Neatsville, Kentucky
40ms
Nestled in Adair County, Kentucky, you'll find Neatsville, an unincorporated community with a story as rich and winding as the roads that lead to it. Picture this: at the crossroads of Kentucky Route 206 and Kentucky Route 76, at an elevation of 705 feet, lies this place. For a decade, from 1876 to 1886, its name was playfully, or perhaps mistakenly, spelled Neetsville, a quirk that ended with its post office. But don't let that confuse you; from the early 1800s right up to the turn of the 20th century, Neatsville was steadily growing, evolving into a well-established, incorporated town. It's a place that's literally moved twice, once in the early 1900s, washed away by devastating floods, and again in the 1960s, making way for the magnificent Green River Reservoir.
Throughout its history, Neatsville has worn many hats: a village, a postal village, a hamlet, and of course, a town. It all began in the early 1800s, settled by the Neats family, with Randolph Neat being the first to lay claim to the land. As it blossomed, so did its offerings: stores, a hotel, a doctor's office, mills, a sawmill, distilleries, a saloon, salt works, a cooper shop, a carding machine, and even a Masonic Lodge. It was officially incorporated as a town on February 23, 1847, with its post office opening its doors on March 13, 1844, only to close in 1886. Imagine: in 1848, its population hovered around 50 souls, and by 1876, it had nudged up to about 60. Even the Masonic Lodge, a symbol of community, found a new home in Pellyton in 1917.
But the land itself has played a dramatic role. Sometime around 1900 to 1902, a colossal flood struck, tearing through the town and forcing a dramatic relocation from the north bank to the south bank of the Green River. The original site? Abandoned, its buildings eroded, its foundations weakened by the relentless water. A local account from 1916 painted a stark picture: the former site was "nearly obliterated" and "in ruins." Then, in the 1960s, history repeated itself in a new way. The Green River was impounded, creating the Green River Reservoir, and Neatsville found itself moved once more, to the location you see today.
Neatsville is an unincorporated community in Adair County, in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is located at the junction of Kentucky Route 206 and Kentucky Route 76. Its elevation is 705 feet (215 m). For unknown reasons, the town's name was spelled as Neetsville from 1876 until 1886, when the town's post office closed. In its early history from around the 1810s to 1900, Neatsville progressively grew to become a well-established, incorporated town. It has been relocated twice through the years, once due to flooding c. 1900 – c. 1902, which decimated the town, and once in the 1960s when the Green River was impounded to make way for the Green River Reservoir.
== History ==
Various sources and accounts have referred to Neatsville as a village, as a postal village, as a hamlet and as a town at different times in its history.
The community was settled in the early 1800s by the Neats, with Randolph Neat being the first to acquire land there. As it expanded, the community grew to encompass several stores, a hotel, a doctor's office, mills, a sawmill, distilleries, a saloon, a salt works, a cooper shop, a carding machine, and a Masonic Lodge. It was incorporated as a town on February 23, 1847. Its post office was established on March 13, 1844, and closed in 1886. In 1848 the town's population was estimated to be around 50, and in 1876 the town's population was estimated at 60. The Masonic Lodge was relocated to Pellyton in 1917.
=== Relocations ===
Sometime circa 1900–1902, a significant flood decimated the town, necessitating its relocation from the north bank to the south bank of the Green River, at which time the former location was abandoned. Erosion had occurred in the foundations of the buildings in the former location due to the flooding. A 1916 local account of the town's former site after the flooding characterized it as "nearly obliterated" and "in ruins". Neatsville was later relocated to its present location sometime in the 1960s, when the Green River was impounded to enable the creation of the Green River Reservoir.
== Notes ==
== References ==
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