Here is an interesting article about Carmack KY.
Before the dams history flooded the LBL
By Ken Allgood
The Murray State News
http://www.thenews.org/0419/nbefore.htm
For the early settlers of western Kentucky and Tennessee, survival was
considered to be the most important priority in their lives. Many settlers
found themselves in harsh wildernesses filled with uncertainty.
Nothing was more true for the settlers of the many towns and communities
that could be found in what was once known as "Between the Rivers."
This same area, currently known as Land Between the Lakes, is now filled
with animals such as deer, bobcats and coyotes. Many of the former human
inhabitants of this 170,000 acre parcel of land may have left nearly 30
years ago, but the memories that live on in the stories and pictures they
passed on from their forefathers have helped keep LBL in a special place in
the hearts of many people.
For most of us, we are unable to remember the towns and communities that
once made up the area between the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. However,
for some, the memories are still vivid.
Odell Walker, Lyon County historian, recalls many of the memories and
stories of this region in his most recent book Profiles of the Past.
"Many thriving communities such as Montt, Woodson Chapel and Sardis owed
much of their success to the iron industry of the 1830s," Walker said. "When
that failed, many people took up different activities such as lumbering,
brick making and moonshining."
Walker explains that while many of the daily routines of the former
inhabitants are often readily available in most history books, the histories
of the towns themselves often remain mysteries.
Approximately 16 major communities were in Lyon and Trigg Counties in
Kentucky, and nearly 23 in Stewart County, Tennessee.
Each community was unique in its history and people, owing its success to
many things such as iron, timber and even preachers. Carmack was one such
community.
Carmack, which was originally known as Pottertown, was located in Lyon
County close to the Cumberland River and established around 1890. Pottertown
got its name from J. Frank Bonner who operated a pottery factory as well as
a general merchandise store.
The settlement later changed its name to Carmack. The settlement was located
close to Carmack Creek and for most of the citizens of Pottertown, it only
made sense to rename the growing settlement, making it easier for travelers
to find their community.
It was also believed that Carmack Creek received its name from a U.S.
Senator from Tennessee named Edward W. Carmack. Carmack was not the only
community that could have been named for an important individual from this
region.
Energy, which was originally located in Trigg County, was established by
Rev. F.M. McCawley around 1893.
Energy received its name from the fact that McCawley was well known for his
excessive amount of energy. Not only was McCawley a full time Baptist
minister, he also operated a store, a farm and a mill. McCawley also served
as Energy's first postmaster from 1893 until 1902.
While some settlements received their names from people, other settlements
were named because of its reputation.
The former site of Golden Pond, which was located five miles southeast of
Energy, was once called Fungo.
The first business to operate in Fungo was a saloon. The settlement was
given the name by the numerous iron and timber industry workers who gathered
in Fungo to relax. The wives of these workers claimed that their husbands
only went to Fungo to either relax or to have fun. Hence the name "Fungo."
The first post office in Fungo was actually located a few miles away next to
a pond called "Golden Pond." There are many explanations for how the pond
was so named.
One belief was that the pond contained numerous gold colored fish while
another belief was that the soil around the pond gave it its yellowish tint.
However, the most common belief was that an unnamed man who had tried his
luck gold mining out west, moved to the area around the pond.
Depressed over his lack of success in the mining industry and hoping for
better luck doing something else, he salted the pond with either gold dust
or nuggets and began selling the area around the pond, claiming it contained
vast riches. Soon after, Fungo became Golden Pond.
Another settlement with an interesting background was Ironton. Ironton was
located approximately 11 miles north of Golden Pond. Ironton received its
name because it was one of the centers for the shipment of iron ore by way
of the Tennessee River.
Originally, Ironton was called Hell's Half Acre. The community received its
unusual name thanks to the local iron and timber industries.
Weekly, the industry workers would gather in the community and became rowdy
once their various shifts were over and most of their liquor drank.
Therefore, Hell's Half Acre was slightly noisier than the more innocently
named Fungo.
Model, which was located on Pryor's Creek approximately five miles east of
the Tennessee River in Stewart County, Tennessee, was established by Jethro
Bass in 1846.
Originally, Model was named Great Western. The community received its name
from the local Great Western Iron Company. However, in 1859, the iron
industry began to decline, leaving the citizens of the community looking not
only for a new employer but for a new name as well.
With the iron industry fading, the timber industry continued to flourish.
Seizing the opportunity for community growth, Great Western began
capitalizing on its newly found employer.
Great Western began promoting itself as a real estate operation, hoping to
sell community and surrounding land. Therefore, Great Western changed its
name to Model, stating that it was the model of the best towns to live in.
With its new plan in motion, Model soon became a model town.
Model, as well as Golden Pond, Carmack, Energy and Ironton were not the only
successful establishments that once flourished between the rivers.
Fenton, Jenny Ridge, Montt, Tip Top, Ferguson Spring, Tharpe and Ft. Henry
were only a handful of other communities that were proud to call the area
between the rivers home.
While the former residents of LBL may have lost their homes to an expansive
government, the treasured memories found in their pictures and folklore can
never be lost as long as there are willing ears to listen.