Estill Development Alliance

"Estill County, the fiftieth in order of formation, was established on February 19th, 1808, from parts of Clark and Madison counties. It was named in honor of Capt. James Estill, who was killed by Indians during Estill's Defeat on March 22, 1782. The county is located in eastern Kentucky and comprises an area of 256 square miles, bordered by Clark, Jackson, Lee, Madison, and Powell counties. The county seat is Irvine.

Although mostly hilly, the fertile bottomlands are highly productive agricultural areas. Large crops of tobacco and alfalfa are grown, and there is limited livestock production. Extensive quantities of coal and smaller deposits of oil, iron ore, and lead are also found in the county. Approximately 75 percent of Estill County is forest, of which 4,458 acres lie within the Daniel Boone National Forest . Along with the Kentucky River , the principal streams of the county are the Red River and the Station Camp, Beech, Cow, Drowning, and Miller’s creeks.

Prior to pioneer settlement, Estill County was the site of a Shawnee village at Estill Springs, along the banks of Station Camp Creek. In the 1760s and 1770s, after John Finley, Daniel Boone, and Robert McAfee explored the area, many early settlers entered the region by way of an old buffalo and Indian trace that led to Boonesborough in what is now Madison County .

The mineral wealth of the region played an important role in the development of the county. The Shawnee mined lead in the area, and early settlers recognized the industrial potential of the region. The production of iron began in about 1810 and became one of the earliest industries. Evidence of the once-thriving iron industry can be found in the ruins of the Estill steam furnace, which operated from 1830 to 1874; the Cottage furnace; the Red River iron works; and the Fitchburg furnace. The iron industry declined after 1865 when iron deposits and timber to fire the furnaces were depleted, and innovations in the iron industry made charcoal furnaces obsolete.

The large hotel and landscaped grounds at Estill Springs drew many famous Kentuckians to the summer retreat before the Civil War. Greene Clay, who owned the springs, Henry Clay, John Crittenden, and John C. Breckinridge were among the notables who summered there. The resort survived the Civil War and operated into the twentieth century.

Among the towns, villages, and communities in Estill County are the communities of Ravenna , Fitchburg , North Irvine , Sand Hill, South Irvine, and West Irvine . Estill County has two weekly newspapers, the Citizen Voice and Times and Estill County Tribune, both published in Irvine , and one radio station (WIRV).”

Brief Timeline of Estill County History

1792	Kentucky established as a State
1800	Green Clay buys "Sweet Springs" [Estill Springs]
1808	Estill Co. formed from Madison & Clark Counties [50^th county]
1808	Estill Co. erects its first courthouse of logs
1810	Estill Co. shows a population of 2,082
1812	The town of Irvine established
1820	Estill Co. shows a population of 3,507
1830	Estill Steam Iron Ore Furnace erected
1830	Estill County's first brick Court House erected
1830	Estill Co. shows a population of 4,618
1840	Estill Co. shows a population of 5,535
1843	Owsley County formed from a part of Estill County
1850	Estill Co. shows a population of 5,985
1852	Powell County formed from part of Estill County
1854	Cottage Furnace erected
1860	Estill Co. shows a population of 6,886. [includes 600 slaves]
1861	The 8th Kentucky Vol. Inf. Reg. [Federal] organized at Estill Springs
1863	Estill County soldiers [8th KY] place flag on Lookout Mountain
1868	Estill County's third courthouse erected [completed in 1870]
1869	Fitchburg Furnace [twin stack] erected
1870	W.W. Pigg begins stage coach service between Richmond and Irvine [scheduled 4 hours running time]
1870	Lee County is formed from part of Estill County
1890	First train arrives in Irvine
1890	State coach passenger service is discontinued between Richmond and Irvine
1890	New jail built for Estill County
1890	The "Estill Eagle" newspaper begins publication
1896	The "Spout Springs Times" newspaper begins publication
1900	The Mowbry-Robinson Lumber Company built at West Irvine
1905	Estill Collegiate Institute incorporated
1907	The Irvine Telephone Company incorporated
1909	Irvine Toll Bridge incorporated
1913	The "Irvine Sun" newspaper begins publication
1913	The "Estill Tribune" newspaper begins publication
1915	The L&N RR Company builds East Kentucky Headquarters in Ravenna
1916	Estill County Board of Education buys the Estill Collegiate Institute for $7,500
1917	Oil boom in Estill County
1921	The town of Ravenna is incorporated
1924	Estill Springs Hotel burns down and not rebuilt
1927 1927	The "Estill Herald" newspaper begins publication Irvine-Ravenna Kiwanis Club founded
1930	Estill County shows a population of 17,000 plus
1931	Carhartt starts sewing factory in Irvine
1932	The Estill Herald, the Irvine Times, & the Estill Tribune published weekly
1939	Work is started by the WPA to build a new courthouse
1940	Old railroad bridge at Irvine demolished for war purposes
1940 1955 1956	New bridge built across the Kentucky River at Irvine Estill Dairy opens Passenger rail service ceases in Estill County
1958 1958	Estill County celebrated its 150th birthday Estill County Hospital (later Marcum & Wallace Memorial Hospital) erected
1961 1965 1980 1985 1987 1987 1989	Tornado rips through Ravenna, injuring several people Southeast Coal Company opens coal processing facility Hardy Oil Company founded Estill Dairy closes Southeast Coal Company closes coal processing facility Estill Wood Products opens Estill County Industrial Development Authority formed
1990 1994 1995 1996 1998	Estill County census shows a population of over 14,000 Carhartt builds new production plant Estill County 21^st Century, Inc. founded to spur citizen-led development Estill County Hall of Honor established Estill County Chamber of Commerce merges with Estill Co. 21^st Century, Inc.
1998	Irvine, Ravenna & Hargett schools closed
1999 2000 2000 2000 2005 2006 2006 2007 2008 2008 2009 2009 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012	Work commences on new By-Pass for Irvine and second bridge across Kentucky River Downtown Irvine revitalization work begins Estill County 21^st Century, Inc. is renamed Estill Development Alliance Estill County census shows a population of 15,307 Joe Crawford becomes Executive Director of Estill Development Alliance EDA establishes youth development group, Irvine YALL Oil exploration resurgence in Estill County Irvine YALL receives honors for projects from International Community Problem Solving First Estill County team attends Brushy Fork Institute Estill County celebrates bicentennial, including LocoMagic public art project EC2 strategic planning project held by EDA Breathitt, Estill, Lee & Powell Regional Tech Authority formed to bring broadband access to rural parts of the four counties Leadership Estill County launched Estill County census shows a population of 14,672 Micro-venture fund feasibility study completed Leadership LEAP formed in partnership with Lee & Powell Counties Entrepreneur academy held in partnership with EKU CEDET Estill County Local-Motive begins GLE partnership receives funding from Babcock Foundation for business network Leadership LEAP adds Jackson County as a partner EDA opens business incubator, the Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs