Name Changed to “Niagara” by Government
Community Started by Major Hatchett in Pioneer Days
Roads Once Impassable
Niagara, Ky., March 13 – Many years ago, most of the land now occupied by thriving farms and small villages in Henderson County was covered with thick woods. Out of these woods grew settlements that later developed into villages – home to many of the county’s most prosperous families.
The subject of this history is Niagara, located on the Ranger’s Landing Road, about three miles from Anthoston. Originally, the village was known as Cross Plains, named for the crossing of the Robards and Ranger’s Landing roads. It retained this name until 1882, when the federal government established a post office.
Because another Kentucky community already carried the name Cross Plains, the government determined it would cause confusion in mail delivery. To resolve the issue, the name Niagara was chosen.
Origin of Niagara
Major George C. Hatchett, a large landowner with many slaves to work his land, is credited as the chief founder of the settlement. At that time there was no physician in the area, so Hatchett wrote to Dr. Tom Bacon of Virginia and invited him to settle nearby.
Dr. Bacon accepted and soon after his arrival, Major Hatchett built him a log cabin in his yard to provide medical care for his family and slaves. Later, Hatchett encouraged Dr. Bacon to buy a lot at Cross Plains (now Niagara), offering him logs to build a home. Once Bacon’s cabin was built, on the spot where the Howard Store later stood, other settlers began arriving, many from Virginia, seeking the services of a physician.
One of the most influential early settlers was J.W. Porter, an Irish immigrant who purchased several hundred acres. By the time of his death, he was one of the largest landowners in the community.
Shortly afterward, Ed Biggs opened the first store, a small one-room building with limited merchandise, but it was a welcome service in an area where no other store existed for miles.
Mail and Roads
In the early years, settlers only received mail once a week, usually brought back by residents traveling to Henderson. Families rotated the responsibility, each taking a turn retrieving mail for the others.
Roads were another difficulty. Horses often became so mired in mud that ropes and additional teams had to be used to pull them free. To improve transportation, a company of Henderson men built three miles of gravel road extending from Henderson, including the road to Niagara. They placed a toll gate near present-day Weaverton to recover costs. Travelers paid tolls based on the number of horses or mules they used. Eventually, the county purchased the road and abolished the tolls, continuing gravel improvements as funds allowed.
Industry and Development
In 1870, J.W. Porter erected a small tobacco factory on the east side of Niagara. He became one of the main buyers of tobacco grown in Henderson and McLean counties. His building later burned in 1907.
Nearby, on the Corydon Road, was the Martha Brown Spring, known for its chalybeate water, regarded as the best in Western Kentucky. The surrounding grove made it a popular location for picnics, barbecues, and public speaking events.
Other early settlers included Major George C. Hatchett, William Robards, Alfred Williams, James White, S.F. Henry, Sandefur, and “Squire” Eader.
Agriculture and Community
The rolling land around Niagara has always been well-suited for agriculture, particularly corn and tobacco, with some orchards. By the early 1900s, Niagara had two stores, a church, a school, a blacksmith shop, and a resident physician.
Niagara was also the first community in Henderson County to have a consolidated high school, erected in 1916 under County Superintendent R.L. Cinnamond. Prior to that, children attended small rural schools at Sycamore Grove, Knoblick, and Pleasant Valley. The consolidated school, later supervised by D.D. Moseley, served 150 students, including 51 in high school, and was supported by an active Parent-Teacher Association.
Ranger’s Landing
Just a few miles east, on the Green River, lay Ranger’s Landing—once one of the most prosperous villages in the region. It owed its growth to the Fatman Rangers Company of New York, which built a large tobacco factory there, along with housing for workers. The company was famous for paying exceptionally high prices for tobacco, between $28 and $40 per hundredweight – the highest ever known locally. However, these prices bankrupted the company, and when the factory closed, Ranger’s Landing declined. Today, only a single grocery remains.
Originally, the settlement was known as Bottoms’ Ferry, after James Bottoms, who owned much of the land. In 1853, J.W. Porter purchased 200 acres from Bottoms, linking the history of Niagara with that of Ranger’s Landing
GLEANER AND JOURNAL, HENDERSON, KY., SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 1926.