Peabody, Kentucky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peabody, Kentucky
|
|
|---|---|
|
post office
|
|
 Peabody, Kentucky
Location in Kentucky
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Clay |
| Elevation | 846 ft (258 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Area code(s) | 606 |
| GNIS feature ID | 514465 |
Peabody was once a small place in Clay County, Kentucky, USA. It used to have a post office that served lands owned by coal mining and lumber companies. These lands were first bought by Francis Peabody, who owned a big company called Peabody Energy. Later, this land became part of a national forest.
The post office in Peabody closed in 1982. Today, the Red Bird Purchase Unit Ranger Station is located where Peabody used to be.
Contents
How Peabody Got Its Name
The land where Peabody was located was first bought by a group of business people from Manchester. They sold it to Francis Peabody's company around 1907.
The post office started on June 11, 1909. It was first called Annalee. It was located near the Red Bird River. The first postmaster, Floyd M. Chadwell, named it after the daughter of his new neighbor, Thomas A. Bird. Mr. Bird was an engineer who managed the land for Peabody's company.
The post office's name changed a few times. On July 1, 1930, it became Redbird River. Then, on March 1, 1933, it finally became Peabody. Interestingly, by this time, the land was no longer owned by the Peabody company.
Land Ownership Changes
Over the years, the land around Peabody changed hands many times.
Fordson Coal Company
The Fordson Coal Company bought the land in early 1923. Thomas A. Bird, the engineer, continued to manage it for them. During this time, a large camp for the Civilian Conservation Corps was set up there. The Civilian Conservation Corps was a program during the Great Depression that put young men to work on conservation projects.
Fordson bought the land to make sure they had enough coal. This happened after a problem in 1922 when the government limited how much coal Ford could get. Fordson bought a huge area of land, about 12,000 acres, which was called the "Peabody Tract." This land was expected to provide millions of tons of coal and lots of lumber.
From Fordson to National Forest
After Fordson, the land was sold to Potomac Industries in the 1960s. Then, in 1965, it was sold to the Red Bird Timber Company. Finally, on January 1, 1967, the United States Government bought the land. It became part of the Red Bird Purchase Unit, which helped form the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Life on Fordson's Land
When Fordson Coal Company owned the land, they had strict rules. These rules were to protect their coal and lumber.
Limited Services
Because of Fordson's rules, the Peabody Tract area did not have paved roads or telephones until the 1960s. This was a long time to wait for such services!
Tenant Rules
People who lived on Fordson's land paid very low rent, sometimes even nothing. In return, they had to "Care for Property." This meant they had to help put out forest fires and stop other people from cutting down trees.
However, the tenants themselves were not allowed to cut down trees. They couldn't even cut small trees for their own use, like for firewood. They also couldn't build new homes for their animals, like barns or chicken coops, without permission. The company did not act like a regular landlord; they didn't fix houses or allow new ones to be built on their land.
