Normal, Kentucky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Normal
|
|
|---|---|
 Normal
Location in Kentucky
Normal
Location in the United States
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Boyd |
| Elevation | 564 ft (172 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EST) |
| GNIS feature ID | 499521 |
Normal is a small residential area, also called an unincorporated community, located in Ashland, Kentucky. It sits along two main roads, U.S. Route 23 and U.S. Route 60, right by the Ohio River. Normal became part of Ashland in 1905. Before that, it was its own community with its own post office. The Normal Presbyterian Church, started in 1890, is one of the few things left from the original community. The church building was first made of wood, but it was replaced with a brick building in 1957.
Discovering Normal
Normal is a unique place with an interesting past. It's a small area that has changed a lot over the years. Even though it's now part of a bigger city, it still has its own story.
How Normal Got Its Name
Normal was named after a special school called the Eastern Kentucky Normal School. This school was for training teachers. It opened in 1867. Mrs. Mordecai Williams started the school. Her husband, Mordecai Williams, owned a lot of land in the area. He was an "Iron master," which means he worked with iron. He owned about 600 acres where Normal is today.
A Historic Home
Mordecai Williams's beautiful brick mansion is still standing in Normal. It's built in the Colonial style. You can find it on U.S. Routes 23 and 60, right where Ashland and Catlettsburg meet. Mrs. Williams ran the Normal School from this very house from 1878 to 1889. This mansion is one of the oldest homes in the whole area. It has been a landmark for the community for a very long time.
Normal Today
Over the years, many of the homes in Normal have been replaced by businesses and factories. For example, Cintas Corporation has a big building there now. This area used to be called Washington Avenue.
Normal first grew up around a "coke" plant. This plant made a special type of fuel called coke. It was built in 1891. The plant was later owned by Armco/AK Steel. The Normal coke plant worked for many years. However, it closed in July 2011. It had to close because it could not meet the rules set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Today, most of the homes left in Normal are along Blackburn Avenue (also known as 45th Street), Daniels Street, and from Chestnut Avenue south to the Catlettsburg city limits. This last area is also known as Williams Addition.
