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Rich Pond's History

 

 

 

In the late nineteenth century, the major forces for railroad construction in Kentucky were the Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Railroad and Cincinnati Southern Railroad. Chartered by the Kentucky Legislature in 1850, the L&N Railroad was completed to the Kentucky-Tennessee line by 1859 and had twenty-four stations along the way. (4)

 

Of the stations on the L&N Railroad line, five were located in existing county seats including Shepherdsville (Bullitt County), Elizabethtown (Hardin County), Bowling Green (Warren County), Munfordville (Hart County), and Franklin (Simpson County). Eight of the railroad stations were placed in communities which were already established, but were not county seats. For the remaining communities including Lebanon Junction, Bardstown Junction, Glendale, Sonora, Upton, Rowletts, Horse Cave, Smiths Grove, Oakland, Rich Pond, and Woodburn, the railroad provided the initial impetus for development. (4)

 

The Rich Pond Community was incorporated on February 7, 1871 (1)  According to Rand McNally, Rich Pond had a population of 119 people in 1895 with a post office, railroad service, and an express office. (2)

 

 

 

Check out the gallery located to the right, for more on the development of Rich Pond as we know it today!

Contact Dr. Costellow if you have more information or pictures that you would like to share.  

Click here to email.

 

 

 

 

Sources:

1. Collins, Lewis, and Collins, Richard. History of Kentucky. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1998.

2. Hall, John (2017). RoadsideThoughts, Rich Pond, Kentucky. Retrieved from http://roadsidethoughts.com/ky/rich-pond-xx-warren-genealogy.htm

3. Parker, Donna C. (2017). Historic Schools of Warren County, Kentucky.  Retrieved from

http://www.wku.edu/kentuckymuseum/exhibits/online/warrencountyschoolhouses/index.php

4.  United States Department of the Interior National Park Service. (1994).  Retrieved from  https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/94000842.pdf

A Look at the Past!

1908-1919
Rich Pond School, ca. 1908-1919
Rich Pond's 24'x40' shingled shoolhouse sat on a one-acre lot. (Photo Courtesy of Library Special Collections, WKU)

African American School 1908-1919
Rich Pond African American School, ca. 1908-1919
Schoolteachers between 1909 and 1922 included: Mary L. Stark (1909); H. H. Bothic (1910-14); M.C.S. Murrell (1915); V.M. Covington (1916); M.C.S. Murrell (1917); Charity V. McCutchon (1918-19); and, Lucile T. Henry (1920-22). (Photo Courtesy of Library Special Collections, WKU)

Consolidated 1915
Rich Pond Consolidated School, 1915
Along with Boyce and Woodburn, the Rich Pond School was one of the first consolidated schools in Warren County. The district raised $1,750 to contribute towards the $5,250 building. This eight-room building was constructed in 1915 and burned in 1925. Note the mule-drawn wagon used to transport students to and from school. (Photo Courtesy of Library Special Collections, WKU)

1926
Rich Pond School, 1926
The new Rich Pond School was completed and opened in 1926. By 1932-33, Rich Pond had become a four-year high school. After the school burned in 1942, Rich Pond moved its high school students to the Rockfield School. (From Faces and Places of Warren County v. 2 by Daily News)

Gym 1927
Rich Pond Gymnasium, built 1927
After the Rich Pond School burned in 1942, the gymnasium was converted to classrooms for elementary students. (Photo Courtesy of Library Special Collections, WKU)

Today

Today, see how far our GREAT school has come in past 109 years just by stepping inside our doors!