Normal is a residential

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 hav ...

, located within the city of

Ashland, Kentucky Ashland is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Boyd County, Kentucky, Boyd County, Kentucky, United States. The largest city in Boyd County, Ashland is located upon a southern bank of the Ohio River at the state border with Ohio a ...

along

U.S. Route 23 } U.S. Route 23 or U.S. Highway 23 (US 23) is a major north–south U.S. Highway between Jacksonville, Florida, and Mackinaw City, Michigan. It is an original 1926 route which originally reached only as far south as Portsmouth, Ohio, and has since ...

and

U.S. Route 60 U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia. The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...

and the Ohio River. It was annexed by the City of Ashland in 1905. Previously, Normal was an independent community with post office. Normal

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their na ...

, founded in 1890, is one of the last surviving remnants of the original community of Normal. The originally wooden church was razed in 1957 when the current brick structure was completed across 44th Street. Normal was named after the Eastern Kentucky Normal School, a teachers school that was opened here in 1867, by Mrs Mordecai Williams, wife of the original landowner of the community. Mordecai Williams was an Iron master who owned 600 acres of land of the present day area of Normal, from Cliffside Branch to Haney Branch at the Catlettsburg city limits. His stately residence is still standing at Normal, a brick mansion of Colonial style, located on U.S. Routes 23 and 60 at the Catlettsburg-Ashland City Limits. Williams wife operated the Normal School from the home from 1878 to 1889. It is one of the oldest homes in the entire area and has long served as landmark to the community. Most residential zones in this section of the city have been transferred to commercial and industrial zones.

Cintas Corporation Cintas Corporation () is an American corporation headquartered in Mason, Ohio which provides a range of products and services to businesses including uniforms, mats, mops, cleaning and restroom supplies, first aid and safety products, fire e ...

operates a large facility in the former Washington Avenue section located east of the

CSX railroad CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

tracks. The community originally grew up around the

coke Coke usually refers to: * Coca-Cola, a brand of soft drink **The Coca-Cola Company * Slang term for cocaine, a psychoactive substance and illicit drug Substances Soft drinks * Cola, any soft drink similar to Coca-Cola * Generic name for a soft d ...

plant built and operated by Semet Solvay and later owned by Armco/AK steel. The Normal coke plant was in operation from 1891 until it was finally closed due to its inability to comply with

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

regulations in July 2011. The only concentrations of residential dwellings remaining in Normal are along Blackburn Avenue (also known as 45th Street), Daniels Street, and from Chestnut Avenue south to the Catlettsburg city limits, which is also known as Williams Addition.

References

Unincorporated communities in Kentucky Unincorporated communities in Boyd County, Kentucky {{BoydCountyKY-geo-stub