about 12 miles southwest of downtown Maysville. U.S. Route 68 runs along the eastern side of the community. This road goes north to Maysville and into Ohio. It also goes southwest about 54 miles to Lexington.

The area of Mays Lick is about 0.64 square miles. Only a tiny bit of this area (about 0.002 square miles) is water. Small streams flow north from Mays Lick into Lees Creek. Lees Creek then flows into the North Fork of the Licking River, which eventually joins the Ohio River near Covington.

Population of Mays Lick

As of the 2020 census, 252 people lived in Mays Lick.

Mays Lick Consolidated School

The Mays Lick Consolidated School was built between 1909 and 1910. It cost $32,500 to build. This school was the first high school in Mason County. It was the only public high school serving the Mays Lick area until 1960. In 1982, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's an important historical site.

You can also learn about the May's Lick Negro School.

The May Family and Town Names

The May family is important to the history of both Mays Lick and Maysville.

• Mays Lick is named after William May.
• Maysville, the county seat of Mason County, is named after William's brother, John May (who died in 1790).

The May Brothers

There were several May brothers who were important in the early history of the area:

• George May (died 1795), who was a surveyor.
• William May, who sold land to the founders of Mays Lick.
• Charles May
• John May (died 1790), for whom Maysville is named.
• Gabriel May (1751–1813), who married Sallie Stokes (Susannah May Stokes, 1759–1815). Sallie was the niece of Ethan Allen (1738–1789), a famous hero from the American Revolution who helped capture Ticonderoga and Crown Point.

Notable People from Mays Lick

Many important people have come from Mays Lick:

• Joseph Desha (1768–1842): He was a congressman and later became the ninth governor of Kentucky.
• Benjamin Drake (1795–1841): A historian, editor, and writer.
• Daniel Drake (1785–1852): A well-known physician and author.
• John McLean (1785–1861): He served as an Associate Justice on the US Supreme Court from 1830 to 1861.
• William McLean (1794–1839): An Ohio politician.
• Charles Young (1864–1922): He was the third African-American to graduate from West Point, the first black U.S. national park superintendent, and the first black man to reach the rank of colonel in the US Army.

See also

In Spanish: Mays Lick (Kentucky) para niños