The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1920-11-26
PIKEVILLE BUSY
BUILDING CITY
Despite Costs Keeps ImprOv.
ing; In Decade May Be
$5O,OOO,OO0 Town.
tey Tom WalIaoe)

Pikevllle, Ky--Nothing in the Wis
ibe aspects of PikeylIle suggests
mining center. / have not seen a
miner on the streets.
A few wagonloads Of coal coming
across the bridge that spans the Big
Sandy constitutes the only evidence of
mining, but Pikeville is the capital of
the coal kingdom of Pike, the largest
county in Kentucky, and one of the
richest coal counties in America,
AS the capital. Pikeyille is moving
steadily, surely, rapidly forward. There
are evidences Of substantial growth
everywhere but there is nothing of
the crudity of boom town.
Pikeville Is not on a boom. 1t is on
the road to cityhood because OF the
wealth OF the county OF which it is the
gateway as well as the capital. Its
geographic and strategic situation as
to the Pike county mines and the I'M
developed coal fields OF Pike county
where railroads are needed, and to
which eventually they must be build
cd. is relative to the situation of Haz-
ard with regard tO the coal fields or
Perry and fletcher counties. Just as
/ surely as tradsships from the British
ports for India pass through the Suez
Canal Pike county coal, and business
I with the exception OF that of the Tug
River field, flows through Pikeyille.
The outlet OF the Tug River mines is
through Williamson, w. Va.
Building Activities Great,
When coal mining was on basis Of
81 coal and coal stocks held by Pike
] county citizens were not regarded as
I security for loans by Pikeville bank
| ers, the town logged along, quiet
i mountain town lying as level as Louis
/ VILE in a bend of Big Sandy; a town
/! well laid out but unimproved streets.
! Nowadays II has brick streets, some
! OF them several years old, others just
( opened to traffic. II is the busiest
/ place In the matter Of building activi-
| ties thai have seen since the. war for
, prices Of labor and materials became a
, source OF worry TO persons who wished
| to buIId homes or business houses.
There are eight or nine hotels. large
and small yet IL is well to wire for
reservations when headed for Pike
vile.
There is on the books OF the United
| DldltS NfDNtIlHblll an appropriation
for a postoffice building in Pikeyiile.
| Tho appropriation calls for lot Of
! given size in suitable location ana
| for building of given dimensions.
| The amount Of the appropriation for
| tho building ard the lot would not pay
| for ono fourth Of the lot under the
| specifications,
| A lot 80 feet wide and n feet deep
4 on which was standing a ramshacltle
| frame building fit only to be torn down
Isnld recently for $4,000. This case is
not an isolated one. II reflects values
IN the business section. Residence
values also are extremely high
| Hilltop Lots Cheaper.
Building upon the hills has begun
and viii greatly improve the town.
Hill sites sell lower than valley lots
Ten years ago the taxable values of
Pike county were about 100000. Five
years ago they had risen to 100000
Now they are $22.0O0.00O. Very prob
| ably they will reach sl0,000,000 or $780,
| 900, 900 by the end of the next decade
unless there is general depression of
| business in the country as a whole
and failure OF railroads to build lines
| to the coal deposits in this county that
are not now served by railroads
Huntington, Cincinnati, Lexington,
and Louisville share the business of
Pikeville. Lexington wholesale houses
are selling most of the fruit that is
sold here. A Huntington hardware
establishment has shown itself wide
awake by establishing large branch
store here in n new brick building to
distribute mine supplies and hard
ware of other kinds Cincinnati. be-
cause OF long relationship with Pike
Vile. does considerable business with
Pikeville banks. Bankers here differ
in their statements to me as to whether
Louisville leads Cincinnati in this
field
Pike county was established in 1921
but Pikeville was a settlement more
than 100 years ago. In the old times