History

"Estill County, the fiftieth in order of formation, was established on February 19th, 1808, from parts of Clark and Madison counties. It was named in honor of Capt. James Estill, who was killed by Indians during Estill's Defeat on March 22, 1782. The county is located in eastern Kentucky and comprises an area of 256 square miles, bordered by Clark, Jackson, Lee, Madison, and Powell counties. The county seat is Irvine.

Although mostly hilly, the fertile bottomlands are highly productive agricultural areas. Large crops of tobacco and alfalfa are grown, and there is limited livestock production. Extensive quantities of coal and smaller deposits of oil, iron ore, and lead are also found in the county. Approximately 75 percent of Estill County is forest, of which 4,458 acres lie within the Daniel Boone National Forest . Along with the Kentucky River , the principal streams of the county are the Red River and the Station Camp, Beech, Cow, Drowning, and Miller’s creeks.

Prior to pioneer settlement, Estill County was the site of a Shawnee village at Estill Springs, along the banks of Station Camp Creek. In the 1760s and 1770s, after John Finley, Daniel Boone, and Robert McAfee explored the area, many early settlers entered the region by way of an old buffalo and Indian trace that led to Boonesborough in what is now Madison County .

The mineral wealth of the region played an important role in the development of the county. The Shawnee mined lead in the area, and early settlers recognized the industrial potential of the region. The production of iron began in about 1810 and became one of the earliest industries. Evidence of the once-thriving iron industry can be found in the ruins of the Estill steam furnace, which operated from 1830 to 1874; the Cottage furnace; the Red River iron works; and the Fitchburg furnace. The iron industry declined after 1865 when iron deposits and timber to fire the furnaces were depleted, and innovations in the iron industry made charcoal furnaces obsolete.

The large hotel and landscaped grounds at Estill Springs drew many famous Kentuckians to the summer retreat before the Civil War. Greene Clay, who owned the springs, Henry Clay, John Crittenden, and John C. Breckinridge were among the notables who summered there. The resort survived the Civil War and operated into the twentieth century.

Among the towns, villages, and communities in Estill County are the communities of Ravenna , Fitchburg , North Irvine , Sand Hill, South Irvine, and West Irvine . Estill County has two weekly newspapers, the Citizen Voice and Times and Estill County Tribune, both published in Irvine , and one radio station (WIRV).”

From: The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by John Kleber. University Press of Kentucky. Copyright 1992

Brief Timeline of Estill County (and Estill Development Alliance) History

1792 Kentucky established as a State
1800 Green Clay buys "Sweet Springs" [Estill Springs]
1808 Estill Co. formed from Madison & Clark Counties [50th county]
1808 Estill Co. erects its first courthouse of logs
1810 Estill Co. shows a population of 2,082
1812 The town of Irvine established
1820 Estill Co. shows a population of 3,507
1830 Estill Steam Iron Ore Furnace erected
1830 Estill County's first brick Court House erected
1830 Estill Co. shows a population of 4,618
1840 Estill Co. shows a population of 5,535
1843 Owsley County formed from a part of Estill County
1844 Early Estill County resident and hero Joseph Proctor dies at the age of 89
1850 Estill Co. shows a population of 5,985
1852 Powell County formed from part of Estill County
1854 Cottage Furnace erected 1857 Infamous murderer Edward Hawkins hanged in Estill County for his crimes
1860 Estill Co. shows a population of 6,886. [includes 600 slaves]
1861 The 8th Kentucky Vol. Inf. Reg. [Federal] organized at Estill Springs
1863 Estill County soldiers [8th KY] place flag on Lookout Mountain
1864 Irvine raided by Confederate guerillas, who ransacked the town and burned the jail
1868 Estill County's third courthouse erected [completed in 1870]
1869 Fitchburg Furnace [twin stack] erected
1870 W.W. Pigg begins stage coach service between Richmond and Irvine [scheduled 4 hours running time]
1870 Lee County is formed from part of Estill County
1871 Race riot at Fitchburg Furnace, leaving 3 dead and soldiers brought in to take control
1890 First train arrives in Irvine
1890 Stage coach passenger service is discontinued between Richmond and Irvine
1890 Charter granted by General Assembly for Estill County Deposit Bank, Irvine's first
1890 New jail built for Estill County
1890 The "Estill Eagle" newspaper begins publication
1896 The "Spout Springs Times" newspaper begins publication
1900 The Mowbry-Robinson Lumber Company built at West Irvine
1905 Estill Collegiate Institute incorporated
1907 The Irvine Telephone Company incorporated
1909 Irvine Toll Bridge incorporated
1913 The "Irvine Sun" newspaper begins publication
1913 The "Estill Tribune" newspaper begins publication
1915 The L&N RR Company builds East Kentucky Headquarters in Ravenna
1916 Estill County Board of Education buys the Estill Collegiate Institute for $7,500
1917 Oil boom in Estill County
1921 The town of Ravenna is incorporated
1924 Estill Springs Hotel burns down and not rebuilt
1926 Famed character actor Harry Dean Stanton born in West Irvine
1927 The "Estill Herald" newspaper begins publication
1927 Irvine-Ravenna Kiwanis Club founded
1930 Estill County shows a population of 17,000 plus
1931 Carhartt starts sewing factory in Irvine
1932 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church dedicated in Ravenna
1932 The Estill Herald, the Irvine Times, & the Estill Tribune published weekly
1936 Famed college and pro basketball coach and Irvine native, Lee Rose, born
1939 Work is started by the WPA to build a new courthouse
1940 Old railroad bridge at Irvine demolished for war purposes
1940 New bridge built across the Kentucky River at Irvine
1949 Estill County Fair Association Founded
1955 Estill Dairy opens
1956 Passenger rail service ceases in Estill County
1958 Estill County celebrated its 150th birthday
1958 Estill County Hospital (later Marcum & Wallace Memorial Hospital) erected
1961 Tornado rips through Ravenna, injuring several people
1961 Irvine Community Television founded
1965 Southeast Coal Company opens coal processing facility
1971 Member of the Backstreet Boys and Estill County High alum Kevin Richardson born.
1972 Citizens Guaranty Bank founded
1980 Hardy Oil Company founded
1981 Estill County Historical & Genealogical Society founded
1985 Estill Dairy closes
1987 Southeast Coal Company closes coal processing facility
1987 Estill Wood Products opens
1989 Estill County Industrial Development Authority formed
1990 Estill County census shows a population of over 14,000
1994 Carhartt builds new production plant
1995 Estill County 21st Century, Inc. founded to spur citizen-led development
1996 Estill County Hall of Honor established
1998 Estill County Chamber of Commerce merges with Estill Co. 21st Century, Inc.
1998 Irvine, Ravenna & Hargett schools closed
1999 Work commences on new By-Pass for Irvine and second bridge across Kentucky River
2000 Downtown Irvine revitalization work begins
2000 Estill County 21st Century, Inc. is renamed Estill Development Alliance
2000 Estill County census shows a population of 15,307
2005 Joe Crawford becomes Executive Director of Estill Development Alliance
2005 Estill County Chamber of Commerce re-launched as operating division of EDA
2006 EDA establishes youth leadership development group, Irvine YALL
2006 Oil exploration resurgence in Estill County
2007 Irvine YALL receives honors for projects from International Community Problem Solving
2008 Estill County Youth Football League founded
2008 First Estill County team attends Brushy Fork Institute
2008 Estill County celebrates bicentennial, including LocoMagic public art project
2009 EC2 strategic planning project held by EDA
2009 Breathitt, Estill, Lee & Powell Regional Tech Authority formed to bring broadband access to rural parts of the four counties
2010 EDA forms Honorable Order of Estill County Captains
2010 Leadership Estill County launched
2010 Estill County census shows a population of 14,672
2011 Micro-venture fund feasibility study completed
2011 Leadership LEAP formed in partnership with Lee & Powell Counties
2011 Entrepreneur academy held in partnership with EKU CEDET
2011 Estill County Local-Motive begins
2011 Growing Local Economies partnership receives funding from Babcock Foundation for business network
2012 Local Motive expands to become Eastern Kentucky Local Motive
2012 Leadership LEAP adds Jackson County as a partner
2012 EDA opens business incubator, the Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs
2013 EDA founds Estill County Community Foundation to facilitate local giving and grant-making
2013 Lee, Estill, Wolfe & Powell Counties form LEWP Multi-County Recreation Board to explore trail development
2013 River City Players community theater group forms and becomes an operating division of EDA
2014 Leadership LEAP begins partnering with Wolfe and Owsley Counties