Sextons Creek, Kentucky

Sexton's Creek is a creek in Clay County, Kentucky that is a tributary of the South Fork Kentucky River in neighbouring Owsley County, Kentucky. It is 24 mile long.

It was named for a Sexton family of settlers who arrived some time before 1815.

Basin, geology, and hydrology
The main Sexton's Creek itself lies in a syncline running from south-west to north-east. South-east of the left hand tributaries of Sexton's Creek is the crest of an anticline that roughly parallels Pine Mountain further to the south-east. Those tributaries dip generally to the north-west, with the right hand tributaries dipping down from a less-well-defined anticline crest that runs from south-east to north-west.

Tributaries and other locations
The creek mouth is on South Fork Kentucky River 1.875 mile downstream of Road Run Branch at altitude 648 ft above sea level. Its headwaters (of Gum Fork) are 2.7 mile into Jackson County, Kentucky, and its mouth is 2 mile over the county line into Owsley County, the river itself spending 3.5 mile in Owsley.


 * Its major tributaries are:
 * Bunion Branch 2.25 mile upstream at altitude 667 ft, mouth at 37.35343°N, -83.69291°W headwaters at 37.36111°N, -83.71283°W
 * Anglin Branch 3 mile upstream at altitude 779 ft, mouth at 37.34739°N, -83.70372°W headwaters at 37.35095°N, -83.75496°W
 * Booger Branch 3.5 mile upstream at altitude 687 ft, mouth at 37.33894°N, -83.71779°W headwaters at 37.34709°N, -83.74064°W
 * Spivey Branch 1.5 mile upstream at altitude 703 ft, mouth at 37.3275°N, -83.72843°W headwaters at 37.34437°N, -83.76185°W
 * Sadler Branch 1.8 mile upstream at altitude 703 ft, mouth at 37.32349°N, -83.72956°W headwaters at 37.31224°N, -83.70856°W
 * Cool Spring Branch 2 mile upstream at altitude 717.5 ft, mouth at 37.31682°N, -83.72941°W Upper and Lower Forks meet at 37.31523°N, -83.7289°W
 * Upper Fork 1.7 mile long, headwaters at 37.29273°N, -83.73775°W
 * Lower Fork, headwaters at 37.30219°N, -83.72277°W
 * Little Sexton Branch 7.75 mile upstream at altitude 726 ft, mouth at 37.3176°N, -83.75673°W
 * an unnamed right branch 2.5 mile upstream
 * several forks 0.75 mile upstream
 * Buncomb Branch 3 mile upstream at altitude 787 ft, mouth at 37.32244°N, -83.79824°W headwaters at 37.36031°N, -83.80483°W
 * Leger Creek, mouth at 37.31984°N, -83.80785°W headwaters at 37.33429°N, -83.85145°W
 * Falling Timber Branch, mouth at 37.31544°N, -83.84078°W headwaters at 37.3036°N, -83.84655°W
 * two headwaters forks with their headwaters at 37.30451°N, -83.86601°W and 37.32311°N, -83.8724°W
 * Crooked Branch 8.25 mile upstream at altitude 743 ft, mouth at 37.30984°N, -83.75789°W headwaters at 37.30357°N, -83.7855°W
 * Cradlebow Branch 8.35 mile upstream at altitude 745 ft, mouth at 37.30135°N, -83.76099°W headwaters at 37.28082°N, -83.73786°W
 * Ells Branch 9.75 mile upstream at altitude 750 ft, mouth at 37.29573°N, -83.76736°W headwaters at 37.26893°N, -83.76033°W
 * Cave Branch 10.25 mile upstream at altitude 756 ft, mouth at 37.29128°N, -83.77554°W headwaters at 37.26493°N, -83.77143°W
 * Jim's Branch 10.75 mile upstream at altitude 762 ft, mouth at 37.29323°N, -83.78262°W headwaters at 37.273°N, -83.79292°W
 * Chestnut Branch (no connection to chestnut trees and a misspelling of the original Chesnut Branch) 11.625 mile upstream at altitude 774 ft, 1.25 mile long, mouth at 37.2905°N, -83.79583°W headwaters at 37.29361°N, -83.82658°W
 * a minor right branch 1.25 mile upstream
 * a minor left hollow 0.75 mile upstream
 * Sacker Branch 12.625 mile upstream at altitude 785 ft, mouth at 37.2786°N, -83.80261°W
 * left and right forks headwaters at 37.2611°N, -83.78546°W and 37.2485°N, -83.78725°W
 * Gum Fork 14 mile upstream at altitude 804 ft
 * a minor right branch of Gum 0.25 mile upstream
 * Right Fork at altitude 823 ft, mouth at 37.27684°N, -83.84265°W
 * Huckleberry Branch 1 mile upstream, mouth at 37.28028°N, -83.85651°W headwaters at 37.28295°N, -83.8834°W
 * Robinson's Creek the Left Fork of Gum, 0.5 mile upstream,
 * a minor left branch 0.5 mile upstream
 * a minor left branch 0.25 mile upstream
 * Pine Lick Fork mouth at 37.26208°N, -83.87084°W forking at 37.25256°N, -83.88138°W to headwaters at 37.25412°N, -83.89046°W and 37.25074°N, -83.89448°W on the side of High Knob mountain
 * twin forks 2.4 mile upstream at its headwaters at 37.27206°N, -83.89343°W
 * Bray Fork 14 mile upstream at altitude 804 ft
 * Sandlin Branch 0.875 mile upstream
 * Burning Springs Branch 1.5 mile upstream at altitude 821 ft, mouth at 37.26953°N, -83.82243°W headwaters at 37.226°N, -83.84063°W
 * Brushy Fork 2/3 mile upstream at altitude 865 ft, mouth at 37.26172°N, -83.81781°W headwaters at 37.24871°N, -83.80616°W
 * Post Office Branch
 * Muncy Fork, mouth at 37.24125°N, -83.85687°W headwaters forks at 37.24393°N, -83.86883°W
 * Right Fork 2 mile upstream at altitude 935 ft, with headwaters at 37.22283°N, -83.87901°W
 * Left Fork 2 mile upstream at altitude 935 ft, headwaters at 37.23962°N, -83.88415°W

The two forks at the head end of Sexton's Creek into which it splits (37.27444°N, -83.81987°W) are Bray Fork on the left and Gum Fork on the right in the KGS Fourth Survey report, with Gum forking left and right at the Malcom post office, and Right Fork Gum Fork being joined by Huckleberry Branch and going to the High Knob post office. Bray Fork was at one point considered Sexton's Creek proper, and similarly the Gum Fork is sometimes nowadays considered Sexton's Creek proper.

Taft and Trust post offices in Etta
The Trust post office was established on 1905-02-24 by postmaster Maxie York. Located 0.25 mile upstream on Sexton's Creek it served an area that was named Etta. It closed in April 1906.

The Taft post office was established on 1903-08-20 by postmaster Lucy Couch. Although it ended up by 1953 where Taft had been, it was initially at the mouth of Anglin Branch in Owsley County, moved upstream along Sexton's over the county line 1.5 mile into Clay some time in or after 1908, and then moved 3 mile back downstream in 1913 to a site 1 mile upstream of the mouth of Sexton's. It closed, at the old location of Trust, in 1969.

Although the presumption is that Taft was named after William Howard Taft, who was only Governor of the Philippines at the time, because there were no Owsley or Clay county families by that name; the origins of the names Taft, Trust, and Etta are unknown.

Sexton's Creek post office in Clarkes
The eponymous postoffice was originally named Section Creek in error when established by postmaster Henry Clark on 1828-05-24. This was rectified on 1843-03-15. The community that it served from the Civil War era onwards was named Clarkes, and was on the main creek just downstream of the mouth of Little Sexton's Creek.

The post office moved around to several locations over the years, serving a mainly rural area with stores and mills, including onto Little Sexton's in 1899. The post office is still on Little Sexton's at the junction of Kentucky Routes 577 and 1350 (37.315°N, -83.7843°W) and remains open to this day.

Sourwood post office on Leger and Bumcomb, and Ethal/Ethel on Little Sexton's
The Ethal post office was established on 1890-08-22 by postmaster William St John. He had originally wanted the names Smith (after a local family), Poe, and Reese, but these were all rejected and the post office ended up named after his eldest daughter. It served a rural community also named Ethal, located in Clay County on Little Sexton's Creek 2.5 mile upstream of the then location of the Sexton's Creek post office. It closed in November 1893.

Postmaster Ulysses S. G. Rice reestablished it on 1894-03-08, but this time in Jackson County, on the Buncomb Creek fork of Little Sexton's Creek. It moved back to Little Sexton's Creek and Clay County in June 1925 under postmaster Isaac Pennington, who located it at the mouth of Leger Fork. It closed again in December 1933.

After the need increased for postal service in the 1930s, it was reestablished a second time on 1941-05-15 by postmaster Willie Bond. He tried several names, including Ethel, and they were all rejected until he tried Sourwood, after the fiddle and dance tune "Sourwood Mountain". It was first located at Bond's store on Leger Creek, moved back to Buncomb Creek on 1944-10-22 under postmaster Isham Hensley, moved several more times between Bumcomb and Leger, and eventually ended up 3.5 mile upstream on Bumcomb when it closed in June 1957.

Vine post office and Ivy on Little Sexton's
The Vine post office was established on 1902-07-01 by postmaster Elihu E. Estridge. It served a rural area named Ivy and was located in various places around the mouth of Falling Timber Branch on Little Sexton's over the years, ending up 0.25 mile upstream on Falling Timber. It closed in June 1957.

Potters Choice and Choice
The first Potters Choice post office was established on 1876-09-13 by postmasters Andrew J. Sams and Millard W. Ramsey. It was at the head of Bray Creek, at several different points over its lifetime. The name comes from a local Potter family who owned a lot of land in Jackson and Clay Counties before the Civil War, although the exact meaning of "Choice" is unknown, with hypotheses ranging from the Potters choosing the location to it simply being a "choice" place to live. It closed in August 1878.

The second Potters Choice post office was established on 1882-02-09 by postmaster Jesse Lewis as simply Choice, he having dropped "Potters" from the name some time after his first application in 1881. It was located, according to the application form, 5.5 mile southwest of the then location of the Laurel Creek post office on Falls Branch and 9 mile west of Manchester. It served a village that had several stores and other businesses, two mills, and a population of roughly 600 people. It closed in September 1886, re-opened under Lewis again for the period 1890-04-29 to 1890-09-29, was re-established in a different location 4 mile south-west of the Burning Springs post office by postmaster Cathern Cress, and finally closed in June 1904.

High Knob post office and Stringtown
The High Knob post office was established on 1876-10-24 by postmaster Jesse H. McWhorter. Originally it served an area of some 200 people with several businesses including a wagon factory, a store, and some mills; and was located in Clay County just west of a 1360 ft peak (37.2788°N, -83.88308°W) at the headwaters of Huckleberry Branch, a literally high knob. Postmaster Margaret McGeorge moved it over the county line to Gum Fork/Sexton Creek in 1897, just 1 mile north-west of its prior location, where it served a village named Stringtown, and closed in 1939.

Gum Fork and Malcom post office
The Malcom post office was established on 1891-01-15 by postmaster James H. Clark. It was located at several places on Gum Fork over its lifetime between the confluence of Bray Fork with Gum and the mouth of Robinson's Creek (the left fork of Gum). In 1918 it was on the mouth of the left branch. It closed in January 1934.

In 1918, J. M. Wilson had a mine 0.175 mile upstream on the left fork (Robinson's Creek) of Gum; and A. B. Read had two, one at the forks of a left branch of a left branch of the left fork of Gum, and another close by.

Cool Spring Branch and Alger post office
The Alger post office was established on 1900-08-10 by postmaster Lucy J. Hoskins. She had originally wanted the name Cool Spring, which was rejected. It moved up and down Upper Fork Cool Spring several times, eventually ending up just upstream of the confluence of Upper and Lower Forks, where it closed in August 1964.

In 1918, W. C. Campbell had a mine 1.5 mile upstream on the Upper Fork of Cool Spring, and J. C. Clark was the local landowner at the site of another mine. Other mines included R. A. Wood's 2/3 mile upstream on Cool Spring and John Clay's into the same coal seam from Sexton's Creek 1/3 mile upstream of the mouth of Cool Spring Branch.

Burning Springs and Napier post office
Burning Springs is a village located on the eponymous Burning Springs Branch, both of which take their names from the ground vents of flammable natural gas that used to be in the area. The springs themselves no longer burn, as in the 20th century they were capped by the People's Gas Company and the gas was then piped to other places in the area rather than escaping to the open air. The People's Gas Company, a subsidiary of Wiser Oil, was purchased by the Delta Natural Gas Company in 1981. Tengasco bought the leases to the Burning Springs gas wells in 1995, which ran for a period thereafter, but decided to shut them down.

The village comprises several stores, churches, and a school and is today located at the mouth of Burning Springs Branch. In 1918, the then town of Burning Springs was located upstream at Post Office Branch, a left fork that is now considered to be Burning Springs Branch proper, Burning Springs Branch originally going to the right. Upstream of the town along Post Office Branch, J. H. Harret (1/3 mile upstream) and Luther Webb (0.5 mile upstream) were landowners. 1.75 mile upstream at the headwaters of Post Office Branch (37.22264°N, -83.83927°W), a gap leads to the Rader's Creek fork of Little Goose Creek. The Macedonia Baptist Church was near to the post office.

The post office in Burning Springs originally had the name Napier and was established by postmaster John C. Napier on 1884-09-25 elsewhere in the Sexton's Creek basin. When it came under the control of postmaster Lafayette M. Rawlings he moved it to his store that was in Burning Springs on 1888-01-17 and renamed it after the village. It closed in December 1965.

Chesnut and Gum
The Chesnut Branch has no connection to local chestnut trees, and the letter t was an inadvertent insertion into the name. Rather, it is named for a local Chesnut family in the area, who were descendants of early settlers and brothers Samuel and Benjamin Chesnut, and their sons William, Granville, and Thomas. Samuel and Benjamin were born in the then Nelson County of Kentucky in 1789 and 1793. Samuel married a Rachel Gum from a local Gum family that is intertwined with the Chesnut family.

The Dory post office was established on 1886-08-05 by postmaster Susan Chesnut. Chesnut had originally wanted either Chesnut or Chesnut Hill, but got the name Dory instead. It was located south of the then location of the Sexton's Creek post office, on the west side of Sexton's Creek, and 3.5 mile from the mouth of Chesnut Branch. The succeeding postmaster, Thomas B. Murphy, moved it 1 mile south, 11 mile north of Manchester, in Autumn 1889 and it moved several more times after that. It closed in February 1912.

The Chesnutberg post office (similarly, since misspelled Chestnutberg) was established on 1904-01-12 by the same Susan Chesnut. This post office was located opposite the mouth of Chesnut Branch. It closed in 1985.

In the meantime, Dory post office had been reestablished on 1930-05-06 by postmaster Albert Craft, and had closed again in November 1933. In 1918, Leander Chesnut had a mine 1/6 mile upstream on a left hollow that is 0.75 mile upstream on a right branch that is 1.25 mile upstream on Chesnut Branch. John Pennington had one near to the headwaters of Chesnut Branch.

General
The Adela post office was established on 1902-07-05 by postmaster William H. Murray to serve the rural area initially known as Murray.

It was named after Murray's daughter. It was located on Bray Creek at the mouth of Muncy Fork and later the area served by the post office was simply named Muncy Fork too. It closed in July 1934.

The Sacker Gap post office was established on 1928-04-28 by postmaster Cornelious S. Sawyer. The name "Sacker" is probably for a local family, otherwise unrecorded, and the "Gap" indicates its location on a gap between Sacker Branch headwaters and the Reed branch of Laurel Creek. It closed in February 1935.

The Joshua post office was established by post master Elijah H. Begley on 1889-06-06. It was located at the mouth of Sexton's Creek on South Fork Kentucky River. Begley had originally wanted the name Goose Rock after a then local landmark. It closed on 1895-07-11.

A road leads over the divide, from the forks of the Left Fork Gum Fork to Bray's Fork.