TIP 551 - KENTUCKY TOWNS REVISITED - DONANSBURG THROUGH DYER When I first started KYRESEARCH, 550 TIPS ago, I started a series looking at the towns in Kentucky, giving a little background on each one. Although much more is available on the web now, I have been asked many times to get back into this series as I was able to provide a little more information. So, I will periodically return to a look at the Kentucky towns. I believe I'm starting where I left off. DONANSBURG, Green Co. This town is 6 ½ miles W of Greensburg; settled before 1800 by Virginians. The post office, which is now closed, was not opened until 1888 with William T Chewning post master. It was named for Dr. Dave Donan who had surveyed the area for a railroad that never came that far. DONERAIL, Fayette Co. Nothing remains of this town now which was located ¼ miles W of I75 and 5 ½ miles N of Lexington's New Circle Road. The original spelling was Donoraile, known by this name as early as 1826 and the post office was likely located in a tavern that had been opened in 1807 by Archibald Hutchison. Hutchinson supposedly called the tavern Doneraile; but in 1835 the post office was moved over to Scott Co by Jeremiah Delph; in 1838 it was returned to Fayette Co and known as Carrolton. A few months later that was changed to Delphtown, and discontinued in 1851. In 1879 the post office re-opened as Donerail because of the new Cincinnati Southern; Squire C Gaines was the postmaster. Donerail is an Irish town and many of the railroad workers were Irish. The post office closed in 1958. DONNELLYS STORE, Union Co. See Waverly. DORTON, Pike Co. No post is in this village, 13 miles south of Pikeville. Named for William P Dorton; it had a post office established in 1872 and John Bumgardner was the post master. DOUGLAS PO, Casey Co. See Walltown. DOUGLAS PO, Perry Co. See Christopher DOVER, Mason Co. This city is located about 8 ½ miles NW of Maysville. A Virginia surveyor was sent to Kentucky by President Washington to take care of land problems of the Virginians there. The surveyor, Arthur Fox, Jr bought 2200 acres of the Ohio River bottom land and built his home. In 1818 he was influential in laying out the town which may have been named for Dover England from where his father came. The post office opened in 1823, Stephen Thomas post master. DOWAGIAC PO, Hart Co. See Pike View. DRAFFENVILLE, Marshall Co. This is centered at the junction of US 641 and the Purchase Parkway; and there was no town there prior to 1938 until the construction of the Kentucky Dam. Charley Draffen lived there and planning ahead financially, divided his farm into lots. Stores were soon built on the land and locals began referring to the area as Draffenville. It has no post office. DRAKE PO, Warren CO. See Whites Chapel. DRAKESBORO, Muhlenberg Co. 5 miles E of Greenville, had its start as a lumber camp called Ricedale. Frank M. Rice was a local storekeeper and established the post office with this name in 1882. It was later named for one of the early settlers of the area, William Drake who died there in 1878. DRENNON SPRINGS, Henry Co. A well known spa operated here in the 19trh century, 8 miles NE of New Castle. The 7 Springs had been discovered in 1773 by Matthew Bracken and Jacob Drennon and it was named for the latter. The post office was in operation from 1885 to 1915 was replaced in 1922. DREYFUS, Madison Co. T small hamlet with a post office in the SE section of the county, 9 ½ miles SE of Richmond was known locally as Bearwallow. The name Dreyfus was likely used first to the post office, established in 1899, John S Ogg, post master and was likely named Dreyfus to show honor to the French officer whose treason trial had been much in the news in the late 1890's. DRIFT, Floyd Co. This is a coal town, 12 miles S of Prestonburg. The Drift post office was opened in 1909, Hasadore Martin post master. It likely was named for the first mine in the vicinity (a drift rather than shaft or slope) mine. Others say it was named for the drift wood on the creek. DRIPPING SPRING PO, Edmonson. See Rocky Hill. DRIP ROCK, Estill Co. The post office here closed in the recent past, 7 miles S of Irvine. It had been established in 1880 in Jackson Co and named for the constantly dripping water from a ledge near the old Drip Rock School. Mrs Ethel Harrison was post mistress in 1939. DRY FORK, Barren Co. This community is 10 ½ miles S of Glasgow and named for a nearby wet weather branch of Peters Creek. Alfred P Maury was the first post master (now closed) in 1848. DRY RIDGE, Grant Co. This city is outside the Williamstown city limits in the vicinity of Campbell's pioneer station which was there in about 1790. It was named for a ridge that divides the KY and Licking River watersheds between Williamstown and Crittenden. Early travelers were forced to stop at inns for water before they reached the ridge. Kin Kinlear ran one of these inns and the post office was established there in 1815. In 1908 a tourist boom resulted and another inn named the Carlsbad and the town was known as this for a short time. The Post Office refused to accept this name. DUBRE, Cumberland Co. A little hamlet, 10 miles WNW of Burkesville. A post office was established here in 1937 with Mrs. Delie B Jeffrey, and the town was named for a local family. DUKEDOM, Graves Co. Lying along the Tennessee State line, this village is 15 miles S of Mayfield and half of it lies in Weakley Co TN. It was likely named for Duke A Beadles who established the post office on the TN side in 1833. The post office was moved to the KY side in 1846, returned to TN in 1852 and the post office is yet in TN. DUKES, Hancock Co. This settlement is 5 miles SE of Hawesville. A post office was opened in 1893 by John L Duke; local tradition says that he or others of his family had founded a community here in 1870. The post office closed in 1907. DULANEY, Caldwell Co. This unincorporated area can scarcely be found now, a little under 1 mile S of the Western Kentucky Parkway and about 3 1/12 miles W of Princeton. In Dec 1872, close to the time that the ICRR was built through to Princeton there was a passenger and freight depot here. James W McKinney established the post office; and the town named most likely for the family who spelled their name Delany. - Henry Delany was a pioneer Caldwell Co lawyer and Presbyterian minister, plus state legislator. . The post office closed in 1935. DUNCAN, Mercer Co. This village with an extinct post office is 8 ½ miles NW of Harrodsburg. The post office was established in 1847, Abraham B Voorhies, post master. It was likely named for John Ray Duncan who was prominent in early Mercer Co affair; the grandson of pioneer Ft Harrod settler, Gen .James B Ray. DUNCANSVILLE, Mercer Co. See Duncan. DUNDEE, Ohio Co. This was an early mill down settled before 1846; lying 9 ½ miles NE of Hartford. It was known as Hines Mill, named for the water grist mill built there by William R Lowery and Warren W. Hines. In 1846 the post office was established as Hines Mills, Mill was the first post master. In 1872 the post office was moved 1 ½ miles S to Sulphur Springs. The mill burned in 1892 but was rebuilt 2 years later by a local Renfrow family. In 1898 Andrew R Renfro re-opened the post office as Dundee. The name was offered by J S Fizhugh for an unknown reason. DUNHAM, Letcher Co. A coal mining town which is now part of the Jenkins downtown area. The post office, now closed, was opened in 1912 with Joel H Roache post master and served the Consolidation Coal Co camp. DUNMOR, Muhlenberg Co. The town, L&N RR station and post office are 12 ½ miles SE of Greenville. The post office opened in 1884 with James W Clark postmaster. It was possibly named for VA's colonial Gov Lord John Dunmore; however there were Dunn family members there also. DUNNVILLE, Casey Co. Lies 7 ½ miles SSE of Liberty. The town was begun in 1878 and named for James Richard Dunn, an early settler from VA about 1840. He built a mill there and bought much land along the river. It was known in 1872 as Williams Store, renamed to Dunnville. DURBIN, Boyd Co. 10 miles S of Cattlettsburg, the post office was established in 1900 with Robert Struther, post master. It was named for Amos Durbin, an early settler, no post office at this time. DURHAMTOWN, Taylor Co. This is a very old settlement area 4 ½ miles NW of Campbellsville, supposedly named for Samuel Durham. The post office opened in 1873 and closed in 1884. DUVALLS LANDING PO, Greenup. See Limeville. DWALE, Floyd Co. 3 miles S of Prestonburg. The first post office opened in 1868 with the name of Haws Ford; John M Layne post master. It was named for pioneer settler Robert Haw; discontinued in 1870, opened again in 1890 by a Scotsman Capt. John Finlayson. He supposedly named it for a town in Wales but no such area can be located in Wales DWARF, Perry Co. Near Toublesome Creek, 5 ½ miles NNE of Hazard. The post office was established in 1878 and was originally named Tunnell Mill for a tunnel that Sam and Felix Combs had just cut through (172 feet of rock). The post office closed in 1881 but was re-established in 1883 as Dwarf, honoring the Comb's brother Jeremiah who was nicknamed "Short Jerry". DYCUSBURG, Crittenden Co. 11 ½ miles SSW of Marion,was a shipping port on the Cumberland River in the 1900's. The town was laid out by William E Dycus on land owned by G B Dycus, early pioneer. The post office was opened in 1847, George S Atkins, post master. The town is no longer incorporated. DYER, Breckinridge Co. Tom Dyer, it is said, was a pioneer hunter from TN. Tom was hunting with friends late one fall when he broke his left and was left under a cliff with food and water while the friends returned to TN. After several days someone found Tom and he was taken to Abitha Alice Turpin's cabin and she nursed him back to health. He fell in love with her, married her and began the Dyer family of this area. The little village is 12 miles ESE of Hardinsburg with no post office. To be continued. © Copyright 28 July 2005, Sandra K. Gorin Sandi's Puzzlers: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gensoup/gorin/puz.html SCKY Links: http://www.public.asu.edu/~moore/Gorin.html GGP: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/