Knockemstiff, also known as "Glenn Shade" or "Shady Glenn", is an
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
located in northeastern
Huntington Township,
Ross County,
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, to the southwest of
Chillicothe.
History
A number of stories exist to explain the community's
unusual name.
One claims that a tremendous brawl broke out when the community was in its infancy. More humorous is the tale of a woman who confronted her preacher during a Sunday morning
worship service, informing the clergyman that her husband was cheating on her. She wanted the preacher's advice, and his response was straightforward: "Knock 'em stiff". A variant of the story is that a preacher came across two women fighting over a man, and advised the women that the man was not likely to be worth their trouble and that someone should "knock him stiff".
[ Another explanation is that it was named from one of the many slang terms used for ]moonshine
Moonshine is alcohol proof, high-proof liquor, traditionally made or distributed alcohol law, illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of distilling the alcohol (drug), alcohol at night to avoid detection. In the first decades of the ...
. Local residents say that moonshining was formerly common in the area surrounding the community, which had a reputation for rowdiness.[
]
Geography
Knockemstiff sits at an elevation of . The Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and location information about more than two million physical and cultural features, encompassing the United States and its territories; the Compact of Free Association, asso ...
gives Knockemstiff's coordinates as 39°16′04″ N, 83°07′09″ W, placing the original hamlet at the junction of Black Run Road (County Road 156) and Shady Glen Road. A number of more recent rural residences now occupy the same area.
In popular culture
The community's name is also the title of a collection of short stories written by Ross County native Donald Ray Pollock
Donald Ray Pollock (born December 23, 1954) is an American writer. He first published his collection of short stories, ''Knockemstiff'', in 2008, based on his experiences growing up in Knockemstiff, Ohio. His debut novel, ''The Devil All the Time ...
.book
A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...
of the same name, is set in Knockemstiff.
References
External links
Ghost Towns: Knockemstiff, Ohio
Ghost towns in Ohio
Geography of Ross County, Ohio
{{RossCountyOH-geo-stub