Airdrie, Kentucky

Abandoned town in Kentucky

Airdrie, also known as Airdrie Hill, is a ghost town in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.^[1] It was established around 1855 by Robert Alexander on a hilly property along the Green River.

History

Alexander, a Scottish descendant born in Kentucky, purchased 17,000 acres to develop an ironwork foundry.^[2] He named it after Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland where his parents lived and from where he brought over several Scottish miners and their families. By 1856, the incorporated town had 200 residents but the project failed by 1857 due to the Scots not being familiar with American ore and ironwork practices.

In 1866 Don Carlos Buell, a Civil War general, bought part of the land to prospect for oil but was unsuccessful leading to the town's eventual abandonment. The furnace stack and other ironworks remnants still remain on the land.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Geography

Airdrie was located in eastern Muhlenberg County; it was just north of Paradise, another abandoned ghost town in the area. The general area is along Rockport–Paradise Road.^[6]

Notable residents

Chasteen C. Stumm

References

^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Airdrie, Kentucky
^ Rothert, Otto Arthur (1913). A History of Muhlenberg County. J.P. Morton. pp. 225–227.
^ "Only ancient furnace stack marks the site of short-lived Airdrie". The Paducah Sun. May 19, 1976. p. 40. Retrieved October 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Book keeps Airdrie alive". Messenger-Inquirer. Owensboro, Kentucky. March 1, 2001. pp. 1C, 3C. Retrieved October 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Creason, Joe (June 3, 1962). "The Ghost Of Airdrie". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. p. 116. Retrieved October 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ DeLorme (2010). Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer (Map). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. p. 63. § C6. ISBN 0-89933-340-0.