Gradyville, Kentucky

Gradyville is an unincorporated community in Adair County, Kentucky, United States. Its elevation is 699 feet (213 m).[1] It was the birthplace of Western Kentucky University basketball coach Edgar Diddle.

Gradyville
Unincorporated community
Gradyville Location within the state of Kentucky Gradyville Gradyville (the United States)
Coordinates: 37°3′48″N 85°25′21″W
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Adair
Elevation	699 ft (213 m)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
GNIS feature ID	493073

History

A post office was established in the community in 1848, and given the name of its first postmaster, William F. Grady.[2]

In February 1882, an Act of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky was approved that prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages within one mile of Wilmores and Kemp's store-house in Gradyville.[3] The Act imposed a $20 fine for each occurrence of violating the act.[3]

Gradyville suffered a flash flood on June 7, 1907, as the result of a cloudburst that precipitated three inches of rain in an hour. The sudden downfall caused Big Creek, a normally small and quiet stream that runs through Gradyville,[4] to rise by ten feet and to wash away several houses that were built on the banks of the creek. The flood resulted in the deaths of 20 Gradyville residents.[5]

Notable people

Edgar Diddle, an American college men's basketball coach, was born near Gradyville in 1895 and was a Gradyville native.[6][7]

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Gradyville, Kentucky
2. Rennick, Robert M. (1987). Kentucky Place Names. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 121–122. ISBN 0813126312. Retrieved 2013-04-28.
3. Kentucky (1882). Acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Session laws of American states and territories prior to 1900. p. 569. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
4. "Ottillia Scott Bell Credited With Saving Lives In The Flood". Columbia Magazine. June 16, 1997. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
5. Columbia Magazine, Gradyville Flood Special Issue.
6. Holl, R.E. (2015). Committed to Victory: The Kentucky Home Front During World War II. Topics in Kentucky History. University Press of Kentucky. p. pt270. ISBN 978-0-8131-6564-6. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
7. Jackson, H.H. (2014). The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 16: Sports and Recreation. The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. University of North Carolina Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-4696-1676-6. Retrieved September 22, 2018.