444 HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS
MONTICELLO, 20.8 m. (926 alt., 1,503 pop.), named for the
Thomas jefferson estate, was settled prior to 1800 when Wayne County, c
of which Monticello is the seat, was formed. It is by Elk Creek at the a
western edge of a rolling plain. Industrial activity here consists of s
pencil manufacturing and the milling of cedar, flour, and meal. Monti-
cello is a distributing center for most of Wayne and Clinton Counties. a
The discovery of the Sunnybrook Oil Pool in 1901 started production in v
the Wayne County oil field, where continuous operation has resulted in l
man local booms.
MBGNTICELLO PARK, dedicated to soldiers killed in the War be- i
tween the States, has shaded benches that are always popular with the i
townsfolk. A Doucmaoy MONUMENT in the square is the county’s t
tribute to its World War soldiers. In the Burton Building (R), by the
public square, is the ]or—1N BURTON COLLECTION (open weekdays),
which contains the last stagecoach used in Kentucky. After many
years of service this coach made its last trip, from Burnside to Monti- l
cello, in 1912. The collection also includes Indian relics, firearms, me- ,
mentoes of the War between the States, and other objects of local his- 5
torical interest. 1
Shelby M. Cullom (1829-1914), a native of this area, was Governor {
of Illinois from 1877 to 1883, and United States Senator from that State
from 1883 to 1913. Preston H. Leslie (1819-1907), also born in this
region, was Governor of Kentucky from 1871 to 1875, Governor of I
Montana from 1887 to 1889, and was appointed United States District
Attorney for Montana in 1894. ,
In the early spring frogging is a diversion of a large part of the popu- Q
lace of this area. Late in the evening parties in quest of frogs are seen Z
along the road, headed toward streams and ponds, with lanterns, gigs,
and gunny sacks.
At 23.8 m. is the junction with the Wild Goose Shoals Rd. improved. J
Right on this road to the village of MURL, 3 m. (75 pop.), The BARNES E
House (open), the second one beyond the post office (R), is the home of Mr. and I
Mrs. A. E. Barnes who undertook, in 1930, to revive home industries. They _
brought out, repaired, and. put into operation spinning and weaving equipment '
which their ancestors had brought from Virginia and which had been used as long `
as cotton and flax were grown in the county. They produced coverlets, scarfs, and ·
runners, in designs used by members of the family a century ago. The Barnes ‘
products soon were accorded a wide recognition for the authenticity of their pat- '
terns and the excellency of their workmanship. 1
State 90 traverses a very rugged and broken terrain for about four
miles, following and crossing Beaver Creek, named for the beaver that
were plentiful near the mouth of the stream in pioneer days. West of ·
the valley of Beaver Creek, the land is undulating or slightly hilly. ‘
This area has some good farms with modernized houses, but most of the
land is submarginal with primitive buildings of logs or slabs. Along the
route are tracts of virgin timber, producing oil wells, laurel- and pine-
cogered hillsides, a variety of wild flowers, and an abundance of red
ce ar.