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| Webbville
c.1910 |
In 1889
the Eastern Kentucky Railway extended it's track south just under
two miles to Webbville, the final limit of the railway's main track.
Lumber was in great supply in the Webbville area and the Eastern
Kentucky Railway needed all the business it could handle. Various
types of businesses came about because of the railroad. Some
residents of Webbville opened up their homes to railway workers,
people could buy livestock here, and even rent a mule for a trip to
Blaine. What I found interesting being a man that owned a lumber
business built a track made of logs and had a type of steam engine
(similar to a locamotive) to the transporting of the lumber via the
log track. There is a picture of it below.
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| Log
hauling steam engine, Webville
c.1890 |
The financial status of the
railway in the early 1890s was not very favorable according to the
1893 report of the Kentucky Railroad Commission. A very disastrous
flood in the Little Sandy River Valley occurred in the summer of
1899. Much of the line was rendered nearly useless.
In 1909 the company had its
first deficit. This caused the railway to cut it's schedule for the
first time during it's history. The railway continued to loose more
money than it made. On March 31, 1919 a suit was brought by the
First National Bank of Greenup for a demand note of $2,000. The
company went into bankruptcy. An application of abandonment was
filed on June 1, 1926 to the Interstate Commerce Commission for the
entire line.
The people of Grayson,
Willard, and Webbville were very much opposed. They wanted to
continue a schedule between Grayson and Webbville. The Interstate
Commerce Commission agreed, however another abandonment could be
filed in one year.
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| E.K.R.Y. Historical Highway Marker,
Webville |
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| Abandoned Engine No.7
c.1930 |
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| Last
days of E.K. | |
