Kentucky Places: Poplar Plains, Fleming County, Kentucky

South of Flemingsburg, at the crossroads of two turnpike roads, lies “one of the prettiest towns in the state.”* I don’t think this 19th century utterance is hyperbolic – even now Poplar Plains, Kentucky, is an extraordinarily picturesque place.

A view of Poplar Plains from Route 156.

I can’t recall exactly how I stumbled upon Poplar Plains – coming or  going from some other destination – it appeared in my path like Brigadoon, though without atmospheric side-effects. The gas station was the first building I remember seeing.

The very early 20th century former filling station in Poplar Plains, Kentucky.

An older gentleman was inside, and on both the interior and exterior were the fruits of his handiwork – handmade Purple Martin houses, so cleverly rendered and executed that it made me sigh.

I sighed also when he told me that he only took cash, and neither my companion nor myself had enough cash to spare. I still regret to not returning on my own time to purchase one of his bird houses and for more conversation – both of which were delightful.

Looking north along Rt 111 or Hillsboro Road in Poplar Plains. The Howe House, seen at left, is a mid-19th century I-house located on the site of a former tanyard.

From that brief visit, a favorable impression was made – one of roadside architecture, capitalism, and a collection of  handsome 19th century dwellings.

I’ve come across differing accounts of when this crossroads community came into being, but it was early (by Kentucky standards).

Poplar Plains in 1884.

The Pearce  family settled in the area around 1792, and a post office established in 1826. Apparently the Pearce family sought to name the community after themselves, but other residents were having none of it, and a “grove of yellow poplars on a level stretch of land” inspired the eventual name. **

Very little information was recorded on this brick structure (a gable end chimney has been removed), but its proportions are very much like the toll houses found in many Kentucky communities.

The community appears to have been incorporated in 1831, and by the mid-19th century, it contained “two stores, one tavern, post office, tannery, woolen factory and oil mill, two doctors and six mechanic’s shops.”***

This frame dwelling looks like it was a store at one point.

Today, a number of historic houses still stand in Poplar Plains, including a wonderful Greek Revival-style brick building that appears to have been designed for commercial/residential use (according to the documented name, as a bank at one point).

The Pearce-Fant Bank, circa 1830s, is now the home of Humphries Antiques, celebrating 62 years in business.

The Methodist Church, its spires visible from just about every point in Poplar Plains, is the only church in town.

Poplar Plains Methodist Church.

Farms still surround the town, even if none of the stores that once offered a place to buy basic goods and enjoy a visit and some gossip are no longer open. The  rural economy persists in some fashion – but the county seat towns (and big box stores) have driven the small merchant out of existence.

Entering Poplar Plains from the east.

Poplar Plains hangs on, even with some vacant buildings and empty parcels where buildings once stood. The post office closed in 1926, and road improvements have bypassed the town for all but local residents – and those of us like to wander, explore, and discover Kentucky places.

*The two turnpikes were the Poplar Plains and Flemingsburg Turnpike (now Route 111) and the Poplar Plains and Plummers Mill Turnpike Road (Route 156). The statement is from Lewis Collin’s Historical Sketches of Kentucky, published in 1848.

** Robert Rennick, Kentucky Place Names. 

***Lewis Collins, 1848.