The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1913-12-31

many miles over 1nSufnclent roads TO
! Green river and thence, by steam
boat, to market. This brought them
in competition with manufactures
to the eastward whose means of
transportation were less expensive.
While the furnace was In opera
ton Col. Buckner employed his son,
Simon Bolivar, as a clerk in connec-
ton with the business for two years.
AT the end of that period ne receiv-
ed the appointment of cadet at West
Point. He was graduated in 1874,
when he entered the army. His gal
wise Governor of his native State
has won for him the lasting plaud-
its of his countrymen.
The collapse of the Buckner Fur
mace, however, was not the end Of
the iron industry in Muhlenberg.
Mr.. Alexander, of Scotland, left be-
hind the title he bore in the old
country to come to a land of broad
er opportunities. This was about
1853, and the story of the Buckner
furnace, although disastrous, was.
as it seems, suggestive. The Scotch
man became owner of the Buckner
lands, and, in addition, shortly ac-
CURED other larger tracts in the vi
cinity, also rich in iron, making his
total holdings in the county seven
teen thousand acres.
Airdrie was q village on the banks
of Green river, chiefly inhabited by
emigrant Scotchmen. Here he
erected furnace and necessary
structures and buildings connected
with its proposed operation. He
spared no expense, and his invest
ments, it is said, reached the round
sum of $350,O0O. The period finally
came when everything was ready to
begin operations, but at the last it
was discovered that, on account of
some popularity of the ore, or in
the improper processes employed in
its reduction, all efforts proved a
failure.
Mr.. Alexander became impatient
and left Muhlenberg, retiring to his
Blue Grass stock farm in Woodford
county. His subsequent career as a
stock raiser proved satisfactory and
profitable, and at his death he was
reputed the wealthiest man in the
State.
Shortly after the end of the Civil
War, the county overburdened itself
with bond issue of 100000 in aid
of the Elizabethtown & Paducah
railroad, the bonds bearing per
cent. interest per year Driven to
desperation, a controlling majority
refused to pay the railroad tax. The
courts were resorted to for its collec-
ton and judgments were rendered
and every stringent process that
could be devised was tried, but all
in vain.
The prosperity of the county was
sadly retarded, a high degree of ill
feeling prevailed, and a bond-holder
was regarded as a public enemy by
the people. Witty Jim Mckenzie
on one occasion called it the mon
tax paying principally of Mullen
berg"
Time and again able lawyers filed
the impatient creditors with high
hopes. and lawyers. equally able,
just as often delayed and blasted
them. The one side claimed that
their debt was sanctioned by law,
the other that their defense was
founded in justice. The struggle
went on and on until both sides
grew very weary.
Before the Elizabethtown & Pa
ducah railroad and its pestiferous
bonds were ever heard of, certain
wise and enterprising miners had
gone up and down Green river where
it bordered on Muhlenberg, and up
Mud river, and other places in the
county, and opened coal mines. They
found working veins of fine quail
ty of bituminous coal. They began
mining, skilfully enough, but they
found it literally an up hill" bust
ness to get coal to their customers
in the country, and the small towns
in reach. They finally found bet
ter way was to load it on barges and
tow and float 1t up and down the
river.
BY and by the dearly bought rail-
road was completed to Elizabeth'
town and there connected with the
l.. & N. railroad and Louisville. and
the building of the Greensboro &
Russellville railroad also gave con-
nection with the Ohio. Month by
month the miners grew buster and
mines sprang up everywhere and
multiplied. So the county, whether
i a. mould nr not ha4a, 10 find itoalf