Knoxville

by Rita Ruby

 At one time Knoxville was about three times the size it is now.  The many places of business included a post office, drug store, a hotel, flour mill, saw mill, blacksmith shop, and two general stores.  With a saloon and a dance hall, Knoxville was an excellent place to have a good time.  Dances were held every Saturday night, with both the saloon and the dance hall filled to overflowing.  The dance music was furnished by the great Knoxville band.  With so much good entertainment, they naturally had to have a town marshal.  The jail was just an abandoned corncrib, but it was often occupied.  One time a killer was kept in the corn-crib in jail until he could be taken to Williamstown for trial.  

Knoxville also had three doctors, with all their offices in the same building.  These doctors served all the people of the area within a radius of thirty miles or more.  Three tobacco warehouses at Knoxville also brought a great deal of business to the town.  The business places have nearly all moved away to larger towns, and Knoxville is left with only one general store, one garage, two churches, a beauty shop, and a few homes.

From a collection of essays written in American Literature Eleven.  The class was taught by Ms. Hazel Ogden of Grant County High School in the 1963-1964 school year, and was typed by the typing classes of Mrs. Mattie Cox.  It is copyrighted by the Grant County Schools, and is used here with their kind permission. We found a copy in UK's King Library.