Knob Lick

The History Of Knob Lick

The village known as Knob Lick, named for the salt lick where wild animals gathered and a knob about a mile to the north of the lick, was so named when the post office was established there on July 23, 1876, with Frank S. Ewing as postmaster.

One of the earlier settlers in the Knob Lick area was Samuel Shannon, Sr. (1771-1851) who entered Barren County when he bought 303 acres of land. By 1850, the village and surrounding area had a number of businesses and professional people. There was a tankard, a brick mason, a blacksmith, a wagon maker, a shoemaker, a miller, and several lawyers.

In late August or early September, 1853, the circus was scheduled to be in Knob Lick. The night before the performance, the manager of the group came down with Asiatic Cholera and died. The circus moved on to Knob Lick where the people knew nothing of the proceedings in Glasgow until the next day. As a result, cholera was reported in Knob Lick. The number of deaths are unknown.

1937 Flood

Because of its location on Knob Lick Creek, which is joined by other small branches, the community is subject to flooding. The worst flood was that of January 1937 when many of the residents were forced from their homes. Pictured are the flooded Louis Ball home and store. The high waters reached the second floor of the Ball Home.