Florence Deposit Bank, 1930
History of the bank is here.
The matchbook is c. 1970's, and shows a different bank location
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"Florence, Ky., Nov. 8 - Five well-heeled
cracksmen dashed into the city this after midnight in an automobile
and dynamited the safe in the Florence Deposit bank, partially
wrecking the building. After firing shots at Citizens who
rushed to the bank, they escaped. No money was secured.
One robber wore a silk hat." |
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Stringtown on the Pike, circa 1905 |
Florence Gents, 1916 |
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| The Toll House on Burlington Pike near Florence | Tollgate on what is now Dixie Highway, near what is now Goodridge Avenue | The Toll House on Tanners Lane in Florence |
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| 272 Main Street, Florence | Arnold's Soda Fountain and Candy Store, circa 1914 |
Ernie's Market |
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Florence School, c. 1910 |
Florence School District #8, and
Professor A. M. Yealey, Principal Courtesy Kentucky Historical Society. Visit history.ky.gov regarding rights and reproduction |
Pleasant Ridge School |
Old Stringtown School |
Prof. A. M. Yealey's history of Florence schools is here. (pdf)
Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly, a
popular magazine at the turn of the last century, ran
a feature on Lloyd's novel Stringtown on the Pike, and included these
pics. They're likely
Florence, and likely taken by Mrs. Lloyd.
Florence Mall, est. 1976
Why does the water tower say "Mall" and not "Y'All?" Details
at
this site.
Boone County High School
Built in 1953, it cited
1220 students as of this postcard
Highland Stock Farm
Northeast corner of Richardson and US 25
Kentucky Automobile and Carriage Company
Pike and Shelby Streets, Florence, Kentucky
(in which you can see the famous chickens crossing the
road!)
(Thanks! to Tom Bakes for the image)
Florence's Bradford Brothers
Latonia Race Track, Florence Kentucky, 1962
(far right is c. 1980)
later named Turfway Park
Barry B. Good runs in the Autumn Stakes at Turfway, 1968.
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Aerial of Florence |
Aerial View, looking south, just south of Florence |
Florence, 1883 |
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"Cincinnati, Nov. 3 - The dry goods store of Tobie
& Myers, at Florence, Ky., about eight miles back of Covington, was
robbed of $2,000 worth of flannels, jeans, blankets, ribbons and
other goods last night. The thieves evidently used wagons to
carry away their plunder. There is very little clew at this
hour. The police authorities at Erlanger were notified, and
also the chief of police at Cincinnati. The firm has offered a
liberal reward for the capture of the thieves and the return of the
goods. This is the biggest robbery that has taken place at
Florence for some years." |
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Fire! in Florence, 1870. Read about it, here. |
"John E. Walton, Florence, Ky., a large
land owner and the wealthiest man in Boone
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Lucille W. Jones' History of Stringtown on the Pike is here. (pdf) |
The four oldest houses in Florence are identified here. |
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"Florence, Boone county, has a population of three hundred and forty souls. Samuel Lindsey is the oldest inhabitant, having resided there since 1834." from Covington's The Ticket, 4-8-1876 |
 "Florence - And now we are
made happy by the presence of a new establishment in the shape of a
tinshop, the proprietors of the same celebrating their advent by
getting gloriously drunk." from Covington's Daily
Commonwealth, July 15, 1879 |
An older poetic tribute to Stringtown on
the Pike.
Author unknown. It's not complimentary.
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"Military Arrests - Dr. John Delaney and Spencer Fish, citizens of Florence, Boone County, Ky., were arrested yesterday on the charge of disloyalty. The latter subsequently escaped from those who had him in charge, and his wife was taken hostage for his return." from the Cincinnati Enquirer, August 9, 1864 |
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"Florence has taken another
gigantic stride in her march toward fame, and can now be credited as
the first place in Boone, and probably the first in the State, where
a jury of "free Americans of African descent" had been organized ad
an instrument of administering justice. In Esquire
Clutterback's court, last Monday, was where this unusual scene
occurred, and it was occasioned by the trial of of a brace of Negro
men, who, on Sunday, imbibed too freely of fighting whiskey which
developed its fighting qualities near the church in Florence where a
colored congregation was engaged in worship. The jury
convicted and fined one of the defendants $70 and the other $35."
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Florence was never actually named Stringtown - that's John Uri Lloyd's fictional name. Before it was named Florence, various names used included Polecat, PowWow, Maddentown, Connersville. It's been Florence since April 27, 1830. You can read that it's named after Jacob Connor's wife, Florence, except his wife's name was Suzannah. The desire was to name it Connersville, but the name had already been taken by another town, elsewhere in Kentucky. There is a real Stringtown in Boone County, see here. |
