unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
located in
LaRue County
LaRue County is a County (United States), county in the central region of the U.S. state of Kentucky, outside the Bluegrass Region and larger population centers. Its county seat is Hodgenville, Kentucky, Hodgenville, which is best known as the b ...
,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
, United States. The community was originally named Medcalf when first established in April 1884, but was renamed the following month to Athertonville.
History
Athertonville had its beginnings in whiskey. Wattie Boone, a distant relative of
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...
, built the first distillery at Knob Creek. Historians agree that Boone was one of the first to be documented producing bourbon in Kentucky in 1776. According to local folklore, the father of
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
accepted a job at the Boone Distillery in 1814.
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
himself started his schooling at a
subscription school
A subscription school was a type of private school that operated in the 19th century in rural areas of the United States before the rise of common schools, and also in parts of the United Kingdom.
The funding model of subscription schools differ ...
near what is now Athertonville
J. M. Atherton Company built a distillery in 1866. Its founder was
John McDougal Atherton
John McDougal Atherton (April 1, 1841 – June 5, 1932), was an American businessman, property developer, economist, investor and politician based in Louisville, Kentucky. Atherton was elected to one term as a member of the Kentucky House of Repr ...
Within less than 10 years, the number of employees at the Athertonville distillery surpassed 200, making it the largest employer in
LaRue County
LaRue County is a County (United States), county in the central region of the U.S. state of Kentucky, outside the Bluegrass Region and larger population centers. Its county seat is Hodgenville, Kentucky, Hodgenville, which is best known as the b ...
.
Other business enterprises followed after a rail spur was constructed. A general store and The Atherton Hotel made Athertonville a boom town. Churches, a courthouse, a post office, and a school were built to support the needs of the inhabitants. Soon after, the town was named Athertonville. There are differing opinions on whether the town was named for
John McDougal Atherton
John McDougal Atherton (April 1, 1841 – June 5, 1932), was an American businessman, property developer, economist, investor and politician based in Louisville, Kentucky. Atherton was elected to one term as a member of the Kentucky House of Repr ...
John McDougal Atherton
John McDougal Atherton (April 1, 1841 – June 5, 1932), was an American businessman, property developer, economist, investor and politician based in Louisville, Kentucky. Atherton was elected to one term as a member of the Kentucky House of Repr ...
’s (1841–1932) two distilleries in Athertonville were Mayfield and Atherton, and were located on opposite sides of Knob Creek. This is a short distance from Knob Creek Farm, the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. His son Peter Lee Atherton (1862–1939) entered the family business.
In roughly 1883, he relocated J. M. Atherton Company headquarters to
Whiskey Row, Louisville
Whiskey Row refers to a block-long stretch from 101 to 133 W. Main Street that once served as home to the bourbon industry in Louisville, Kentucky. The collection of Revivalist and Chicago School-style buildings with cast-iron storefronts were b ...
on 125 W Main St., but the distillery in Athertonville continued to be owned by the Atherton family until 1899. When the company moved to Louisville, Peter Lee Atherton became the Vice President and general manager.
John McDougal Atherton
John McDougal Atherton (April 1, 1841 – June 5, 1932), was an American businessman, property developer, economist, investor and politician based in Louisville, Kentucky. Atherton was elected to one term as a member of the Kentucky House of Repr ...
sold the distillery in 1899 in order to focus on real estate and investments.
Production stopped during prohibition. However, it resumed in 1933. The distillery was sold to
Seagram
The Seagram Company Ltd. (which traded as Seagram's) was a Canadian multinational conglomerate formerly headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Originally a distiller of Canadian whisky based in Waterloo, Ontario, it was once (in the 1990s) the ...
in 1946. The Athertonville distillery made whiskey to support the Seagram's portfolio of blended whiskeys. The core of the facility was destroyed by a fire on February 19, 1972, and put over 50 employees out of work. This story was covered in depth in the Kentucky Standard on February 24, 1972. A fire broke out in the still house at about 3:40 a.m. Fire crew fought the blaze for four hours, containing the fire within the brick walls. The power house, fermenting room, and evaporator escaped damage and did not spread to the three warehouses where the whiskey was stored. All distillery operations ceased in Athertonville after this date. Seagram sold the Athertonville distillery in 1987.
Athertonville was at one point the second largest town in Larue county, but following prohibition, the town declined quickly.
Athertonville today
The community is part of LaRue county, which voted to be a dry county in 1937. Athertonville has not been included in any recent census counts, so there is no data available on the population of the community.
John McDougal Atherton
John McDougal Atherton (April 1, 1841 – June 5, 1932), was an American businessman, property developer, economist, investor and politician based in Louisville, Kentucky. Atherton was elected to one term as a member of the Kentucky House of Repr ...
John McDougal Atherton
John McDougal Atherton (April 1, 1841 – June 5, 1932), was an American businessman, property developer, economist, investor and politician based in Louisville, Kentucky. Atherton was elected to one term as a member of the Kentucky House of Repr ...