There are tributes to famous political leaders and authors, Native
American history, one of the first railroad communities, and the agricultural
history that is prevalent in the South.
Rich in history, Todd County is the perfect place for you to reacquaint
yourself with the heritage of the nation. There are tributes to famous
political leaders and authors, Native American history, one of the
first railroad communities, and the agricultural history that is prevalent
in the South.
Formed on December 30, 1819 from parts of Logan and Christian counties,
Todd County became the 64th county in Kentucky. The county was named
for Col. John Todd, who was instrumental in founding Lexington with
his brothers Robert and Levi. Todd was killed on August 19, 1782 during
the battle of Blue Licks. The county seat, Elkton, was incorporated
in May of 1820.
The first settlers of the county relied heavily on agriculture. Early
cash crops included tobacco, corn and livestock. During the early
1900s, the tobacco farmers of Todd County, together with 5,000 other
area farmers, formed the Dark Tobacco Productive Association to oppose
the price fixing of the American Tobacco Company and other purchasers.
The company, later renamed the Planters’ Protective Association
of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, believed growers should be allowed
to set their own prices for their crops. Stiff opposition from independent
growers resulted in much destruction in Todd County, perpetrated by
men wearing black masks and white scarves. The men were referred to
as the Black Patch War’s night riders. Farm life continued in
the county, however, and the area is still predominantly agricultural,
raising livestock as well as growing crops of tobacco, soybeans and
corn.
The county has always been home to more than just farms and rolling
hills, however. The President of the Confederate States of America,
Jefferson Davis, was born within the county at Fairview, Ky. In addition
to his most famous role, Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican
War hero, Mississippi congressional representative and senator, and
Secretary of War during the administration of Franklin Pierce. A brilliant
leader, Davis suggested the transcontinental railroad to connect the
Pacific and Atlantic oceans, founded the Army Medical Corps, and ordered
that the frontier be surveyed. Realizing the importance of the land
around him, he directed that the West be studied for scientific and
geographic purposes and also proposed the purchase of the Panama Canal
Zone. The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government was penned by
Davis.
Jefferson Davis is not the only politically famous person to be born
in Todd County. Benjamin Helm Bristow was born in Elkton, the county
seat, in the early 1800s. Bristow was elected to the state Senate
for four years while serving in the Union Army during the Civil War.
This was just the beginning of his political service, however. From
there, Bristow served in various capacities, eventually becoming the
Secretary of the Treasury for two years under President Ulysses S.
Grant. He later became a leading Republican presidential candidate
in 1876.
There are also strong cultural figures in the history of Todd County.
The first Poet Laureate of the nation, Robert Penn Warren, was born
in Todd County and spent his formative childhood years living within
the county borders. Born in Guthrie in 1905, Warren went on to graduate
from the local school in Guthrie at age 15. His mother, a schoolteacher,
did not feel he was old enough to attend college, so he continued
his education at Clarksville High School in Montgomery County, Tenn.,
where he graduated a year later. From there, his education continued
at Vanderbilt University, where he would later return as an educator.
Warren’s literary works are admired worldwide. He published 10
novels, with All the King's Men winning a Pulitzer Prize. Two of his
novels were made into movies, as well. In addition to novels, Warren
published poems, short stories, critical essays, a biography and several
studies.
Although he spent his latter years in the Northeast and is buried
in Stratton, Vt., Warren requested a memorial marker to be placed
at the Warren family gravesite in Guthrie, Ky. His boyhood home is
still standing in Guthrie and has been turned into a monument in his
honor.
Todd County also played a part in one of the darkest episodes in American
history. The northern route of the Trail of Tears passed through Guthrie,
in the southern portion of Todd County, and continued on to Hopkinsville,
Ky., minutes west of the Todd County line. The Trail of Tears was
the journey taken by 17,000 Cherokee Indians when they were forced
to migrate to Indian Territory after President Andrew Jackson authorized
the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Thousands of Native Americans perished
during the 1,200-mile march through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois,
Missouri and Arkansas.
Guthrie, Ky. was also an important part of the history of American
transportation, as it became a hub for the railroad during the 1850s.
In 1870, the Elkton-Guthrie Railroad was incorporated, with rail service
between the two cities beginning in 1885. During the early 1900s,
the 11-mile rail line was always busy, with three round trips daily
between Elkton and Guthrie. The line was abandoned in 1957, but Guthrie
continues to be at the center of modern-day rail service. CSX Transportation
currently has offices located in Guthrie, and the rail lines remain
active today.
The story of the South continues to the present day and beyond. Come
and be a part of tomorrow’s history in Todd County.
