The History of Pine Knot
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
Submitted by Peggy Wilson
An Act of creating the county of McCreary
In 1910 Wm. B. Creekmore was a Pine Knot Banker, and civic leader. Representative from Whitley Co. was considering a bill to form a new county, from portions of Wayne, Pulaski and Whitley County the last to be organized in Kentucky. He endured many personal attacks from corporate leaders, opposed to the idea, but he refused to abandon his crusade. Two years later during a regular session of the “Senate of The Commonwealth of Kentucky” begun and held in the City of Frankfort, Kentucky the second day of January in the year of our Lord 1912.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
# 1. That the county of McCreary be, and the same is hereby created, being a portion of the counties of Pulaski, Wayne and Whitley and the same is bounded as follow.
- Article # 1 Was to have the proposed county surveyed. Albert Hodges, known as A. P. a civil engineer was hired to survey the county boundary in 1912. Articles #2 -12 were new laws passed before the final votes were taken. was nearing adjournment to create a new county was tied up in the committee. (It was obvious that the Opposition Forces had done “their work well”) The Pine Knot supporters were bewildered and alarmed! Mart Campbell rushed to a telephone and called Whitley County J. C, Bird at his home in Williamsburg and told him to make hast to Frankfort. (Campbell knew things were looking bad for the Pine Knot supporters) It was imperative that he appear before the committee! That oversaw the bill. It was midnight when the “little known” county attorney from Whitley County appeared before the committee. It was the final hours of the session. And the legislators were working late. When Attorney J. C. Bird finally got the floor to address the committee. The chairman told him he had twenty-minutes. He thanked the chairman that he would do as best he could in such a short time allowed and proceeding to explain that the reason that he and the other proponents of the bill had to take this duty upon themselves was because- The Big corporations had all the best lawyers in the state “employed” to lobby for them, against the bill and he proceeded to point them out.
Surely an exciting time for this small insignificant group from Pine Knot.
In his argument he discussed the pros and cons of the measure. He described the vast resources of the territory sufficient to support a reasonable tax base. He explained the problems and the need of the people and their desire to bring progress to all and not just for the “corporations”. He also argued the need for law and order and told of the neglect of the area because of its isolation. He characterized the nature of the people from and against the proposal and the urgent need for local representation of all. Including the big corporations.
Attorney J. C. Bird a “little-known” County Attorney from Whitley County, Kentucky spoke beyond his allotted time and the chairman, was impressed by his argument, and told him to proceed. He continued for more than an hour. Attorney Bird spoke forty-five minutes longer than his allotted time (While Attorney Bird was on the floor other various committees had adjourned and members began to drift into that committee room). By now he was speaking to only fifty or more members of the legislature. When he had finished speaking, many of the group came to him and shook his hand in congratulations. He was told the bill would be out of the committee immediately.
(Continued in next week’s Voice)
