The formation of the hills and the bend of the river curving around the city of Harlan are familiar features to us today but the structures are know by few. Most any old timer will have trouble locating the old mill which once stood at the end of what is now Main Street bridge.
The only brick building at the time was the court house, to the right in the picture above. The stone jail is in the rear. Observing closely a few other places may be located. The two-story building near the court house was the home of George Greene which was later converted into the Shady Lawn Hospital.
The livery stable near the Howard Drug cornor and the blacksmith shop on the Harlan National Bank corner are shown along with the Joe Kelly Hotel on Main Street.
Very little excitement or amusement went on in the town of Harlan. One of the most exciting events of the early days, was the logs, churning over the mill dam. Crowds gathered there every day to watch the logs. Sometimes the men who kept the logs moving down the river jumped from log to log as they spun around like a top.
Rains Left Streets Muddy
The winter rains meant mud for the steets of Harlan. The streets were merely two narrow paths made by wagon wheels. In some places, stepping stones were used to shun the mud.The slickiest places were filled with ashes to dry up the mud.
On Main Street near Clover there was a place that most wagon drivers dreaded to pass. The quick sand was so easy for the wagons to stall and most of them had to be pushed and pulled out of the sand.
Practically every family in Harlan county owned a cow or a pig. The cows fed down in the bottom where Cumberland Avenue is today. The cows slowly plodded home at sundown without being in danger of moving vehicles. The wagon was the fastest moving vehicle on wheels.
Before the third court house, shown here, was built the second one was erected on Main Street after the first one was destroyed by fire during the Civil War. A court order book in the office of the County Clerk contains the orginal record of the county of Harlan begining in 1829. Records before that time are not known.
During the November term of court in 1836, the order was recorded on the book for the second court house to be built. The orginal record is as follows:
"To the county court of Harlan, having had the buildng of a new court house for said county under consideration report as follows to wit. That believeing a good court house is especially necessaary for the convenience of the people at large as well as the court and officiers thereof and believeing also that as to benefit of the county to have one that will be durable and upon as cheap as plan as the nature of the case will so meet, have adopted the following plan to wit.
"That the said court must be built on a solid foundaton where the old one now stands. The foundation must be dug down until it can be place on the clay, the wall to be raised with the rock two feet above the surface of the ground and to be the following demensions to wit: 32 feet long by 24 feet wide, 20 feet high above the rock, and to be built of brick on the first story, the length of two bricks thick, the 2nd one and a half brick thick with four rooms 12 feet square with a fire place in ach room and one room 24 feet square witha fire place in each room and one room 24 feet square light windows in each room which will lave the court room 20 by 24 feet with two outer doors and four tight windows one at each side and two in the end to be ceiled overhead and plastered well inside and white washed and finished off in a workman like manner with good floors. The bar and judges seat jury box and sheriff's box to be done under the direction of the commissioners on a cheap plan by and with the consent of the county court, all of which is respectfully submitted to the court. Signed Silas Woodson. John G. Crump, and B. Shumate.
"It is therefore ordered by the court that said commissioners let out the building of said court house on the first day of the nest term of the court to the lowest bidders provided that the same shall not cost more than two thousand five hundred dollars to be paid by three annual installments the first payment of seven hundred dollars to be paid on the first day of October, 1837, seven hundred to be paid on the first day of October, 1838 and the balance the first day of October, 1839.
"The said commissioners are required and ordered to take bond with approved securities from the undertaker or undertakers in at least double sum for which the undrtakers agree to perform the said work with the condition that the same shall be built agreeable to the above plan and to be completed on or before the first day of November, 1838 the said commissioners are required to advertise the time and place of letting out the same at the most public place in the county at least twenty days previous to the next term of this court and after the dsaid new court house is covered it is to be for the use of the county and circuit and circuit court during term time."
Sunday January 11. 1953
Volume 52 Number
Pages 1 & 8
