From: KyArchives [archives@genrecords.org] Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2008 11:29 AM To: Ky-Footsteps Subject: Greenup,.Ky.,.Carries.Nickname.'hangtown'.1931.Greenup.NEWS Greenup, Ky., Carries Nickname 'hangtown' June 6, 1931 Greenup County KyArchives News The Portsmouth Times June 6, 1931 The Portsmouth Times Saturday, June 06, 1931 Page 1 GREENUP, KY., CARRIES NICKNAME 'HANGTOWN' River Town One Of Oldest Settlements In Blue Grass. State. EDITOR'S NOTE—This is another of a series of articles on towns adjacent to Portsmouth. By LYNN A. WITTENBDRG Times staff Correspondent A nickname "Hangtown" or "Hangmanstown," due to the number of hangings staged there, gives Greenup, Ky., an unenviable reputation in the tri-state region which it has tried ineffectually to shake-off. The name is entirely a misnomer in many aspects, although it is based on facts. It leaves an unfavorable impression of a delightful little spot on the edge of the blue grass state. Greenup is on the northern border of a territory known for its beautiful women, fast horses and good whiskey. It looks not across the river into Ohio with envying eyes but back across the hills of its native state with pride. So close to Buckeye territory, it is a typically Kentucky town. Greenup is the county seat of (Continued On Page Two) The Portsmouth Times Saturday, June 06, 1931 Page 2 Greenup, Ky., Carries Nickname "Hangtown” River Town One Of Oldest Settlements In Blue Grass State. (Continued From Page One) Greenup county. Greenup county was formed In 1803. The town of Greenup was laid out In1818. It was named after Governor Christopher Greenup who ruled Kentucky from 1804 to 1808 and expired at the age of 69. Greenup is the product of a period following the white man's successful conquest of the Indians. Daniel Boone and other hardy pioneers forced the Indians out of Kentucky and soon other pale-face adventurers found the territory to their liking, established outposts and trading centers and commenced to develop the country. Greenup is one of the oldest settlements In the state. Louisville, Maysville and Covington were settled in 1779, Henderson in 1810 and Owensboro in 1817. Greenup followed in 1818. Much of Greenup's early history is lost in that limbo of forgotten things that slipped into obscurity in the immense task of bringing civilization into a wilderness. Kentucky, way back in the prehistoric times was the bottom of a sea. Its highest hills, none of which are over 1800feet tall, were covered by 4200 feet of water. Huge mammals rambled over the hills and valleys following the retreat of the sea waters. Greenup today bears no evidence of these dark age occurrences. In 1847 Greenup had a population of 250 persons. Iron ore and coal in the adjoining hills speeded its growth. Many furnaces operated in the vicinity at one time but most of these have since been abandoned. Greenup was not always the county seat. Oldtown first claimed the distinction, then Lynn and finally Greenupsburg got it and has held it ever since. Greenupsburg, as it was first called won the county seat in an election by a margin of two votes. Nicknamed "Hangman's Town" Greenup got its nickname "Hangman's Town" as the result of many public hangings. These took place on the outskirts of the town. The populace from near and far made the hangings a sort of a gala occasion—not for the victims, however. They came in their best bib and tucker. The last public hanging took place in June 1852. Hon. J. W, Moore was circuit judge but due to sudden illness Judge Thomas F. Hazelrigg was appointed to fill the vacancy and presided during the trial preceding the last hanging. Court records show Turner and Ruben Clark, John and Bill Hoods and John Collins were charged with the murder of a man by the name of Brewer and his wife over a dispute about a line fence and other lesser quarrels between the parties Involved. The double murder occurred on the. East Fork creek of Little Sandy river near Danleyton, 10 miles southeast of Greenup. Records reveal that Collins was ring lender, of the gang of murderers and hired his companions in crime to commit the actual murders by having them go to the home of the Brewer family and create a disturbance in the chicken yard. Upon the appearance of Brewer he was pounced upon and beaten to death and when his wife appeared at the sound of the commotion they killed her also to destroy the evidence, court records further show. It required three days to conduct the trial and the Jury, W. R. Smith, Abram Meadows, Evan Jackson, Moses McKoy. Thomas M. Neal, Timothy Cleary, John T. Lawson. David Smith, James Alley, A. J. Easlow, A. G. Warnock and John Sloan, returned verdicts of death in the cases of John Collins, Turner and Ruben Clark, while John Clark and Bill Hood were given life sentences. Of the three receiving the death penalty, two actually paid it on the scaffold, Collins having hung himself in the jail prior to the day of execution. Clark and Hood wore later released from prison to serve as soldiers during the Civil war. One of them met his death by drowning while attempting to ford the Cumberland river while the other lived to an advanced age. A description of the hanging was furnished a Greenup writer by Zechariah Richards a Civil War veteran living near Greenup, whose father was also a guard on the occasion. On the day of execution, Greenupsburg, as the town was then called, was filled to overflowing, people coming from many miles on horseback, mules, in wagons and on foot. A drum and fife corps was on hand to play the death march. The spot on which the scaffold was erected was on the west end of main street and on the banks of the Little Sandy. On the opposite bank of the stream stood an old deserted water power mill which formed a vantage point for many curious. The high bank on the upper side also furnished a favorable site for onlookers. As the slowly driven ox-cart (they had to use oxen on account of the noise and commotion, caused by the music and the huge crowd, making horses hard to manage) bearing the coffins of the condemned and the prisoners seated thereon, worked its way up to and under the scaffold, where the black caps were placed in position, the fife and drum corps played the death march. The throng maintained a deathly silence. At a given signal the noose was adjusted, the ox carts moved on and the bodies dangled in the air. There were women as well as men in attendance by the hundred. And they were dressed in-the latest fashions. Many women were dressed in costly attire of that time consisting of dress skirts that took many yards to make and goods retailing at $2 a yard, their feet encased in fine calf shoes. Over prominently parted and puff-combed hair rested hats of extremely high crown but very narrow brims. Men were prsent with great moustaches in costly array of bleached muslin pleated shirts and blue jeans trousers and small keg hats. Some Olden Customs Among the numerous court records to be found entered on the docket way back in the early days are the following: "In case of Benjamin Talt vs. Alexander Gulags suit over ownership of slaves, jury found for plaintiff as follows: Bob, value $500, Henry, value $800 Neo, value, $800 and Negro woman, value$500, and costs. Going back farther in October 1837 another docket entry shows a defendant sentenced to two years at hard tabor in the penitentiary for assisting a slave to escape from one William G. Curtiss. Another entry shows a court order directing the sales of a family of slaves, a father, mother and four children, on credit for a period of six months, the youngest child with its mother and the others separately. In May, 1810, Aliff Bide submitted seven wolves heads and was allowed a bounty of $12. The marriage statutes of the fifties required the bridegroom to give bond in the sum of fifty pounds equal to one hundred sixty-six and two-thirds dollars) that -the marriage contract be fulfilled. In many cases the father of the bride was named as surety. Another entry in a slavery case was the granting of an application to a slave owner to have his slave "ear marks" recorded, which were as follows: "Slit in right ear and smooth crop off left ear." In 1852 the court commissioned George Darling to erect the stone work for a bridge across Little Sandy river near the mouth. This is the stone work still standing which supports the present Iron bridge leading out of Greenup across Little Sandy river. In 1831 the court named two commissioners, John Oliver, John Poage and Ed R. Hollingsworth to take charge of all persons in the vicinity of Amanda Furnace who were infected with smallpox. Many instances of smallpox epidemics during the early history of Greenup county are mentioned. In 1861 George Wurts made application and was granted emancipation of his slave. In March 1865 there was a call from the President of the United States for 300,000 volunteers. Greenup county's quota was 77 men and eight of the 77 were substitutes, the court records show. Famous Old Landmark Every visitor to Greenup today is shown the famous old landmark which stands at the foot of Main street not far from the equally famed Little Sandy river bridge, where the stream empties Into the Ohio. It was the home of "Grandpap" and "Aunt Kitty" Riggs. Mrs. Nancy Hannah, granddaughter of Mrs. Nancy Riggs, aud her six children live in the home today. It has been a home for old and young for over three score years. For years "Riggs bench" under the big maple, tree was as well known to the. youth and aged alike of Greenup and that section of the Little Sandy and Ohio river valleys as the Goddess of Liberty in New York. The famous old homestead was once a produce boat on the Big Sandy and Ohio rivers and was fought over during the Civil at Middle creek near Prestonsburg, Ky., in 1802 by armies under the command of General Humphrey Marshall, a Kentuckian, and James A. Garfield of Ohio, who later became President. It was captured by Marshall and taken to Hill's Landing, a few miles below Greenup and converted into an art gallery, affording Greenup countians, possibly for the first time, an opportunity to have their pictures made on the tintype. Shortly after that the boat was brought to Greenup floated to its present location, high above the normal stage of the Ohio river, anchored and converted into a dwelling. The boat is 50x120. Mecca For Lovelorn Greenup today is a mecca for the lovelorn. It is a modern Gretna Green, Lovers from three states—Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia—flock to Greenup to get married. Some come from other states far away. The attraction is the flexible marriage regulations where cupid winks at ages, closes his eyes to wrathful parents trying to prevent elopements, and aids and abets lovers in their romance. And one of the most remarkable altars for the holy bonds of matrimony is an undertaking parlor. Over 500 couples have had the "knot tied" in L. G. Staph’s funeral home on Main street. At any hour of the day or night couples were wed there. Mr. Stapf is a deputy comity clerk. He was appointed to this post for the special purpose of taking care of lovers desirous of being joined in wedlock. He charges nothing for his personal service. He even secures a pastor or a magistrate for the contracting parties. And he sends them away, man and wife, carrying his blessing and a souvenir of the ceremony. Persons coming as far as the east and west coast and far in the north and south have been married in the funeral parlor. Most of the couples married there, however, come from Ohio. It is just a "short step" from the Buckeye state across the Ohio river and Blue Grass officials do not "ask so many questions.” Greenup is a typical river town. It is ideally located on a high bank of the Ohio river and at the confluence of the Little Sandy and Ohio rivers. In characteristic river-town fashion it is strung along the bank for quite a distance, having n depth of only three or four streets. A beautiful view of a section of the fascinating Ohio river valley is available from the river front of Greenup. One can stand in the courthouse and see the usually placid Ohio river. The courthouse is also an old landmark, nestling in a group of trees and priding itself in a quaint old fashioned courtroom, one "of the few courtrooms in the state occupying the ground floor. An addition has been completed and is being occupied to take care of the county's expanding business. Colonial Atmosphere The town has a distinctly southern air. Calm, peaceful and soothing. Traversing its streets after experiencing the hectic rush and feverish hurrying of a modern city, visitors feel as if they had turned back time a score or more of years and glimpsed the life of olden days. Afternoon siestas are the custom rather than the exception in Greenup. Interesting characters with colonial mela and bearing may be seen on all sides. The gracious courtesy, so rapidly disappearing in the modern city is found in refreshing abundance in Greenup. Yet, having the environment of the mellow years, it is up to date in many respects. Modern buildings, stores, schools, banks, etc., are to be seen on all sides. Located on a splendid Kentucky highway it is in close contact by auto with the outside world. The C. & O. railroad runs just south of the town. Bridges spanning the Ohio river at Portsmouth and Ironton open an avenue of direct travel to the north. A ferry operates regularly giving the townsfolk easy access across into the lauds of its neighbor, the state of Ohio. Greenup's population today is approximately 1200. Its high school enrollment is 230 and its grade school enrollment 300. Robert J. Nickel is superintendent of schools and Jesse Stewart is principal of the high school. Churches include: Southern Methodist (Rev. C. D. Harsh), Northern Methodist (Rev. Edgar Sidell), Presbyterian (pulpit vacant), Christian (pulpit vacant); Catholic (Rev. Father Cusick); James Collins, 41, a Republican, is serving his first term as mayor. He is proprietor of a store and father of six children. Among lie older residents are: former County Judge R. T. Parsons, 84; Charles Smith, 86; George Baker, 84, John Collins, 82, first sheriff to serve a four year term and now county treasurer and jury commissioner. The Warnocks are one of the oldest families in Greenup. Greenup has no industries. Many of its residents earn their livelihood in Portsmouth, Ironton, Ashland and Huntington. Others secure their daily bread by tilling the soil and the hills, availing themselves of the .advantages that nature provides. Greenup is only one of many towns that felt the slump in river trade. But its residents are optimistic. It Is one of a number of a string of settlements along the Ohio river from South Portsmouth extending east and in the not far distant future these towns may he united in one continuous chain of towns comprising a great metropolis. Greenup may be one of the oldest towns in the great state of Kentucky but it is young in heart and optimism and confident of its future. Submitted by: Betty Morgan au.beatbama@gmail.com Additional Comments: Bill Hood is William Hood, son of Andrew A Hood and Mary Ann Cain. John Collins was married to his sister Mariah Hood. Mariah and John's daughter Polly was married to Reuben Clark. I do not know how the other two people involved in the Brewer murder, Turner Clark and John Hood were related to these folks. If anyone does, I'd love to have that information. This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/kyfiles/