New Liberty, Kentucky

Inasmuch as it is proposed in the following pages to pass under review a part of the business and professional life of the village, it may not be amiss to sketch briefly the past and present of our town. 

Situated in the richest section of the fertile county of Owen, nearly midway between Louisville and Cincinnati, only a few minutes’ drive from the great artery of commerce that connects the two cities, within easy reach of the Kentucky and Ohio Rivers, the village enjoys unexcelled facilities for continual touch with the best social and business life of the great Ohio Valley. Owing to these splendid natural advantages, the beauty and healthfulness of the location, it was the earliest settled community in all the country, its history reaching back to a time when “the memory of man runneth not to the contrary.”

A score of years before Owen county was organized New Liberty was a flourishing and prosperous town, while during the first seventy years of the century she was the largest, wealthiest and most important community in this section. Especially during the years 1845-70 did the village enjoy a flourishing trade and unwonted prosperity, offering the best educational advantages short of Georgetown College, and having a highly cultured and polished society.

 It is necessary to bear all this in mind in order to read intelligently the foregoing pages, and fully to appreciate the unrivalled supremacy and commanding influence of the church during the first sixty or seventy years of the century.

 The building of the L. & N. railroad soon after the war worked much to the detriment of the village, and for some years there was comparative dearth and stagnation; but for ten years trade has been increasing, there has been a perceptible quickening of intellectual, special and business life, and the town promises to regain much of the prestige and importance of other days.

 It is confidently expected that the new electric railway now under contemplation, and which will give us direct connection with the L. & N. railroad and the Kentucky and Ohio rivers, will bring to the town an era of rapid growth and prosperity.

 It is generally conceded that New Liberty is the most attractive little city in the county. Its streets are macadamized, well laid off, and lined with trees of a symmetrical and beautiful growth. The freshness and beauty of the town during the summer months make it a favorite resort, being the joy and comment of every weary traveler.

 With a citizenship made up largely of retired farmers and businessmen, with schools equal to the best ion the country, with churches live and aggressive, the town is a most charming place of residence.

 The people of our section were fortunate in the coming of Dr. Pinkston to our midst. From the earliest years, the physicians of our village have been men of rare skill and ability, and whatever changes may have transpired in other respects, we are pleased to believe that in this we maintain the prestige of former days.

 In 1878, Dr. Pinkston graduated from the celebrated College of Physicians and Surgeons located at Baltimore, Md. In order to keep in touch with the best thought and progress of his profession, he took a double post-graduate course in the Polyclinic College of New York in 1894. 

With a native genius for medicine, with a full training in the best schools of the country, with an experience of 25 years in actual practice, the Doctor stands in the front ranks of his profession.

 (It is perhaps proper to say that Dr. Pinkston does not advertise, the above being presented only at the special solicitation and invitation of the editor of these pages.)

This is a fine representation of the Citizens Bank of our village, showing Cashier Jas. Gayle, President H. D. Barker, and Assistant Cashier Cooper Gentry, in the order named.

 This is a strong and prosperous institution, having a Capital Stock of $50,000; Surplus, $5,000, and Deposits, $50,000. The directors are among the county’s wealthiest and most conservative businessmen, their names being a sure guarantee of fair and safe management.

 Under the efficient administration of Cashier James Gayle, the bank has continued to enjoy its usual prosperity and promises to have an abiding place in the confidence and patronage of the commercial interests of the village and surrounding country.

 Our village has sent forth many sons of which she had just cause to be proud but perhaps the highest honor ever conferred upon one of her citizens was in the selection of Mr. Gayle by the historic Ashland District to represent her in the Congress of the United States.

 While our representative, Mr. Gayle was an untiring worker, looking carefully to the interests of his district, and especially of his own county. For various sections he obtained free rural mail delivery, while many of our citizens received material advantages through his thoughtfulness.

 As is noted in the preceding pages, our honored fellow-citizen represents the fourth generation in the Baptist church, his maternal great-grandparents, William and Elizabeth Blanton, having been in the constitution of the church. His paternal ancestors were among the earliest settlers of the country, contributing largely to the material development and prosperity of the community.

 Being a young man, scarce yet in his prime, his friends hope, and freely predict, for him a bright future and a splendid career.

We are pleased to present this admirable cut of the large general merchandising establishment of our esteemed fellow citizens, Messrs. Alexander and Boerner. Their genial faces appear to the left, while some of their lady customers grace the doorway. 

The business represented below is one of the largest and most prosperous in the northern section of our county. These gentleman handle well-nigh every thing needed in the home or used on the farm—Dry Goods, Groceries, Hardware, Jewelry, etc.

 The fully deserve the high place they occupy in the esteem and patronage of the community, being courteous gentleman, worthy citizens, genial salesmen, and aggressive business men. 

Mr. W. R. Alexander is a son of Elder R. H. Alexander, and a great-nephew of Elder L.D. Alexander, whose names and faces may be found in the preceding pages. These eminent ministers gave to the name, Alexander, a peculiar sanctity and worth. It is worthily and honorably borne by their descendant, who is justly esteemed one of the foremost and most valuable citizens of our county.

 Mr. C. G. Boerner is an accomplished gentleman possessed of varied gifts. A merchant of high standing, a jeweler and optician of unquestioned ability, a farmer on a large scale, a successful politician, he still finds time for recreation in the field of music and photography, having a reputation of some note in both of these arts.

 We take pleasure in commending these enterprising merchants to the people of our community and surrounding section.

 It is our abiding conviction that the people in and around New Liberty do themselves, their merchants and their town a decided injustice when they go elsewhere for merchandise or financial accommodations.

These progressive gentlemen spare no expense in keeping abreast of the most recent developments and improvements in their line of trade. Their large establishment isstocked with all kinds of Funeral Supplies, Coffins, from the cheapest to the most costly metallic caskets, Hearse, Funeral Car, Freight and Weather Wagons, Utility Buggy, Lowering Device, etc.

 Mr. R. G. Knox, on whom devolves the active management of the business, is a graduate of Clark’s Embalming School, of Cincinnati. Endowed with natural qualifications for his vocation, having the advantage of thirteen years of wide and valuable experience, being master of all the details of his business. Mr. Knox stands at the head of his profession in Owen County.

 In one year the business of the firm more than doubled itself, and it requires no prophet to foresee that in a short time it will control this and all the adjoining neighborhoods.

 For five years, it has been the writer’s [the writer is nowhere identified] lot to be associated with Mr. Knox in connection with scores of funerals, and with great pleasure he bears testimony to his uniform courtesy, genial and gentlemanly sympathy, splendid skill, and the perfect satisfaction with which he has discharged all the delicate duties which have been assigned him.

 Being active and energetic, Mr. Knox occupies his spare time in Papering and Painting, in both of which he is adept. He also keeps in stock a full line of Buggies, Harness, Whips, Lap Robes, etc., which he sells at lowest prices.

 For one hundred years New Liberty has been celebrated for the enterprise and aggressiveness of her merchants, many of whom have been among the wealthiest and most eminent citizens of the county.   

Our village has perhaps never had a more popular and successful merchant than Mr. Wm. B. Bond, whose elegant business house adorns this page. With a large basement, this building furnished ample space for the tremendous volume of business handled each year.  Mr. Bond is a worthy descendant of an honored family, whose members contributed largely to the upbuilding of the church whose thrilling story is told in these pages.  A public-spirited citizen, a polished and genial gentleman, a wise and tactful merchant, Mr. Bond has carved out for himself an enviable place in the confidence and patronage of this community.  He is extremely fortunate in having associated with two of the most promising young businessmen our county affords. Messrs. W. J. Gimmell and T. H. Devore.  Mr. Gimmell is a native of Indiana, coming to our village at a very early age. He is regarded as one of the cleverest and most gifted salesmen in the county, having received many flattering inducements to leave the business with which he is connected and which he has done so much to build up.  Mr. Devore comes of honored Baptist parentage, and is a model type of Christian manhood. Coming to our village some two years ago with a valuable experience in farm and business life, he at once took rank with the best citizenship of the community. His personal influence has done much to enlarge the business with which he is now connected.

 

From The History of the New Liberty Baptist Church, New Liberty, Kentucky, 1801-1951, and privately printed in 1951.  It cites no author.