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Hoptown: Gritty Black and White Photographs of a Small Town with a Very Strange Past
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Hoptown: Gritty Black and White Photographs of a Small Town with a Very Strange Past

Keith Dotson
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How Hopkinsville, Kentucky became ‘Hoptown’

If you thought Hawkins, the fictional Indiana town where the TV show “Stranger Things” takes place was Weirdsville, you should know about a real town with a very bizarre history. Hopkinsville, Kentucky is a small town with a very strange past. Let me just give a few bullet points to illustrate this premise:

Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) — the Sleeping Prophet — was born nearby, lived in Hopkinsville for years, and is buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Hopkinsville. In case you aren’t familiar with Cayce, he was world-famous for his ability to give psychic readings while in a self-induced sleep state or trance. He could also talk to angels and deceased relatives. He could read auras, was a spirit medium, and as a child was said to play with “little folks.”

In Hopkinsville, you can take a car audio tour to see the various locations in town where Cayce held clairvoyant experiences.

The Kelly-Hopkinsville UFO encounter — also known as the Hopkinsville goblins case or the Kelly green men case — was a well-documented 1955 event where a family on the outskirts of Hopkinsville was terrorized by a UFO. The family showed up at the Hopkinsville police station claiming they had been exchanging gunfire with many 4-ft-tall creatures from outer space. Mayhem ensued.

Tobacco Wars — In the early 1900s, local tobacco farmers decided they were getting a bad deal from a newly formed tobacco conglomerate of former buyers that decided to pay less for their tobacco. The farmers unified themselves to boycott the buyers. A problem developed when the union of farmers cracked, and some sold tobacco at lower prices. The farmers’ union formed a KKK-like band of night riders who began terrorizing farmers, buyers, and even city officials. Barns were burned. Equipment was destroyed. There was violence. In the end, it took the Kentucky State Guard to secure the region and facilitate the arrests of the night riders. Later, the tobacco-buying conglomerate was declared a monopoly.

Hoptown — Over the years, Hopkinsville has acquired the nickname, Hoptown. There are many stories about how the name came about. My favorite goes back to the 1800s, when this little town, smack dab in the middle of the Bible belt, was the only wet county on the L&N railroad line between Evansville and Nashville. Apparently people could hop off a train at the rail yard, have some quick drinks at one of the bars in town, and hop back on again to continue their journey. That story is quoted here, and attributed to historian William T. Turner in Robert M. Rennick’s 1977 book Kentucky Place Names. That book is still available on Amazon here.

Black and White Photographs of Hopkinsville, Kentucky

Today, Hopkinsville is a vital community but parts of it are a little rough around the edges. The old downtown has seen better days, and it wears the crust and patina of age that draws me with my camera like a magnet.

Vintage sign on the old 7-11 Lounge in Hopkinsville. The building was constructed between 1875 and 1900.
Vintage sign on the old 7-11 Lounge in Hopkinsville. The building was constructed between 1875 and 1900.
Faded window sign advertising “Mixed Drinks”
A porthole style window on a large building now demolished. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
A porthole style window on a large building now demolished. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Painted bricks and a decorative hood mold on an abandoned building in Hopkinsville
Painted bricks and a decorative hood mold on an abandoned building in Hopkinsville. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.

The Green River Lodge of the IOOF

Built in 1903 by the Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph Company. Telephone companies continually occupied this building until 1953. (National Register of Historic Places)

Carved stone tablet on the Green River Lodge - Oddfellows Hall on 9th Street in Hopkinsville. Originally a Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph Office
Carved stone tablet on the Green River Lodge – Oddfellows Hall on 9th Street in Hopkinsville. Originally a Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph Office
Black and white photograph of a cherub head on the exterior of the Green River Lodge - Oddfellows building in Hopkinsville
Black and white photograph of a cherub head on the exterior of the Green River Lodge – Oddfellows building in Hopkinsville. Click to buy a fine art black and white print of this photo.
Black and white photograph of overlaid ghost signs for a variety of products and businesses, including Red Spot Paints, and saddles and horse blankets.
Black and white photograph of overlaid ghost signs for a variety of products and businesses, including Red Spot Paints, and saddles and horse blankets.
Stacks of books on a shelf on the second floor of an abandoned building. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Stacks of books on a shelf on the second floor of an abandoned building. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a fine art print.
Decorative roofline on an old building on the 6th Street commercial district in Hopkinsville. The last tenant was a pawn shop.
Decorative roofline on an old building on the 6th Street commercial district in Hopkinsville. The last tenant was a pawn shop.
Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Fading sign for a long-gone shoe shop. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Fading sign for a long-gone shoe shop. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson. Click to buy a fine art print.
Acres of old bricks. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Acres of old bricks. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson. Buy a fine art print.
Layers of thick, cracked paint illustrate the age of these buildings eloquently. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Layers of thick, cracked paint illustrate the age of these buildings eloquently. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson. Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson. Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
Vintage sign for a dry cleaner, still in operation when I visited Hopkinsville.
Vintage sign for a dry cleaner, still in operation when I visited Hopkinsville. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Broken chair in a Hopkinsville alley. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Broken chair in a Hopkinsville alley. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
The exterior wall of this old building in Hopkinsville looks like an abstract painting. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
The exterior wall of this old building in Hopkinsville looks like an abstract painting. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Tree branches. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Elegant historic architectural details from a bygone era in Hopkinsville. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Elegant historic architectural details from a bygone era in Hopkinsville. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Hopkinsville is located amidst the bucolic landscape of western Kentucky where the south meets the midwest. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Hopkinsville is located amidst the bucolic landscape of western Kentucky where the south meets the midwest. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Landscape with one-and-a-half trees. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Landscape with one-and-a-half trees. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Western Kentucky landscape. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.
Western Kentucky landscape. Black and white photograph by Keith Dotson.

Thanks for reading.

Be sure to visit me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest, or on my website at keithdotson.com.

~ Keith

Sources:

Hoptown Chronicle

Kentucky Historic Resources Inventory (PDF)

Visit Hopkinsville

Wikipedia

This blog post contains Amazon links. I may earn a small commission from eligible purchases.

1 comment

  1. Jeni says:

    Keith these images are fantastic! What a great find.
    My mom and I were Cayce followers all my life, I still have his books.
    Love the history you got with these. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

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