About a month ago I was in the Williams Creek Basin area (abbreviated WCB) for a family visit and for fun I decided to drive around Straight Creek. This is likely the first time I had been on Straight Creek for at least 20 years. I grew up nearby in the Princess area in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, before leaving northeast KY in 1973. I had been in the Straight Creek, Buena Vista, Cobb Fork area hundreds of times in my youth. I have many friends in this area. I had often seined for minnows and crawdads in Straight Creek for fish bait.
Predictably I was very surprised at all the changes to the area, with the biggest change likely being far more convenient access via Addington Road from US 60 at Coalton and from Industrial Parkway via I-64. What once was a rather remote area with a long drive from the head of Straight Creek to get to the only paved outlet, KY SR5, now has other convenient options.
I saw nice road sign markers on Straight Creek and Moore Branch for many cemeteries, such as Neece Cemetery, Qualls Cemetery, Lawson Cemetery, etc. There were several cemetery signs in about a one mile stretch of Straight Creek. I had no idea, but was not really all that surprised that there were so many different cemeteries. Small remote cemeteries are very common to the general area.
I made a list of the marked cemeteries and decided to return at a later date to personally visit each of these cemeteries to get a GPS reading and at least one photograph for the WCB Website Interactive Map.
I called my old friend Don Moore who is a lifelong resident of Straight Creek and is very familiar with the local geography and residents. Don has tramped over all the local hills. Don kindly agreed to help me with this project.
An interesting note about Don: For most of my primary education I attended Cannonsburg Elementary. I first came to Cannonsburg Elementary in the 2nd grade. Don was sent by his teacher, Mrs. Smith, to escort me from the principal’s office back to his class, Mrs. Smith’s 2nd grade class. So, Don Moore was the very first person I met in my new school and over half a century later he is still helping me find places.
There was a Boyd County High Class reunion, Don’s and my class, scheduled for the weekend of Aug 28th and 29th (2015), so I would be in the area. Don agreed to take me to the cemeteries on my list starting at 10:00 AM on the 29th.
Don was ready to go with a small 4 wheel drive vehicle when I arrived. We spent the next 5 hours visiting the following graveyards.
· Lawson Cemetery
· Whitlock Cemetery
· Boggs – Moore Branch Cemetery
· Neece Cemetery (on Moore Family Property) – Image above from this cemetery
· Neece Cemetery (on McGlone Family Property) – no road marker sign
· Qualls Cemetery
· Collins Cemetery
· Adams Cemetery – no road marker sign
I had already visited the Gillum Cemetery, which has a sign on Straight Creek but is actually on Mile Branch. Ready auto access to the Gillum Cemetery is via Straight Creek by climbing south out of the Straight Creek Hollow into the Mile Branch Hollow. I-64 construction in the 1970’s negated access to the Gillum Cemetery via Mile Branch.
I learned of at least two other unmarked cemeteries in the Moore Branch area. One is on land owned by Don Moore and the other is nearby on an adjacent plot. Don has been to the one on his property years ago. One resident that Don and I talked with had visited both of these cemeteries via horseback relatively recently and indicated it was very rough going and 5 of the 6 horses on the trip were injured.
Don and I decided to save these two remote and unmarked cemeteries until last, and after 5 hours had no additional time. Hopefully I can return later for a shot at visiting these two other remote cemeteries.
You can see all these Straight Creek cemeteries exact locations, with a photo and other info, on the WCB Interactive Map. The WCB Interactive Map has over 100 other points of interest. Click on this link for an article about this map and how to access the map.
Williams Creek Basin Interactive Map Article
My deep appreciation to Don Moore and also to the many kind residents of Straight Creek and Moore Branch. They were all so helpful and made this excursion a delight. Also, thanks to all that worked on the placement of the various cemetery identification road signs in Boyd County, KY. That huge sign task had to take a lot of research, planning, and tenacity to accomplish.
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What a cool article, thanks for writing it. I used to live on Moore Branch Rd, and Don moore was married to my cousin Jan, back int he 70’s. He’s such a nice guy, and very knowlegable about the area. Some of my family still live on Stright Creek. My cousin is a “McGlone” but not sure if it was his property that you were on or not. Two cousins on the Crisp side fo the family live out there too, as well as my uncle (their dad).
I used to run those hills with my cousins when I would come down to visit from Michigan and have so many stories about all of the fun and crazy stuff we used to do out there. lol I would not trade my exeriences out there, for anything in the world.
Scott,
I personally know Jan, Darrell, your Uncle LT, and likely all the others you cite in your comment. I am pleased you liked the article. Despite not living in the area since 1973 the personal connections are still vital.
Enjoy! Lon
Lon, Jan and Darrell had an older brother Mark who was killed in a motorcycle wreck in 1986. Don Moore had the wrecked Harley in his garage after the accident for a while and I think they gave it to Mark’s Motorcycle Club, to restore and display. My older brother Jeff lived right between Jan and Don Moore, and my uncle LT’s house, with my grapndparents (Rachel and Alden), so you might know him too. Him and Mark were close in age and inseperable. LT and Gail, also have another son, David, who still lives out there, I think next door to Don Moore. I see them all about once or twice a summer. Davis is really close in age to me (51). If i ever won the lottery and didn;t have to work, I’d pack up and move back there tomorrow, I just love the area.
Scott, I knew Mark very well. His other set of grandparents, Bus and Janie Shelton, were my neighbors at Princess. My younger brother, James (Gordy) Coleman, has Mark’s bike. He was a close friend of Mark. Enjoy! Lon
My grandparents lived up at the head of Straight Creek, Orville and Virgie Crisp. I too, spent many of a day roaming the woods and drinking out of the creek down in the bottom by my grandmother’s garden. My father Alben Crisp and my deceased uncle Donald Crisp grew up on Straight Creek. I had a great aunt and uncle Alden and Rachael Crisp, also lived on Straight Creek. I remember before they paved the road and how the car rocked back and forth going through the deep ruts in the road. The tobacco drying in barns beside the road and the families still living in the old mining shacks. I can remember the building down by route 5 that use to be the company store. They have rerouted the road now and I am not sure if I could find my way. Thank you for bringing back such happy memories.
Cheryl,
Don Crisp was my neighbor at Princess. My family lived across RT 5 from Don’s wife’s parents Millard and Mary Towler Kelley.
Glad you liked the article.
You should also check out the “Williams Creek Basin Interactive Map”. I have plotted 140 point in the area, with more to be added. Many of these points you will likely remember. Here is a link to that website feature:
The Williams Creek Basin Interactive Map
Enjoy! Lon
Alden and Rachel were my grandparents. 🙂 Alden Jr, is my dad. He still lives in the area (Catlettsburg), I just saw him a few days before Christmas. Orville was my grandpa’s borther, i think. I know the names, just not exactly sure how we’re all related. Mom and dad got divorced in 1967 and mom remarried my step dad in 1968 and we moved to Michigan. I was about 3 1/2 at the time and never went back to Straight Creek until 1976, when I spent the summer with my grandparents. One of the first memories was stopping at Hick’s Pool Hall right past the bridge on Straight Creek Rd, and my grandpa telling me as he was going in to get some “chaw”, that I was to never go in there. lol
I had such a great summer that year, hunting frogs and snakes in the creek and picking blackberries on my grandparents’ property on moore Branch Rd. They must’ve had 10 acres of nothing but wild blackberries, way back up in the strip mine ponds on their property. Ahhh, to be young again. 🙂
What a wonderful article. My mother still lives in princess off of rt5. The home place sets just a few feet behind the furnace wall. As kids we would crawl under the fence onto the Horton property and set on the “stone wall ” and watch cars go by. Really enjoyed this article and look forward to any history of the area I grew up in. Although I’ve been gone from there for over 25 years it will always hold my heart as only home can.
Hi JoAnn,
Surely you remember me, Lon Coleman. I also lived at Princess just a short distance from your family.
Enjoy! Lon
Speaking of the old blast furnace did you ever explore those caves on or near the Tollers Place one was just a small hole in the hill. But much harder to find was 2 others that was larger. I’ll Never forget in the Seventies they had the Boyscotts Jambore in the bottom on the old Springer place that the Judge Homerdorffer had bought then striped mined it. But the Boyscotts had a grand time they even had parachuters jump into the bottom that they was camped out in. What a site it could had been a National Assembly instead of a state one it seemed like there was hundreds of tents.
Jeff,
Sounds like you had a great time at the Boy Scout Roundup. I was never in any caves (or mines) on the Towler Place. Which Towler place?. There were two large Towler farms at Princess located beside each other. One was owned by the descendants of Robert Towler (Chester, Buck, and Mary) and the other the descendants of Caleb Towler (Raymond, Van, and Irene). The one with Raymond, Van and Irene was closer to the Springer place. Enjoy! Lon
I have several relatives from the area, some buried in the Neece cemetery. My maternal grandmother was Maude Neece and she had family all up and down straight creek, beuna vista, and cobb fork. My fathers family also has ties to the area at princess and cobb fork. I have spent many hours rabbit, grouse and deer hunting the entire area from Springer’s bottom to the ridgetop of high knob. Some of my fondest memories growing up in the area.
Name is Chris Walker. I spent my early years on Straight Creek. I remember the Moore’s. We lived right next to them…Don, Beaver, Stanley, Kim, Debbie, Bonnie. The place has most certainly changed. The strip mines changed it all.
Hi Chris,
Were you possibly related to other Walker’s in the Straight Creek area such as Farmer “Farm” Walker (1873 – 1960) and his last wife Goldie Griffith Walker (1898 – 1969)? They lived near the mouth of Buena Vista. They were my Great Uncle and Aunt.
Enjoy! Lon
The Qualls Cemetery is my mother’s family. We just buried her brother there last month. It was originally the Miles cemetery (my maternal grandmothers family) but due to another Miles Cemetery close by the name was changed to prevent confusion.
Hi Peggy,
Knowing the Qualls Cemetery was previously known as the Miles Cemetery is good info.
Where was this “other” Miles Cemetery in the area?
Enjoy! Lon