Road Work in Bullitt County in 1925

Roads have long been (and will likely continue to be) a major topic of discussion as evidenced by the following newspaper editorial that we found printed in the October 9, 1925 issue of The Pioneer News.

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Making due allowance for the great American habit of "knocking" the administration, it must be admitted that the present Fiscal Court has made as good an out of road improvement as any of its predecessors, not exempting that of Judge Morrow which has always been held up as a criterion, especially by those not of the Democratic faith.

During the present Democratic administration, six miles of first class road has been completed on the Jackson Highway [Highway 31E today] and eight miles on the L & S [Louisville and Shepherdsville; Preston Highway today] Pike, which will not directly cost the tax payers of this county a dollar to maintain.

A little over a mile has been completed on the Bullitt Lick Road, two miles on the Mt. Washington Road, over two miles from Buffalo Run to Lick Skillet, over which a good bridge has been constructed. Two miles beyond this, two additional miles are under construction and will be completed before the term of the present court expires.

Considering cost, these county built roads are superior to the state road. Besides these, more work has been done on other roads than has been done since the war made labor scarce and high. The Pine Tavern Road from the Nelson line to Sycamore Lane, has been graded nicely and from there to Shepherdsville, the road is being spiked and regraded. Some 200 miles of dirt roads have been graded up and many bridges have received needed repairs.

Quite the greatest progress has been made in learning "how" and in the purchase of modern machinery. We now have two tractor graders and a gravel loader. The last, now at work on Knob Creek where it is expected to complete the road along this stream before winter with the help and co-operation of the good citizens of this section. When this work is finished, and the loader moved to the gravel banks beyond Belmont, with the aid of the fine spirit of co-operation which is aroused, we anticipate the greatest epoch of road building this county has ever experienced.

Judge Shelton, Ed Ash, Melvin Rayman, John Samuels and Claud Gentry constitute the present Fiscal Court. Against the court, no charge of extravagance or mis-appropriation of funds can be justly made.

Of each and every "well done thou good and faithful servant" might be said of them. Their party may justly be proud.

Succeeding them we will have as Judge E. Z. Wiggington, and as magistrates, Melvin Rayman and John Samuels, who will succeed themselves. W. L. Carrithers, who served with credit during the administration of Judge Bradbury and John Bolton, who served during the administration of Judge Funk and who has the reputation of building the best and cheapest two miles of roads ever put down in this county. Mr. Bolton has also the faculty of being able to secure abundant labor when it is scarce and when this labor follows John for nine hours, it has sure done a day's work.

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You can view a map showing Bullitt County's roads in 1925 on another page.

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