Floyd County Kentucky Historical Society

10/21/2026

A piece of county history is being preserved!

10/21/2026

SIZEMORE: post office established Feb. 28, 1881 with T. Sizemore post master, discontinued July 26, 1881. According to Faris Sizemore Jan. 21, 1881, the first name proposed for the new post office was Flitter, and it would be 5 miles north of Shumla post office, 8 miles southeast of Prestonsburg, 15 miles north of Laynesville post office, 8 miles north of Big Sandy River and on the east side of Johns Creek.

Send a message to learn more

10/20/2026

SILVER: post office in operation 1936-1937. According to Dick Clark, July 20, 1936, this proposed post office would be on the east bank of the Big Sandy River, 3.5 miles north of Prestonsburg post office, 4.5 miles south of Auxier post office, 4 miles east of Cliff post office, 0.25 mile east of C&O, between the river and the Cliff-Auxier co. line, east of the river.

Send a message to learn more

10/19/2026

SHUMLA: post office established Aug. 2, 1880, William J. Collinsworth as post master. On Johns Creek, below Thomas, probably at the mouth of Collins Branch. According to Collinsworth July 15, 1880, Sept. 23, 1880, and Oct. 4, 1880, this proposed post office would be 10 miles north of Big Sandy River on the north side of Johns Creek, 15 miles from Prestonsburg post office. According to 1883-4 Gazette had two general stores: Peter Cline's and George Priest. Collingsworth was a local farmer.

Shumla was a Bulgarian town that was given its name after coming under Turkish rule in 1878 it was captured during the Russo-Turkish War and ceded to Bulgaria where it was called Shumen.

Send a message to learn more

10/18/2026

https://youtu.be/po1q6wccAys?is=NwkxQD_-QemKOQXy

On a dark October night in 1924, a mob of approximately 200 masked ...

10/18/2026

Do you remember this about old timey burials?

Have you ever heard that a coffin was supposed to be carried out of the house FEET FIRST?

That was one of the old funeral customs remembered in some Appalachian families.

And according to the superstition, there was a reason for it.

Some believed that if the deceased was carried out headfirst, the spirit might be able to look back toward the house.

And that looking back could supposedly bring another death to the family.

So the coffin was carried feet first, away from the home.

This was a traditional belief, not a supernatural fact, and it wasn't practiced by every Appalachian family. Similar customs were found in other parts of the country and beyond.

But it offers a fascinating glimpse into the way mountain families once approached death and mourning.

Before funeral homes became common in many isolated communities, a death often meant that relatives and neighbors gathered at the family home.

There were arrangements to make.
A coffin to prepare or obtain.
A grave to dig.
And a final journey to the burial ground.

Every part of that process could carry meaning.

Some customs were practical. Others reflected religious traditions, family expectations, or old superstitions that had been passed down for generations.

And children often learned those beliefs simply by watching the adults around them.

They might not understand why Grandma insisted that something be done a certain way.

But they remembered.

That's why these old Appalachian funeral traditions are worth documenting. They remind us that mourning was shaped not only by grief, but by the customs and beliefs families inherited.

Did your parents or grandparents ever say the deceased had to be carried out FEET FIRST?

Or do you remember another funeral custom that older members of your family insisted on following?

10/18/2026

SHORT BRANCH OF ABBOTT CREEK: Named for the late Virgie Short, owner of the land. According to Mrs. Sonia Maynard who moved there in 1989, who learned this from Virgie's daughter is still living Nov. 13, 1990.

Send a message to learn more

10/17/2026

SHOP BRANCH OF MARE CREEK: 'I always thought that it was named by one of the early Stratton's who owned all of Mare Creek at one time. And I always figured that they had a (blacksmith) shop there on this giant farm of several thousand acres and they all just called it Shop Branch.' -- Henry Scalf May 16, 1971

Send a message to learn more

10/16/2026

SHELTON: post office established July 19, 1900 with J. Alley post master. Discontinued April 30, 1914 with mail to Craynor. According to Joseph Alley, the first named proposed for this new post office was Troy and it would be 3.25 miles south of Alliance post office, 3.5 miles southwest of Galveston post office 2.25 miles west of Osborn post office, 100yds west of Branhams Creek. According to records dated Nov. 10, 1913, this post office was 15 rods west of Branhams Creek, 3 miles west of Galveston post office, 3.5 miles east of Craynor post office, 6 miles south of Linwood post office, 3 miles from the county line. No Shelton family listed in the 1900 census.

Send a message to learn more