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| View of Front Street, 1939 Virtually all stone and brick buildings to replace those lost in the fire of March 11, 1919. |
Brooksville, 1921 |
Brooksville, c. WWI | Woodland Avenue, |
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| Church Street | Miami Street | Aerial view of Brooksville | Main Street in Brooksville |
Brooksville Elementary High School, Cannery and Gym
From a Facebook post by Bracken County Kentucky Historical Society
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| Scene from Brooksville | Scene from Brooksville corner of Main and Locust |
Edd Hannon's Livery Stable, |
Brooksville Scene, 1950's |
Charming King, in Brooksville
| Brooksville was originally named Woodward's Crossing. |
Veterans Memorial on Court House Square
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| KKK rally at Brooksville, June 19, 1924 Thanks to Judy Cooper for these. |
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Street Scene, 1960 |
January 1, 1955 |
Snow Scene |
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Brooksville, c. 1958 |
Scenes from Brooksville, 1967 |
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| The above image is the cover of a 30 page booklet, telling Laughlin's own story, as told to George Adair. Download it here. (pdf - and it's a big file) |
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| Robert Laughlin was hung, legally, in Brooksville on January 9, 1897. You can read about his crime here, and about his hanging, here. | “Robt. Laughlin, the wife-murderer, will be hanged Saturday at Brooksville, Ky. Laughlin, who is now confined to jail with Alonzo Walling and Scott Jackson, has agreed to come back in spirit form to the hanging of Jackson and Walling.” from Paris' Bourbon County News, January 5, 1897 |
| It says here that Laughlin wasn't the first, but the second man legally hung in Bracken County. | |
| Fayette County owned the scaffolding on which Laughlin was hung. It has its own history. | |
These are all skirmishes in the Tobacco Wars of 1907-1910 in Kentucky. What were the Tobacco Wars? Go here.
“MILITIA AND CIVILIANS MAY CLASH IS FEAR By Associated Press. LEXINGTON, Ky., May 12.—Fears were expressed today of trouble between the civil authorities and the militiamen who have been sent by the governor in counties where night riding has been apprehended. Fifty-five soldiers of the Lexington and Frankfort companies of militia left here today for Maysville, from where it is believed they will go to Bracken county to investigate the night rider troubles. There is much feeling against the soldiers if they attempt to make arrests without warrants. Much indignation has been expressed all over central Kentucky at the presence of soldiers.” Los Angeles Herald, May 13, 1908 |
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| “NIGHT RIDERS THREATENED— Lexington. Ky., May 14. — A special from Maysville states that the Leader correspondent has just returned from Bracken county, where he was reliably Informed that in a day or two the militia will arrest between 200 and 300 ‘night riders.’” San Francisco Call, May 15, 1908 [The arrests never happened]
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“Barn Burned — Nightriders have resumed operations near Brooksville, Ky. They burned the barn of Edward Johnson, near Willow, in Bracken county, last night. Three thousand pounds of tobacco was destroyed. Johnson had not pooled his tobacco with the Burley Tobacco society.” Los Angeles Herald, October 10, 1909 |
| 200 night riders came into Brooksville in March, 1908 to burn down 40,000 pounds of R. E. Sargon's tobacco, here. | |
“Brooksville, Ky. Fifty or more night riders came into town in buggies and on horseback and before they left 10,000 pounds of tobacco belonging to Robert Stanton, one of the wealthiest planters in this section, had been burned.” Sausalito News, March 21, 1908 A little more here. |
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| “W. O. Blackerby, in the Brooksville Review, says: 'On
Friday night about midnight about twenty-five riders went to Edward
Johnson's, near Willow, and burned his old log barn containing about 3000
pounds of tobacco. The barn, we understand, belonged to his father, Noah
Johnson, of this place.'” from the Falmouth Outlook of
October 22, 1909.
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 The Salt Lake Tribune, August 23, 1908 |
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“BLAME NIGHT RIDERS FOR BURNING OF TWO BARNS BROOKVILLE, Ky. Sept. 15.— Night riders presumably burned two barns in Bracken county last night and although the losses were small both Equity and Non-equity men suffered, the barns of W. O. Bradford an Equity society solicitor, and George B. Kenney, a non-equity planter, being burned. Bands of masked men appeared simultaneously at both places after midnight and were seen setting fire to the buildings. During the night rider troubles in Bracken country last summer Mr. Kenney permitted the state militia to encamp on his farm and since that time he has frequently been threatened with violence.” Los Angeles Herald, September 16, 1910 More details on this one are here. |
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| “TROOPS GUARD SKY PILOT BEING TRIED FOR MURDER, Brooksville, Ky. — Troops with machine guns mounted at vantage points are guarding the courthouse here, while in a small room inside a jury is deliberating on the fate of Rev. Thomas Marksberry, 28 years old, charged with having robbed and stabbed to death and then dismembered and buried the body of his best friend, Jesse Glenn, a trader. Threats were openly uttered that Marksberry should be lynched if the jury failed to return a verdict of guilty with the full penalty. At the trial and requiring examination of 250 talesmen, it was testified the preacher had Glenn's car and had sold dogs and guns belonging to the dead man and wore his shoes. Marksberry charged he was the victim of a frame-up by Glenn's assassins.” Sausalito News, May 15, 1920 | |
| You can read the 1839 legal act establishing Brooksville as an “official” city. | |
Brooksville pastor on trial for brutal murder. |
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| Brooksville lady taken in by counterfeiter in New York City, here. | W.C. Marshall dies in shooting in Brooksville; his cousin James shoot man dead the same day on Maysville, here. |
| Suspect Bowman taken to Covington to avoid lynching, here. | “The telephone line from Wellsburg to Brooksville is being extended to Milford.” The News Democrat, Georgetown, Ohio, September 8, 1898 |
| There's always been some guy: “Hal Poge, a citizen of Brooksville, is circulating a petition to prevent the erection of telephone lines in that county and to enjoin the use of those already in use.” Georgetown, Ohio, News Democrat, August 10, 1899 | |
The lynching of William and Bradford Courts in 1882, here, here, and here. |
Brooksville bridegroom buys his poison on the way to his wedding, story here. |
| Brooksville bridegroom calls it off. | |
Big scandal in Brooksville in 1882, here. |
The history of Brooksville is here. (pdf) |
| “Mr. W. C. Marshall, recently a candidate for Congress, had a dispute in Brooksville, Bracken county, with a Mr. Wilson, the keeper of the hotel in town. During the trouble, while high words were passing, Marshall drew a pistol and fired at Wilson, the ball passing through his left arm. In an instant Wilson returned the fire, shooting Marshall in the forehead, and in about four or five minutes, himself expired! So much for one tragedy.”from the Athens [Tenn.] Post, April 30, 1852 | |
| “Brooksville, Ky. - Two aviators flying home to Kansas City, Mo., from New Jersey literally dropped in for supper near hear and got a generous sample of Kentucky hospitality. Robert Sayre, the pilot, and Bill Dempsey, the owner of the plane, landed their Cessna aircraft in a farm field about 55 miles east of Cincinnati after a thunderstorm forced them off their course. Charlie Cooper, owner of the farm, drove to the scene. The two Missourians were apologetic, but they said they were afraid to go any further because of menacing weather. 'Well, just come on over to our house for supper, and we'll put you up for the night,' Cooper told them. The aviators readily accepted the invitation. The next day, they flew on the Kansas City.” Desert Sun, September 20, 1967 | |
| A Brooksville man “of good character” to be hung for shooting his wife, here. | The official newspaper of the Ku Klux Klan ran this item about an incident in Brooksville. |
| The authorization for the Brooksville - Claysville Pike is pretty much: “you guys figure it out”. | |
| “Two Union men arrived in Covington today, who reside in the northeastern part of Campbell county, and they report that a detachment of the 118th Ohio Regiment, sent out from Cynthiana, has captured the notorious Capt. James Caldwell and his entire band of guerrillas, on Saturday last, near Brooksville, Bracken county.” Daily Alta California, May 14, 1863 | |
| March, 1899 fire destroys Brooksville business district. Story here. | Brooksville fire, 1919. |
| School fire, 1917. | |
| “Brooksville, Ky., Feb. 14. - Fire, which started in the Review printing office, destroyed the following buildings: Pope's hotel, Spark's grocery, Barrett's drug store, the Review printing office, Mrs. O'Brien's boarding house, Bonfield's grocery and Mrs. Gibson's residences.” from Lancaster, Ky.'s Central Record, February 16, 1899 | “Brooksville - Whiskey and blood flow promiscuously here. Late Saturday night during the excitement Vestry Hamilton and John Turner, both drunk, go into a difficulty., when Hamilton was stabbed behind the left shoulder, the point of the blade entering his lung. He bled considerably, but Drs. Corlis and Bramsock dressed his wound, and he is still able to drink and swear as of old. Give us a rest; we are tired.” The Commonwealth, November 1, 1877 |
Maysville's Public Ledger, December 4, 1918
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| Maysville's Daily Public Ledger, October 1, 1908 | Maysville's Daily Public Ledger, June 11, 1908 |
Aerial View of Brooksville, c 1955
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City View Farm, |
Dr. & Mrs. B. F. Workman Frankfort Street |
Pan (the horse), Joe, and |
Home near Brooksville
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E. C. O'Rear (Wikipedia) speaks at Brooksville |
Brooksville Polar Bears. Key to names |
The Brooksville Polar Bears won the 1938-39 Kentucky State Basketball Tournament.
The Enquirer's story is here.
