Rabbit Hash, Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Rabbit Hash is a small unincorporated community
in Boone County
, Kentucky
, United States
, noted primarily for its name.
The name Rabbit Hash may derive from the historic use of the local rabbit population as food. The hamlet's most notable building, the Rabbit Hash General Store, is regarded as the best known and best preserved country store in Kentucky. Rabbit Hash is unincorporated
and therefore without fixed boundaries, which makes its exact population a matter of opinion, but the population is generally regarded as between four and 40 depending on how the boundaries are drawn. There is a distinction made between urban Rabbit Hash and suburban Rabbit Hash.
To date the original name of Rabbit Hash is unknown. The hamlet was originally known as Carlton and was required to change its name because mail was being mixed up with the larger community of Carrollton several miles down the Ohio River. It is still the Carlton voter precinct. During the early 19th century the town, now known as "Rabbit Hash", was well known for a rabbit hash meal. Steamboats often stopped to order the famous hash as they traveled along the Ohio river. A local legend states that, in 1831, a pirate ship docked and entered the town, where they proceeded to burn all of the buildings and kill every person. The next steamboat to stop for hash saw only a three foot sign with the words "rabbit hash" written. It was the only structure standing, and was thought to be the name of the town.
In 1998 a dog named Goofy was elected mayor in an unofficial "election", an event covered in the documentary "Rabbit Hash (The Center of the Universe)". In 2004, another dog named Junior was elected mayor. Junior later came under scrutiny by the Northern Kentucky Health Department and was banned from entering the General Store in the town due to complaints. According to WXIX-TV on March 13, 2008, the dog's owner would petition for an exemption for the "mayor".
On May 30, 2008, WXIX-TV reported that Junior had died. A new election began August 31 and was won by Lucy Lou, a border collie.
The historic Piatt family established a ferry in Rabbit Hash in the early 19th century going across the Ohio River to Indiana. Some of the stories of their run-ins with criminals along the river are colorful and legendary. The Piatts and other farming families in the area would take produce from their farms and send them via flatboat down to Natchez and New Orleans.
After the Civil War
ended and the slaves were freed, farm production became far less profitable with increased labor costs.
The Duke Energy
East Bend Station coal-fired power plant is nearby.
The Rabbit Hash Historic District
was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on December 4, 2003. It includes 330 acres (1.3 km²), 12 buildings, 6 structures, and 3 objects around 10021-10410 Lower River Rd. The Rabbit Hash General Store had already been listed since February 2, 1989.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Boone County
Boone County, Kentucky
Boone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1798. The population was 118,811 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Burlington. The county is named for frontiersman Daniel Boone...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, noted primarily for its name.
The name Rabbit Hash may derive from the historic use of the local rabbit population as food. The hamlet's most notable building, the Rabbit Hash General Store, is regarded as the best known and best preserved country store in Kentucky. Rabbit Hash is unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
and therefore without fixed boundaries, which makes its exact population a matter of opinion, but the population is generally regarded as between four and 40 depending on how the boundaries are drawn. There is a distinction made between urban Rabbit Hash and suburban Rabbit Hash.
To date the original name of Rabbit Hash is unknown. The hamlet was originally known as Carlton and was required to change its name because mail was being mixed up with the larger community of Carrollton several miles down the Ohio River. It is still the Carlton voter precinct. During the early 19th century the town, now known as "Rabbit Hash", was well known for a rabbit hash meal. Steamboats often stopped to order the famous hash as they traveled along the Ohio river. A local legend states that, in 1831, a pirate ship docked and entered the town, where they proceeded to burn all of the buildings and kill every person. The next steamboat to stop for hash saw only a three foot sign with the words "rabbit hash" written. It was the only structure standing, and was thought to be the name of the town.
In 1998 a dog named Goofy was elected mayor in an unofficial "election", an event covered in the documentary "Rabbit Hash (The Center of the Universe)". In 2004, another dog named Junior was elected mayor. Junior later came under scrutiny by the Northern Kentucky Health Department and was banned from entering the General Store in the town due to complaints. According to WXIX-TV on March 13, 2008, the dog's owner would petition for an exemption for the "mayor".
On May 30, 2008, WXIX-TV reported that Junior had died. A new election began August 31 and was won by Lucy Lou, a border collie.
The historic Piatt family established a ferry in Rabbit Hash in the early 19th century going across the Ohio River to Indiana. Some of the stories of their run-ins with criminals along the river are colorful and legendary. The Piatts and other farming families in the area would take produce from their farms and send them via flatboat down to Natchez and New Orleans.
After the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
ended and the slaves were freed, farm production became far less profitable with increased labor costs.
The Duke Energy
Duke Energy
Duke Energy , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.-Overview:...
East Bend Station coal-fired power plant is nearby.
The Rabbit Hash Historic District
Rabbit Hash Historic District
The Rabbit Hash Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 2003. It includes , 12 buildings, 6 structures, and 3 objects around 10021-10410 Lower River Rd. The Rabbit Hash General Store, one of the addresses in the District, had already been listed...
was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on December 4, 2003. It includes 330 acres (1.3 km²), 12 buildings, 6 structures, and 3 objects around 10021-10410 Lower River Rd. The Rabbit Hash General Store had already been listed since February 2, 1989.