Country United States County Breckinridge GNIS feature ID 508632 Local time Saturday 5:03 AM | State Kentucky Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6) Elevation 233 m | |
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Weather 10°C, Wind W at 8 km/h, 98% Humidity | ||
Mook is an unincorporated community located in Breckinridge County, Kentucky, United States.
Contents
Map of Mook, Kentucky 40145, USA
History
In 1864, Christopher Pile, and his brother, John, bought adjoining farms a mile from Buras, KY, the home of their father, Henry Gant Pile. Christopher bought his farm from abolitionist Edinburgh Smith who had provided a safe-haven for runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad. Where the buggy crossroads intersected on the farm, Christopher Pile built the original general store. Sixteen years later, a post office was established in the general store. It was named Mook, in honor of Charles Mook, a traveling candy drummer. The Mook community included the Shrewsbury School, a single room, log cabin built in 1850, and the Fairview and New Salem Churches. Neighboring farms in the community were owned by the Williams, Robinson, Fentress, Butler, Drane, Smith, Lucas, and many other pioneer families.
The year 1903 proved significant. Wade Pile built a new general store in Mook, and Victor Pile and his little brother, Bill, went to the St. Louis World's Fair. The brothers were so impressed with the state-of-the-art agricultural machinery and new production methods they vowed to become innovative farmers of their modern age. Bill Pile eventually bought the land of the Mook community to farm (hence Mook Farm). He cleared more farmland and used the timber to build houses, specialized barns, cribs, and a tobacco warehouse. With advice from the county agent of the University of Kentucky, he increased the acres of tobacco and corn, and the cattle herd. He used mules and the sharecropping system to power his enterprises.
The Depression hit farmers hard in the early 1920s, years before the stock market crashed. Mook managed to survive through it to become a bustling tobacco and trade center. Bill married Ora "Janie" Armes, and they had six children.
After World War II, change came quickly to America—and to Mook too. Cars were replacing horses, and complicated machinery was displacing farm workers. The general store closed, and the post office closed in 1956. The Shrewsbury School closed. But the families still live at Mook and in the surrounding area.