Besides the 1795 settling of what later became Hazard, Kentucky, and the establishment of Perry County in 1821, no other event has had the historical significance of the coming of the railroad. Until the track-laying train came through the tunnel north of town and stopped briefly for a celebration, Hazard was landlocked, and the townspeople had never heard the earthshaking sound of the train whistle. Before the railroad, the river was their road. The only few household conveniences known to these isolated people were laboriously brought up the river on push boats. Many materials used to build the railroad were also transported on flatboats. As a bridge and tunnel were built, and a passage was made for the engine that carried the railroad ties, John G. Kinner documented the change with his camera. Images of Rail: Railroading Around Hazard and Perry County features John G. Kinners vivid and historic\photographs and others from the Bobby Davis Museum collection. Besides the 1795 settling of what later became Hazard, Kentucky, and the establishment of Perry County in 1821, no other event has had the historical significance of the coming of the railroad. Until the track-laying train came through the tunnel north of town and stopped briefly for a celebration, Hazard was landlocked, and the townspeople had never heard the earthshaking sound of the train whistle. Before the railroad, the river was their road. The only few household conveniences known to these isolated people were laboriously brought up the river on push boats. Many materials used to build the railroad were also transported on flatboats. As a bridge and tunnel were built, and a passage was made for the engine that carried the railroad ties, John G. Kinner documented the change with his camera. Images of Rail: Railroading Around Hazard and Perry County features John G. Kinners vivid and historic\photographs and others from the Bobby Davis Museum collection.
Hazard and Perry County have enjoyed a long and colorful history since founder Elijah Combs first settled in the area in 1795. The years have brought a multitude of changes, explored in this engaging visual history. Contained within these pages are vintage photographs depicting the history of an American small town that has always fancied itself a city. Images were culled from the collection at the Bobby Davis Museum, which includes selected photographs from John Kinner, Hal Cooner, L.O. Davis, and others. This work traces the area's development from an isolated mountain village to a center of Eastern Kentucky commerce and culture. Recorded in these images are the devastating floods that often threatened the community, as well as the building of the railroad that brought in everything from automobiles and telephones to Sears and Roebuck prefabricated homes. Aerial shots from the 1940s and 1950s are also included, and accompanying captions document the names and places familiar to oldtimers and intriguing to newcomers in Hazard, Perry County.
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