Before we start down the South Fork of the Licking River. Lets travel 4.61 miles upstream (from Ruddles Mill) on the Hinkston Creek to the Colville Bridge. Google Map proclaims this to be the South Fork of the Licking. However, its not. This is…Hinkston creek. If you believe in such things, the locals will tell you that the bridge is haunted by at least four individuals and maybe a car. We can debate rather or not it’s haunted. But what is not debatable is the beautiful scenic setting.

Poindexter was a Harrison county community on the South Fork of the Licking River near the mouth of Sycamore Creek about three miles north of Cynthiana. John Poindexter arrived at the site circa 1835 and rebuilt an existing mill and later added a distillery. It was also Poindexter Station on the railroad. The Poindexter post office opened in 1876 and closed in 1932. 

It seems, There once was a common motto within the South Fork Licking River Valley, it was; Give me corn, give me water, a dam, and a railroad, and I’ll give you some of the best bourbon you have ever tasted. I was surprised to find the railroad adjacent to every lowhead dam sight.

Originally this was the Kentucky Central Railroad, that became part of the Lousiville Nashville or L&N and now the CSX line Even at Berry and Pondexter (two of the more remote locations) your find the railroad.

The creek coming in under the railroad overpass is Edgewater Branch and you can still see concrete structures along the creek bank that reminds of the reason and history behind the now washed out  dam.

 https://sites.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/harrison/riggs.bt.txt

 HISTORY OF KENTUCKY AND KENTUCKIANS, E. Polk Johnson, three volumes, Lewis Publishing Co., New York & Chicago, 1912. Common version, Vol. III, pp. 1287-88-89.   [Harrison County]

 B. T. RIGGS--As manager of the Crown Jewel Milling Company, at Cynthiana, Kentucky, Capt. B. T. Riggs holds prestige as one of the leading business men in Harrison county, having resided in this city for nearly two score years.  He was a valiant soldier in the Civil war and is a man whose veracity and altruistic tendencies make him a prominent and influential citizen.  He was born at Paris, Bourbon county, Kentucky, on the 25th of February, 1839, and is a son of Benjamin and Agnes M. (Wilson) Riggs, the former of whom was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, in 1799, and the latter claimed Falmouth, Pendleton county, Kentucky, as the place of her nativity, the date of her birth being January, 1801.  The father was summoned to the life eternal in November, 1839, and the mother died at Falmouth, Kentucky, in 1875, at the age of seventy-four years.  As a youth Benjamin M. Riggs learned the trade of silver smith and jeweler, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whence he came to Kentucky about the year 1820 or 1822.  In 1823 was solemnized his marriage to Miss Agnes M. Wilson, and immediately after that event location was made at Millersburg, Bourbon county.  Subsequently the family home was established at Paris, where Mr. Riggs passed the residue of his life and where he was identified with the work of his trade until his death, in 1839, at the age of forty years. Of the eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Riggs, but four are now living, namely--Julia, who is the widow of Robert Scott, of Falmouth, Kentucky; W. B., who was a Union sympathizer during the Civil war and a gallant soldier in that sanguinary struggle, as a member of the Fourth Kentucky Infantry; he now resides at Covington, Kentucky; Agnes, who is the wife of N. S. Dickerson, of Falmouth, Kentucky; and Captain B. T., the immediate subject of this review.

In 1841, shortly after the death of her honored husband, Mrs. Riggs removed from Paris to Falmouth, her old girlhood home, and there she continued to reside until her death.  She was a daughter of James and Agnes (Pickett) Wilson, both of whom were natives of Culpeper county, Virginia, when they came to Kentucky in the early ioneer days, location being made near Falmouth, where they became eminently well-to-do farmers. James Wilson and a brother saw service in the war of the Revolution and Samuel Wilson was an active participant in the War of 1812.

Captain Riggs was a child of some two years of age at the time of his mother's removal to Falmouth, Kentucky, where he availed himself of such advantages as were afforded in the common schools and where he grew to maturity.  In 1858, when nineteen years of age, he went to Williamstown, Kentucky, where he procured a position as a clerk in a general stores. At the time of the inception of the Civil war he was fired with enthusiasm for the cause of the Union and enlisted as a soldier in Company G, Eighteenth Kentucky Infantry, on the 10th of November, 1861.  As a private he began service under Captain H. W. Eggleston.  December 23, 1861, he was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant and on the 16th of January, 1863, he was made first lieutenant, becoming captain on the 18th of March, 1863.

He was taken prisoner by the Confederate forces at Chickamauga, on the 20th of September, 1863, and was held in duress at Libby prison for a period of seven months, at the expiration of which he was transferred to Danville, Virginia, then to Macon, Georgia, later to Charleston, South Carolina, and finally to Columbia, South Carolina.  On the 29th of November, 1864, he escaped from the latter place and made his way to the Union army, joining his regiment at Goldsboro, North Carolina, in the latter part of December, 1864.  In making his escape from prison he traveled steadily for twenty-two nights out of twenty-three.  He participated in the battle of Richmond, Kentucky, Hoover Gap, Tennessee, and Chickamauga, in all of which he saw hard service.  He had his clothing cut by bullets many times but was never seriously wounded.  At the close of the war he received his honorable discharge, being mustered out of service at Louisville on the 18th of July, 1865.  When peace had again been established he returned to Williamstown, Kentucky, where he remained until the spring of 1870, when he came to Cynthiana, where he was appointed government gauger, retaining that position until January 1, 1882.

In the year last mentioned Captain Riggs, in company with W. C. Musselman, purchased the Licking Valley Milling Company, which concern was operated for a short time by the firm of Riggs & Musselman.  Messrs. Riggs & Musselman conducted the institution until 1888 and upon the death of Capt. Musselman the firm was changed to Riggs, Garnett & Co., concerning the history of which the following extracts are taken from an article which appeared in the souvenir supplement of a local paper, under date of November 11, 1905.

"One of Cynthiana's earliest industries was the business conducted in the large and substantial building now occupied by the Crown Jewel Milling Company. * * * This splendid milling plant, owned and operated by the firm of Riggs, Garnett & Company, includes a large grain elevator, coal yard and public scales.

"The mill has an interesting history.  In 1809 the mill building was erected by a company for a woolen factory, and it was so used until 1818, when General Josephus Perrin moved his cotton mill into it and thus occupied it until 1825.  During these years one story was frequently rented for public meetings and entertainments, it having the largest rooms in Cynthiana.  It was used for storage for some years and in 1845 John Harmon Frazer bought it for use as a whiskey warehouse.  Gray & Cox next purchased the property, then J. A. Cook & Woolford, then C. B. Cook, in 1865, then Peck & Van Hook, in 1866.  Ben Potts entered the firm but he soon sold his interest to J. W. Peck & Company; after the firm had established a flouring mill, Messrs. Riggs & Musselman purchased the mill, in 1883; and in 1888, after Mr. Musselman's death, the firm became Riggs, Garnett & Company.

The property was purchased July, 1905, by a stock company, incorporated as the `Crown Jewel Milling' and the directors selected as Treasurer and Manager, Captain B. T. Riggs, who has been a member of the firm since 1882.  Mr. Lark Garnett is president of the company, and J. F. McDaniel, secretary.  Messrs. C. D. Linley and John McDaniel, Jr., are bookkeepers, and Mr. C. F. Eichhorn, an experienced man, is head miller."

In addition to his business interests Captain Riggs is president of the board of education, of which he has been a member since 1893.  He is an elder in the Presbyterian church, in whose faith he was reared, and in a fraternal way he is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and with the Masonic order, in which he holds membership in the lodge, chapter and commandery of the York Rite branch.  In politics he has been a staunch Republican ever since his earliest voting days and as a loyal and public-spirited citizen he has done much to advance the general welfare of the community, in which he has elected to maintain his home.  He is a man of broad information and deep human sympathy, a man who is generous in his impulses, genial and kindly disposed toward all in trouble or distress.

On the 26th of April, 1866, Captain Riggs was united in marriage to Miss Kate Kerr, who was born in Fayette county, Kentucky, on the 31st of October, 1841, and who is a daughter of John and Rachel (Fry) Kerr, both of whom were likewise born in Fayette county and both of whom are now deceased.  Captain and Mrs. Riggs have four children, concerning whom the following brief data are here incorporated: Edna remains at the paternal home; Kerr T. is lieutenant of the Fourteenth Cavalry at West Point; Catherine Theo remains at home; and one died in infancy. Riggs Wilson Scott Dickerson Pickett Musselman Perrin Frazer Cook Potts Garnett McDaniel Linley Kerr Fry Peck Eichhorn = Paris-Bourbon-KY Falmouth-Pendleton-KY Williamstown-Grant-KY Fayette-KY Philadelphia-Philadelphia-PA Culpeper-VA MD

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/harrison/riggs.bt.txt

Kentucky Rebel Town: The Civil War Battles of Cynthiana and Harrison County

William A. Penn Contents CHAPTER 3 Lurking Rebels Get access Arrow William A. Penn

https://doi.org/10.5810/kentucky/9780813167718.003.0004

 Pages 61–84

Published: October 2016

Abstract

This chapter examines Union attempts during the Civil War to suppress disloyalty with controversial new war measures, including the employment of loyalty oaths and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, which blocked detained citizens from access to the courts to obtain their freedom. Taking advantage of these laws, military officers, to silence dissent, were free to arrest and imprison citizens, therefore bypassing the court system. This chapter is a study of the application of these pacification laws in Harrison County, describing the arrests of over sixty citizens, the reasons for the arrests, and incarceration of the political prisoners in Camp Frazer, Camp Chase, and other locations. Cynthiana’s pro-Southern editor was arrested and his paper closed.

 Detailed description about the citizens of Cynthana during the Morgan Raids http://www.harrisoncountyky.us/harrison-heritage-news/hhn-05-09-(sept.)-(6-pgs.)-(dl-scan).pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cynthiana The fight at Keller Bridge

https://sites.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/harrison/cook.cb.txt

C. B. COOK, Jr., miller and distiller, P. O. Cynthiana; was born near Richmond, Ky., Feb. 19, 1860, son of C. B. and Parmelia (Knight) Cook; he was born in Lancaster County, Pa., March 31, 1823, was a millwright and distiller by occupation, coming to Kentucky in 1858, served as Magistrate at Richmond and was Mayor and Councilman several terms, dying Nov. 16, 1880.  His wife was born in Hagerstown, Md., Dec. 9, 1828, where she was married in 1844; they had one son and four daughters.  Our subject received his education in Cynthiana.  He is and has been for some time, of the firm of C. B. Cook & Co., distillers, millers &c. [sic], at Cynthiana.  Mr. Cook has served as Chief of the fire department one term.

One of the sisters of Mr. Cook is Mrs. Laura Musser, another is Mrs. Cora V. Addams, and the other two, Lillie and Hattie, are at homs.  His wife is a member of the Christian Church, and is a Democrat.

 http://www.harrisoncountyky.us/harrison-heritage-news/hhn-02-09-(sept.)-(4-pgs.)-(dl-scan).pdf

Details of the death and reunion of son on the field of battle.

We recommend an extension of the bonded period of whiskey to at least eight years,” testified C.B. Cook, a Cynthiana, Kentucky distiller in 1894, before the Senate Finance Committee. The distillers were victorious in extending the bonded period from three years to eight years, but the nagging rectifier problem combined with the rise of Canadian whisky forced distillers to pursue additional legislation to protect their brands.

Details of Cynthiana battle https://emergingcivilwar.com/2020/07/17/damned-green-yanks-the-171st-ohio-at-kellers-bridge-kentucky/

 During the civil war, Kentucky decided not to leave the Union. But also, to be a slave state. Trying to straddle the fence between their belief in a national concept and their Southern culture left many Kentuckians divided. This included the citizen’s of Cynthiana. All of this intense political division collided in grand style In June of 1864… when John Hunt Morgan commander of the 2nd Kentucky Confederate Cavalry Regiment decided to attack Cynthiana Kentucky. The Confederates crossed the river where the boat ramps are now located (below Terry Dam) and attack The Court House and the train depot… that was located directly above where the CB Cook Distillery once stood.

At the train depot Col George W Berry, for whom Berry Kentucky is named and the location of another low head dam, was shot in the head while defending the depot. His son was a member of John Hunt Morgan’s Cavalry and was informed of his father’s serious wounds. Arrangements were made for the two to meet on the field of battle. After a tearful reunion, and using a door as a stretcher, Col George Berry was loaded onto a train and taken to his home in Berry Kentucky.

How and when this occurred remains a mystery to me, the AKeller railroad bridge located about a mile north of town, and adjacent to the A Keller low head dam, had been burned on June 9th by Morgan’s troops and now the confederates laid in wait on the surrounding hillsides for the arrival of General Edward Hobson and the men of the 171st of Ohio. The train arrived caring the troops and stopped in the river bottoms and within 15 rods of the burned bridge.  Upon exiting the train, the Union troops were immediately fired upon and they quickly found themselves hemmed in on three sides with no avenue to escape, After five hours of fighting General Hobson surrendered his command and men around 11 a.m. on June 11, 1864 to John Hunt Morgan.

So you see three of the low head dam locations where involved on that day in history. One is here at Terry Dam, We will visit the AKeller site next and the Berry location a little low down river.

a different approach. He owned a large farm in Berry, named the Hill Top Stock Farm, and also owned six slaves. He was in his 50’s when the war started, too old to enlist, so he became the head of the local union home guard for Cynthiana, while his two sons joined the confederacy. As the head of the home guard and now provost marshal, Col Berry had the right to accuse and imprison those who supported the Confederacy, and he didn’t hesitate. Around 60 individuals were arrested including one of the local newspaper editors, a judge and county clerk.

 A Keller story  

http://pre-prowhiskeymen.blogspot.com/2017/08/abraham-keller-and-whiskey-for-ages.html

We are now at the Crown Jewel Mill located above the Terry Dam in Cynthiana, Kentucky. This building was original built to be a woolen factory. It changed ownership several times before becoming the Crown Jewel Mill in 1905. During the civil war is was used as a warehouse for several distillers including CB Cook.  

In Cynthiana, there are two low head dams. This is the Terry Dam.  The second is the A Keller Low Head located about a mile downstream. In the 1800’s the CB Cook distillery was located above the dam and this building was built in 1809 as a woolen factory. It served as a whiskey warehouse during the civil war and This 1877 map shows the building  as the J W Peck and Co. Licking Valley Mills. It was converted into the Crown Jewel Flour Mill in 1905. As previously mentioned these low head dams are directly tied to the production of  Whiskey, Kentucky bourbon, the railroads, corn, water, and now the civil war.

If we look at an overhead view of the A Keller Bridge and low head dam, we see the perfect setting for a military trap. I do not believe this was by chance. Morgan had mastered the skill of tapping into the telegraph system and sending false messages. Therefore, General Edward Hobson may have been advancing with bad intel. It is my belief this was a well laid and perfectly executed trap and the prize was not the town but the capture of the union troops in hopes to negotiate a prisoner exchange for the men he had lost in the Ohio raid. In General Hobsons field reports he talks about such communications that took place on June 12.

Today the low head dam that was once featured on post cards and called Cynthiana’s little Niagara flows quietly in a beautiful setting. The mill house is gone, the once thriving distillery and employees are gone. The solders are gone…..and the trains that do come by never stop. 

https://www.distillerytrail.com/blog/frazier-history-museum-selling-vintage-prohibition-era-medicinal-bourbon-rye-whiskies/

https://bid.unicornauctions.com/lots/view/4-7FKHBM/john-poindexter-12-year-bourbon-w-prohibition-era-crate-1916-1928-24-bottles-1-pint

John Poindexter arrived at the site circa 1835 and rebuilt an existing mill and later added a distillery. It was also Poindexter Station on the railroad. The Poindexter post office opened in 1876 and closed in 1932. 

Located on the South Fork of the Licking River four miles northwest of Cynthiana, this distillery was built in 1856 by John Poindexter. In 1869 the Wiglesworth family acquired it, tore it down and rebuilt it. By 1910 the mashing capacity had been increased to 300 bushels per day, and there were three bonded warehouses with a storage capacity for 20,000 barrels. In the late 1910s the officers were J. M. Wiglesworth, president and W. T. Wiglesworth, secretary-treasurer. Products included Old G. W. Taylor, Poindexter Bourbon, and Wiglesworth Bros. Sweet Mash. The distillery closed at Prohibition.

In 1924 all the whiskey in storage was transferred to the concentration warehouses of James E. Pepper & Co., a facility in Lexington that had been leased in 1907 for 20 years by Joseph Wolf of Chicago, where it was bottled for medicinal spirits. 

As we drop in on Poindexter and view the low head dam from the bridge, one would never guess that a large distillery once stood to our left. In fact, I drove right by the lane without given it any notice. Once again, I talked to the locals and no one remembers the distiller. One lady in her 80’s told be she remembers walking the dam, as a child, to go to church, I’m assuming the Union Baptist church that is located nearby, but she couldn’t recall a distillery or mill. Which makes sense, since the distillery stopped operating when prohibition was enacted, which would be 100 years ago and before her childhood.

The distillery was built in 1856 by John Poindexter. In 1869 the Wiglesworth family acquired it, tore it down and rebuilt it. By 1910 the mashing capacity had been increased to 300 bushels per day, and there were three bonded warehouses with a storage capacity for 20,000 barrels. Yes there is a railroad, that crosses  a little downstream.

Just recently an old case of 21 pints of Old John Poindexter sold at auction for 18,300 and single bottles of the same batch can be found online selling for $2,000.00 each. Not to shabbly for a quite little town sitting below the Union Baptist Church.

1847 - Kentucky Legislature grants articles of incorporation to 1.I.J"~I\.llIl5 and Lexington Railroad Co., March 1. 1849 - Above repealed and a new charter granted authorizing "construction of a railway, with single or double tracks, from Covingto Lexington, and any town or place in any of the counties through the road might pass or in any adjoining counties." Name changed Covington and Lexington Railroad Co. (C.L.R.R). 1850 - Let contracts for construction of first 18 miles of road which had been previously surveyed. 1851 - Let contracts for superstructure of the road. (All that was not previously contracted.) 1852 - Wm. K. Wall deeds land to Covington-Lexington Railroad for depot, "adjacent to the town of Cynthiana on the south side." 1853 - C.L.RR completed to Falmouth and service begun to that place, October 17. 1853 - Maysville-Lexington RR completed Paris to Lexington. train passes from Paris to Lexington December 22, 1853. 1854 - C.L.R.R completed to Mr. Robinson's mill, 8 miles north of Cynthiana, April 13. C.L.RR completed to town limits of Cynthiana, May 18. First passenger trains run between Cynthiana and Covington, May 22. Barbecue held at Cynthiana to celebrate the completion of the railroad to this place, June 8. Estimated that 15,000 to 20,000 people attended. Cynthiana News reported that "The amount of provisions destroyed on this memorable occasion was: In notions, $80; Loaves of bread 650; Hams, 50; Number of Beavers killed, 6; Number of Shoats killed, 25; Number of Sheep killed, 75." C.L.RR completed to Paris and trains began running, September 27. 1855 - Cynthiana News, Jan.4. reports "C.L.RR has leased the Lexington-Paris section of the bankrupt Maysville-Lexington R.R" C.L.RR. cars running from Covington to Lexington and return, January 11. 1863 - Covington-Lexington RR. re-chartered as Kentucky Central RR 1886-1985. 1886 - Kentucky-Central RR falls on hard times and goes into receivership. 1889 - Louisville & Nashville R.R. acquires entire capital of K.C.RR 1913 - Double tracking of L&N RR through Harrison County completed. 1961 - Start work of taking down railroad passenger depot building at Cynthiana. 1968 - Last scheduled passenger train stops at Cynthiana, March 7. 1986 - C.S.x. Transportation acquires L&N RR 1985 - Completed return of the railroad to a single track in Harrison County. Ed. Note: Mr. Slade welcomes inquiries on Harrison Co. history by letter or email.

Robinson dam, purchased recently by a Louisville Electric Co. for the purpose of putting in a power plant. 1929

Tag along as we travel to eight of the low head dams located on the South Fork of the Licking River. We investigate their history, observe their beauty, and discuss the number of deep-rooted controversies surrounding the dams. Along the way we discuss one of Kentucky’s hidden bourbon’s trail, the civil war, railroads, and rich fertile farm lands.  

Distilleries

Lair

Megibben & Bramble Distillery

T.J. Megibben & Company

G.S. Sharpe or G.R. Sharp

Julius Kessler & Company

Old Louis Hunter

Sam B. Walton

Seagrams

 District 6

 Latonia Distillery, DSP 2

Thorne Distilling Co. Distillery, DSP 3

Darling Distillery, DSP 4

Jett Bros. Distilling Co. Distillery, DSP 5

C.B Cook Distillery, DSP 6

Boone County Distilling Co. Distillery, DSP 8

Kellar Distillery, DSP 9

Wiglesworth Bros. Co. Distillery, DSP 10

New England Distillery, DSP 11

Old Tub Fowler Distilling Co., DSP 14

Hayes Valley Distilling Co. Distillery, DSP 16  

Old Lewis Hunter Distillery, DSP 19

Myers & Co. Distillery, DSP 22

Old ’76 Distillery Co. Distillery, DSP 33

F.S. Ashbrook Distillery, DSP 35

Susquemac Distilling Co. Distillery, DSP 6

 https://www.pre-pro.com/midacore/list_warehouses.php?state=KY&district=6

Lenengoog

Fryer & Hume

1898: A transaction was recorded for a warehouse located in or near Falmouth, Pendleton County, KY

The transaction was carried out by J F Fryer, transaction code: "D, T, W". (explain codes)

1898: A transaction was recorded for a warehouse located in or near Falmouth, Pendleton County, KY

The transaction was carried out by Fryer & Hume, transaction code: "T, W". (explain codes)

1901: A transaction was recorded for a warehouse located in or near Falmouth, Pendleton County, KY

The transaction was carried out by Fryer & Talbot, transaction code: "D, T, W". (explain codes)

1901: A transaction was recorded for a warehouse located in or near Falmouth, Pendleton County, KY

The transaction was carried out by Fryer & Hume, transaction code: "T, W". (explain codes)

1903: A transaction was recorded for a warehouse located in or near Falmouth, Pendleton County, KY

The transaction was carried out by Fryer & Talbot, transaction code: "T, W". (explain codes)

1903: A transaction was recorded for a warehouse located in or near Falmouth, Pendleton County, KY

The transaction was carried out by John F Fryer, transaction code: "D, T, W". (explain codes)

1904: A transaction was recorded for a warehouse located in or near Falmouth, Pendleton County, KY

The transaction was carried out by Fryer & Talbot, transaction code: "T, W". (explain codes)

1904: A transaction was recorded for a warehouse located in or near Falmouth, Pendleton County, KY

The transaction was carried out by John F Fryer, transaction code: "D, T, W". (explain codes)

Chipman & Riggle, late McDonald & Holt.

1898: R B McDonald -- T, W

1898: N B Chipman -- D, T, W

1898: Chipman & Riggle -- T, W

1901: R B McDonald -- T

1901: Chipman & Riggle -- T, W

1901: N B Chipman -- D, T, W

1903: Chipman & Riggle -- T, W

1903: N B Chipman -- D, T, W

1904: The Old Tub Fowler Dist. Co. -- D, T, W

1904: N B Chipman -- T, W

1914: The Old Tub Fowler Distillery Co. Inc. -- no details given

Grant Co

Insurance underwriter records compiled in 1892 suggest that the distillery was located 3 miles west of Williamstown. It was of frame construction with a shingle roof and fed a single bonded warehouse, also of frame construction with a shingle roof, 350 ft from the still. At that time, it was owned by "Little Bros." Review bonded warehouse transactions for this distillery